104 PISCES. 



Perca gigcts, Gm. Three feet and more in length; of a cloud- 

 ed brown: it is also taken in the Ocean. 



The Merrse, foreign to Europe, are extremely numerous; the den- 

 tation of the preoperculum, in several, becomes almost inscnsible;(l) 

 but, generally, they can only be distinguished by their colours. 



There are many in which the body is dotted with colours more or 

 Iessvivid,(2) and others, in Avhich it is marked with crowded spots.(3) 



Some in which it is longitudinally striped,(4) or transversely, (5) 

 or marbled in large patches, (6) or divided into two colours,(7) or, 

 finally, of a more or less uniform tint.(8) Very few of them possess 

 characters drawn from very apparent varieties of form. We will 

 cite, however, the 



(1) These, when the muzzle is naked, constitute the Bodianus, Bloch; they 

 only differ from most of the Holocextki of the same author, in this diminished 

 dentation. The Holocextui, when the muzzle is scaly, are called Epinepheli, 

 and where this is the case with the Boihaxi, they are called Cephalopholks. The 

 LuTJAJfi and Axthi;e of Bloch differ from the IIolocenthi, in the absence of the 

 spines on their operculum; in the first ones, the muzzle is naked; it is scaly in 

 the others; but all these characters, of but little importance in themselves, are 

 very badly applied to the species. 



(2) They are the Jacob Evertseri of the Dutch, such as: Bodianus guttatus, BI., 

 224; — Cephulopholis argus, Bl., Schn.,pl. 61; — Bodianus boenak,Bl. 226; — Holoc. 

 auratus, lb. 236; — Hoi. cwruleo-pundaiits. Id. 242, 2; — Labms pundulatus, La- 

 cep., Ill, xvii, 2, &c.; and in America, Ferca guttata, Bl. 312, or Spare sanguino- 

 lent, Lac^p. IV, iv, 1; — P. maculata, Bl. 313, or Spare atkmtique, Lac, IV, v, 1; — 

 Johnius guttatus, Bl. Schn., or Bonaci-arara, Parra, XVI, 2; — Lutjanus lunulatus, 

 Bl. Schn., or Cabrilla, Parra, XXXVI, 1; — Bodianus guativere, Parra, V; — Holoc. 

 punciatus,Bl. 241, or Pyrapixanga,M!Li-cg. 152; — GymnocepJialus ruber, B\. Schn., 

 67, or Carauna, Marcg., 147; — Bodianus apua, Bl. 229. 



(o) Epinephelus merra, Bl. 329; — Holoc. puntherin, Lacep., Ill, xxvii, 3; — Ser- 

 runus bontoo, Cuv., Russel, 128; — Serr. suillus, Russ,, 127; — Labrus leopardus, 

 Lacep., Ill, XXX, 1; — Holoc. salmono'ides, lb., XXXIV, 3; — Bodianus melantirus, 

 Geoffr., Egypt., XXI, 1. 



(4) Scisenaformosa, Shaw, llussel, 129. 



(5) Holoc. tigrinus, Bl., 237; Seb. Ill, xxvii; — Hoi. lanceolatus, Bl., 242, 1; — 

 Jlnthlus orientalis. Id., 326; — Anth. striatus. Id. 324, which is also the Anth. cherna, 

 Bl. , Schn., Parra, XXIV; and the Spare chrysomelane, Lac^p. 



(6) Serranus geographicus, Kuhl, Cuv. ct Val., II, p. 322. 



(7) Serranus Jlavo-cseruleus, Cuv., which is the Holoc. gymnose, Lacep., Ill, 

 xxvii, 2; his Bodia7i grosse tete. III, xx, 2, and his Holocentre jaunc et bleu, IV, p. 

 369. It is also the Serran bourignon, Quoy et Gaym., Voy. Freycin., Zool., pi. 

 Ivii, 2. 



(8) Holocentms ongus, Bl., 234; — Epinephelus marginalis, BI. 328, or Holoc. 

 rosmarc, Lacep., IV, vii, 2; — Hoi. oceanique, Lacep., IV, vii, 3; — Epinephelus 

 ruber, Bl., 331. For various other species, of which there are no figures, see de- 

 scriptions in the second volume of our History of Fishes. 



