45 



TAB. XXII. 



ZEUS Opah. 

 Opah, or Kiiig-JisJi. 



Class 4. Pisces. Order 3. Tnoracicl. 



Gen. Char. Bodi/ very deep, compressed sideways, 

 consisting of seven branchiostegious rays. 



Generally with very long filaments from the 

 first dorsal fin. 



Spec. Char. Tail bifurcate, red, dorsal finl. anal fin 1. 

 Fins red. Back green. Sides pale red, with silvery 

 and golden spots, 



Syn. Opah, or King-fish. Phil. Trans. Ahr. xl. 879. 

 t. 5. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. 223. 

 Zeus Cauda bifurca, colore argenteo purpureo splen- 

 dens. Stroi?i. Sondmor. 323. 325. t. 1./. 20. 



Wk know of no coloured figure of this most singular and 

 beautiful fish, which seems only an hihabitant, and a very 

 rare one too, of our seas ; so strikingly beautiful are its lustre 

 and colours that all are amazed with its splendour at first 

 sight. 



The fishermen who are so lucky as to procure these fish, 

 have always made a show of them, A few only at different 

 periods have been seen, viz. not more than seven or eight. 



The present specimen was found near Weymouth, and 

 was procured for me, as soon as the fishermen would part 

 with it, by my friend S. P. Brycr, Esq., of that place. 



