372 Zoological N. Y. Zoological Society. [1;19 



while a little one captured near Bambalapitiya, Ceylon, in 

 1880, was only 14 feet 6 inches in length. Kishinouye's specimen, 

 named by him R. pentalineatus, when stuffed measured 26 feet 

 in length and about 12 feet in circumference, but is reported 

 to have been nearly 33 feet long when fresh. Bean's Florida 

 specimen was 18 feet over all. Van Kampen's Batavia Bay fish 

 was nearly 19 feet long, while the Philippine specimen recorded 

 by Smith was slightly over 20 feet in length. The second Flor- 

 ida specimen was 38 feet long and as near as could be gotten 

 about 18 feet in girth according to Mr. Brook's letter quoted 

 above. 



Fairly complete sets of measurements have been given for four 

 fish as shown on the following page. 



Color. 



According to Smith, the discoverer of this fish, the color was 

 above greenish-gray varying to dull lavender-purple and shaded 

 with brownish-red; below reddish-white, becoming redder on 

 edges of fins and under the head. The upper and lateral parts 

 of the body were covered with white spots, smaller and more 

 crowded on the head and adjacent parts, larger and more scat- 

 tered behind, with narrow vertical white lines running from 

 back to belly. See Figure 118. 



Gill's specimen from the Gulf of California was brown with 

 reddish spots above. Wright, notwithstanding his magnificent 

 opportunities, has given us no description of the Seychelles 

 form. Chierchia notes that his Panama Bay specimen was 

 brown above with yellow spots so close and small on the head as 

 to give it a marbled appearance. 



Kishinouye found the Japanese fish to be grayish-brown above 

 with round white spots and with vertical bars, while below it 

 was colorless. As to size and number of spots he is in agree- 

 ment with the other describers. 



The first Florida specimen was a dark grayish-brown with 

 large spots, while the keels were a light chocolate, but there were 

 no vertical bars. These had probably faded out. For this fish 

 see Mr. Bean's elegant Figure 127. 



