CENTRARCHID^, 23 



The eye is quite large. 4 in the head proper j IJ times in the oper 

 cular flap. 



The opercular flap is quite long and narrow, narrowly bordered with 

 pale throughout its length ; its length is contained about 2^ times in 

 the length of the rest of the head, its width is little more than half its 

 length. It is somewhat broadened toward the tip, and is set obliquely 

 upward and backward. Much variation in the size and form of this 

 appendage may be expected. 



The dorsal spines are moderately developed, rather high for the 

 genus, the longest as long as from snout to middle of orbit. The caudal 

 peduncle in this species is rather more than usually elongate : with the 

 caudal fin it forms about one-third of the total length. 



The scales on the cheek are rather large, in five or six rows. There 

 are 39 scales in the lateral line ; about five rows above and eleven be- 

 low it. Fin-rays as usual, D. X, 10 ; A. Ill, 9. 



The coloration has been modified by the alcohol. It seems to have 

 been chiefly of a greenish or golden orange in life, with numerous small 

 •pale blue spots. Blue lines on the sides of the head and in front of the 

 eyes. The fins, now unicolor, were probably largely orange in life. 



This species is related to X. inscriptvs and X. megalotis. It is longer- 

 bodied and has higher spines than fallax, breviceps, megalotis, and .saw- 

 guinolentus. 



Its spines are much higher than in lythrocJiloris and the flap is differ- 

 ent. X. inscriptus, aureolus, marginatus, and peltastes are smaller, less 

 elongate, and have a different flap. In some respects it approaches 

 nearer Lepiopomus auritus than do any of the above species, and speci- 

 mens of the auritus were apparently confounded with it by Valen- 

 ciennes. 



14. XENOTIS SANGUINOLENTUS, (Agassiz) Jordan. 

 Fomoiis sangtiinolentus, Agassiz, Am. Journ. Sci. Arts, 1854, 301. 



This handsome species seems to be widely distributed in the Southern 

 States ; I have seen specimens from the Tennessee, Savannah, Alabama, 

 and Mississippi Elvers. It represents, in the'South, X. megalotis of the 

 Northern States. X. sanguinolentus may be known by the rather higher 

 spines — the longest as long as from snout just past middle of pupil — and 

 by a peculiarity of coloration, blue spots on the sides being arranged in 

 vertical chain-like bauds, which are striking and conspicuous even after 

 the fish has been long in alcohol. 



