542 Girard on Fishes of California. 
14. PLEURONICHTHYS GUTTULATUS. Grrarp, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci, 
Philad. VIII. 1856, 137. 
Plate XXV, fig. 1-4. 
Description. The body is subelliptical, deeper than in 
P. cenosus. The figure will show its outline better than 
any description could do. Needless to say that it is very 
thin. j 
The head is of moderate size and constitutes about the 
fourth of the total length. The eyes situated on the right 
side, are well developed, elliptical, their longitudinal diam- 
eter being contained three times in the length of the side 
of the head. The interocular space is exceedingly narrow 
and raised, ridge-like, above the surface of the head. The 
snout is very blunt and short, the mouth small, with its 
gape oblique upwards, and both jaws even. , The poste- 
rior extremity of the maxillary corresponds to a vertical line 
drawn midway between the anterior rim of the orbit and 
the pupil The opereular apparatus and cheeks are scaly ; 
the branchial fissures moderate and not continuous under 
the throat. 
The origin of the dorsal fin corresponds to a vertical line 
drawn immediately in advance of the pupil; it is gradu- 
ally inereasing in height to the line of the greatest depth of 
the body to diminish again gradually posteriorly, terminat- 
ing at a small distance from the base of the caudal. The 
anterior margin of the anal corresponds to a vertical line 
drawn immediately behind the base of the pectorals. It is 
shaped like the dorsal, and terminates evenly with that fin. 
The caudal, which enters about five times in the total 
length, is rounded upon its posterior margin. The origi" 
of the ventrals is situated in advance of the base of the pec 
torals, in advance even of the posterior edge of the opereu" 
lar apparatus; they are small and sublanceolate ; their 
posterior extremity overlaps the vent and reaches the anal 
