446 



THE FUK SEALS OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



on base of the suborbital stay, three others on the orbital rim before it, and three on 

 the edge of the preorbital. Post-temporal with two or three spinous points, a sharp 

 spine on the postero-temporal and a tlat one on humerus. Opercle with two strong 

 spines diverging, each forming a ridge on the bone. Two spines at junction of sub- 

 opercle and interopercle. Preopercle with five radiating spines, the second longest, 

 3^ in eye. Space between occipital spines nearly flat. Posterior nostril twice as large 

 as anterior. Lower jaw with four large mucous pores on each side. iScales rather 

 large, rough-ctenoid, deciduous. Rough scales on middle of maxillary and on almost 

 the whole surface of lower jaw. Tip of lower jaw somewhat projectiug, the symphysis 

 thickened. Dorsal spines low, slender. Soft dorsal higher. Second anal spine some- 

 what shorter than third, the soft rays high. Pectoral rather long, not quite reaching 

 vent, but beyond tips of veutrals. Caudal slightly lunate. Color, plain uniform brick- 

 red, the edge of dorsal, anal, caudal, and ventral blackish. Pectoral without dusky 



Sehattodet aleulianun (type), Xarltik. 



shade. Traces of three dusky shades across cheeks and opercles. Inside of mouth 

 and gill opening coppery red. Peritoneum silvery. 



The species is here described from four specimens dredged by the Albatross on 

 July 20, 1897, in Shelikof Strait, off Kadiak, Alaska, in I'JO fathoms. They are from 

 1 ^ to 2;^ feet in length. 



The species is nearest Sebastodes miniatus, but is well separated from all the other 

 American species by the in(;reased number of cranial spines. It needs comparison 

 only with Sebastodes matzubarcc (Hilgendorf), a Japanese species described from Yeso, 

 not known to us. It is evident that this is the red species wrongly identified by 

 l*allas as the adult of his Perca variabilis, the type of the latter being the Epinephelus 

 ciliatus of Tilesius. One of Pallas's specimens from the Aleutian Islands has been 

 examined by Dr. Jordan and described under the probably erroneous name of Sebast- 

 ichthys matzubara. 



Specimens i)robably of this species have been taken in stomachs of four seals in 



