Miscellaneous Fishes 391 



described by Gmelin, in 1788, from Carolina, 

 from one of Dr. Garden's specimens, Gmelin 

 being a coadjutor of Linnaeus, to whom the 

 specimen was sent. The locality from which 

 the type specimen was sent accounts for its 

 name. 



The turbot, as it is called by the Key West 

 fishermen, is an inhabitant of tropical waters, and 

 is abundant on the South Atlantic coast and 

 along the Florida Keys ; it is known also from 

 the Mediterranean Sea. Like all of the trigger- 

 fishes it has a curious form and appearance. 

 It is as deep as long, and slants both ways 

 from the dorsal fin above and from the ven- 

 tral flap below, presenting somewhat of a dia- 

 mond shape. The head is triangular, and the 

 fins are thick and leathery. The first dorsal 

 spine is locked when ei^ect by the second, or 

 "trigger." The soft dorsal and anal fins are 

 opposite each other, and are of similar size and 

 shape. The color is olive-gray, or slate color, 

 with some purplish spots on the back ; two ob- 

 scure cross bars are under the second dorsal fin ; 

 a ring of blue spots alternating with greenish 

 streaks are about the eye ; there are violet marks 

 on the sides of the snout; the first dorsal is 



