502 THE PUR SEALS OF THE PKIBILOF ISLANDS. 



lateral line and beneath the second dorsal there are about three irregular rows of 

 similar but smaller plates. 



Adult female. — First dorsal lower than in the male, scarcely rounded posteriorly, 

 but sloping gradually toward the base of the second dorsal; third and fourth spine 

 longest and equal to length of snout. The second dorsal is about twice as high as the 

 first and varies a great deal in shape, the membrane is scarcely incised, and 'the first 

 three or f<5ur rays have rough, prickly edges. The anal is oblong and slightly rounded, 

 with the middle rays longer than snout, and the membrane between the rays not 

 incised. The pectoral scarcely reaches to the front of the second dorsal; the first 

 two or three rays rough on their outer edge: the membrane not incised. The caudal 

 is not rounded, but truncated, with rather sharp corners; ten developed rays; eight of 

 them branched. The ventral s reach two-thirds distance to the vent; the inner ray 

 no longer than the middle one. 



Adult male. — The first dorsal is higher than in the female; the third and fourth 

 rays are longest and are equal in length to the distance from the snout to middle of 

 eye; the posterior end of the fln is more rounded. The second dorsal is more than 

 twice as high as the first; the membrane between the rays is deeply incised, the 

 anterior rays projecting for nearly half their length beyond the membrane; the mem- 

 brane follows around the edge of the projecting rays; the rays are scabrous on their 

 sides. The anal is oblong, but more angular than in female; the longest ray reaches 

 from snout to posterior edge of orbit. The membrane between tlie first four rays quite 

 deeply incised; the outer edge of the rays scabrous. The ventrals reach four-fifths 

 distance to vent; the inner ray longest. 



Color. — In the young the color is gray above and white beneath, a dark saddle 

 marking over the back at the center of the first dorsal ; another similar marking under 

 the anterior and another under the posterior end of the second dorsal; a dark spot 

 the size of the eye on top of the caudal peduncle and midway in its length (the young 

 may be distinguished at a glance by this marking on top of the caudal peduncle); a 

 V-shaped marking at the base of the caudal with the angle of the V on the lateral 

 line and directed forward. The caudal is marked by two vertical wavy bands on its 

 posterior half, the first one the wider, the last one at the tips of the rays ; these bands 

 are solid, extending across rays and membrane; the pectorals are dark at the base, 

 the distal part marked by three vertical black bars. The first dorsal is slightly 

 dusted with black; the second is slightly mottled with black, but with no bars. The 

 anal has three or four vertical dark bars. In the adults the general appearance of 

 the fish is very much darker, sometimes almost black; the lower parts are light; the 

 markings are not so distinct; the fins except the ventrals are all dark and the 

 markings on the pectorals, caudal, and anal run together into solid black; the lower 

 parts, especially in the males, is brilliantly colored with red. 



This fish differs from Oncocottus quadricornis, from the Baltic Sea, in having a 

 longer maxillary, longer pectorals, and a square-cut caudal fin. 



We can find no good difference between our specimen and one from Arctic Bay, 

 Greenland. 



The fish figured by Bean as Gottus quadricornis (in Nelson's Report on the Natural 

 History Collections made in Alaska, PI. XVII, fig. 2) is probably the ^ame as the one 

 here described, though the figure does not agree in all respects. 



