The Inhabitants of the Aquarium 151 



The upper two-thirds of the body are mot- 

 tled with irregular olive-brown spots, dense 

 above but decreasing in density toward the 

 belly, leaving the latter completely free. 

 The opercle on an olive-brown ground bears 



Fig. 73. Long-eared Snnfish, Lcpomis auritus, from the 



south. 



two distinct longitudinal bars of a bright 

 blue, the upper running to and ending at the 

 eye, the lower extending to the nose. The 

 belly of the male fish is light orange, chang- 

 ing, during the mating season, to a very in- 

 tense orange red, the same color extending 



