— 300 — 



Museum at Florence. As they present differences in size and in 

 other respects, I shall proceed to describe them briefly. 



My smallest specimen (Plate XXXIV, fig. 2) measures 28 1 fu 

 millimetres in total lenght ; it was caught on the 10th of May, 1887. 

 It is evidently much younger than the other two; the two dorsals 

 are yet united and the larval median fin extends as a crest to 

 the head; the caudal is, however, quite distinct and remarkable 

 for its lanceolate form. The abdominal conè is comparatively 

 smaller than in the two older specimens, and a membrane unites 

 its hinder portion to the anal fin. The lobe of the pectorals is 

 very distinct, and the rays look thickened a their distal ends. 

 The ventrals have the characteristic form and development. The 

 colour of the body is yellowish white (in alcohol); eight very 

 distinct broad black bands cross the body transversely, being 

 slightly oblique: the first occupies the base of the abdominal 

 cone, the last the root of the tail; the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th are 

 continued as a black blotch on the base of the anal fin; the 

 ventral paddles are tipped and edged with black, the ray is ho- 

 wever, whithe; otherwise the fins are colourless. Looking with 

 a lens, these black bunds aud blotches result in an accumulation 

 of dark points or chromatophores ; this is the case also in the 

 other specimens. 



The second specimen, according to size and age, measures 

 68 millimetres in total lenght; it is figured slightly enlarged 

 (Plate XXXIV. tit;. 3), It was captured alive near the surface in 

 the harbour of Messina on the 2nd of June, 1888. It bears con- 

 siderable resemblance to the first specimen described, but has lost 

 some of the larval characters above noted; all the median fins 

 are well distinct, the caudal has an oval contour; but the abdo- 

 minal cone, covered with a slightly silvery skin, shows still a 

 posterior membranous fringe which partially unites it with the 

 anal fin. The pores on the head and nape are very distinct. 

 In colour this specimen is also very similar to the first one ; the 

 black transverse bands are very well marked, but they are slightly 

 fainter and the first one does not extend to the abdominal cone, 

 which is well developed. Ten very distinct black blotches extend 

 along the base of the anal fiu and three along the caudal end 

 of the second dorsal; three additional blotches are on the back 



