CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NATURAL HISTORY OF ALASKA. 99 



on the abdomen, the anterior of which is less evident than the second, but is intensified in out- 

 line as the bands succeed posteriorly to the last, which entirely encircles the fish. These, bands 

 vary much in width and depth of coloration. (The adult males which first arrive have the colors 

 much subdued, and not until the height of the spawning season do they assume their vivid 

 colors.) These bands are of the general color of the dorsum, variable shades of olive. The color 

 between the bauds is golden yellow to reddish orange yellow, straw and lemon yellow, and each 

 having a coppery reflection, making a contrast of extreme splendor. 



The lighter-colored parts are evanescent to a great degree, and are soon faded on the death of 

 the fish. They then turn dark plumbeus and gradually fade to a lusterless white; numerous white 

 patches then appear on various parts of the body. If the fish is soon preserved in salt, or other 

 substance, the bands of color do not entirely disappear. 



The head is large, stout; bones firmly knitted together ; nostril small, above which is a notice- 

 able depression in the nasal bone. 



Mouth medium sized, directed slightly obliquely upward when closed and nearly circular when 

 opened ; lower lip moderately pendant, upper lip thick and rolled back. The teeth are small and 

 weak. Eye large; orbit strong, irregularly oval, longest diameter in a line from corner of mouth 

 to anterior spine of dorsal. The upper outline of the orbit slopes obliquely in front, presenting a 

 peculiarly formed contour, being four fifths as high as long and one-fourth the length of the head 

 to end of nasal bone, and equal to two-thirds the width of interorbital space, and one and three- 

 fourths times the distance of anterior edge of orbit to middle of nostril. 



Operculum narrow and strong, waved on upper edge, and concavely outlined; lower edge mod- 

 erately convex; the posterior side of operculum is irregular, the upper corner of which is above the 

 center of the posterior third of the opercular bone, thus : forming a subtriangle in outline. 



The gill rays are seven, forming a rounded outline with the gill covers. 



Dorsal fin moderately curved, attaining greatest height at eighth ray and preserving this 

 height to the eighteenth, then decurved to the twenty-third, then ascending to the twenty-ninth, 

 gradually arching to the thirty-sixth, and decurving to the forty-seventh or last. 



The dorsal rays are moderately strong, and arched backward. The soft membrane is consid- 

 erably depressed between the spines. The height of the longest dorsal spine is contained 6^ times 

 in the length of the dorsal fin and equals the distance from the first to the eighth spine of the an- 

 terior part of the fin and the last ten of the soft rays. The third soft ray is equal to two-fifths the 

 height of the eighth spine. 



The pectoral fin has a rounded outline, rather stout, contains twenty-five rays, of which the 

 sixth to thirteenth are of the same length. The longest rays are two and one-fourth times the 

 height of the eighth to eighteenth dorsal, each ray terminating in soft membrane. The insertion 

 of the pectoral is wide and fleshy, equal to one-half its length. 



The ventral fins, long and weak, contain six rays, each terminating in filaments, the third ray 

 forming a long point behind ; the base is equal to one-fourth the length of longest ray, the rays 

 much branching. 



The anal fin contains twenty-four rays, of which the third to the eleventh are the longest, 

 though they all form a convex outline ; the penultimate ray is equal to two-fifths the length of the 

 anterior ray. 



The caudal fin is notched for half its length, the edges of the notch waved half as deep as its 

 length at medan line, forming a deep notched, nearly heart-shaped caudal fin. The scales are 

 small, smooth, disposed in four rows between dorsal fin and upper lateral line; eighteen to eleven 

 rows of scales between first (upper) and second lateral lines, which extends from edge of operculum 

 to the end of the tail, and is 147 scales in length ; the upper lateral line contains 219 scales from tail 

 to bifurcation (of lateral line) on the dorsum. The point of bifurcation of upper lateral line on 

 dorsum is eleven scales anterior to the first dorsal spine; the prolongation of upper lateral line at 

 bifurcation is five scales. A third lateral line extends from just in front of the lower insertion of the 

 pectoral fin, and continues between the abdominal and pectoral to even with the end of the pros- 

 trate twelfth ray of the pectoral, where its end is brought down and continues for 59 scales, then 

 interrupted for the distance of the length of the pectoral fin, then continued 41 scales, terminating 

 abruptly. 



