314 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



and 13 according to description; pectoral 13 on figure, 15 in de- 

 scription; ventral I, 6 on figure and 6 in description; snout 3^^ 

 on figure, measured from tip of upper jaw ; eye about 6 ; maxillary 

 2j4 ; first dorsal spine 3; sixth dorsal ray about ij4 ; third anal 

 spine about 3^^ ; eighth anal ray about 1% ', least depth of -caudal 

 peduncle 2^ ; caudal about i >^ ; pectoral i ^ ; ventral spine i % ; 

 first ventral ray i j4 ', branchiostegals 6. Body rather oblong. 

 Head rather small. Snout rather elongated. Eyes rather small. 

 Mouth moderate. Lower jaw rather jutting, and acutely toothed. 

 Upper jaw also armed with a row of sharp teeth. Tongue broad, 

 smooth, with clouded edges. A dark membrane of semi-lunar 

 form inside mouth, immediately within teeth of lower jaw. 

 Near extremity of latter 4 bronzed spots. Gill-cover tripartite, 

 scaly. Posterior edge of foremost lamina strongly aculeated, 

 almost spinous. A bony plate with serrated edge behind gill- 

 opening. A'nother with similar edge above gill-opening. A 

 knob or gibbo,sity in front of dorsal fin. Lateral line bending 

 upward, somewhat irregularly at first, then with an easy slope to 

 tail. Scales form a firm coating. First XI radii of dorsal spinous, 

 rather ramentose. Posterior radii of dorsal and anal much 

 lengthened to resemble caudal, giving appearance somewhat of 

 3 tails. First III anal radii spinous, also first of ventral. Ventral 

 fin ,stout and strong. Pectoral delicate and weak. Tail convex 

 and rounded. Color of back and sides rusty-black. Belly dirty 

 clay variegated with blackish and yellowish specks. Dull yellow 

 behind eye above gill-cover, along insertion of dorsal, beginning 

 of lateral line, and under pectoral. Dorsal, anal and ventral 

 tinted yellowish amid inky suffusion. Pectoral pale, semi-trans- 

 parent or very faintly yellow. Whitest part of fish below pec- 

 toral. Iris purple or amethystine color. Length 13 3^ inches. 

 July 23d, 1 8 14. Along Jersey shore, near Prowles-Hook. 



(Mitchill.) 



A large food-fish, reaching 3 feet in length, of sluggish habit, 

 and usually a straggler on our coast from tropical America. The 

 young are quite unlike the adult. I have not seen any New Jersey 

 examples. • 

 • Lobotes surinamensis Abbott, Geol. N. J., 1868, p. 810. 



Bodianus triourus Mitchill, Tr. Lit. Philos. Soc. N. Y., I, 

 1815, p. 418, PI. 3, fig. 3. 



