the Ichthyology of Australia. 



215 



Scorpjena burra (Nob.), Crimson and olive Scorpsena. 

 No. 29. Lieut. Emery's drawings. 



The fish from which the drawing above quoted was made, 

 was taken at Depuch island, and measured five and a half 

 inches in length. 



In the general form of the head, particularly in the obtuse snout, 

 arched from the eye, the drawing resembles cardinalis, but the spines 

 on the sides of the head are much less conspicuous than in that spe- 

 cies. The profile is moderately convex from the mouth to the dor- 

 sal fin ; the eye rises above the general curve, without any denticula- 

 lations being shown on the superciliary ridge, though the orbit is 

 fringed above with very short cirrhi, and one large one rises directly 

 from its middle, nearly as high as that of grandicornis, but of a 

 tapering form, with an acute tip, and beaded or warty below. There 

 is a short spine on the nasal bone, and three or four pretty promi- 

 nent angular points on the lateral occipital ridge. There are two 

 short spines on the operculum, but no others are clearly marked on 

 the side of the head ; which is scaleless, and is veined by lines of a 

 deeper colour than the general tint, that ramify like a blood-vessel. 

 The membrane beneath the low r er jaw swells out and is reticulated 

 by fine crimson lines, which give it a scaly appearance. There are 

 many simple tapering cirrhi depending from the lips, the sides of the 

 head, and all parts of the body, not more numerous on the lateral 

 line than elsewhere. 



The dorsal is considerably arched, particularly anteriorly. The 

 fourth spine is the tallest, the twelfth is scarcely one-fourth lower, 

 while the first and eleventh are only half as high. The membrane 

 slopes much behind the four anterior spines. The soft part of the 

 fin is much rounded, and rises one-third higher than the tallest 

 spine. The anal is shaped like the soft dorsal : its second spine is 

 represented as strong, out the first is omitted, probably from its 

 shortness: seven rays in all are shown. The other fins are also 

 greatly rounded. 



The head and body are crimson, which fades to reddish white on 

 the branchiostegous membrane ; the side of the head is veined with 

 deeper lines. There are ten round red drops on the gill-membrane. 

 All the cirrhi are green, and the body is marked by a few irregular 

 olive or oil-green blotches : the largest is near the base of the anal, 

 and there are three or four smaller ones on the sides : a rhomboidal 

 one is placed near the shoulder, half of it extending to the spinous 

 dorsal, and taking in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth spines. There 

 is an oval one further ]back on the same fin, crossing the middles of 

 the seventh and eighth spines. A very irregular blotch partially 

 covers the anterior third of the soft dorsal descending a short way 

 on the back, and there are two on the posterior border of the fin. 

 The olive colour forms two broad transverse bars on the pectoral, one 

 near its base, and the other about its middle. There are three nar- 

 rower bars on the caudal fin, a basal, middle, and subterminal one. 

 The crimson anal is crossed by three narrow white ribands, and its 



