SPOTTED GUAPERVA. 
The name Guaperva is given to a genus of 
curious and beautiful Brasilian fishes, consist- 
ing of twelve species. They are common in 
the ports of the Isles of France and Bourbon ; 
and are said to be fatal to those who eat them 
at certain seasons. They are classed, by some 
naturalists, among the Rana Piscatrix kind ; 
but greatly differ, in essentials, from that sin- 
gular fish. Artedi places them in the rank of 
the Branchlostegi Pisces ; that is, of such fish 
as have the gills concealed. In the system of 
Linnaeus, the Guaperva is the genus Chstodon. 
The Guaperva Maculata, or Spotted Gua- 
perva, which is the £sh represented in the an- 
nexed print, is usually about a foot long. The 
general colour is a blueish black, spotted with 
white on the lower parts of the body. To- 
wards the eyes there is a white band, forming 
a bow, the ends of which approach each other 
near the jav/s. There are, also, near this last 
part, two bands of a golden yellow colour. 
