276 
SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 
with a darker blue, and one broken up into spots, 
running nearest the upper margin of the tin. These 
bands begin at the first, ray in the form of large, ex- 
tended spots, advance in a, somewhat winding course, 
and posteriorly bend upwards, towards the upper mar- 
gin of the fin. The lowest ones are the darkest, the 
others growing gradually lighter in colour the nearer 
they approach the margin of the fin. Caudal fin green 
at the base, shading into yellow towards the hind mar- 
gin, and marked with irregular, longitudinal, inter- 
rupted bands, which are blue at the base of the fin 
and violet at the margin. Anal fin of a, uniform drab, 
but in certain lights shading into a handsome violet. 
Ventral fins yellow at the base and green at the tip, 
marked with a varying number of handsome blue spots. 
Pectoral fins of a lighter yellowish gray, marked with 
spots forming transverse bands of several colours across 
the rays, and with a few, bright blue spots at the base 
of the latter. 
This description is generally true of the coloration 
of the males, which is subject, however, to innumerable 
individual variations. It, is seldom that we find all the 
parts of an individual specimen equally perfect in co- 
lour; now one part comes out, and now another, seem- 
ingly at the expense of the others. The beautiful co- 
lours which adorn this fish during life, are also highly 
evanescent, and in most cases rapidly disappear after 
death. 
2. Female (Plate XIV, figs. 9). Head short and 
triangular, with pointed snout. In a female, 235 mm. 
long, the head measures about 18 % of the length of 
the body, in another, 185 mm. long, 20 % thereof. 
Eyes set about half-way along the head. Length of 
the snout in old specimens about 9 or 10 % of that of 
the body, in young 7 x / 2 or 7 %, and always less than 
the distance between the anterior margin of the eye and 
the gill-opening, or than the distance between the pos- 
terior margin of the eye and the margin of the oper- 
culum. Dorsal fins some distance apart at the base, 
and their mutual relation in respect to height the con- 
trary of that existing in the males, the first being not 
only lower than the second, but so low that the first 
arid longest ray measures only Vio °f the length of 
the body. The tip of this ray, when depressed, ex- 
tends only to the base of the first ray of the second 
dorsal fin. The anterior rays of the latter are longer 
than the last, ray, the branches of which, when de- 
pressed, do not extend to the base of the caudal fin. 
The last- ray of the anal fin is somewhat longer than 
the first, but, when depressed, falls far short of the 
base of the caudal fin. Behind the vent there is only 
a, rudiment of the conical papilla. 
The whole of the upper part of the body, above 
the lateral line, and the head are of a- yellowish brown 
colour, marbled with greenish spots of varying size and 
shape and brown dots. The spots are encircled by dark 
brown rings, which at certain points coalesce, assume 
a darker colour, and form as it were faintly traced 
transverse bands across the back. The usual number 
of these transverse bands is three, the first, which is 
also the narrowest, being situated at the beginning of 
the second dorsal fin, the second, which is also the 
broadest and most distinct, at the end of this fin, and 
the third just in front of the base of the caudal fin. 
Sides below the lateral line whitish and semi-trans- 
parent, with a few, large and scattered, brown (some- 
times blackish brown) spots, which are arranged in two 
somewhat irregular rows and surrounded by a broad 
strip of bright, brassy yellow. Belly milk-white, and 
the lower part of the tail as clear as water and almost 
transparent. Along the lateral line a dark brown, 
broken streak. Iris with a narrow, golden ring round 
the pupil, which is black, shading into blue. First ray 
of the first dorsal fin yellowish brown, with a few 
greenish transverse bands, and the membrane uniting 
the last- three rays deep black and covered, as it were, 
with a net of fine, dense, brownish yellow veins. This 
singular marking is peculiar t-o the female and highly 
characteristic. Second dorsal fin marked with three 
brown bands, which are often interrupted, the first, 
along the base of the fin, the second, which is the 
broadest and most distinct, along the middle of the fin, 
and the third at the margin. Between them two other, 
faint, bluish bands may be traced. The rays of this fin 
are whitish and transparent, the first being marked with 
several brown transverse bands, the second with only 
three at the tip, the next rays with two and the la-st- 
ra-ys with only one. Anal fin of a- uniform, whitish, 
almost milky colour. Ventral fins of the ground-colour 
of the body, with a few irregular, brown spots, inter- 
spersed with one or two of bluish green. Membrane 
of the pectoral fins pale gray and transparent, and the 
rays spotted alternately with yellow and brown, these 
spots forming broken transverse bands across the fins. 
Caudal fin with yellowish rays and three large, indis- 
tinct, light brown, transverse bands, strewn with spots 
