48 
sious. In the Australian winter the specimens are small, and do 
not measure more than from four to six inches ; but in the warm 
months (December, January,) they are much larger, and some 
are nearly a foot long. The ground colour of those large speci- 
mens is of a fine reddish purple, and that of the fins red ; the 
eye is yellow, with an external circle of an orange red. Those 
specimens were generally females, with well-developed eggs. 
MICROPEECA. 
Teeth numerous and sharp, disposed in several rows on both 
of the jaws and also on the palatines ; no canines ; tongue 
smooth ; operculum and praeoperculum not serrated, entire ; the 
latter with two feeble points, of which the lower one is much 
larger than the other ; the prseorbital very finely serrated ; two 
dorsals, slightly continuous — the first triangular, with eight 
spines ; caudal rounded ; anal with three spines ; scales large. 
Form oval, rather high ; head attenuated ; body compressed ; 
no scales on the upper part of the head nor on the snout. 
This genus is nearly allied to Psammioperca ; but the prseoper- 
culum without spines, and the absence of a scaly sheath at the 
dorsals, oblige me to separate it. Its general form is very 
similar to fig. 1 of pi. 57 of the fishes, Erebus and Terror. 
MICEOPEEGA XAEE2E. 
Height three times and a quarter in the total length ; head 
four and one-fifth times in the same ; eye four and a quarter 
in the length of the head. There are about 29 scales on 
the lateral line, and 12 on the transverse one ; the first dorsal 
is situated rather backwards ; it is formed of eight very strong 
spines — the first short, the second and third the longest, and 
nearly equal, the others becoming gradually shorter ; the second 
dorsal has one long and straight spine, and eight soft rays ; these 
go on increasing in length ; the caudal has 17 rays ; the anal has 
the same form as the second dorsal ; its spines are strong ; the 
first is short ; the pectorals are small, and have 14 rays ; the 
scales are large, rounded, and rather ciKated on their edge ; the 
operculums are covered with similar but rather smaller scales ; 
the mouth is rather protractile. The colours are subject to 
many variations ; in some, the back is of a purple grey, and the 
