MUGIL RICH ARDSONII.— Smith. 
Pisces. — Plate XXIX. Fig. I and 1 a. 
M. superne subochreus flavo-viridi tinctus, inferne subochreus pallide purpuro-nebulatus ; squamis sub- 
ocularibus in seriebus longitudiualibus quatnor dispositis ; corporis squamis in seriebus longitudi- 
nalibus sexdecim ; naribus duplicibus approximate ; capitis squamis inter nares parvis. 
Colour. — The upper surface of the head, the back, and the upper halt 
of the sides intermediate between ochre-yellow and wood-brown, strongly 
tinted with oil-green, the colours of the upper surface of the head and middle 
of the back darkest; the lower half of the sides, the abdomen, and the sides 
of the head, the same as the ground colour of the upper parts, and in com- 
mon with the latter distinctly clouded with light violet-purple. The first 
dorsal fin light lavender- purple, the other fins pale greyish blue shaded with 
yellow. 
Form.— Figure moderately robust; dorsal outline very slightly arched, 
ventral between the head and anal fin very convex, behind anal fin nearly 
straight. Head moderately long and posteriorly rather deep ; body, includ- 
ing caudal fin, measuring to its centre three and a half times the length of 
the head. The scales on the upper surface of the head towards the nose 
rather small, posteriorly large and irregularly shaped ; nostrils on each side 
double, close together, and the hindermost considerably the largest ; scales 
below eye small, quadrangular, and arranged in four oblique rows ; scales 
behind eyes and covering operculum large and irregularly shaped. Scales of 
body moderately large, rather thin, strongly arched posteriorly, and disposed 
in sixteen longitudinal rows, forty-six scales iri the row immediately over the 
pectoral fin. Hinder edge of second dorsa and anal fins slightly lunate; 
hinder edge of pectoral fin slightly convex, and the upper point posteriorly 
obtuse; hinder edge of ventral fins slightly convex; caudal fin deeply 
lunate ; ventral fins each with an elongated pointed scale as an edging to the 
bed of the fin ; first dorsal fin with two scales of the same character, one on 
each side of its base. Pectoral, ventral, second dorsal, anal, and caudal fins 
partly coated with very fine, small, membranous scales. Length of specimen 
described twelve inches. 
1 D. 4 ; 2D.7; P.16; Y. 5 ; A. 9 ; C. 14 
Inhabits the seas of the eastern and western coasts. 
