74 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
almost total absence of black on the spinous dorsal and ventral fins, also, aids in dis- 
tinguishing littoralis from the other local species. 
Specimens 30 to 35 millimeters long. — The body has become more rounded and 
has acquired virtually the form of the adult, the depth being contained in the length 
to the base of the caudal 4.05 to 4.3 times, which are the proportions found also in the 
adult. The mouth is inferior and horizontal, and the conical snout, which is now a 
little longer than the eye, projects notably beyond it. The mandibular barbel, 
although plainly visible, still has the appearance of a knob. Scalation is complete, 
and the scales on the chest are smaller than those on the sides and on the abdomen. 
The dorsal spines are short, the longest ones failing to reach the first soft ray of the 
second dorsal when deflexed. The caudal fin is slightly angular and the longest rays, 
which are in the lower half of the fin, are notably shorter than the head. The pec- 
toral fins are short, failing by fully an eye’s diameter to reach the tips of the ventrals, 
and the latter do not quite reach the vent. The ground color is silvery, overlaid on 
sides and back with grayish dots. Indications of dark blotches are present on the 
sides of some specimens, while others appear uniform silvery gray. The dorsal, 
caudal, and anal fins are more or less dotted wdth black, while the paired fins usually 
are plainly translucent (fig. 17). 
The attainment of virtually the adult form at so small a size is quite striking. 
While the body remains somewdiat more slender than in the other two local species of 
the genus, the difference is slight between the present species and americanus. How- 
ever, the eliptical pupil and the short angulate caudal fin have been retained and are 
useful in separating this species and americanus. The very short pectorals and the 
reduced scales on the chest distinguish the present species from both americanus and 
saxatilis. 
Specimens 50 to 60 millimeters long. — The differences between specimens of this 
size and those described in the preceding section are not pronounced. The body 
has continued to become more rounded anteriorly and apparently proportionately 
not quite as deep, the greatest depth being contained in the length to the base of the 
caudal 4.3 to 4.4 times. These proportions are, also, common to the adult. The 
caudal now is shaped virtually as in the full grown fish, that is, its margin is concave 
and the lower lobe is longer and somewhat more sharply rounded than the upper one. 
The color is plain silvery gray, as seen with the unaided eye. Under magnification 
