505 
P E R C A. 
three hours out of the water, and two hours after that, 
when he opened it, the heart was yet beating. Thisfpe- 
cies is reprefented on the Plate at fig. 3. 
30. Holocentrus lanceolatus, the lanceolated holocen- 
ter: tail-fin rounded, the reft pointed like a lancet. 
The membrane of the gills has 6 rays, the pe&oral fins 16, 
the ventrals the anal -j 3 t , the tail 13, the dorfal 
The head is large, with a mouth in proportion ; the bones 
of the lips are broad; the jaws are of equal length, and 
armed with feveral rows of little fliarp teeth, as is the pa¬ 
late; but the tongue is fmooth and movable. The nof- 
trils are double, the hinder pair near the eyes. Hereabout 
begin the fcales, which are fmall, tender, and fmooth. 
The pupil of the eye is black, iris blue. The front oper¬ 
culum is made of two fmall rounded plates, of which the 
hinder one is ftrongly ferrated. The gills have a wide 
aperture, and one half of the membrane is concealed. 
The body is broad, the belly prominent, and the vent in 
the middle of the body. The colour of this fi(h is filvery, 
with tranfverfe ftripes and fpots of brown. The foft rays 
of the fins are moftly divided into four branches. This 
fpecies is produced in the EaftTndies, and takes its name 
from the ftiape of the fins. See the Plate, fig. 4. 
31. Holocentrus casruleo-punftatus, the biue-fpotted 
holocenter : blue fpots on the fins only, and eleven fpines 
in the dorfal fin. The peftoral fins have 12 rays, the ven¬ 
trals 6, the anal the tail 13, and the dorfal if. The 
head Hopes off to the mouth, which is pretty large; the 
under jaw is the longeft, and both are armed w’ith fmall 
teeth; the palate the fame, but the tongue is fmooth and 
at liberty. The noftrils are fo fmall as to be hardly per¬ 
ceptible. The eyes are near the top of the head, and fur- 
nilhed with a membrane; the pupil is black, the iris 
white. The fcales are extremely minute. The front 
operculum is rounded, and ferrated at both edges ; the 
hinder one ends pointed, and has one fpine and an adhe- 
five membrane. The colour of this filh is pale blue, with 
large yellow fpots on the body and tail ; fmall blue ones 
on the fins. The lateral line runs near and parallel to 
the back ; the anus is nearer the tail than the head. The 
fins are of a brown colour; the pe&oral and tail are 
rounded, the others end (harp. 
32. Holocentrus maculatus, the fpotted holocenter: 
body brown, with white fpots; tail rounded, and eleven 
fpines in the dorfal fin. There are 6 rays in the mem¬ 
brane of the gills, 13 in the peftoral fins, 6 in the ven¬ 
trals, -fa in the anal, 15 in the tail, and in the dorfal. 
The head and body are both comprefied ; the back is ca- 
rinated, the belly round. The jaws are of equal length, 
and furniflied with fliarp teeth ; the palate is rough, the 
tongue fmooth ; the lip-bones are broad ; the noftrils are 
hardly perceptible. The pupil of the eye is black, the 
iris white. The fcales are very fmall. The front oper¬ 
culum is ferrated one way ; the hinder one is armed with 
two fmall fpines. The vent is nearer to the head than 
to the tail. This filh is of a brownilh-colour, and the 
fpots are white. The dorfal, pe&oral, and tail, fins, are 
rounded ; the anal ends in a blunt point, the ventral 
fliarp. This fpecies is from the Eaft Indies, and in other 
refpe£Is refembles the preceding. See the Plate, fig. 5. 
33. Holocentrus Surinatnenfis, the Surinam holocenter : 
fa rays in the anal fin ; tail rounded. The membrane of 
the gills is fupported by 6 ftrong curved bones; there are 
14 rays in the pedtoral fins, 6 in the ventrals, 17 in the 
tail, £f'in the dorfal. The head is fmall, fomewhat broad 
at top, but comprefied on the lides. The mouth is fmall; 
the lower jaw is the longeft, with a row of fiiort, conical, 
divergent'teeth, bent inwards; but the upper jaw has, 
befides a fimilar row, a great number of very fmall teeth 
placed behind this row; the palate and tongue are 
fmooth 5 the lip-bones narrow. The noftrils are Angle, 
round, and near the eyes, which have a black pupil hand¬ 
ing in the midft of an iris half red and half white. The 
front operculum is ferrated, and ftretches into a long 
fpine at the corner; the hinder one is rounded, and 
Vol.XIX. No. 1328. 
armed with a long round fpine; the fcales on thefe are 
fmaller than on the reft of the body. The fcales in ge¬ 
neral are much ferrated, and adhere ftrongly to the (kin. 
The gills have a wide aperture, and the membrane is un¬ 
covered. The head is the colour of blood; the body is 
variegated brown, violet, and yellow ; the fins are moftly 
yellow at their origin, deep violet towards the extremities ; 
the fins of the anus, back, and tail, are partly covered 
with fcales ; all the fins are rounded ; there is a furrow in 
the back, to receive occalionally the dorfal fin. This 
fpecies attains the fize of our ordinary perch ; and is ef- 
teemed, as food, one of the belt: fifli in Surinam. 
34. Holocentrus calcarifer, the fpur-fifli : only 8 fpines 
in the dorfal fin; tail-fin rounded. There are 6 rays in 
the membrane of the gills, 1 5 in the pedloral fins, *- in the 
ventrals, fa in the anal, 17 in the tail, in the dorlal. 
The head is fomewhat flatted at top, and comprefied at 
the (ides ; the lower jaw is longeft; both, as well as the 
palate, are armed with feveral fmall teeth fcarcely vifible, 
but much more numerous in the upper jaw. The noftrils 
are double ; the upper ones very near the eyes, which are 
large, (land high, and have a black pupil in a filvery iris. 
The front operculum is ferrated, and armed with four 
fpines like the pricks of a fpur, whence the name; the 
pofterior operculum has one fpine, and the (houlder-blade 
is ferrated. The aperture of the gills is wide, and the 
membrane is moftly concealed. The trunk is comprefied, 
and covered with large filvery fcales, with yellow rims, 
which extend over part of the head ; a line runs longitu¬ 
dinally over each row of fcales. The back is brown, in¬ 
clining to violet; the fins yellow and brown. The pec¬ 
toral and ventral fins end in a point; the. anal and tail 
are rounded, and have fome brown ftripes upon them; 
the dorfal finks in the middle. It is found at Japan ; and 
grows about a foot long. 
35. Holocentrus Afer, the African holocenter: the 
fcales on the pofterior operculum larger than thofeon the 
body; a membrane over the eye. The membrane of the 
gills has 5 rays, the pedtoral fins 19, the ventrals ■§■, the 
anal fa , the tail 17, and the dorfal •*->-. The head is fmall, 
and covered with fcales; the jaws are of equal length, 
and furniflied with very fmall teeth, of which thofein the 
upper jaw are rather the longeft; there is an arched row 
of teeth extending on the fides and back of the palate. 
The lip-bones are broad; the noftrils double, oval, and 
very near the eyes, which are even with the top of the 
head, furniflied with a nictating membrane, bluifh pupil, 
and dark-brown iris. The anterior operculum is ferra¬ 
ted, and exhibits the Angle gill in its interior part; the 
pofterior operculum has one fpine, but terminates in a 
blunt point. The gills have a wide aperture, and the 
membrane is concealed. The body is nearly of the fame 
breadth to the end of the tail; the lateral line is very 
thin, and nearly in the fame direction with the back ; 
the anus is placed at fome diftance from its fin, but (till 
nearer to the fin of the tail than to the head. The back 
and belly are round, which arifes from the tnicknefs of 
the body in general. The fcales are fmall, hard, and fer¬ 
rated, forming a furrow on the back, and extending over 
part of all the fins except the ventrals. The foft rays 
are ramified. The fins are all rounded, and fliort in pro¬ 
portion to the fize of the fifli. The colour is brown, 
very dark on the back, light on the fides and belly ; 
the peftoral fin is brimftone-colour, the ventral orange. 
This fpecies is from Acara, on the Guinea coaft; it lies 
in the (hallows of the fea, not far from the (hore. The 
flefli is white and wholefome; it feeds on (hell fifli, and 
grows to a confiderable fize. This and the four follow¬ 
ing are included by Bloch in his new genus Epinephelus, 
or wall-eye, from the tranfparent membrane over the eye. 
Cepede has brought them into this genus, in which, to 
avoid multiplying genera, we have followed him. 
36. Holocentrus marginatus, the bordered wall-eye : 
fins red, tail rounded, anterior part of the dorfal bordered 
with black. The membrane of the gills has 5 rays, the 
7 N pectoral 
