ZOOLOGY. 
357 
The small codfish described by Dr. Girard as Morrhua proxima is probably also found in 
Puget Sound. It is, generally, not over five or six inches in length. 
PLATICHTHYS RUGOSUS, Grd. 
The Rough Flatfish. 
Platichthys rugosus, Grd. Proc. Acad. Sc. Philad. VII, 1854, pp. 139 and 155 .—Ib. Gen. Eep. Fishes, p. 148. 
Sp. Ch. —Eyes moderate, situated on the left side. Interocular space moderate. Peduncle of tail long ; origin of dorsal 
fin corresponding to a vertical line intersecting the middle of the pupil. Scales very rugose and plate-like ; lateral line 
slightly arched above the pectoral fins. Left side, reddish or olive brown ; fins, olivaceous, dorsal and anal, with alternate 
vertical bands of black, longitudinal on tail. Ventrals and pectorals, unicolor. Eight side, dull yellow, (white when fresh.) 
This fish is abundant at Shoalwater bay during the warmer months; frequenting the flats and 
small channels among shoals. I never succeeded in catching it with a hook, nor have I heard 
of its being done. But by wading in the shallow pools left by the tide they may be taken in 
large numbers with the hand, net, or spear. They have a curious mode of escape, by darting 
rapidly to a muddy spot, stirring up the mud, and then returning suddenly to the place they 
started from. By carefully watching this trick they may be found half-buried in the mud where 
least expected. 
The largest I have seen were about ten inches long.—C. 
Several species of flounder and sole are common in Puget Sound. The latter are a little 
larger than the sole of the British waters, and somewhat thicker in proportion. The fins on 
their lower surface are frequently tinged with black. The smaller kinds, or flounders, are ex¬ 
tremely numerous near Fort Steilacoom. They are readily caught at low tide, in water about 
four fathoms deep, with hooks baited with clam or other bait. The Indians spear great num¬ 
bers in the shallow bays, and on the flats opposite the mouths of the rivers. When cooked 
they resemble the common flounder of the Atlantic, and although not very highly esteemed for 
the table, are yet, when well cooked, very good food. 
EMBIOTOCA PERSPICABILIS, Grd. 
Sapphire Perch. 
Plate XXXII & Plate XXVI, Figs. 1 & 2. Yol. X. 
Sp. Ch —Body sub-elliptically elongated. Frontal region gently declivous. Eyes of medium size. Posterior extremity 
of maxillary not quite reaching the interior rim of the orbit. Anal fin long, its anterior undivided rays longer than the rest, 
and its origin situated opposite the twelfth articulated ray or dorsal. Tips of pectorals reaching vertical line intersecting 
base of last dorsal spine. Five branchiostegal rays. Sixty-three scales in lateral line. Deep purplish blue above, lighter 
beneath. Flanks with light narrow longitudinal stripes intersecting the point of union of rows of scales. Dorsal, caudal, 
anal, and ventral fins reddish purple ; pectorals yellowish 
Syn. — Embiotocaperspicabilis, Grd. in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. VII, 1855, 321.— Ib. Gen. Eep. Fishes, 178. 
This viviparous perch is exceedingly abundant in the waters of Puget Sound, near Fort 
Steilacoom. It is a very handsome fish—perhaps, in its bright colors, the most striking of any 
found in those waters. A specimen, obtained in February, 1855, had eighteen mazarine Hue 
streaks below the lateral line, running nearly parallel from gills to tail, and having both above 
and below the line a series of blue spots disposed crescentically beneath the eye and on the gill 
covers. The spaces between these spots were of an olivaceous color, changing, according to 
light, to resplendent golden and purplish green reflections. The blue of the back is of an 
indigo cast, and darker than that of the sides and belly, the streaks on the latter being sepa¬ 
rated by lines of golden yellow. Space between the pectoral fins golden. 
