A REVIEW OF THE SPARID^ AND RELATED FAMILIES OF PERCH-LIKE FISHES FOUND IN THE WATERS OF JAPAN. By David Starr Jordan and William Francis Thompson, Of Stanford University, California. In the present paper is given a review of the species of fishes belonging to those percomorphoiis famihes alUed to the Sparoid fishes, or fishes related to the tai or porgy of the waters of Japan, which have not been hitherto discussed in these pages by the senior author and his associates. The families of Kuldiidse, Priacanthidse, Theraponidse, Banjosidae, Hsemulidae, Sparidse, Kyphosidse, and Ery-thrichthyidse are thus included. The paper is based on material collected in Japan in 1900 by Pro-fessors Jordan and Snyder and now divided between the United States National Museum and the museum of Stanford University. Most of the cuts are from drawings by Mr. Sekko Shimada. The families here named are adopted provisionally only. The dis-tinctions between Sparidse, Haemulidse, Lutianidae, and their relatives are of doubtful value, while at present no definite boundaries can be assigned to the Serranidse. L Family KUHLIID.^. Body oblong, strongly compressed; scales large, cihated. Lateral line complete, the tubes straight and occupying the half or more of the exposed surface of the scale. Mouth rather large, protractile; maxillary exposed, without supplemental bone; teeth in jaws in villi-form bands; teeth on vomer, palatines, entopterygoids, and ecto-pterygoids; tongue smooth; head partly naked; preorbital and pre-opercle denticulate; opercle with 2 spines. Gill membranes separate; 6 branchiostegals; pseudobranchise large; gill-rakers long and slender. Dorsal fms connected at the base, with X, 9 to 13 rays, the spinous portion longer than the soft. Anal as much developed as the soft dorsal, with III, 10 to 12 rays. Dorsal and anal fins fitting in a well-developed sheath. Caudal emarginate. Pectorals obtusely pointed, with 14 or 15 rays, upper the longest. Ventrals behind base of pec-Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 41— No. 1875. 521