124 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF Height of preorbital 6 Eye Diameter 7 Distance from snout H Dorsal Distance from snout 32 Length to base of last spine 31 " of soft portion 21 Anal Distance from snout. 53 Length.. 13 Length of 1st spine 8 Length of 2d spine 12 Caudal Length of middle ray 19 " outermost rays 19 Pectoral Length of 2d and 3d simple rays 23 " 4th simple ray 21 Ventral Length of 1st ray 17 " spine 10j A single specimen of this species, in very fine condition, is contained in the Smithsonian museum, and was obtained at Honolulu (Sandwich Islands), by the Rev. W. H. Pease. It differs from the other species chiefly in color and the size of the scales, resembling in the last respect the Cirrhitus maculatus. It is nearly related to that species, but differs not only in color, but in the smooth palatine bones, and would consequently be placed in a different genus by Bleeker and Giinther. On the limits and arrangement of the Family of SCOMBROIDS. BY THEODORE GILL. The family of Scombroidse, as established by Cuvier, was a very heterogenous group, containing many dissimilar forms which certainly cannot, in the present state of our knowledge, be characterized or distinguished by any decisive diagnosis, nor is one of the characters given by Cuvier himself either peculiar to his family or applicable to all its constituents. Various attempts have been made to distribute the species referred to the Cuvieran family among natural groups. The most recent of these, and the most valuable on "account of the knowledge of the authors, are those of Drs. Bleeker and Giinther. Neither of those naturalists appear to have been successful in giving an entirely natural arrangement of the family. Dr. Bleeker has not characterized his groups. Dr. Giinther has distinguished his by the number of vertebrae and the compara-tive extent of the dorsal fins. The following arrangement is a sketch of one which it is proposed to shortly publish in more detail. The family thus esta-blished comprises parts of Dr. Giinther's Trichiuridae and Scomberidae, as the characters given to the former are equally applicable to some of the genera of the latter. Family SCOMBROIDS (Cuv.) A. Body fusiform and moderately elongated. First dorsal with less than 25 spines. B. Spinous dorsal abbreviated and widely separated from the soft. Pectorals at the horizon of the eyes Scombrinje. a. Teeth on the palatine arcade Scomber. b. No teeth on the palate Auxis. BB. Spinous dorsal contiguous to the soft, variable. Pec-torals equidistant from the back and breast, or nearer the latter Obtckin^b. C. Tail with cutaneous keel on each side. [March,
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