70 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. Family TETRODONTID^. 269. Cirrhisomus politus (Ayres) J. & G. :^rot obtained by us. A specimen in collection of California Academy, from San Diego. Family DIODOXTID^. ■ 270. Diodon maculatas Lac. One specimen, from near San Diego. Family ORTHAGORISCID^. 271. Mola rotunda Olivier. — Siinjish ; Mola. Abundant in Santa Barbara Cbaunel in summer; often seen playing near the surface, and even leaj)ing from the water; not often taken, as they aie not easily caughE and not used for food. Eeaches a weight of 200 pounds or more. United States I!^ationax, Museum, December 1, 1880. I>ESCRai»TIOIV OF SEBASTICHTHYS MYSTIIVIIS. By DAVBI> §. JORDAN asid CHAKLES H. GII.BERT'. Sebastichthys mystinus. Sebastes variabilis Ayres, Proc. Cal. Acad. Nat. Sci. i, 7, 1854 (not of Pallas, = Epine2)ltelus ciliatus Tilesius). Sebastodes melanops Ayres, Proc. Cal. Acad. Nat. Sci. ii, 216 (in part; probably not the figure 68, which more resembles S. mdanops ; not Sebastes melanops Girard, = iS'e&asto8o?n«s simulans Gill). Sebastichthys melanops Jordan &. Gilbert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. iii, 1880, 289, and elsewhere. Sebastichthys mystinus Jordan & Gilbert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. iii, 1880, 445; 1881, 8. Two species have been confounded by previous writers under the name of Sebastes or Sebastosomus melanops. The one, darker in color, with smaller mouth and black peritoneum, is found from Puget Sound to San Diego, being most common southward, and is perhaps the most abun-dant species of the genus on the coast. The other, paler and more spotted, with larger mouth and white i)eritoneuin, ranges from Monterey to Sitka, being most common northward. The first is the "Peche Pretre'^ of the Monterey fishermen, the second the "Black Bass" of the anglers of Puget Sound. The first is referred to by us as Sebastichthys melanops on page 289 and elsewhere in these Proceedings (Vol. Ill); the second as Sebastichthys simulans. The original description by Girard of his Sebastes melanops^ however, can refer only to the second fish, as is shown by the following statements (U. S. Pac. U. R. Expl. Fishes, 81):
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