The various species are known in California as rockfish, or rock-cod, in Japan as Soi and Mebaru. In both regions they form a large part of the bulk of food-fishes, the flesh being rather coarse and of moderate flavor. All the species so far as known are ovoviviparous, the young being brought forth in summer in very great number, born at the length of about ¼ of an inch. The species living close to shore are brown, black, or green. Those living in deeper waters are bright red, and in still deeper waters often creamy or gray, with the lining of the mouth and the peritoneum black. The largest species reach a length of two or three feet, the smallest eight or ten inches. None are found between Lower California and Peru and none south of Nagasaki in Japan. Of the California species the following are of most note: _Sebastodes paucispinis_, the Bocaccio of the fishermen, from its large mouth, is an elongate fish, dull red in color, and reaching a very large size. In deeper waters are _Sebastodes jordani_ and _Sebastodes goodei_, the former elongate and red, the latter more robust and of a very bright crimson color. _Sebastodes ovalis_, the viuva, and _Sebastodes entomelas_ are grayish in hue, and the related _Sebastodes proriger_ is red. The green rockfish _Sebastodes flavidus_ is common along the shore, as also the black rockfish, known as pêche prêtre or priestfish, _Sebastodes mystinus_. Less common is _Sebastodes melanops_. Similar to this but more orange in color is the large _Sebastodes miniatus_. Somewhat rougher-headed is the small grass rockfish, _Sebastodes atrovirens_. On the large red rockfish, _Sebastichthys ruberrimus_, the spinous ridges are all large and rough serrate. On the equally large _Sebastichthys levis_ these ridges are smooth. Both these species are bright red in color. _Sebastichthys rubrovinctus_, called the Spanish-flag, is covered with broad alternating bands of deep crimson and creamy pink. It is the most handsomely colored of our marine fishes and is often taken in southern California. _Sebastichthys elongatus_ is a red species with very large mouth. Several other species small in size are red, with three or four spots of bright pink. The commonest of these is the corsair, _Sebastichthys rosaceus_, plain red and golden. Another species is the green and red flyfish, _Sebastichthys rhodochloris_. _Sebastichthys constellatus_ is spotted with pink and _Sebastichthys chlorostictus_ with green. To this group with pink spots the South American and African species belong, but none of the Japanese. _Sebastodes aleutianus_ is a large red species common in Alaska and _Sebastodes ciliatus_ a green one. About the wharves in California and northward the brown species called _Sebastichthys auriculatus_ is abundant. In the remaining species the spinous ridges are progressively higher, though not so sharp as in some of those already named. _Sebastichthys maliger_ has very high dorsal spines and a golden blotch on the back.