ii THIS BOOK IS FROM THE LIBRARY OF Richard Haven Backus ^to as— J cr ru m ru i -D g O m 1930 Gift of Richard H. Backus May, 1988 &' BULLETIN 278 Published monthly by the University of the State of New York FEBRUARY 1903 New York State Museum FREDERICK J. H. MERRILL Director Bulletin 60 ZOOLOGY 9 H CATALOGUE OK THE FISHES OF NEW YOR BY TARLETON H. BEAN M.S. M.D. PAGE Preface 3 Introduction 5 Marsipobranchii, lampreys n Hyperoartii, lampreys 1 1 Pisces, the fishes 17 Asterospondyli, typical sharks 17 Cyclospondyli, cyclospondylous sharks 43 Batoidei, rays 46 Selachostomi, paddlefishes 60 Chondrostei, sturgeons 63 Rhomboganoidea, gar pikes 69 Cycloganoidea, bowfins 73 Nematognathi, catfishes 76 Plectospondyli, carplike fishes 97 c B;C LASO: • Li fj r% .\ •") ' / I D .''-• • > ' k ; luusnuu, W. H. 0. !. PAGE Apodes, eels 169 Isospondyli, isospondylous fishes 177 Iniomi, lantern fishes 285 Haplomi, pikelike fishes 287 Synentognathi, synentognathous fishes.. .. 317 Hemibranchii, half-gills 335 Lophobranchii. tuftgills 347 Acanthopteri, spiny-rayed fishes 351 Plectognathi, fishes with ankylosed jaws.. 608 Pediculati, pediculate fishes 733 Recorded distribution of New York fishes 739 Index 747 University of the State of New York New York State Museum FREDERICK J. H. MERRILL Director Bulletin 60 ZOOLOGY 9 CATALOGUE OF THE FISHES OF NEW YORK PREFACE In 1836, under the influence of public interest, Secretary of State John A. Dix presented to the legislature a plan for a natural history survey of the state, which was carried out with success and credit and resulted in the publication of a large number of valuable reports. Not the least important of these were the contributions of James E. De Kay to the zoology of New York, which appeared in 1842 and 1843. Since that time comparatively little official recognition had been given to the progress of biologic study, till in 1897 the writer secured the able services of Mr Gerrit S. Miller jr in preparing a preliminary list of New York mammals. Follow- ing this appeared in October 1900 a key to the land mammals of northeastern North America by the same author, and in April 1900 a check list of the birds of New York by Dr Marcus S. Farr, who is now engaged in the preparation of a detailed catalogue of the birds of New York. A list of reptiles and batrachians by Messrs Eckel and Paulniier has recently appeared; and in the present bulletin Dr Tarleton H. Bean gives to the citizens of the state the benefit of his natural talent and long training as an 4 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ichthyologist. It is hoped and believed that the results of this work will be of much practical use to the public at large and to the teachers and students in the schools of the state. By special request of the author his synonymies are printed in the form in which they were prepared by him. FREDERICK J. H. MERRILL Albany N. Y. July 1902 INTRODUCTION New York has an extensive water area and a great diversity of surface. Its principal drainage basins are: the Great lakes, the St Lawrence river, including Lake Champlain, the Ohio basin, th<-> Susquehanna, the Delaware, the Hudson and several small streams adjacent to it in the southeastern part of the state. The inland lakes, in the central and western part of the state, almost all communicate writh Lake Ontario. Chautauqua lake belongs to the Ohio basin. Lake Otsego and two small lakes east of Keuka lake, empty into the Susquehanna. The Adirondack lakes for the most part belong to the St Lawrence drainage basin, some of them emptying into Lake Champlain, and a few7 into the upper waters of the Hudson. Long Island has a larger number of species than all the re- mainder of the state. The number of marine species in its waters is 217, and its fresh wraters contain 27 species, of wrhich 13 have been recently introduced. In the bays of the south side of the island, wherein the water is brackish or nearly fresh, and where there is a luxuriant growth of water plants, young menhaden and alewives are ex- tremely abundant. One of the fresh-water fishes is a hybrid trout, artifically pro- duced; another is the black-nosed dace, which is perhaps doubt- fully recorded from Long Island; and 13 species have been recently introduced, as before remarked. The permanent residents in fresh water are the following: horn pout, chub sucker, roach, brook trout, striped mud minnow, banded pickerel, chain pickerel, fresh-water killy, pirate perch, fresh-water silverside, sunfish, yellow perch, and Johnny darter. Most of these 13 species, or perhaps all of them, could easily have been introduced by man within the last century or twro. Mitchill recorded only three fresh-water species from Long Island. These are: yellow perch, brook trout and pickerel. To the pickerel he applied the name Esox lucius, a species 6 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM which does not occur on the island. He mentioned also the bony-scaled pike, Esox osseus, concerning which he says: "A few years ago I had a large and complete specimen from Long Island, which agrees in the main with the descriptions- extant." This was doubtless a mistake of locality. The yellow perch was transplanted by Mitchill in 1790 from Ronkonkoina pond to Success pond, in Queens county, a distance of 40 miles. Prior to 1790, he states, there were no yellow perch in Success pond. De Kay also knew only a few species of fresh-water fishes in Long Island waters — the yellow perch, roach, banded pickerel, and brook trout. It seems probable that some of the early writers on New York fishes must have had access to collections from Long Island, and yet a number of species might have existed without dis- covery during the time of their observations. The present num- ber of species whose date of introduction is not recorded is very small, and most of the so called native fishes represent species which lend themselves readily to the purpose of artificial intro- duction. It is a matter of record that some species of fresh-water fishes identical with those found in Long Island waters, have been swept out of the Hudson river by spring floods, and several such species have been seen at Gravesend bay, Long Island. It is certain that incursions of fresh-water forms could have taken, place from time to time in the streams of the north side, and also on the south side of Long Island. Once established in that way, their wider dissemination through the agency of man, aquatic birds, and even through their own movements could be very easily accomplished. Of the fresh-water fishes known to Mitchill and De Kay, the brook trout can live in fresh and salt water indifferently; the chain pickerel is frequently found in brackish water; the yellow perch is one of the fish which have been brought down from the Hudson by floods into Gravesend bay; the roach is a common resident of lakes in New York and Brooklyn parks, and its dis- tribution has been greatly extended through the agency of man. FISHES OF NEW YORK < The number of fishes included in this catalogue is 375, of which 371 are named, and the following four, which have only recently been discovered in the state, should be added to the list: no. 70V Imllhead minnow, no. 9H silver-jawed minnow, no. 94-J silver chub, no. 255i northern darter. Of these species 217 are marine, 141 fresh-water, and 17 anadromous. The number of intro- duced species is 15, and the number whose occurrence in New York waters is doubtful is 18. The small number of fresh- water species would be remarkable but for the fact that no extensive investigations have recently been made of the fresh waters of the interior of the state, and the catalogue is in that respect simply incomplete. The anadromous species are the following: no. 1 sea lamprey, no. 35 common sturgeon, no. 37 short-nosed sturgeon, no. 101 eel, no. 112 hickory shad, no. 113 branch herring, no. 114 glut herring, no. 115 shad, no. 130 quinnat salmon, no. 131 Atlantic salmon, no. 134 steelhead, no. 137 rainbow trout, no. 143 smelt, no. 170 10-spined stickleback, no. 171 two-spined stickleback, no. 260 striped bass, no. 261 white perch. Besides these, the following marine species occasionally run up into fresh water for shorter or longer distances: no. 158 silver gar, no. 223 blue- fish, no. 224 crab-eater, no. 321 naked goby, no. 346 toincod, no. 368 hogchoker. The introduced species are: no. 71 tench, no. 74 golden ide, no. 99 goldfish, no. 100 carp, no. 130 quinnat salmon, no. 131 At- lantic salmon, no. 132 landlocked salmon, no. 133 Lake Tahoe trout, no. 134 steelhead, no. 135 brown trout, no. 136 Lochleven trout, no. 137 rainbow trout, no. 138 Swiss lake trout, no. 141 saibliug, no. 142 golden trout. The fishes whose pertinence to the New York fauna is doubt- ful are the following: no. 73 L e u c i s c u s mar gar it a, no. 102 longbeak, no. 208 amberfish, no. 226 small dolphin, no. 262 wreckfish. no. 2G3 spotted grouper, no. 265 coachman, no. 290 Zenopsis. no. :{ill globefish, no. 302 hairy bowfish. no. 303 bur- fish, no. 317 sra poacher, no. 327 shanny, no. 328 blenny, no. 329 snakefish, no. 337 red gurnard, no. 356 cusk, no. 359 rough dab. 8 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The fishes represent 99 families. The lampreys include 4 species; the sharks 18 species; the catfishes 14 species, of which 2 are marine; suckers 9 species; minnows or carps 39 species; herrings 10 species; salmon family, which includes the trout and whitefish, 20 species, one half of which number have been introduced; pikes 6 species; killy fishes 5 species; sticklebacks 5 species; silversides 5 species; the mackerel family 10 species; the poinpano family 18 species; sunfishes 13 species; perches, including the darters, 17 species; sea basses 8 species; weakfish family 10 species; sculpins 8 species, equally divided between the fresh and salt waters; sea robins 5 species, one of which, the red gurnard, probably never occurred in our waters, though it has been assigned to New York; codfishes 12 species, one of them a permanent resident in fresh water; flounders 10 species., but one of these is of doubtful occurrence. The species whose existence in New York waters has only recently been reported, and which are not numbered in this catalogue, are the bullhead minnow, Cliola vigilax Baird 6 Girard, the silver- jawed minnow, Ericymba buccata Cope, silver chub, Hy bop sis amblops Rafinesque, and the northern darter, Etheostoma boreale Jordan. The first three of these species have been found in the western part of New York, and the northern darter has been recorded in tlu basin of St Lawrence river, from Montreal to Lake Ontario. The names used in this catalogue are substantially those employed by Jordan and Evermann in bulletin 47, United States National Museum; and I am indebted to these authors for many of the descriptions of the genera. There are some departures,, however, from the names employed in that bulletin, for reasons which appear to me satisfactory; for example, the name Etrumeus sadina is discarded for the round herring, and the specific name t e r e s of De Kay is used in its stead,, because MitchilPs type bore a close resemblance to the shad. It has a spot behind the gill cover, a wide and toothless mouth, a projecting lower jaw, and 15 anal rays. There is no prob- ability that Mitchill had the round herring before him for this description. FISHES OF NEW YORK 9 The glut herring in my list is called Clupea cyanonotou Storer; Mitchill's name, aestivalis, appears to be a synonym ofmediocris and mattowaca of the same author. Its relation to the hickory shad was long since pointed out by Dr Gill. Mitchill stated that the fish has seven or eight dark roundish spots extending in the direction of the lateral line. His figure shows a row of eight dark spots on the side extending to the end of the dorsal fin on the level of the eye. The name Coregonus labradoricus, for the Labra- dor whitefish, is omitted because that species is identical with the common whitefish. The characters by which the Labrador whitefish were supposed to be distinguished are untenable, pre- cisely the same characters being found in the whitefish and there being no other basis of separation. The author has discovered that Kirtlandia laciniata Swain is identical with K. vagrans Goode & Bean. The species Querimana gyrans is believed to be the young of M u g i 1 trichodon Poey; and the genus Queri- mana was found to be the young state of M u g i 1 . The name Neomaenis blackfordi is retained for the red snapper for the reasons clearly given in the 19th Report of the Commissioners of Fisheries of New York, 1890. There is absolutely no proof that the name a y a should be applied to this species. The synonymy given for the species is limited usually to authors who wrote specially on the fishes of New York, or ad- jacent regions, and to the well known general catalogues of recent writers on ichthyology. One principal aim has been to give as many references as possible to illustrations of species. The descriptions of the fishes are based chiefly on collections studied by the author, many of which were obtained in his own field work. The results of investigations made by parties for the United States Fish Commission have also been incorporated in the text. Illustrations of the species would have added greatly to the report; but the time was not available for obtaining drawings 10 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM for this purpose. Artificial keys also would have been an addi- tional advantage; but, as references are given in every case to bulletins 16 and 47 of the United States National Museum, which contain complete series of artificial keys, this feature was omitted. The author hopes ere long to prepare a new account of the fishes of New York, containing illustrations of all the species, together with keys for identification, but can not complete such an undertaking till after the inland waters of the state have been more thoroughly and systematically investigated. TARLETON H. BEAN Washington D. C. 1902 FISHES OF NEW YORK 11 Class MARSIPOBRANCHII Order HYPEROARTII Family JPETROMYZONTIIDAE Lampreys Genus PETROMYZON (Artedi) Linnaeus Lampreys with the supraoral lamina armed with two or three separate teeth, pointed, and close together, not forming a cres- cent-shaped plate; anterior lingual tooth with a median depres- sion; buccal disk large, with numerous teeth arranged in con- centric series; dorsal fins separate, the second joined to the caudal. 1 Petromyzon marimis Linnaeus Great Sea Lamprey; Lamprey Eel Petromyzon marimis LINNAEUS, Sy&t. Nat. ed. X, 230, 1758; MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. and Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 461, 1815; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 501, 1S70; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 11, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 10, pi. I, fig. 3, 1S96. Petromyzon americamts LE SUEUR, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. Phila. I, 383, 1818; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 379, pi. 66, fig. 216, 1842; STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 275, pi. XXXVIII, fig. 4, 1867. Petromyzon appendix DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 381, pi. 64, fig. 211, 1842 (young). Body cylindric, eellike, stout, somewhat compressed behind. The mouth is terminal, subcircular in shape and suctorial. It is strongly armed with large conical teeth or cusps mounted on papillae, those of the inner series being bicuspid. Guarding the throat are crescent-shaped plates, bearing pectinate lingual teeth; a pair of these plates on either side and another pair below them. The mandibulary plate has seven cusps. There are seven branchial apertures on each side of the head, the first not far behind the eye; the distance of the last opening from the tip of the snout is contained about five times in the total length. Eye rather small, covered by membrane. The first dorsal originates in about the middle of the length; it is little developed and well separated from the second dorsal which is confluent with the anal. The anal is very low and 12 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM only about half as long as the second dorsal. The vent is far back, opposite the origin of the second dorsal. The specimen described, number 10654 in the U. S. National Museum collection, is 28 inches long. The sea lamprey or lamprey eel inhabits the north Atlantic,, ascending streams to spawn and sometimes becoming land- locked. In some interior waters of New York the landlocked form has received the name, unicolor, of De Kay. The species ranges southward on our coast to Virginia. In the Dela- ware, Susquehanna and their tributaries this is a common fish. Its larval form, which is blind and toothless, is extremely abundant in muddy sandflats near the mouths, of small streams and is a very important bait for hook and line fishing. The sea lamprey grows to a length of 3 feet. It is dark brown in color, mottled with black and white. In the breeding season in spring the males have a high fleshy ridge in front of the dorsal. The spawning is believed to take place in May or June. The eels cling to the rocks b}7 means of their suctorial mouths and the eggs are deposited in shallow water on a rough bottom where the current is swift. Some observers state that they make nests by heaping up stones in a circle and deposit the eggs under the stones. The ovaries are large, but the eggs are very small. The food of the lamprey is chiefly animal matter and the fish is somewhat of a parasite, burrowing into the side of shad, sturgeon and some other species. The teeth are adapted for this method of feeding. The tooth-bearing bone of the upper side of the mouth contains two teeth which are placed close together. On the bone corresponding with the lower jaw there are seven or nine stout cusps. There are numerous teeth around the disk, the first row on the side of the mouth con- taining bicuspid teeth; the others are simple. The tooth on the front of the tongue has a deep median groove. The species is adapted for fastening itself to other fishes and extracting from them their blood. FISHES OF NEW YORK 13 The lamprey is considered a good food fish in some localities, but in other places it is rarely eaten. In Connecticut and Massachusetts the species is highly esteemed. It is preserved by salting for s<-v»-i-;tl wrecks before using. The fish is sonic- times caught with the hands or by means of a pole armed with a hook in the end. As it is found in shallow water and will not usually relinquish its hold on the bottom, its capture is easily effected. The sea lamprey has been obtained in Gravesend bay in small numbers in March, April and June. It is not adapted to cap- tivity because of the impracticability of furnishing it with proper food. 2 Petromyzon marinus unicolor (DeKay) Lake Lamprey Amonocatex unicolor DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 383, pi. 79, fig. 250, 184'-'. Petromyzon uniriitus subsp. dorsutits WILDER in JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Xat. Mus. 869, 1882. Petromyzon •marinus unicolor MEEK, Ann. X. Y. Ac. Sci. 284, 1886; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 10, 1896. I >e Kay described this lamprey under the name A ni in o c o e - tes unicolor in Zoology of New York; or the New York Fauna, pt 4, Fishes, p. 383, pi. 79, fig. 250. His description was made from a specimen 4 inches long and --TO of an inch in depth. The plate represents it as having the dorsal scarcely percept- ible, beginning to rise at about the middle of its length, but at no point exceeding iV of an inch in hight. The anal is sim- ilar to the dorsal and like the latter continuous with the caudal. Dr De Kay received specimens from the Rev. Zadock Thompson, who obtained them from Lake Champlain. This variety is distinguished from the common marine lam- prey only by its size, its uniform dark coloration, more pro- nounced dorsal ridge, and the less degree of separation of the dorsal fins. It inhabits the lakes of northern and central Xew York and is not anadromous. Prof. Seth E. Meek has published in the Annals of the X< ;/• York Acadtnti/ of Sciences 4:290, the following notes on the species. 14 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The lake lamprey is found in larger numbers than the brook laniprey, and reaches a much larger size. During the spring of 1886 more than a thousand individuals were taken from Cayuga lake inlet, and all of them within 5 miles of Ithaca. They began to ascend the inlet to spawn on May 21, and continued to do so until late in June. Their nests are excavations made in the bed of the stream, in shallow water, usually just above ripples. The eggs are deposited in the fine sand and gravel at the bottom of these nests, and the embryos developed there. The larvae live in the sand along the edge of the stream just below the water line. This species is parasitic on bullheads, suckers, and other large, soft-rayed fishes. Of the whole number captured and brought to the university by fishermen within two weeks, 480 were males and 265 females. The longest male specimen was 17 inches, and the shortest 9 inches. The longest female measured 14 inches, and the short- est 10 inches. A small female 7 inches long, taken later, con- tained eggs which were quite immature. During the spring a crest is developed upon the back of the male between the nape and the dorsal fin. A smaller crest is developed upon the ventral surface of the female, between the vent and the caudal fin. This was at first supposed to be char- acteristic of the males of Cayuga lake, and was made the basis of a new specific name; but it has since been found in specimens from the Atlantic slope, and it is said by Seeley to occur in European specimens during the breeding season. This crest is seasonal and sexual. The sexes, at other seasons, can not be easily distinguished, if at all. More recent accounts of this lamprey are those of Prof. H. A. Surface in the Bulletin U. S. Fish Commission for 1897 and the 4th annual Report of the Commissioners of Fisheries, Game and Forest of the State of New York. Genus ICHTHYOMYZON Girard Differs from Petromyzon in having the anterior lingual tooth divided by a median groove and the dorsal fin notched, but not separated into two portions. Size small. Habitat, fresh waters of eastern United States. 3 Ichthyomyzon concolor (Kirtland) Silver Lamprey Anwnocoetes concolor KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. Ill, 473, 1840, with plate (larva). .Pctromyzon concolor JORDAN & FOKDICE, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. 282, 1886. FISHES OF NEW YORK 15 * Iclitliyomyzon argenteus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 10, 1882. I<-litln/oni!/zon concolor JORDAN & EVERMASN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 11, 1896. The silver lamprey belongs to the subgenus I c h t b y o m y - z o n of Girard. The tooth on the front of the tongue is divided in two parts by a median groove and the dorsal fin is continu- ous but deeply notched. The maxillary tooth is bicuspid; the teeth on the disk are in about four series and all small. The tooth-bearing bone of the lower part of the mouth has seven cusps. The head (from tip of disk to first gill opening) is two fifteenths of the total length; with the gill openings its length is contained four and three fourths times in the total. There are 51 muscular impressions from gills to vent. The body is rather stout, compressed posteriorly. The head is broad and the buccal disk large with its edges not conspicuously fringed. Color bluish silverv, sometimes with blackish mott- o *f ' lings. Above each gill opening there is a small bluish blotch. The silver lamprey or mud eel is found in the Great lakes region and the Ohio and Mississippi valleys. It grows to a length of 12 inches and is usually found in deep water, but runs up the small streams to spawn in the spring. It is a trouble- some parasite on the lake sturgeon, the paddlefish, yellow perch and some other species. It becomes fixed to the skin by means of its suctorial disk and the irritation of its teeth some- times causes deep ulcers at the point of attachment. This lamprey has the same peculiarities of development as the sea lamprey and sometimes remains in the larval condition, blind and toothless, till it has reached a length of 8 inches. Genus LAMPETRA Gray Small lampreys inhabiting brooks of Europe and North Amer- ica. The dorsal fin either notched or divided into two parts> the posterior part continuous with the anal around the tail: supraoral lamina broad, crescentic, with a large obtuse cusp at each end and sometimes a minute median cusp; lingual teeth small, with a crescentic toothed edge, the median denticle en- 16 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM i larged; buccal disk small, with few teeth which are never tricuspid. The genus Lamipetra is best distinguished from Pe- t r o m y z o n by the" structure of its so called maxillary tooth, which has the form of a crescent-shaped plate with terminal cusps and, sometimes, an additional median cusp. In P e - tromyzon this bony plate is short and contains two or three teeth which are very closely placed. 4 Lampetra wilder! (Gage) Small Black Lamprey; Pride Lampetra icildcri GAGE, in JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 13, 1896. Petromyzon nigrum RAFINESQTJE, Ich. Ohien. 84, 1820. (Name preoccupied). Ammoccetes niger JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 9, 18S2. Ammococtes brancliialis JORDAN & FORDICE, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. 293, 1886; GAGE, in Wilder Quarter-Century Book, 436, 1893. The high dorsal fin is divided into two parts by a deep notch. Several of the teeth on the side of the buccal disk are bicuspid and the rest simple. The mandibulary plate is nearly straight and has eight or 10 cusps of nearly equal size. The length of the head including the gills is contained four and three fourths times in the total. There are 67 muscular impressions from gills to vent. In the spring a prominent anal papilla is present. The head is larger than the space occupied by the gill openings and is contained eight and one third times in the total; the depth, 14 times. The eyes are large; the mouth moderately small. The lips are conspicuously fringed with papillae. The teeth change considerably with age; young examples have no median cusp on the maxillary plate. This lamprey is bluish black above, the lower parts silvery. The brook or mud lamprey, also known as the small black lamprey, is found in the Great lakes region, the Ohio valley and the upper Mississippi valley. It occurs also in Cayuga lake, New York. According to Jordan it ranges west to Minnesota and south to Kentucky. It grows to a length of 8 inches. Dr Jordan considers it identical with the common brook lamprey of Europe, A. b r a n c h i a 1 i s. FISHES OF NEW YORK 17 This lamprey ascends the small streams in the spring to spawn just as the silver lamprey does. It is parasitic and its spawning habits are similar to those of the sea lamprey. It clings to stones and clods of earth while depositing its eggs and is believed by some persons to die after spawning. The prob- ability is that it goes to deep water where it remains till the spawning season again approaches. May 8, 1886, Prof. Gage and Dr Meek caught five specimens in •Caynga lake inlet. More of them were seen but not captured. May 22 they visited the inlet a second time but saw no speci- mens. The five individuals obtained were all males, and all were busily engaged in building nests. They ascend the inlet to spawn about two weeks earlier than the large lake lamprey, and in smaller numbers. The life history of the brook or small black lamprey is well related by Prof. Surface in the articles referred to in the notes on the lake lamprey. Class PISCES Subclass SELACHII • SJiarks and Skates Order ASTEROSPONDYLI Typical Sharks Family PSKUDOTRIAKIDAE; Genus PSEUOOTRIAKIS Capello Body elongate; mouth wide, with a very short labial fold around the angle; snout depressed, rounded, moderately long; nostrils inferior, near the mouth, but not confluent with it; eyes oblong, lateral, without nictitating membrane; spiracles well developed behind the eye; gill openings moderate, in advance of the pectoral; jaws armed with numerous rows of small, tricuspid teeth; first dorsal fin, opposite the space between pectorals and ventrals, long and low, gradually increasing in hight posteriorly; second dorsal behind ventrals, opposite and similar to anal; ven- trals and pectorals well developed; no pit at the root of caudal 18 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM fin, the basal lobe of which is very low and long; skin with minute asperities. 5 Pseudotriakis microdon Capello Peixe Garago (Portugal) Pseudotriakis microdon CAPELT.O, Jorn. Sci. Math. Phys. e nat. Lisboa, I, 321, pi. V, 1868; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., VIII, 395, 1870; BEAN,. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. VI, 147, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 27, pi. IV, fig. 14, 1896. The greatest hight of the body is at the origin of the first dorsal; it is contained eight and three sevenths times in the total length. The hight at the origin of ventrals is contained nine and one half times in total length. The hight of head at the first gill opening is a little greater than that of body at the ven- tral origin, while its hight at the angle of the mouth is a little less than one eleventh of the total length. The least hight of the tail equals the hight of the anal, and is contained 25 time» in total length. The head is somewhat depressed in front, with moderately sharp snout, which is nearly twice as long as the distance of its tip from the mouth. The distance from snout to last gill open- ing is contained five times in total length. The distance from, snout to first gill opening, measured horizontally, equals twice the hight of body at origin of second dorsal. The distance between the first and last gill openings equals nearly twice the length of the eye. The hight of the first gill opening is about equal to the distance between the angle of the mouth and the spiracle. The hight of the head at angle of mouth is contained 11 times and at the first gill opening nine times in total length. The length of the snout equals one half the body hight at origin of first dorsal. The distance of mouth from snout, measured on the axis of the fish, equals one third width of mouth. The distance from snout to angle of mouth, obliquely taken, equals one fourth the distance from snout to last gill opening. The distance between eye and spiracle equals that from mouth to nostril. The distance from angle of mouth to spiracle is about equal to hight of first gill opening. The spiracle is moderately PISHES OF NEW YORK 19 largo, the length of its opening being contained twice in the hight of fourth gill opening. The oblong eye is placed near the dorsal profile; the length of the orbit is about one half the greatest hight of second dorsal; the length of the eye equals about one fourth width of mouth. The length of upper jaw is slightly more than that of lower, and nearly equals the distance between the spiracles. The distance from the mouth to the nostril is about one fourth least hight of tail; the distance between nostrils equals four times the distance from eye to spiracle. The interorbital space equals one half the length of second dorsal base. The distance between the spiracles equals four times their greatest length. The first dorsal is very long and low, highest behind its mid- dle, the length of its base equal to seven times its greatest hight; its distance from the snout is a little more than twice the greatest length of pectoral. The second dorsal is distant from the end of the first a length equal to nearly twice its greatest hight; the length of its base is somewhat more than the body hight at origin of first dorsal. The second dorsal begins at a distance from the end of the first, which is equal to the hight of body at ventral origin; the length of its base equals twice the interorbital distance; its hight equals nearly twice the length of the orbit. The anal is entirely under the second dorsal, but its base is a little less than five sevenths as long as that of the latter; the greatest hight of the anal equals the least hight of caudal peduncle. The caudal originates at a distance from the end of the second dorsal about equal to the hight of the anal; it is divided by a notch into a short upper portion, whose length is very little more than the greatest hight of first dorsal, and a very low and long lower portion, the longest margin of which is nearly twice as long as the snout. The distance of the caudal from the end of anal base equals one fourth the length of second dorsal base. The distance of pectoral from snout is contained five times in total length; the length of pectoral equals nearly twice the width of its base, and is a little more than one ninth of total length. 20 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The greatest width of pectoral equals twice the hight of anal, and is contained 12^ times in total length. The origin of the ventral is slightly in advance of the end of first dorsal, and is behind the middle of total length a distance equal to the interorbital space. The length of ventral equals that of lower jaw. The width of ventral base equals that of pectoral base; the greatest width of ventral slightly exceeds its length. Color. When received the margins of the fins were apparently faded ; the original color was proba,bly grayish brown with dark margins on all the fins except the first dorsal. Capello states that his example was chestnut brown. Remarks. The gills and mouth were obstructed by sand. The only parasites discovered on the animal were a couple of isopods, one of which was found in the eye cavity. Hundredths MEASUREMENTS Millimeters of length Total length 2950 100 Body Hight at origin of first dorsal 350 12 Hight at origin of ventral 310 10.5 Hight at origin of second dorsal 210 7 Hight at end of ventral base 210 7 'Least hight of caudal peduncle 118 4 Width at origin of first dorsal 250 8.5 Head Distance from tip of snout to first gill opening Horizontally 425 14.4 Obliquely 450 15.3 Distance from tip of snout to last gill opening. 583 20 Distance from first gill opening to fifth 133 4.5 Distance from first gill opening to fourth 102 Distance from first gill opening to third 62 Distance from first gill opening to second 27 Hight of first gill opening 75 Hight of second gill opening 73 Hight of third gill opening 72 Hight of fourth gill opening 70 Hight of fifth gill opening 68 Hight at angle of mouth 265 9 Hight at first gill opening / , 325 11 Hight at base of pectoral 342 11.6 FISHES OF NEW YORK 21 MEASUREMENTS Distance from tip of snout to eye (horizontally). Distance from tip of snout to mouth (horizon- tally) ..................................... Distance from tip of snout to mouth (obliquely). Distance from tip of snout to angle of mouth (horizontally) ........ '. ..................... Distance from tip of snout to angle of mouth (obliquely) ................................ Distance from tip of snout to spiracle (horizon- tally) ..................................... Greatest length of spiracle ................... Length of opening of spiracle ................ Distance from eye to spiracle ................ Distance from angle of mouth to spiracle ..... "Length of orbit .............................. Length of eye ................................ Width of mouth ............................. Length of upper .law to angle of mouth ....... Length of lower jaw to angle of mouth ....... Distance from mouth to nostril .............. Distance between nostrils ................... Distance between eyes ...................... Distance between eyes on cartilage ........... Distance between spiracles .................. First dorsal Distance from snout ......................... Length of base .............................. Greatest hight .............................. Second dorsal Distance from end of first dorsal .............. Distance from snout ........................ Length of base ................ '. ............. Greatest hight .............................. Length of posterior margin ................. Anal Distance from snout ........................ Length of base .............................. Greatest hight .............................. Length of anterior margin .................... Length of posterior margin ................... Caudal Distance from end of second dorsal ........... Distance of tip from end of second dorsal ..... Greatest width . Hnndredths Millimeters of length 176 6 90 147 280 305 1000 670 95 310 1980 3GS 158 55 2087 250 119 233 47 116 620 232 3 5 9.5 10.3 286 9.7 56 2 35 31 74 80 2.7 68 2.3 270 9 219 7.4 215 7.3 30 125 4.2 182 6.2 142 4.8 226 7.7 34 22.7 10.5 67 12.5 5.4 70.7 8.5 4 21 22 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM MEASUREMENTS Length of upper lobe Greatest width of upper lobe Distance of lower lobe from . fig. 205, 1842. Body stout, its depth one fifth of the length without caudal; head two sevenths of total length to caudal base, snout promi- nent, pointed, broad, thin, and firm, its length from mouth equal to width of mouth; distance between nostrils two thirds length of snout; upper teeth very broad, triangular, erect, ser- rate on both edges, without notch; lower teeth narrower and more finely serrated; gill openings comparatively narrow; first dorsal begins close behind origin of pectoral, its hight somewhat greater than its base and equals one half interspace between dorsals; second dorsal very small, its base one fifth interspace between dorsals; caudal moderate, its length contained two and two thirds times in length of body, its lower lobe less than one half as long as the upper; pectorals rather small, not falcate, the length contained three and one half times in total length without caudal. The young are slate blue on the upper parts, the same color but less pronounced on the sides, and the lower parts whitish; adults are uniform bluish gray above, lighter on the sides of head and body, white beneath, the iris greenish blue. Some examples taken at Woods Hole Mass, in 1873, were said to be of an intense almost indigo blue. The blue shark occurs along our east coast in summer from Cape Cod to Florida. Young examples are not uncommon in the waters of Xew York. An example taken at Brenton's reef, on the coast of Rhode Island, measured 7 feet, 4 inches a.nd weighed 161 pounds. Mitchill states that it is often taken by nets in New York waters, as it commonly bites off the line when hooked. Indi- viduals seen by him were 4 or 5 feet long. De Kay refers to this shark a second time under the name long-tailed porbeagle, of which he saw several young from New York harbor and an adult from Brenton's reef, on the coast of Rhode Island. 28 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM This shark was reported at Woods Hole Mass., in 1871 by Prof.. Baird. Dr Smith records four examples, each about 4 feet long, from a trap near Woods Hole, Aug. 8, 1873, since which time none have been observed. The species feeds chiefly on fish. Genus APRIONODOIV Gill Snout conical, more or less produced; teeth not serrated, nar- row, on a broad base, erect in both jaws or sometimes slightly oblique in the upper; dorsal over the interspace between pec- torals and ventrals. 11 Aprionodon isodon (Val. in Miiller & Henle) Tiburon CarcJi arias isodon VALENCIENNES in MULLER & HENLE, Plagiostomeu, 32, 1841. Carcliarlas (Aprionodon) isodon DTJMERIL, Elasniobranches. 349, 1870. Aprionodon punctatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 24, 1883. Carcliarlas punctatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 361, 1870. Aprionodon isodon POEY, Enurn. Pise. Cubens. 200, 1875; JORDAN & EVEK- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 42, -1896. Snout short, compressed, and rounded; nostril one third of the distance from tip of snout to angle of mouth, nearly as large as the eye; the distance between the nostrils equals that from tip of snout to mouth; teeth in upper jawT small, on a broad base, without serrations, those of lower jaw similar but smaller, a small median tooth as usual ; number of teeth f -f ; first dorsal much higher and longer than the second and is separated from the last gill opening by a space equal to two thirds the length of its base; pectorals reach to below end of first dorsal; caudal pit very apparent, specially below; scales rounded posteriorly, with five keels; color above dark gray (greenish brown, Duineril), whitish below. Tho species is recorded from New York, Virginia, and Cuba. The type specimen in the Musee d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, is O. 65m — 25f inches long. The following measurements from the type are given by Miiller and Henle. FISIIKS (iF Ni;\V YORK Inches Lines From tip of snout to nostril 10 From nostril to mouth 10 From mouth to anus 10 6 From anus to anal fin 2 6 Base of anal fin 1 Hig-ht of anal fin 1 From anal fin to caudal 1 9 Length of caudal fin 7 Distance from pectoral to ventral 4 6 Base of first dorsal fin 2 3 Might of first dorsal fin 2 5 Base of second dorsal fin 1 Hig-ht of second dorsal fin 7 Length of pectoral fin 4 Width of pectoral fin 2 4 Distance between nostrils 1 6 Width of mouth . Genus SCOLIODON Miiller & Henle Body slender; snout depressed; no spiracles; teeth entire or little serrated, oblique and flat, the points directed sidewise so- that the inner margins are more or less nearly horizontal, the teeth in front more nearly erect; teeth not swollen at the base,, each of them with a deep notch on the outer margin below the sharp point; labial folds conspicuous; first dorsal over the inter- space between pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal very small; ventrals small; size small. 12 Scoliodon terrae novae (Richardson) Sharp-nosed Shark Squalus (Carcliarias) terrae-nome RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. 281), 1836. Carcliarias terrae-novae GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 360. 1S70. CarcJiarias (Scoliodon) terrae-nowe GILL, Cat. Fish. East Coast N. A. 59,. 1861. Squaltts punctatus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 4S3, 1815. Scoliodon terrae-novae JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 24, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 43, 1896. Snout moderately rounded; mouth U-shaped, with a short labial groove at its angle extending on both jaws; distance from tip of snout to nostril less than distance between nostrils; gill openings narrow; first dorsal moderate, midway between pec- 30 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM torals and yentrals; second dorsal very small, slightly behind, and rather smaller than anal; anal fin much shorter than dis- tance from anal to ventrals; pectorals rather large, reaching about to middle of first dorsal; yentrals small. Color gray; caudal fin with a narrow blackish edge. Cape Cod to Brazil, very common on the southern Atlantic coast. The green-backed shark, Squalus jmnctatus, of Mitchill is said to belong to this species. His example was 31 inches long, but he was incorrectly informed that the shark reaches two or three times that size. Mitchill wrote: " When this shark is in the water his back and sides appear greenish. But soon after his exposure to air, and immediately after his death, the hue becomes a pale ash, leaden, or dove, with but trifling variegations. The parts about the mouth, neck, and belly are of a clear white. The upper side of the pectoral fins resembles the color of the back; the lower partakes of the complexion of the belly. The openings of the excretory ducts on the snout and lips are blackish. " The shark is very common on the coast of our southern states; it reaches the length of 3 feet." Family Ha mm o -h caded >S' /; a 1 7r,s Genus SPHYRNA Rafinesque Head laterally extended, hammer-shaped or kidney-shaped, the eyes on the ends of the " hammer " and the nostrils anterior; mouth inferior, crescentic; teeth in the jaws similar, oblique, notched on the outside near the base; no spiracles; last gill- . opening over the pectoral; first dorsal large, nearer pectorals than ventrals; second dorsal and anal small; pectorals large; a pit at the root of the caudal; caudal fin notched near its tip, its lower lobe developed. 13 Sphyrna tiburo (Linnaeus) Shark; Botiiuilumi>ltotlux littoral!* GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 260, 1864. Odontaspis a uteri fan us GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 392, 1870. Carcliarias inner Iran us JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 27, 1883. Body moderately elongate, its greatest hight contained five to six and one half times in the total length; head moderately FISHES OF NtfW YORK •"••"> pointed, its length nearly one fourth of the total in half grown individuals; eye small, longer than deep, its length one fifth that of the snout, which is nearly one fourth as long as the head. The spiracle is located behind the eye at a distance equal to three times the diameter of the eye. Two rows of teeth in func- tion in upper jaw and three rows in lowTer; longest tooth of the lower- jawr as long as the eye, slightly longer than the longest tooth of the upper jaw; teeth long, awl-shaped, mostly with one or two small cusps at the base, the first and fourth of upper jaw and the first of lower jaw without cusps. Space occupied by gill openings equals one fourth of the length of the head; the depth of the gill openings equals four times the length of the eye. The distance from the snout to the nostril equals the distance between the nostrils. The width of'the mouth, includ- ing the labial folds, equals two fifths of the length of the head. The first dorsal base is entirely within the first half of the total length; it is about one third as long as the head, and somewhat exceeds the hight of the fin. The pectoral is one half as long as the head and, when extended, does not quite reach the vertical through the dorsal origin. The ventral origin is slightly behind the end of the first dorsal base; the length of the fin is nearly one third of that of the head. The caudal, measured from the. pit at its root, forms two sevenths of the total length. This small but voracious shark is common on our Atlantic coast, specially from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras. It preys on the smaller fishes. The last individual observed by me in Great South bay during the summer of 1898 wTas swimming close to the surface near the inlet at Fire Island, September 10. Mitchill described this shark under the name of the ground shark (S q u a 1 u s 1 i t t o r a 1 i s) in the \incnc-nn M Posterior margin of second dorsal ....................... 1% Second dorsal to caudal pit .............................. 3 Caudal from pit ........................................ 12 Lower caudal lobe ...................................... 9% Terminal caudal lobe ................................... 3 Snout to pectoral, obliquely ............................. lO^/a Length of pectoral ..................................... 5 Lower margin of pectoral ............................... 214 Extended pectoral not quite reaching to perpendicular through front of dorsal. Ventral origin slightly behind end of first dorsal base Length of ventral ....................................... Inner margin of ventral ................................. Vent to tip of clasper ................................... iy.2 End of A-eutral base to origin of anal ..................... 3% Anal base .............................................. 3 Hind margin of anal .................................... 1 Depth of anal .......................................... 2 Anal base to origin of lower caudal lobe ................. Family Mackerel Sharks Genus ISURUS Rafinesque Body fusiform, stout; mouth wide, with long, sharp edged, lanceolate, entire teeth having no basal cusps; spiracles minute or absent; gill openings wide, all in advance of pectorals, lateral, not extending under the throat; first, dorsal largo, not far be- hind origin of pectoral; second dorsal and anal very sniall; peo- 38 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM torals large; ventrals moderate; tail slender; a pit at the root of the caudal; the caudal peduncle strongly keeled on each side; caudal fin lunate, its two lobes nearly equal. Size large. 17 Isurus dekayi (Gill) Mackerel Shark Lamna punctata DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 352, pi. 63, figs. 206, 207, 1842 (not Squalus punctatus MITCHILL); STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 249, pi. XXXVII, fig. 1, 1867. (This is probably Lamna cornuMca). Isnropsis deJcayi GILL, Ann. N. Y. Lye. Nat. Hist. 153, 1861. Isnrus dekayi JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 874, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 48, pi. VI, fig. 21, 1896. Body fusiform, cylindric, its greatest depth equaling one fifth of the total length, and slightly exceeding the length of the head. The caudal lobes are nearly equal in length, the upper about equal to depth of body. Gill openings wide, the last over the anterior edge of the pectoral base; middle teeth very long, much longer and narrower than the crowded, triangular lateral teeth; first dorsal inserted behind pectorals at a distance equal to one fourth of length of head; falcate, its base equal to one third of its distance from tip of snout, its hight nearly one eighth of the total length; pectoral falcate, more than one fifth of total length, and longer than upper caudal lobe; anal and second dorsal small; caudal keel nearly one fifth of total length; deep pits at the root of the caudal above and below. Color dark slate, lighter beneath. De Kay was informed that it is of a deep bottle green in life and the tongue is mottled with black. Storer states that all the upper part of the body is greenish, which becomes of a slate color after death; pupils black; iris dusky. The mackerel shark reaches the length of 10 feet. It occurs from Cape Cod to the West Indies; but is rarely captured in most localities. De Kay described a specimen 10 feet 2 inches long, taken in New York harbor, October 1840. A somewhat smaller example was caught near the light-ship off Sandy Hook by Capt. C. H. Barnard 16 years earlier than the date of De Kay's description. Storer refers to it as the most common species of shark found in FISHES OF NEW YORK 39 Massachusetts, which is not the case at present. In 1845 about 150 at least were captured in nets at Monhegan Me. during three weeks of mackerel fishing. The fish was valued for its oil, of which 11^ gallons have been taken from a single liver. This species feeds on many kinds of fish, but persistently fol- lows the mackerel schools, and is generally known as the mackerel shark. At Provincetown it is called the blue shark. g Genus LAMNA Cuvier Body short, stout, the back considerably elevated; snout prominent, pointed; teeth entire, pointed, triangular, with a small basal cusp on each side, one or both cusps sometimes wanting on some teeth in the young; gill openings wide, and all of them in advance of the pectoral fin; first dorsal falcate, in- serted over the axil of the pectoral; second dorsal and anal very small, nearly opposite each other; pectorals falcate; caudal peduncle strongly keeled on each side; deep pits at the root of the caudal above and below; caudal lobes nearly equal in length. Size large. 18 Lamna cornubica (Gmelin) Porbeagle Squalus eornulicus GMELIN, L. Syst. Nat. I, 1497, 1788. Lamna cornubica GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 389, 1870; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 30, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. IX, 198, pi. LVII, 1891; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 49, pi. VI, fig. 22, 189(5. Body short, stout, fusiform, its greatest depth equaling nearly one fifth of the total length including caudal, and slightly less than the length of the head. The caudal lobes are nearly equal in length, the upper as long as the head and exceeding depth of body; caudal peduncle strongly keeled on each side; deep pits at tho root of the caudal above and below. The snout is conical, pointed, its length somewhat more than the width of the mouth. Teeth entire, triangular, pointed, with a basal cusp on each side, the cusp sometimes wanting in young, -ff- or -H on each side in an individual about 3| feet long, the third tooth of the upper 40 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM jaw on each side small; gill openings wide and all of them in advance of the pectoral base; first dorsal falcate, inserted over the axil of the pectoral; second dorsal and anal very small, nearly opposite each other; pectoral falcate, its length nearly equal to greatest depth of body and equals distance from angle of mouth to last gill opening. Color dark slate, whitish beneath. Found in the Atlantic and Pacific, north to Massachusetts bay and the Gulf of Alaska; called salmon shark at Kadiak. Reaches a length of 10 feet. The porbeagle, salmon shark, or mackerel shark is a very powerful and destructive species, and it has a wide distribution. If the figure of L a m n a punctata Storer be correct, his mackerel shark] must be Lamna cornubica and not Isurus dekayi. The advanced position of the first dorsal seems to indicate this. Genus CARCHARODON Smith Agrees with Isurus and L a in n a except in dentition; teeth large, flat, erect, triangular, serrate; first dorsal moderate, nearly midway between pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal and anal very small; pectorals large; ventrals moderate; caudal peduncle stout; caudal lobes large and strong; deep pits at the base of the caudal fin above and below. 19 Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus) Great White Shark; Man-eater Kqualus carcliarias LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 235, 1758. Carcharias aticoodi STOKER, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. Ill, 72, 1848; Hist. Fish. Mass. 246, pi. XXXVI, fig. 4, 1807. Carcltarudon carcJiarias JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 1C, U. S. Nat. Mus. 875, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 50, 189G. Body stout, its greatest depth contained about five or five and one half times in the total length, and equaling about three fourths of the length of the head; eye perpendicularly oblong, and about one third as long as the snout; caudal lobes large and strong, nearly equal in length, the upper about six sevenths of depth of body; caudal peduncle stout, strongly keeled, its least depth two thirds of snout, deep pits at the base of the caudal FISTTKS OF NKW YORK 41 fiu above and below; the snout obtusely pointed, about one fifth to one sixth of length of head; mouth very large; both jaws with large, triangular, serrated teeth in five rows, those in the lower jaw narrower, about 24 in each row above and 22 below; spiracles minute or wanting; gill openings wide and all in advance of the pectoral fin; first dorsal moderately large, in- serted nearly midway between pectoral and ventral bases; second dorsal and anal very small, subequal, their bases scarcely more than one half as long as the snout; pectoral large, reach- ing to below the end of the dorsal when extended, ventral moderate, its length equal to nearly one fourth of that of the head. Color leaden gray, lower parts white; tips and edges of pectoral black. This shark reaches a length of 30 feet and a weight of nearly 2 tons. It is found in the temperate and tropi- cal parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, but is rare in New York waters. The ferocity of the man-eater shark may be inferred from the following account of a specimen 13 feet long taken at Province- town Mass, and brought to Boston for exhibition. My specimen was captured at Provincetown June 16 ... When first seen it was swimming in about 10 feet of water on the Long point side of Provincetowu harbor. A boat's crew having given chase, a harpoon was thrown into it, when it in- stantly turned toward the boat and seized it with great ferocity near the bows, in which act several of its teeth were broken off. It was eventually killed by being frequently lanced. Jordan and Evermann record an individual about 30 feet long, caught near Soquel Cal. which had in its stomach a young sea lion weighing about 100 pounds. Family BasTdng Sharks Genus CETORHINTJS Blainville Bod}" stout, the skin much wrinkled and beset with small spines; snout blunt; head small; mouth moderate, with numer- ous small, conical teeth without cusps or serrations; spiracles minute, above the corners of the mouth; gill openings very wide 42 NKW YORK STATE MUSEUM extending from the back almost around the throat, all of them in advance of the pectorals; first dorsal large, midway between pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal and anal small; caudal fin lunate, the upper lobe considerably the larger; caudal peduncle keeled; pectorals and ventrals large. Brain very small. Size very large. 20 Cetorhinus maximus (Gunner) Basking Shark; Elephant Shark Squalus maximus GUNNER, Trondhj. 'Selsk. Skrift, III, 33, tab. 2; IV, 14, tab. 3, 1765; MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 486, 1815. Selachus maximus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, p. 357, pi. 63, fig. 208 (partly copied from Le Sueur), 1842; STOREK, Hist. Fish. Mass. 253, pi. XXXVII, fig. 3, 1867. CetorJiinus maximus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 31, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 51, pi. VII, fig. 23, 1896. Body very stout, the skin wrinkled, rough, beset with small spines, its greatest depth contained about five times in the total length, and equaling about three fourths of the length of the head; caudal fin lunate, the upper lobe the larger, about equal to the depth of body; caudal peduncle keeled; snout smooth, blunt, nearly half the length of head; mouth moderate; the teeth very small and numerous, conical, without cusps or serratures, each jaw with six or seven rows, about 200 in each row; spiracles minute, above the corners of the mouth; eye very small, with- out nictitating membrane; gill openings very wide, extending from the back almost around the throat, all of them in front of the pectorals; gill-rakers slender, long and close set, resemb- ling whalebone, whence the name, bone shark; first dorsal large, triangular, midway between pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal small, but larger than the anal; pectoral large, reaching a little past the dorsal origin when extended; ventral large, its length nearly one third the length of the head. Color dark slate or leaden above, lighter beneath. The basking shark reaches a length of nearly 40 feet and is the largest of the sharks. It is an inhabitant of Arctic seas, coming southward as far as Portugal, Virginia and California. FISHES OF NEW YORK 43 Mitchill refers to its capture at Provincetown Mass, and to its name of bone shark because of the peculiar structure of its gills. De Kay mentions the specimen which was captured in the lower harbor of New York in 1822, from which he made some alterations in a drawing partly copied from Le Sueur's sketch of the same fish. Storer described an individual measur- ing 33 feet 3 inches. He says it is rarely observed on the coast of Massachusetts. It becomes gregarious only in the breeding season. The oil made from the liver of the basking shark was at one time considered valuable. Order CYGLOSPONDYLI Suborder CYCLOSPONDYLI Family SQUALIDAE Dogfishes Genus SQUALUS (Artedi) Linnaeus Body slender, elongate; mouth slightly arched, with a long, straight, deep, oblique groove on each side, without labial folds; teeth small, simple, equal in both jaws, their points turned aside so that the inner margins form a cutting edge; spiracles well developed, near the eye; gill openings moderate, all in advance of pectorals; first dorsal larger than the second, far in front of the ventrals, which are behind the middle of the body; second dorsal behind ventrals; dorsal spines strong, not grooved; caudal fin with unequal lobes, the upper elongate, broad, sub- truncate at the end, the lower short and rounded; pectorals large and long, placed low down; ventrals midway between end of first and beginning of second dorsal. No anal fin. 21 Squalus acanthias Linnaeus S pined Dogfish Squalus acanthias LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 233, 1758; JORDAN & GIL- BERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 16, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 54, 1896. Spinax acanthias DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 359, pi. 64, fig. 210, 1842. Acanthias americanus STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 256, pi. XXXVIII, fig. 1, la, 1867. Acanthias vulgaris GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 418, 1870. 44 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Body slender, moderately long, its greatest depth about one eighth of the total length, and about three fourths of the length of the head; caudal fin scarcely bent upward, its length nearly one fifth of the total length; snout pointed, its length equaling about one fourth of the length of the head; mouth slightly arched, with a long, straight, deep, oblique groove on each side, without labial folds. Teeth small, equal in both jaws, their points turned aside so that the inner margins form a cutting edge; spiracles well developed, just behind the eye; eye large, oblong, its diameter two thirds of the length of the snout; no nictitating membrane; gill openings narrow slits, in front of the pectorals; first dorsal moderate, larger than the second, far in advance of the postmedian ventrals, which are in front of the small second dorsal; pectoral when extended reaches to below the first dorsal spine, its length contained about seven times in the total, including caudal fin; ventral one fourth as long as the head. Color dark slate or gray on upper parts, whitish below, numer- ous white spots on the back, becoming faint or obsolete with age. The spined dogfish reaches a length of 3^ feet and the weight of 20 pounds. It inhabits both coasts of the Atlantic and is recorded also from Cuba. It is found in Gravesend bay, Long Island, only in October, and young examples have been taken at Southampton in the same month. The species is common in summer and fall on the fishing banks off the New Jersey coast. It is not hardy in captivity. At Woods Hole Mass., according to Dr Smith, it is less abun- dant than formerly, and was comparatively scarce in!897. When the fish fertilizer factory was established at Woods Hole, this was the principal fish utilized in the manufacture of oil and guano; later, the scarcity or irregularity of the supply necessi- tated the use of menhaden. When the horned dogfish first comes, in May, it feeds largely on ctenophores. In Massachusetts bay the species arrives in June and remains only a few days, but returns again in September and stays till FISHES OF NKW YORK 45 the middle of November. These fish are usually caught with the hook and often entangle themselves in nets, to which they do great damage. They feed on mackerel, whiting and other fishes. The oil of the liver is an article of commerce, the flesh is use- ful for fertilizers, and the skin has been used for polishing; on some parts of Cape Cod the fish has been dried for fuel. Mitchill mentions the spined dogfish only in one of his minor papers. I)e Kay recorded it as common on the New York coast. Tie found remains of the soft clam and scales of fishes in its stomach. Suborder TECTOSPONDYLI Family SQUATINIDAE Angel Sharks Genus SQTJATINA Durneril Body flat, depressed as in the rays, the snout obtuse or slightly concave in front; nostrils on the front margin of the snout with skinny flaps; mouth anterior; teeth in many series, conical, pointed, distant; spiracles wide, transverse, behind the eyes; gill openings wide, very near each other, partly inferior and partly hidden by the pectoral fins; two small, subequal dorsal fins on the tail behind the ventrals; no anal fin; caudal small, the lowrer lobe longer than the upper; males writh small prehensile organs; vertebrae tectospondylous. 22 Squatina squatina (Linnaeus) Angel fish; Monk fish Squalus squatina LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 233, 1758. Sqiiatina dumcrill DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 363, pi. 62, fig. 203, isfj. RMna squatina GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mns. VIII, 430, 1870. tiqnatiiia an yd its JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. ;)."», 18,83. Sqit-atitM, squatina JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 58; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 89, 1898. Body raylike in shape, flat, depressed, its greatest depth less than one fourteenth of the total length and about one third of the length of the head; caudal peduncle stout; caudal fin small, its lower lobe the longer; snout short, rounded; nostrils on its front margin, with skinny flaps. Mouth anterior, its width 46 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM about equal to the interorbital width; teeth acute, small, con- ical, distant; spiracles large, crescentic, behind the eyes; eye small, its diameter one fourth of the distance between the eyes; gill openings wide, subinferior, partly covered by the pectoral fin; two small dorsal fins, close together, behind the ventrals; anal fin wanting; pectoral fins very large, widely expanded, deeply notched at the base; ventrals very large, their length greater than that of the head; skin covered with stiff prickles, largest on the median line of the back. Color bluish ashy gray or brown above, sometimes blotched and speckled, pale below. The monkfish reaches a length of 4 feet. It is easily recognized by its peculiar shape. It in- habits the Mediterranean and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States from Cape Cod and San Francisco south- ward. It is not common in New York waters, but it appears occasionally in Gravesend bay in summer and is believed to occur in this state only in bays adjacent to the Atlantic. Mitchill, apparently, was not familiar with the species. De Kay knew the fish only from Le Sueur's descriptions and the writings of other ichthyologists. He gives the common names employed in Europe; monk, monkeyfish, kingston, shark ray, and fiddlefish. A New York fisherman informed De Kay that it was known to him as the little bullhead shark. A specimen weighing 35 or 46 pounds and measuring about 4 feet was taken in a trap at Menemsha bight, Marthas Vine- yard, Sep. 1, 1873. The writer saw one taken at the same place a few years later. Order BATOIDEI Rays Suborder SARCURA Family RAJIDAB Skates Genus RAJA (Artedi) Linnaeus In the rays the disk is broad, rhombic; the pectorals extend to, but not around the snout; the ventrals are large and deeply notched; the tail is usually long, without serrated spine, slender, FISHES OF NEW YORK 47 rounded, or depressed, with caudal fin small or absent, with two small dorsal fins, close together, near its tip. and with a dermal fold on each side. The skin is more or less covered with prickles and spines, males having rows of erectile hooks near the outer angles of the pectorals. No electric organs. Eggs laid in leather}-, four-angled cases, having two long tubular tendrils at each end. Teeth in the middle of the jaws, sharp in males, blunt in females. 23 Raja erinacea Mitchill Common Skate; Prickly Skate; Hedgehog Ray Raja crinarcus MITCHILL, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, IX, 290, pi. 6 (male), 1825; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 372, pi. 78, fig. 246, 1842. Raja eglaiiteria GT-NTHER, Cat Fish. Brit. Mns. VIII, 462, 1870. Raia erinacea JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 40, 1883. Raja, erinacea JORDAN & EVERMANX, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 68, pi. IX, fig. 29, 1896; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 89, 1898. Disk rhomboid, with the angles rounded; its length nearly equal to its width; spines largest on the anterior extensions of the pectorals, where they are close set, strong, laterally com- pressed and hooked backward; smaller spines scattered over the head, above the spiracles, above and in front of the eyes, on the back, the median line of which is comparatively smooth, without enlarged spines except in the young; a triangular patch of spines on the shoulder girdle; inner posterior angles of the pectorals nearly smooth. Males have two rows of large, erectile hooks, pointing backward, near the . outer angles of the pectorals. Females have groups of small scales on each side of the vent. Tail about as long as the disk; a dermal fold on each side; dorsal fins rough, connected at the base; mouth small; jaws curved, with small teeth in about 50 rows above and 48 below, the mid- dle ones sharp in males, all blunt in females. Color light brown, with small round spots of dark brown. Length 1 to 2 feet. (After Garman) A very common species on our coast, from Maine to Virginia. It is one of the small rays and is not much valued for food. Eggs of this skate have been obtained in Gravesend bay in March. In captivity eggs have been deposited in winter. The 48 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM species will endure captivity during the spring, fall, and part of the winter, but not at all in summer. Mitchill had the ray from Barnegat and from off Sandy Hook. De Kay did not see the fish, but copied the description and figure of Mitchill. Smith refers to it as the " summer skate " or " bon- net skate." It is found at Woods Hole from June to October. The names " hedgehog ray " and " bonnet skate " are given in allusion to its habit of rolling itself up when caught. At South- ampton L. I. this species was taken in small numbers Aug. 3, 1898. 24 Raja ocellata Mitchill Skate; Biy Skate Raja ocellata MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 477, 1815; JORDAN & EVKRMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 68, pi. X, fig. 30, 1896; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 89, 1898. Raid ocellata DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 369, not pi. 60, fig. 212. 1S-12; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 1C, U. S. Nat. Mus. 40, 1883. Similar in shape to R, c r i n a c e a, but larger, with a wider mouth and with many more rows of teeth. The length of the disk slightly exceeds its width. The spines are arranged as in R. e r i n a c e a, but additional rows are present down the back and on the sides of the tail. Tail nearly as long as the disk; caudal fin not separate, with small spines; niouth large; jaws curved; teeth in about 90 rows above and 88 below. Color light brown, with rounded dark spots; a translucent space on each side of the snout; near the posterior angle of the pectoral there is usually (but not always) a large white ocellus, writh a dark spot in the center and a darker border; two smaller similar spots often present. (After Garman) The spotted skate reaches a length of nearly 3 feet; its egg cases are more than twice as large as those of R. e r i n a c e a. The species is found from New York to Massachusetts and northward. Dr Mitchill described a specimen which was 30 inches long and 19 inches wide. Dr De Kay calls this species the spotted ray. He found the stomach of one filled with rock crabs, Cancer irroratus. To the fishermen this and allied spe- FISHES OF NEW YORK 40 cies are known as skate. It has no commercial value in Great South bay. In the traps at Islip skates reappear on October first on their fall migration. A female was caught near the inlet at Fire Island, Sep. 20, 1808. The species \v;i,^ more abun- dant later in the fall. A; Woods Hole, according to Dr Smith, this is the big skate or winter skate. It is common from February to June and from October 15 to the end of the trap fishing; it is absent or very rare in summer. 25 Raja eglanteria Bosc Clear-nosed Skate; Brier Ray Raja ci/la-iitci-ia'Bosc in LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. II, 104, 109, 1SOO; GUN- THER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. Till, 462, 1870; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 71. 1896; SMITH, Bull. IT. S. F. C. XVII, 89, 1898. Raia <'< centrum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 1G, U. S. Nat. Mus. 67, 1SS3. (From Garnian) Trillion haxtatH. GUXTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII. 476, 1870. Daximtix centrum JORDAN & EVER/MANX. Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 83, 189G; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1S9S. Disk quadrangular, about one fourth wider than long; ante- rior margins sinuous, concave opposite the eyes, convex toward the slightly protuberant snout and rounded over angles; pos- terior straighter, very little convex; hinder angles blunt; ven- irals truncate, with rounded angles; tail more than twice as long as the body, much compressed, rounded above, with keel or cutaneous expansion below, with one or more strong serrated spines at the termination of the anterior fifth of its length, rough on all sides writh spines or tubercles. Till half grown the young are naked; as they approach maturity broad stellate based, conical pointed, irregularly place,! bucklers appear on the middle of the hinder part of the back and on the top and sides 54 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM of the tail. Very large examples have the central part of the back closely mailed with small flattened tubercles. The buck- lers bear more resemblance to those of the R a j a e, radiata and c 1 a v a t a, than to the tubercles of pastinaca, has- t a t a, or tuberculata. Mouth arched forward, with five papillae; teeth in quincunx, blunt, smooth. Color of back and tail olive brown ; light to white below. From pastinaca, which this species resembles in shape, it is distinguished by the tubercles, by the length and compression of the tail, and absence of all trace of keel or expansion on its upper side. A young specimen measures from snout to tail 13.8, in length of tail 30.5, and width of pectorals 17.5 inches. The largest specimen in the collection has a total length of 10 feet 3 inches (Coll. Mus. Conip. Zool. Cambridge Mass.). Common south qf Cape Cod. Occasionally found northward. (After G arm an) Formerly hundreds of individuals were caught annually in Gravesend bay, but now it is seldom seen there. The species will live in captivity several months in the spring and summer. Mitchill records it as occurring on the coast of Long Island. The tail, he states, is 5 feet or more in length. Storer described a specimen 9 feet long. He was informed by Dr Yale that the fish was abundant on the flats in the harbor of Holmes's Hole, Mar- thas Vineyard, in July and August. Near Woods Hole Mass, it is common during summer, appearing early in July. The sting ray is much dreaded by fishermen, who say that wounds- made by its spines are exceedingly painful and danger- ous, the slime secreted by the fish acting as a poison. Subgenus DASYjyns 20 Dasyatis hastata (De Kay) Kit Pastinaca hastate DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 373, pi. 65. fig. 214, 1842. Trygon hastata STORER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 261, 1846. Da-sibatis hastata GARMAN, Bull. 16, U. S. N.at. Mus. 70, 1883. Dasyatis hastata JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 83, 1896. The sting rays of the subgenus Dasyatis differ from tbe type centrura in having a narrow keel or expansion on the tail both above and below. FISHES OF NEW YORK 55 Disk with the shape and proportions of D. centrura; anterior margins nearly straight, meeting in a blunt angle on the end of the snout, curved near the outer angle to meet the slightly convex posterior margins; inner borders convex; outer and hinder angles rounded; ventrals almost entirely covered by the pectorals, their hinder margins convex; tail more than one and one half times as long as the disk, with a low keel on the upper side, a long, broad, membranous expansion below, rough- ened with small asperities, and with one or more serrated spines beginning in the first fourth of its length; body smooth in young, with scattered small asperities in the old; a row of narrow, com- pressed tubercles on the middle of the back and base of tail, their points depressed and directed backward. On each shoulder, parallel with the median row, there is a shorter row varying in length according to age. Mouth with three papillae; jaws more curved than in centrura and less than in s a b i n a. Color bluish or uniform olive brown above, white beneath. West Indies to Brazil, north to Khode Island. De Kay's description of his whip sting ray is based on a female captured in September off the coast of Khode Island by Carson Brevoort of New York. The length of the fish was 8 feet 6 inches and its weight 110 pounds. Mr Brevoort stated that the whip rays appeared to associate together, as he noticed many of similar size and appearance swimming about at the same time. They moved slowly together through the water, along the edges of the rocks, about 3 feet below the surface. When captured, the individual described by Dr De Kay whipped its tail about with great activity in all directions. From this circumstance it derives the name of whip ray. 30 Dasyatis say (Le Sueur) Southern Sting Ray Raja say LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 42, 1817. Myliobatis? say DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 376, 1842. Trygon sayi MULLER & HENLE, Plagiostomen, 166, 1841; DUMERIL, Elas- mobranches, 603, 1870. Dasybatis sayi GARMAN, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 69, 1883. Dasj/atis say JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 86, 1896. 56 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Disk quadrangular, about one sixth wider than long, anterior margins nearly straight, posterior and inner borders convex, outer and posterior angles rounded; snout not protruding be- yond the lines of the margins, ventrals rounded; tail strong, rather more than one and one half times the length of disk, with a strong serrated spine, bearing a short, low cutaneous expansion behind the spine on the upper side, and a longer, little wider one below, ending nearly opposite; upper jaw undulated, lower prominent in the middle; teeth small, smooth in young and females, sharp in adult males; three papillae at the bottom of the mouth, and one at each side; body and tail nake'd. Color olive brown in adult, reddish or yellowish in young; lower sur- face whitish. New York to Florida and Brazil. (After Garman) According to Garman, a young female measured from snout to tail 7.1, length of tail was 11, and width of pectorals 8.2 inches. Le Sueur's type was from the New Jersey coast. Mtiller and Henle mention six specimens in the Museum of Natural History at Paris, which were sent from New York by Milbert. The species has not been reported recently in New York waters. Genus PTEROPL.ATEA Miiller & Henle Disk much broader than long, its anterior margins meeting in a very obtuse angle, its outer angles more or less acute, the form, therefore, transversely rhombic; tail very short and slender, shorter than the disk, without fin, armed with a very small serrated spine or without spine; skin smooth or very nearly so. Size large. 31 Pteroplatea maclura (Le Sueur) Butterfly Ray If a ia mart urn LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 41, 1817. Pastinaca maclura DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 375, pi. 65, fig. 213, 1842. Pteroplatea maclura MULLER & HENLE, Plagiostomen, 169, 1841; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 487, 1870; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 10, U. S. Nat. Mus. 46, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 86, 1S96; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1S9S. Disk almost twice as broad as long, covered with smooth skin (or with minute granulations according to Le Sueur), the snout FISHES OF NEW YORK 57 very little projecting, so that the anterior margin of each pectoral is slightly concave; tail two fifths to one third the length of disk, with a slight dermal fold above and below, and with one or two spines very near its base or sometimes with- out spines; eyes small and near the snout; spiracles large, near the eyes; nostrils small, near the mouth, not extending to the upper lip; teeth numerous, triangular, acute, each eniarginate at the base behind; ventrals short, broad and rounded, their length less than one fifth of that of disk. Color brownish olive, sometimes bluish, finely marbled with grayish, and finely speckled; anterior edge of disk with blotches of paler; tail with four dark blotches above, forming half rings. Cape Cod to Brazil, common southward. The species is now rarely seen in Gravesend bay. It does not endure captivity. Le Sueur's description was based on a specimen 6 feet 7 inches wide, taken at Newport R. I. He was informed by fisher- men that it reaches the width of 15 fed. De Kay copied Le Sueur's description and figure. Dr Smith says it is rare at Woods Hole, and appears in August and September when present. It has the local name of Angel fish at Woods Hole. Family ; Eagle Rays Genus >IYL,IOHATIS Dunieril Disk broad; pectoral fins ending laterally in an acute angle, not continued forward around the snout, but ceasing on the sides of the head and reappearing in front of the snout as a fleshy protuberance (cephalic fin); tail very long and slender, whiplike, with a small dorsal fin near its root, and one or more serrated spines; teeth hexangular, large, flat, tessellated, the middle ones much broader than long in the adult; several series of narrower teeth on each side of the median series; teeth chang- ing considerably with age; jaws about equal; free edge of the nasal valve not deeply emarginate; skin smooth. 58 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 32 Myliobatis freminvillei (Le Sueur) Eagle Ray Myliobatis freminvillei LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. IV, 111, 1824; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 376, 1842. Myliobatis acuta STOKER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 269, pi. XXXIX, fig. 4, 1867. MylirAialls fremuivillei JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 51, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 89, 1896; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898. Disk broader than long, width to length bearing the ratio of 5 to 3; width of disk equal to length of tail. Diameter of eye equals about one fourth of the interorbital distance; spiracles behind the eyes and one and one half times as long. Width of mouth one half its distance from tip of snout. Free edge of the nasal valve not deeply notched. Beaches a length of 4 feet. Body and head above, reddish brown; tail lighter at the base, but nearly black toward the tip; lower parts whitish. The species is not uncommon, from Cape Cod to Brazil. It probably feeds on mollusks. It was reported to me by men of the menhaden steamer Annie Morris that about Aug. 20, 1887, off Hereford inlet, they saw schools of sting rays at the surface " flopping along like geese." The schools were large enough to have filled a menhaden seine. The rays were said to have two spines on the tail. Le Sueur's description was based on a Rhode Island specimen. De Kay copied briefly from Le Sueur, and placed the fish among the extra-limital species. William O. Ayres found an individual at Brook Haven L. I., which he described in the Boston Journal of Natural History, 4:290, pi. 13. Dr Storer received portions of a specimen from Holmes' Hole Mass. Dr Smith records it as not very common at Woods Hole Mass., but taken in small num- bers every year in traps. Genus RHINOPTERA Kuhl Disk broader than long, its anterior angles more or less acute; snout more or less emarginate on the median line; cephalic fin einarginate and placed on a plane below the level of the pector- als, the snout thus appearing four-lobed; free border of the nasal valve not emarginate; teeth in 5 to 20 rows, the median PISHES OF NEW YORK 59 teeth sometimes much enlarged, sometimes not much larger than the outer teeth; tail long, whiplike, with a small dorsal spine behind the dorsal fin which is at the base of the tail; ventral fins oblong, truncated behind. .'!.'{ Rhinoptera bonasus (Mite-hill) Cow-nosed Rt«ilriloba DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes. 375, pi. 66, fig. 217, 1842; GUXTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII. 494, 1870; JORDAN ,V GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 51. IS*',. If hinopt ri-u bfiiHiNitti JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 90, 1890; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898. The length of disk equals two thirds of its width; its anterior borders almost straight, posterior undulated; pectorals acutely produced; muzzle deeply emarginate; mouth wide; nostrils mid- way between mouth and tip of snout; spiracles large, longer than eye; teeth in seven rows in each jaw, the median teeth more than four times as broad as long, the others gradually diminishing in size outward; tail very slender, as long as the body; a small dorsal fin at base of tail and a slender, serrate spine behind it; skin smooth except a few protuberances on the top of the head. Color olive brown above; beneath white. Cape Cod to Forida; not rare. This species is now rarely seen in Gravesend bay, where it was at one time very common in the autumn. When Mitchill wrote of the fishes of New York (1815) he stated that the cow- nosed ray visits the coast, usually about September, in numer- ous shoals, entering the bay and ranging very extensively over the flats where the soft clam lives. These shellfish he is supposed to devour; for a shoal of cow- noses roots up the salt water flats as completely as a drove of hogs would do. I have seen the water in violent agitation when these fishes were at work in the bottom. They render it so muddy that they are concealed from sight. Frequently, how- ever, they rise to the top and may be distinctly observed. I have seen them swim, near the surface in clear water. They then support and propel themselves in their element by their large flaps as a crow or other bird, with slowly moving wdngs, passes through the air. They may be said to fly rather than to swim. A full grown individual wreighs about 100 pounds. NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Mitchill also states that the fishermen usually allow these rays to decay on the shores, but sometimes take out their livers for conversion into oil. According to l)r Smith, the cow-nosed ray is common at Woods Hole Mass. Subclass TELEOSTOMI True Fishes Series GANOIDEI Ganoid Fishes Order SELACHOSTOMI Paddlcfishes Family POLYODONTID^E Paddlcfishes Genus POL.YODOX Lacepede Body fusiform, elongate, somewhat compressed; skin smooth or with minute ossifications; snout produced into a very long spatulate process, the inner part composed of the produced nasal bones, the sides flexible and supported by a bony network; mouth wide, terminal, but overhung by the snout, without inax- illaries, but with toothed premaxillaries; numerous fine, decidu- ous teeth in the jaws and on palatines; no tongue; nostrils double, immediately in front of the eye; spiracles present; oper- culum rudimentary, its skin produced behind into a long acute flap; no pseudobranchiae; no barbels; no opercular gill; gills four and one half; gill rakers numerous, very long and slender, in a double series on each arch, the two series divided by a broad membrane; gill membranes connected but free from isth- mus; one broad branchiostegal; lateral line continuous, its lower margin with short branches; air bladder cellular, entire, com- municating with the dorsal wall of the esophagus; pyloric caeca in the form of a short, broad, leaflike organ, with four or five larger divisions, each being subdivided; rectum with a fully developed spiral valve; dorsal fin posterior, without spines; anal similar, and more posterior; tail heterocercal, with well devel- PISHES OF NEW YORK 61 oped lower caudal lobe so that the fin is nearly equally forked; sides of the bent portion of the tail armed with small rhombic plates; upper caudal fulcrums narrow, numerous; pectorals mod- erate, placed low; ventrals abdominal, many-rayed. Rivers of the middle United States. 34 Polyodon spathula (Walbaum) Paddlefish; Spoonbill Cat Squalns spatJntla WALBAUM, Artedi, Gen. Pise. 522, 1792. Polyodon fenille LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. I, 403, 1800. Polyodoit folium BLOCH & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichtli. -157, 1801 (after Lac6- pede); MITCIIILL, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, XII, 201. 1827; KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 21, pi. 2, fig. 1, 1844; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 34G, 1870. Polyodon spathtda JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 1C, U. S. Nat. Mus. S3, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 101, 1896. The body of the paddlefish is fusiform with the snout much produced, spatulalike. Body scaleless, covered with smooth skin; mouth broad, terminal, somewhat resembling that of the shark; teeth in jaws very numerous and fine, deciduous; spiracles with a minute barbel. The operculum is rudimentary, its flap of skin long, reaching almost or quite to the ventral fins; pseu- dobranchiae absent; gill arches five, the last rudimentary; gill rakers long and in a double series on each arch; gill membranes connected, free from the isthmus; nostrils double, situated at base of blade; a continuous lateral line from upper part of head along dorsal outline to tail; eye small, directed downward and to the side; dorsal and anal fins far back, composed of soft rays, nearly opposite; tail heterocercal, well forked; sides of the bent portion of the tail armed with rhombic plates. The pectoral fins are of moderate size and placed low; ventrals many-rayed, abdominal. The distance from eye to end of snout is about one third of the total length, including caudal. The depth of the body is contained four and one half times in the distance from eye to base of caudal. The hight of the dorsal fin about equals the depth of the body. This is known as the paddlefish, spoonbill or spoon-billed sturgeon, shovel fish, billfish, and duck-billed cat. Called " sal- 62 NEiW YORK KTATK MUSEUM mon " in western hotels. The names are derived from the re- markable snout, which is produced into a long spatula-shaped process, covered above and below with an intricate network and with very thin flexible edges. The head and snout form nearly half of the entire length of the fish. The fish can not be con- founded with anything else in the waters of the United States. There is in China a similar fish, which, however, belongs to a different genus. Distribution. The single species of American paddlefish is confined to the Mississippi valley. It inhabits only the larger streams in Pennsylvania. It is common in the Allegheny and the Monongahela rivers. Size. The paddlefish grows to a length of 6 feet, and a weight of 30 pounds or more. Habits. The species frequents muddy bottoms, but does not feed on the mud and slime, as many persons have supposed. The long snout is useful in procuring its food, which consists chiefly of entomostracans, water worms, aquatic plants, leeches, beetles and insect larvae. Prof. S. A. Forbes, director of the Illinois Laboratory of Natural History, has published the first and most satisfactory account of the feeding habits of this sharklike fish. He found very little mud mixed with the food. Prof. Forbes was informed by the fishermen that the paddlefish plows up the mud in feed- ing with its spatulalike snout and then swims islowly backward through the water. " The remarkably developed gill rakers of this species are very numerous and fine, in a double row on each gill arch, and they are twice as long as the filaments of the gill. By their interlacing they form a strainer scarcely less effective than the fringes of the baleen plates of the whale, and probably allow the passage of the fine silt of the river bed when this is thrown into the water by the shovel of the fish but arrests everything as large as the cyclops. I have not found anything recorded as to the spawning habits of the paddlefish. The young have , the jaws and palate filled with minute teeth, which disappear with age." FISHK'S OF .\K\V VullK. ("•'• Mode of capture. The lish arc generally caught by seining. Edible qualities. The flesh of the paddlefish is frequently con sidered tough and sharklike, but individuals of 8 or 10 pounds are skinned, and sold in some of the western markets freely, and are thought by some persons to be fairly good for the table. Order CHON i m< >STEI Sturgeons Family ^XCIF-ENSERIDAE Sturgeons Genus ACIPEXSER Linnaens Body elongate, snbcylindric, armed with five rows of bony bucklers, each with a median keel terminating in a spine wrhich becomes obsolete with age; a median dorsal series of bucklers, and a lateral and abdominal series on each side, the abdominal series sometimes deciduous; between these the skin is rough with small, irregular plates. Head covered with bony plates joined by sutures; snout produced, subconic; spiracles present; mouth small, inferior, protractile, with thickened lips; no teeth; gill rakers lanceolate; four barbels in a transverse series on the lower side of the snout in front of the mouth; eyes small; nos- trils large, double, in front of eye ; gills four ; an accessory oper- cular gill; gill membranes united to isthmus; pseudobranchiae small or obsolete; no branchiostegals; maxillary distinct from the premaxillary; fin rays slender, all articulated; vertical fins with fulcrum s; pectorals placed lo\v; A'enirals many-rayed, be- hind middle of body; dorsal placed posteriorly; anal somewhat behind dorsal, similar; tail heterocercal,the lower caudal lobe de- veloped; the tail not depressed or mailed; air bladder large, sim- ple, connected with the esophagus; stomach without blind sac; rectum with a spiral valve; pancreas divided into pyloric ap- pendages. (After Jordan and Evermann) i 35 Acipenser sturio Linnaeus Common Sturgeon r sliirio LINNAEUS, Syst. Nut. ed. X, 237, 1758; ({UNTHER, Cat. Fisb. Brit. Mns. VIII, :U2, 1870; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47. U. S. Nat. Miis. 105, 1896; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVI, 90, 1898. 64 NEW VOKK STATE MUSEUM Acipenscr oj-yrincJnis MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 162, 1815. Acipenser oxyrlrincns DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 34G, pi. 58, fig. 189 (young), 1842. Acipenser stiirio var. o.ryn-hyncJrus JORDAN & GILBERT. Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 86, 1883. The common or sharp-nosed sturgeon has a stout, roundish and elongate body, its bight equaling one half the length of the head and one sixth of the total without the caudal. The least depth of the tail equals one third of the greatest body depth. The head is long, one third of total without the caudal, and the snout is as long as the rest of the head in the young. The eye is one sixth as long as the snout. T\yo pairs of short, slender barbels midway between the mouth and tip of snout. The front of the mouth is nearly under the posterior edge of the pupil. The nostrils are double, the posterior pair more than twice as large as the anterior. The dorsal and anal fins are placed far back and opposite to each other. The distance of the ventral origin from the end of the lower caudal lobe equals the length of the head. The upper caudal lobe is nearly twice as long as the lower. D. 38 to 40; A. 23 to 26; V. 24. Lateral plates 27 to 29; dorsal shields 10 to 14; ventral shields 11 or 12. The color of the upper parts is dark olive gray, sometimes brownish; the lower parts are light gray or whitish. The pupils are black; the iris golden. The range of the common sturgeon includes the Atlantic ocean southward to Africa and the West Indies. The northern limit on our east coast appears to be Cape Cod. In the Dela- ware river the fish has rarely ascended as far as Port Jervis. Dr Mitchill was the first to call attention to the similarity between the American sharp-nosed sturgeon and the s t u r i o of Europe. The fish attains a length of 12 feet in America, and it is stated that European examples measuring 18 feet have been taken. The sturgeon ascends the large rivers from the sea in spring and early summer. It is very common in the lower part of the Delaware river, where it forms the object of an important fish- ery. This is the species concerning which so many stories have FISH MS UK NKW YOKK 65 been related as to leaping into boats and injuring the occu- pants. The mouth of the sturgeon is furnished with a very protrac- tile roundish tube having powerful muscles and intended for withdrawing from the mud the various small shellfish and crus- taceans on which the animal subsists. The mouth is surrounded also with numerous tentacles, with tactile properties, which are utilized in procuring food. The reproductive habits of the sturgeon and the embryology of the species have been made the subject of an exhaustive study by Prof. John A. Ryder, of the University of Pennsylva- nia, whose monograph forms a part of the Bulletin of the F. S. Fish Commission for 1SSS. The eggs have been fertilized and developed artificially by Seth Green and others many years ago, and in some parts of Europe the hatching of the species has been carried on successfully. The I". S. Fish Commission has also recently taken up the culture both of the marine and the lake sturgeon, and these valuable fish may soon be reared on an extensive scale. The utilization of the flesh, the skin and air bladder and the eggs of the sturgeon is so well known as to require little more than passing mention in this place. The smoking of the flesh and the manufacture of caviar from the eggs are very import- ant industries along our eastern coast. The sturgeons are easily taken in gill nets and pounds, but the great strength of the fish frequently entails considerable loss of apparatus. The common sturgeon appears every spring in Gravesend bay, and sometimes in the fall. It is hardy in captivity. A female 8 feet long was brought from the mouth of the Delaware river May 20, 1807, to the New York aquarium. It seemed to take no food till December 1, when it began to feed lively on opened hard clams. Early in November 1898, the fish was still alive and healthy. ('»<5 NEW 1'OKK STATE MUSEUM 36 Acipenser rubicundus Le Sueur Lake Sturgeon .\<-i [tenser rubicundus LE SUEUR, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. I, 388, 1818; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 344, pi. 58, fig. 191, 1842; GUNTHER, •Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 338, 1870; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 87, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 106, 1896. Acipenser maculosus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 339, 1S70. The body of the lake sturgeon is rather more slender than that of the common sturgeon. The snout is rather blunt; in the young long and slender. The shields of the body are large, about 14 on the back, 30 or more on the side, and eight or nine along the abdomen, between pectoral and ventral fins. Each shield is surmounted by a strong hooked spine. The head is con- tained three and one third times in the length without tail. Barbels four, rather long; eye small; dorsal and anal fins small, placed far back as in the pike. D. 35; A. 26. This is known as the lake sturgeon, Ohio river sturgeon, rock sturgeon, bony sturgeon, red sturgeon and ruddy sturgeon. It inhabits the Mississippi and Ohio rivers and the Great lakes, and is abundant in the Allegheny. From the lakes it ascends the streams in spring for the purpose of spawning. Dr Kichard- son states the northern limit of the sturgeon in North America to be about the 55th parallel of latitude. Size. The lake sturgeon is smaller than the common. marine sturgeon, the average adult being less than 5 feet in length. The average weight of 14,000 mature sturgeon taken at San- dusky O. was about 50 pounds. It frequently reaches a length of 6 feet. Habits. In the lakes the species, according to observations of James W. Milner, inhabits comparatively shoal waters. The food of this sturgeon is made up chiefly of shellfish, including the genera L i m n a e a, M e 1 a n t h o, P h y s a, Planorbis, and V a 1 v a t a. Eggs of fishes are also to be found in its stomach. In Lake Erie the species spawns in June, for which purpose it ascends the rivers in large schools till stopped by obstructions FISHES OF NEW YORK 67 or insufficient depth of water. The breaching of the sturgeon is a well known habit. Instances are recorded of serious injury to persons by sturgeons throwing themselves into boats. The sturgeon will occasionally take a baited hook, but its great strength and unwieldiness make it an undesirable fish for the angler. Large numbers of sturgeon have been destroyed by fishermen during the whitefish season simply on account of the annoyance caused by their presence in the nets. Now that the flesh is coming to be esteemed for smoking, and the demand for caviar made from their eggs has largely increased, the wanton waste of this fish has been checked. A troublesome parasite of the sturgeon is the lamprey eel (Petromyzon concolor Kirt.) which attaches itself to the skin presumably for the pur- pose of feeding on the mucus, which is exuded from the pores in great abundance, and remains fixed in one position so long as to penetrate to the flesh and produce a deep ulcerous sore. The lake sturgeon was formerly not very much prized, but is rapidly growing in favor. The flesh is eaten in the fresh con- dition or after boiling in vinegar or curing by smoking. Smoked sturgeon is now considered almost if not quite equal to smoked halibut, and the demand for it is increasing. From the eggs of the sturgeon a good grade of caviar is produced. " The caviar is made by pressing the ova through seives, leaving the mem- branes of the ovaries remaining in the sieve, and the eggs fall through into a tub. This is continued until the eggs are entirely free from particles of membrane, when they are put into salt pickle and allowed to remain for some time." A large specimen now in the museum of Cornell University is reported as being from Cayuga lake. Seth Green informed Dr Meek that sturgeons had occasionally been taken in that lake; but, so far as he knew, they had never been found in any other of the small lakes of central New York. H. .V. Kipp of Montezuma N. Y. wrote Dr Meek as follows: There have not been any sturgeons taken from Cayuga lake since 1880, but quite a number before that date, and the largest known weighed 35 pounds. 68 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 37 Acipenser brevirostrum LeSueur Short-nosed Sturgeon Acipenser brew rostrum. LE SUEUR, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. I, 390, 1818; RYDER. Bull. U. S. F. C. VIII, 237, 1890; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 106, 1S9G. Acipenser Ircrirofttria GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII. 341, 1870; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 87, 1883; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898. In the short-nosed sturgeon the snout is very blunt and only about one fourth to one third as long as the head. The four short barbels are a little nearer to the end of the snout than to the mouth, and do not reach to the mouth. The head is one fifth to two ninths as long as the total to the fork of the tail; the distance between the eyes slightly greater than length of snout and somewhat more than one third of length of head. The average number of bucklers in the dorsal series is 10 to 11; in the lateral series, 25; in the ventral row, seven to eight. No preanal scutes. The unarmored part of the skin, according to recent observations of Prof. John A. Ryder, is almost free from prickles and ossifications. D. 33; A. 19 to 22; V. 17 to 21; P. 30 to 31; C. 60, its lower lobe two fifths as long as the upper, measuring from the fork. The color of the skin of the upper parts is reddish brown; lower parts nearly white; peritoneum dark brown; viscera almost black. This little-known sturgeon has not been generally recognized anywhere except in the Delaware and in Gravesend bay; only a few specimens have been obtained in the river, and it is rare in Gravesend baty. Prof. Ryder collected five examples at Delaware City in the spring of 1888 and has published a description of the species in the Bulletin of the U. S. Fish Com- mission for that year. Size. The largest specimen known was 33 inches long; indi- viduals 20 inches long are capable of reproducing the species. Uses. At the present time the short-nosed sturgeon prob- ably never comes into the markets, on account of its small size, which prevents its capture in the nets used for taking the common sturgeon. About 1817, however, it was brought in the shad season to Philadelphia and sold for 25c to 75c each. FISHES OF NEW YORK 69 Reproduction. Spawning takes place in the Delaware during May. The eggs are deposited in depths of 1 to 5 fathoms on hard bottom in brackish or nearly fresh water. Prof. Ryder «. * states that the eggs are extruded by rubbing the belly either against hard places on the riyer bed or against the rough bodies of the males, two or more of which accompany each female. The grayid roe fish are larger than the males. Prof. Ryder found the ova more or less adhesive immediately after their removal from the abdomen, but the sticky mucous cover- ing is soluble in water. The period of hatching varies from four to six days. tf Food. Up to the third month of its life the young sturgeon has minute conical teeth in its jaws, and at this age it is be- lieved to subsist on " fhizopods, unicellular algae, infusoria, minute larvae of insects and worms, crustaceans, etc." Still following the observations of Prof. Ryder, we learn that the sturgeon, when it has reached a length of 1 inch to 1^ inches, has minute teeth on the floor of the pharynx and feeds on small water fleas,' and probably algae, worms, embryo fishes, insects and fresh-water copepods. Later in life the fish seeks larger crustaceans, and the adults occasionally contain frag- ments of mussel shells. The young fish have been caught under the ice in midwinter and are known to pass most of the year in fresh water. A single small example of this sturgeon was brought to the New York aquarium from Gravesend bay May 13, 1896, and was alive and in good condition in November 1898. Dr Smith records the occurrence of the species along with the common sturgeon at Woods Hole Mass., but says it is less numerous. It is captured in the traps. Order RHOMBOGANOIDEA Gar Pikes Family LEPISOSTEIDAE Gar Pikes Genus LEPISOSTEUS Lace'pede Body elongate, subcylindric, covered with hard, rhombic ganoid scales or plates which are imbricated in oblique series running downward and backward; both jaws more or less elon- 70 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM gate, spatulate or beaklike, the upper jaw projecting beyond the lower; premaxillary forming most of the margin of the upper jaw; maxillary transversely divided into several pieces; upper jaw with an outer series of small, sharp, even teeth, then a series of large teeth, some of the anterior teeth being usually movable; next a series of fine teeth, in one row in front, becoming a band behind. In some species the inner row of these teeth contains larger ones; next the yomerine teeth, also in a long band, and posteriorly a palatine band. These bands on the roof of the mouth are frequently somewhat confluent or irregular. In young specimens some of the palatine teeth are often enlarged, these sometimes forming regular series. Lower jaw with an outer series of small teeth, next a series of large teeth, next again a broad band of fine teeth on each side. Each of the large teeth fits into a depression in the opposite jaw. Pharyngeals with rasplike teeth; tongue tooth- less, short, broad, emarginate, free at tip; external bones of skull very hard and rugose; eyes small; nostrils near the end of the upper jaw; an accessory gill on the inner side of the opercle; pseudobranchiae present; no spiracles; gills four, a slit behind the fourth; branchiostegals three; gill membranes somewhat connected, free from the isthmus; gill rakers very short; air bladder cellular, lunglike, somewhat functional; fins with fulcrums; dorsal fin short, rather high, posterior, nearly op- posite the anal, which is similar in form; tail heterocercal, in the young produced as a filament beyond the caudal fin; caudal convex; ventrals nearly midway between pectorals and anal; pectorals and ventrals moderate, few-rajTed; stomach not caecal; pyloric appendages numerous; spiral valve of intestines rudi- mentary. Fishes of the fresh waters of North America and China. (After Jordan and Evermann) 38 Lepisosteus osseus Linnaeus Gar Pike; Billfish Esox osseus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 313, 1758; MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 444, 1815; Am. Month. Mag. II, 321, ISIS. Lepisosteus Uson DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 271, pi. 43, fig. 139, 1842. FISHES OF NEW YORK 71 Lepidsosteus osseus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 1870; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 91, 1883. Lrpisosteus osseus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 109, 18%. The garpike has an elongate, subcylindric body. Its depth is contained about 12 times in the length without the caudal. The jaws are greatly produced, the upper being the longer. The length of the head is one third of the total without caudal. Teeth in the jaws rather fine, sharp and stiff; a single inner row of large teeth, and .an outer row of small teeth on each side. The snout is more than twice as long as the rest of the head, its least width being from one fifteenth to one twentieth of its length. D. 7 to 8; A. 9; V. 6; P. 10. Scales 62 to 65. Color greenish; the sides silvery and the belly whitish; nu- merous round, dark spots on the sides, most distinct posteriorly and most conspicuous in the young, becoming obscure with age. Very young individuals have a blackish lateral band. The fins are generally plain, but the vertical fins have numerous round dark spots. The specimen described is no. 36098, U. S. National Museum. Its length is 24 inches. This is the common long-nosed gar pike of the Great lakes, the Mississippi valley and the eastern states from Pennsylvania to South Carolina. It ranges south to Mexico and west to the plains. Additional names for the species are: billfish, sword- fish, bony gar, bony pike, alligator, alligator gar, and buf- falo fish. Prof. Cope recognizes two varieties of this gar in Pennsylvania. One of these abounds in the Susquehanna and the lower Delaware. He distinguishes it by its ro- bust form, short face and gill covers and the roughened scales of the front part of the body. The other variety occurs in lakes and in the Allegheny river and is to be known by its slenderer face and gill covers, its smaller size, generally smooth scales and the absence of dark spots on the body and fins. It should be remembered, however, that the species is extremely variable in these particulars, and all of the names based on such characters have been generally discarded. 72 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The garpike attains to a length of 5 to 6 feet, of which the head and snout usually form about one third. The body is comparatively slender, equaling about one twelfth of the entire length. This species is more abundant in the Great lakes and large streams than in the small rivers. It is emphatically a fish of prey and extremely tenacious of life. It spawns in shoal water, or in the streams, in the late spring and early summer months. Occasionally taken from the northern end of Cayuga lake, but not so numerous as formerly. The garpike is said to be nowhere used for food, because its flesh is tough and is believed to be unwholesome. I have seen it, however, with the bill cut off and the skin removed, offered for sale in the market at Washington D. C. 39 Lepisosteus platostomus Rafinesque Short-nosed Gar Lepisofttcns platostomus RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 72, 1S20; KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 20, 1844; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 110, pi. XXII, fig. 49, 1896. Lepidostcus platystomus GUNTHER, Cat. P'ish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 329, 1870; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 91, 1883. Lepisosteus platyrhincus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 273, pi. 43, fig. 137, 1842. The short-nosed garpike has an elongated body, its depth beingcontained seven and one half times in the length; the length of the head is less than one third of the length of body to base of tail ; distance from eye to tip of snout greater than from eye to posterior edge of opercle; upper jaw slightly longer than the lower; both jaws with many long, sharp teeth. Dorsal and anal fins placed far back, near the tail; ventrals in middle of length. D. 8; A. 9. About 55 rows of scales between head and caudal. Fins all more or less black spotted. The specimen described, no. 3241, U. S. National Museum, from Cleveland O., is 12 inches long. The short-nosed gar, because of its shorter snout, which even in young specimens does not much exceed the rest of the head in length, has been considered as representing a separate sub- genus, C y 1 i n d r o s t e u s of Rafinesque. PISHES OF NEW YORK 73 This fish seldom exceeds 3 feet in length. Its habits are pre- sumably the same as those of the long-nosed gar, and it is equally worthless for food. It may be readily distinguished from the long-nosed species by the shape of its snout and by its more robust form. The short-nosed gar inhabits the Great lakes and the Ohio and Mississippi valleys. It is more abundant in the southern part of its habitat. It was not recorded from waters of New York by either Mitchill or De Kay. Order CYCLOGANOIDBA Bow fins Family AMIIDA^ Bow fins Genus AMIA Linnaeus Body oblong, compressed behind, terete anteriorly; head sub- conical, anteriorly bluntish, slightly depressed, its superficial bones corrugated and very hard, scarcely covered by skin; snout short, rounded; lateral margins of upper jaw formed by the niaxillaries, which are divided by a longitudinal suture; jaws nearly even in front; cleft of the mouth nearly horizontal, extending beyond the small eye; lower jaw broad, U-shaped, the rami well separated; between them a broad bony plate, with radiating striae, its posterior edge free; jaws each with an outer series of conical teeth, behind which in the lower is a band of rasplike teeth; bands of small teeth on the vonier and ptery- goids; palatines with a series of larger, pointed teeth; premaxil- laries not protractile; tongue thick, scarcely free at tip; nostrils well separated, the anterior with a short barbel; suborbital very narrow; a bony plate covering the cheek, similar to the plates on the top of the head; operculum with a broad dermal border; branchiostegals 10 to 12; no pseudobranchiae or opercular gill; no spiracle; gills four, a slit behind the fourth; gill membranes not connected, free from the isthmus; two peculiar, long, lanceo- late, obliquely striate appendages on each side of the isthmus, projecting backward and covered by the brauchiostegal rays, 74 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM the anterior wholly adnate to the isthmus, the posterior free behind; isthmus scaleless; gill rakers stoutish, very short; scales of moderate size, rather firm, cycloid, with a membranous border; lateral line present; dorsal fin long and low, nearly uniform; the posterior rays not much higher than the others; tail somewhat heterocercal (more so in the young), convex behind; no fulcrums; anal fin short and low; pectoral and ventral fins short and rounded, the ventrals nearer anal than pectorals; vertebrae amphicoelian or double concave, as usual among fishes, none of them specially modified; abdominal and caudal parts of the vertebral column subequal; air bladder cellular, bifid in front, lunglike, connected by a glottis with the pharynx, and capable of assisting in respiration; stomach with a blind sac; no pyloric caeca; no closed oviduct; intestine with a rudi- mentary spiral valve. Fresh waters of the United States. (After Jordan and Evermann) 40 Amia calva Linnaeus Bow fin; Mudfish Amia calva LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 500, 1766; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 325, 1870; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 270, 1842; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 94, 1883; JORDAN FISHES OK NEW YORK The habiis of this fisli arc presumably about ilie same as those of oilier species of the family. On account of I he great si/.c of (he fish it naturally prefers lakes and large rivers. It is a bottom feeder and will take almost any kind of bait. This species is wonderfully tenacious of life. It spawns in the spring' and protects its young, which follow the parent fish in great schools. Dr Theodore Gill has reviewed in Forest and Stream the subject of the cat fishes' care of their young. This is a valued food species, though not a choice fish. In Lake Erie, according to the /.'rnnr of the Fisheries of I In (ircat t.t'kcs recently published by (he I". S. Fish Commission, (he cat- fish rank next to whitefish in number of pounds taken. In Lake Erie catfish are taken chiefly by means of set lines, and the fishing is best during the months of June, July and August. The method of fishing is thus described in the review just referred to. " The apparatus consists of from 200 to 400 hooks attached by short lines to a main line, which is from 5 to 27 fathoms long, according to the place in which set, and is held in place by poles or stakes pushed into the mud. The lines are usually set in the lake, but occasionally short ones are fished in the bayous and marshes. Catfish are taken with a bait of herring. Core g on us artedi, or grasshoppers, and are mostly used in the families of the fishermen and their neighbors or sold to peddlers. . . The size of the catfish ranges from 5 to 25 pounds, averaging 8 or 10 pounds.'' In some parts of Lake Erie the set line fishery for catfish begins ^ o April 15. Some of these lines have as many as 2000 hooks. In Toledo these fish bring 4ic a pound. The pound nets also take a good many catfish in the spring and fall. Erie receives its supply of catfish from fishermen who operate in the lake from Erie to p]lk Creek with set lines during the summer months. De Kay had the species from Buffalo, where he saw specimens weighing from 25 to 30 pounds, and heard of individuals weigh- ing 80 pounds. He states that it is usually captured by the spear. 84 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 45 Ameiurus natalis (Le Sueur) Yellow Cat Pimelodus natalis LE SVETJR, Mem. Mus. d'Hist. Nat. Y, 154, 1819. Pimelodus cupreus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna. Fishes, 187, 1842. (name only) Amiurus natalis Gi'NTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 101, 1864; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 105, 1883. Ameiurus natalis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 139, 1S96. The yellow catfish is robust, and has a rather broad head. The month is wide, with the upper jaw usually longer than the lower, sometimes equal. The dorsal profile gradually ascends from the snout to the dorsal spine. The depth of the body at dorsal spine is contained four and two third times in the total length to base of tail. The length of the head is contained three and two third times in the body length, and equals length of anal base. Eye moderate; maxillary barbel reaching end of head; humeral shield little developed; dorsal and pectoral spines strong, shorter than soft rays; hight of dorsal equal to twice the length of its base; adipose fin long asinNoturus, oppo- site to and longer than anal; caudal rounded. D. I, 6; A. 24; V. I., 8. The yellow cat, or chubby cat, is found from the Great lakes to Virginia and Texas. It has many varieties; three of which are mentioned by Prof. Cope as occurring in Pennsylvania, two of them in the Ohio river and its tributaries and the third in Lake Erie. The species is ,not credited to the region east of the Alleghanies. Dr Meek saw only a single specimen from Cayuga lake. The length of the yellow cat sometimes reaches 2 feet but averages much less. Nothing special is recorded about the habits of this species. It is most abundant in sluggish streams. 46 Ameiurus vulgaris (Thompson) Long-jawed Catfish Pimelodus vulgaris THOMPSON, Hist. Vermont, 138, 1842. Amiurus vulgaris NELSON, Bull. Ills. Mus. Nat. Hist. 50, 1876; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 105, 1883. Amiurus dekayi JORDAN, Man. Vert. 302, 1876; GOODE, Fish. & Fish. InJ. U. S. I, pi. 234, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 15, pi. 18, fig. 24. FISIIF.S <)K NEW YORK ~> Anifinnis vulyaris JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47. U. S. Nat. Mus. 140, 1S9G. This catfish has a stout body; its depth is one fourth of the total length without caudal. The head is contained about three and three fourth times in this length. Eye very small; mouth large; jaws equal or sometimes lower jaw projecting; barbels long; maxillary barbel as long as head. The length of the dorsal base is less than one half that of the anal, while its higlit is five sixths of the same length; adipose fin well developed. The pectoral spine is stout and about two thirds as long as the fin. Caudal square; anal rounded; least depth of caudal contained two and one third times in greatest depth of body. D. I, G; A. 18 (20); V. I, 8. The long-jawed catfish is found in the Great lakes region and westward to Manitoba. It is believed to be very nearly related to the common catfish, A. nebulosus, but its projecting lower jaw will serve to distinguish it. This character, however, we know by experience is not so satisfactory as it might be. The species reaches the length of 18 inches and the weight of 4 pounds. It is occasionally taken in the Ohio river, but is more abundant in Lake Erie. Jordan and Evermann state its range to be from Vermont to Minnesota and Illinois, chiefly north- ward. The U. S. National Museum has it from Manitoba. Dr Meek found a single specimen which was caught near Ithaca among more than 100 of the common bullheads. It seems to be rare in that basin. Thompson, who described the fish, had speci- mens from Lake Champlain. The long-jawed catfish is similar in ;ill respects except its projecting lower jaw to tin- common catfish, A. nebulosus, and may be found identical with it. 47 Ameiurus catus (Linnaeus) White Cat; Channel Cat Silurus catus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 303, 1758. Pimclndtis atniriiis DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes. 183, pi. 36. fii;. 116, 1842. Ictalurus albidus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 107, 1883. Inpliius JORDAN & GILBERT, 1. c, 107. 1883. 86 NEW YORK STATIC MUSEUM Ami tints albidus JORDAN, Bull. 10, U. S. Nat. Mus. 84, 1877, figs. 15 & 1(5, 1877; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 14, pi. 18, fig-. 2:5, 1893. Anu'iunis catus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 138, is;it;. Tlie body is stout, its depth equal U> k'ligih of head, and con- tained four times in the total length 1o base of caudal fin. The maxillary barbels reach posterior end of head; mandibulary barbels shorter; humeral process, above pectoral, half length of pectoral spine, very rough; dorsal fin short, inserted nearly midway between tip of snout and adipose dorsal; adipose fin well developed; caudal fin slightly forked, the upper lobe longer; anal fin long, one fifth to one fourth of total length to base of caudal. D. I, 6; A. 19 to 22. Pale olive bluish, silvery below without dark spots, but sometimes with mottlings or blotches. New York to Texas, in coastwise streams and swamps. Intro- duced into California and now abundant there. This is the white cat. or channel cat, in Philadelphia distin- guished as the Schuylkill cat. The channel cat is one of the most abundant of its family in the Potomac river. It is abundant in the Susquehanna and common in the Schuylkill. This species reaches a length of 2 feet and a weight of 5 pounds. It is extremely variable with age. Old examples have the mouth so much wider than it is in the young that they have been described as a distinct species. The big-mouthed cat of Cope is now considered to be the old form of the white cat. The habits of this species agree with those of other species already mentioned. The name channel cat suggests a favorite haunt of the fish. As a food fish it is highly prized. Eugene Smith1 says this catfish occurs in all the larger streams subject to the tide in the vicinity of New York city. The caudal is furcate. The anal has 20 or more rays. It is frequently caught on set lines with liver or killy bait and bites best at night. The flesh is much better flavored than that of A. nebulosus. 'Linn. Soc. N. Y. Proc. 1887. no. 9, p.. 11, FISHES OF NEW YORK 8T 48 Ameiurus nebulosus (Le Sueur) Horned Pout; Bullhead Plmclodus nebulosus LE SUEUR, Mem. Mus. d'Hist. Xat. V, 149, 1819. Pimelodits catus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 182, pi. 37, fig. 119, 1842. Amiurus catus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 104. 1883. Silurus catus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 433, 1815. (not Hihtrus catus Linnaeus) Amiurus nebulosus BEAN, Fishes Penna. 16, pi. 19, fig. 25, 1893. Ameiurus nebulosus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 140, 1896. The common catfish has a very stout body, broad head and a short stout caudal peduncle. The depth of body about equals length of head, and is contained from three and one half to four and one half times in the length. Barbels eight; maxil- lary barbels as long as head; dorsal profile from tip of snout to dorsal fin straight and rather steep; mouth wide and terminal; teeth awl-shaped, in broad bands on the intermaxillaries and dentaries; dorsal situated in front of middle of body; short and high; adipose fin stout; anal large, its base equaling length of head; caudal square or slightly emarginate. D. I, 6; A. 20-22; P. I, 6. This is known as the common catfish, bullhead, hornpout, bullpout, and minister. This species has a wider distribution than the white cat, its range including New England and extending southward to South Carolina, west to Wisconsin and southwest to Texas. It has also been transferred from the Schuylkill to the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, Cal. where it has multiplied so rapidly that it is now one of the most common fishes of those streams. This is the most abundant catfish in Lake Erie and its tribu- taries. The species reaches a maximum length of 18 inches and a weight of 4 pounds, but the average size of market specimens is much smaller. In the lower waters of the Susquehanna color varieties of this species are not uncommon. One of them appears to be the same as the Amiurus marmoratus of Holbrook; this supposed color variety is found also from Illinois to Florida. The lower Susquehanna has furnished also some singularly colored examples of this fish, distinguished by 88 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM large areas of jet black combined with lemon and white. These freaks are among the most interesting and beautiful observed in this family of fishes. From Jordan's Manual of tlie Vertebrates I quote Thoreau's ac- count of the habits of this species: The horned pout are " dull and blundering fellows," fond of the mud, and growing best in weedy ponds and rivers without current. They stay near the bottom, moving slowly about with their barbels widely spread, watching for anything eatable. They will take any kind of bait, from an angleworm to a piece of a tin tomato can, without coquetry, and they seldom fail to swallow the hook. They are very tenacious of life, "opening and shutting their mouths for half an hour after their heads have been cut off." They spawn in spring, and the old fishes lead the young in great schools near the shore, seemingly car- ing for them as the hen for her chickens. The species was obtained in Swan river at Patchogue N. Y. Aug. 12, 1898. Young were seined in Bronx river in August. Larger individuals were sent from Canandaigua lake and Sara- nac lake in November. Several albinos were obtained from the Hackensack meadows, N. J., in August 1897. In three months they grew from 3 inches to 6 inches in length. In captivity the fish feed freely on chopped hard clams and earthworms and, occasionally, liver. The following notes are from Eugene Smith, in Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, p. 11-12. Very variable in color, from dark blackish and olive to brown and yellowish above, becoming lighter below, and often clouded on the sides. Those from tidal or running water are lighter colored than those from stagnant places or ponds. The largest specimen found by me in the near vicinity of New York measured 13^ inches in length and weighed 1 pound 2 ounces. At the end of the third year this fish is perhaps fully matured. The ripe eggs are of the size of large pin heads and are of an orange color; the very young fishes look like little black toad tadpoles. The spines are strongly developed at an early age. The old fish accompanies the brood for a certain time, always swimming around the swarm of young in order to keep them together. When alarmed the parent dashes off, followed by the whole swarm. FISHES OF NEW YORK 89 l)r Meek found the species very abundant throughout the entire Cayuga lake basin. Dr Everniann and Barton A. Bean obtained the following specimens in the St Lawrence river basin in 1894. 1, St Lawrence river, Cape Vincent N. Y. June 21. :;, Racket river, Norfolk N. Y. July 18. Dr Evermann also collected specimens at the following localities of the Lake Ontario region in 1894. Stony creek, Henderson Harbor, July 3, 4 Black river, Huntingtonville, July 5 Mud creek, Cape Vincent, June 25 Mouth Salmon river, July 25 Chaumont river, July 10 Creek, Pultneyville, Aug. 7 Mouth Little Salmon creek, July 25 Sandy creek, North Hamlin, Aug. 20 Long pond, near Charlotte, Aug. 17 Stony Island, July 2, 3 Lakeview hotel, 7 in. n. e. of Oswego, July 17 Marsh creek, Pointbreeze, Aug. 21 49 Ameiurus nebulosus marmoratus (Holbrook) Marbled Cat Pimelodus marmoratus HOLBROOK, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 54, 1855. Amiurus marmoratus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 104, 18S3. Ameiurus nebulosus marmoratiis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 141, 1896. Body moderately elongate, its depth about one fourth total length to caudal base; slope of profile very steep; jaws equal or subequal; dorsal fin high, its spine more than one half as long as head, and nearer to adipose fin than to tip of snout; head long, three and one fourth times in total length to caudal base; barbels long; anal rays 21; body much mottled with brown, greenish and whitish. Lowland streams and swamps from New York to southern Indiana and Florida. The type of the mar- moratus of Holbrook was from South Carolina. 90 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 50 Ameiurus melas (Rafinesque) Black Bullhead; Braicn Catfish Silurus melas RAFINESQUE, Quart. Jour. Sci. Ldt. Arts. Lond. 51, 1820. Pimelodus pullus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 184, pi. XXXVII, fig. 117, 1842. Amiurus pullus GILL, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 44, 1862; JORDAN, Bull. 10, U. S. Nat. Mus. 93, figs. 46, 47, 1877; GOODE, Fish. & Fish. Ind. TJ. S. I, pi. 233, fig. 1, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 16, 1893. Ameiurus melas JOEDAN & EVEBMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 141, 1896. The body of the black bullhead is stout, short and deep. Its depth is contained about three and one half times in its length to tail; in very deep examples but three and one fifth times. The length of the head is contained three and one half times in this length. The head is broad, the dorsal profile straight and rather steep from tip of snout to dorsal fin; eye rather small; barbels long; caudal peduncle stout. Dorsal I, 6; the spine strong and sharply pointed. The hight of the dorsal fin equals one half the length of head. The anal has 18 rays; its base is two and one half times as long as dorsal base. The pectoral fin has one sharp spine and seven rays. Tail truncate; adipose fin well developed; teeth very fine, awl-shaped and in broad bands. Its color is usually blackish or dusky brown, approaching to black, while the lower parts are bluish white. The fins are black, tinged with red, and the barbels are black. The color is subject to considerable variation. The black bullhead reaches the length of 1 foot. It is found in the Great lakes region and in the Mississippi valley, westward to Kansas and southward to Texas. This species was known to De Kay as the brown catfish. His specimens were from Lake Pleasant and Lake Janet, N. Y.; and he states that it is also very common in many other lakes of northern New York, where its principal use is to serve as bait for the lake trout. Dr Jordan had it from the Genesee river. Dr Evermann obtained a specimen in Mill creek at Sacketts Harbor N. Y. July 2, 1894, and doubtfully referred to this species a young individual collected in Sandy creek, at North Harnlin N. Y. Aug. 20, 1894. FISHES OF NEW YORK 01 Genus NOTURUS Rafinesque Body moderately elongate, robust except in caudal part, which is much compressed; head flat and broad; mouth terminal, broad; teeth in broad villiform bands on preniaxillaries and dentarics; teeth of upper jaw prolonged backward into an elon- gate, triangular extension; adipose fin adnate to the back; a poison gland at the base of the pectoral spine. Represented by a single species inhabiting rivers and channels. 51 Noturus flavus Rafinesque Stone Cat .\»t unts flams RAFINESQUE. Ichth. Ohien. GS, 1820; STOKER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 154, 1846; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 100, 18S3; iGuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 104, 1864; BEAX, Fishes Penna. IS, 1898; JORDAN & EVERHANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 144, 189G, pi. XXVII, fig. 63, 1900. I'imdodus flavus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 187, 1842 (after Kirtland). The stonecat has a moderately elongate body, whose great- est depth and width are nearly equal; the tail is much com- pressed, and the head flat and broad. The greatest depth of the body is nearly one fifth of the total length without the caudal; the least depth of the caudal peduncle equals nearly one half the length of head. The mouth is terminal, horizontal, its width equal to postorbital part of head and to length of maxillary barbel; longer barbel on chin not quite one half as long as the head. Nasal barbel when laid back reaches end of eye. The width of the band of teeth in the upper jaw equals one third th* length of head; the backward prolongation is little longer than the eye. The distance between the eyes equals length of snout and eye. The snout is one half as long as the postorbital part of the head. The dorsal origin is at a distance from tip of snout nearly equal to one third of the total length without cau- dal. The dorsal base is one half as long as the head. The spine is very sharp and as long as the snout. The longest ray is nearly one half as long as the head. The ventral origin is not far behind the end of the dorsal base; the fin reaches a little beyond the vent, but not to the anal origin. The pectoral reaches to below the third dorsal ray, its spine about two fifths as long 92 XE'\V YORK STATE MUSEUM as the head. The anal origin is a little nearer to base of caudal than to origin of pectoral; the base is as long as the head without the snout, one fifth of total to base of caudal, and the longest ray equals one half the length of head. The very low adipose dorsal begins over the anal origin and continues into the caudal; in older specimens it is deeply notched. The caudal is rounded. D. I, 6; A. 16; V. 9; P. I, 9. Length of the speci- men described (no. 35877, U. S. national museum), 6] inches. In spirits the upper parts are grayish brown, and the lower surface of head and body pale. In life the fish is nearly uni- form yellowish brown. The stonecat is found from Ontario, throughout the Great lakes region, south to Virginia and Texas, west to Montana and Wyoming. It inhabits the larger streams. Dr Evermann ob- tained two specimens at Nine Mile point, in the Lake Ontario region, June 11, 1893. The species has very little value as food on account of its small size. It seldom exceeds 12 inches in length, but it is a very good bait for black bass. The stonecats are much dreaded by fishermen because of the painful wounds sometimes pro- duced by their pectoral spines. There is a minute pore in the axil of the pectoral, which is the outlet of a noxious liquid secreted by a poison gland. When this poison is discharged into a wound, it causes an extremely painful sore. Genus SCHILBEODES Bleeker Body moderately elongate, rounded anteriorly, compressed posteriorly; head flat; skin very thick, concealing bones of head; superoccipital not joined to the head of the second interspinal; mouth large, anterior, the upper jaw somewhat the longer; awl- shaped teeth in broad bands in the jaws, the band in the upper jaw abruptly truncate at each end and not prolonged into a backward extension as in Leptops and Noturus; branchiostegals nine; dorsal fin nearer to ventrals than to pec- torals, with a short spine and seven rays; adipose fin long and low, adnate to the body and continuous with the caudal fin, the adipose membrane sometimes high and continuous, sometimes FISHES OF NEW YORK 93 emarginate; caudal fin very obliquely truncated or rounded, its base also obliquely rounded; many rudimentary rays both above and below the caudal peduncle; anal fin short with 12 to 23 rays; ventrals rounded; pectoral fins with a sharp spine of vary- ing form; vent well in front of anal fin; lateral line complete. A poison gland opening by an orifice in the axil of the pectoral, so that wounds made by the pectoral spines are very painful. Size small. Fresh waters of the eastern United States among rocks and weeds, specially in small brooks. (After Jordan and Evermann; 52 Schilbeodes gyrinus (Mitchill) Stone Cat Silitnis yyr lints MITCHILL, Amer. Month. Mag-. II, 322, March, 1818 (Wallkill River, N. Y.); DE KAY. X. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 186, 1842 (generic distinc- tion recognized). Notunis gyrinus RAEINESQTJE, Journ. de Physique, 421, 1819; Ichth. Ohien. 68, 1S20; JORDAN, Man. Vert. 303, 1876, Bull. 10, U. S. Nat. Mus. 102, figs. 66, 67, 1877; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 98, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 20, 1893. Schilbeodes (jijrlnns BLEEKER, Act. Soc. Sc. Indo-Nederl, IV, 258, 1858, fide GTTNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 104, 1864; JORDAN & EVERMAXX, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 146, 1896. The tadpole stonecat has a short and stout body, sloping rapidly downward from the dorsal origin to the tip of the snout; its greatest depth contained four and one third times in total length without caudal; its width contained four and one half times. The head is short, broad and depressed, its width • nearly equal to its length, which is one fourth of the total with- out caudal. The width of the mouth equals two thirds the length of the head; the jaws nearly equal. The width of the maxillary band of teeth equals one third of length of head; there are no lateral backward extensions. The snout is short, two sevenths as long as the head. The eye is small, one seventh as long as the head. The maxillary barbel reaches to the base of the pectoral; the outer mandibularv barbel is slightlv longer. cj «/ ^y The nasal barbel is one half as long as the head. The distance of the dorsal from the tip of snout equals that from origin of ventral to end of anal. The base is as long as the snout and eye combined; the spine is one third as long as the head, and the 94 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM longest ray equals length of postorbital part of head. The low adipose fin begins over the anal origin and is continuous with the caudal. The ventral origin is under the end of the dorsal 'base, the fin does not reach to anal origin. The pectoral reaches to below the middle of the dorsal. The anal base is one fifth of total length without caudal; the longest ray equals postorbital part of head. The caudal is rounded. The pectoral spine is one half as long as the head. The humeral process is one third as long as the head. D. I, 6; A. 13-15; P. I, 8. Color in spirits dark brown; the belly and under surface of head paler. The .specimens described (no. 1508, U. S. National Museum) are from 3| to 4 inches long. The general color is brownish, without blotches. Jordan in the Manual says that it has a black lateral streak, sometimes with two other streaks above this. I have found none with this feature; it is the lateral line itself which looks darker in color. The eyes are small, beadlike and at night glisten like adamant, indicating a more nocturnal habit. These fishes are called stone- catfishes, but they prefer still, muddy water. In the aquarium it is even more hardy than the common catfish and often lies on its side for hours as if dead, or remains suspended in the water in various odd positions. (After Eugene Smith)1 Dr Meek had no knowledge of the occurrence of this species near Ithaca. The museum of Cornell University has a few specimens from the lake, but without definite locality. Dr Meek and Mr Harris took several examples from a small stream near Montezuma. Dr Evermann secured a specimen in Mill creek, at Sacketts Harbor N. Y. July 2, 1841; one in Long pond, at Char lotte N. Y. Aug. 17; and one in Guff on creek, at Chauniont N. Y. July 7 of the same year. In general it ranges in the Great lakes region, through the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, and in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Its length does not exceed 5 inches. The species is too small to be of any value except for bait, and on account of its tenacity of life it is greatly in demand for hook and line fishing, specially in the capture of the black bass, for which it is one of the best baits known. 'Linn. Soc. N. Y. Proc. 1897. no. 9, p. 12-13. FISHES OF NEW YORK 53 Schilbeodes insignis (Richardson) tfto-nc Cat I'intclodus iiiftiync KTCIIAKIISOX. Fauna Bor.-Amer. Ill, 132. 1S:'.G (iiniuc only, based upon the I'innhxlc lirn'c LE SUEUR, Mem. Mus. d'Hist. Nat. V. 155), 1819. .\ntiini8 lan-iiiscatiis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. Y, 104, 1864; JORDAN, Man. Vert. 303, 1876. Xottinis insiynis JORDAN & GILBERT. Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 100. 1883; BEAN, Fishes, Penna. 19, pi. 19, fig. 26, 1893. Ki-Mlbcodes insiynis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 147, 1896, pi. XXVIII,. fig. GO, 1900. The margined stone cat lias a moderately elongate and low body, its width greater than its depth, and the least depth of the caudal peduncle about three fourths the greatest depth of body. The head is rather long and depressed, one fourth of total without caudal, the snout short and rounded. The eye is small, its length one half the width of interorbital space and little more than one half the length of snout. The lower jaw is slightly shorter than the upper; the width of the mouth equals postorbital part of head. The width of the maxillary band of teeth equals one third the length of head; there is no extension backward. The maxillary barbel reaches nearly to the end of the head. Six short gill rakers below the angle of the first gill arch. The dorsal origin is about over the middle of the space between the pectoral and ventral origins; the length of the dorsal base equals the distance between the eyes, and also the length of its spine. The longest ray is half as long as the head. The ventral reaches beyond the vent and almost to the anal origin, its length half the head. The pectoral does not reach to the ventral origin, its spine half as long as the head, rough along its front edge and coarsely serrate behind. The adipose fin is little developed; it begins over the anal origin and is continuous with the caudal. The anal origin is nearly midway between the pectoral origin and the base of the caudal ; the base is scarcely two ninths of total length without caudal; the posterior and longest rays are scarcely one half as long as the head. The caudal is rounded. D. I, 7; A. IT; V. 10; P. I. 9. In spirits the upper parts are dark brown, the belly and under 96 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM surface of Lead pale. The fins all have a narrow dark margin. The specimen described (no. 18015 1T. S. National Museum) is 4^ inches long. This species, like the others of its genus, is called stone c;it, and it is very common in the Susquehanna, where it is highly prized as a live bait for black bass fishing. The species occurs also in the Delaware, but for some reason or other is not so attractive to the black bass as the Susquehanna river race. It grows to the length of 10 inches. The species ranges from New York to South Carolina, east of the Alleghenies. The dorsal and caudal fins sometimes have a well defined black margin, from which originated the later name, N o t u r u s marginatus. This is the Pimelodus livree of Cuvier and Valenciennes and the P. lemniscatusofLe Sueur. Cuvier and Valenciennes make the following conclud- ing remarks about the species: "The species is probably vivi- parous, for the eggs are very large, and contain a well developed embryo. The ovary contains many eggs of which the diameter exceeds 2 lines, and moreover they are taken from a small animal, for our example is 3 inches long." 54 Schilbeodes miurus (Jordan) Variegated Stone Cat Notitnis miurus JORDAN, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y. 371, 1877, Bull. 10, U. S. Nat. Mus. 100, figs. 60, 61, 1877; JORDAN & GILBEKT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 99, 1883. SehiWcodcs miurus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 148, 1896, pi. XXIX, fig. 68, 1900. Body rather stout, subterete, its greatest depth contained from four and one half to five and one half times in total length without caudal; least depth of caudal peduncle three fifths of greatest depth of body. Head one fourth of total length with- out caudal; eye one fifth the length of head, snout about two sevenths; maxillary barbels reach beyond end of head; man- dibulary barbel three fifths as long as the head; lower jaw included. Dorsal origin over middle of pectoral, slightly nearer to anal than to tip of snout, the dorsal base one half as long as FISHES OF NEW YORK 07 (lie head: adipose fin with- a deep notch but connected with the caudal, its length about equal to head; caudal rounded, its middle rays four fifths as long as the head; anal base as long as the head without the snout; highest ray of dorsal equal to dorsal spine, three fifths as-long as head; longest anal ray one half as long as the head, extending to middle of ventral base; ventral fin one half as long as the head; humeral process short. Body much mottled with black and gray and with four broad dark bands or cross blotches; top of head, tip of dorsal, middle of adipose fin, and edge of caudal blackish; occiput dark. I). T, 6; A. 13 to 15; V. I, 8; P. I, 8. The variegated stone cat has been assigned to the Mississippi valley, south to Louisiana, to tributaries of Lake Michigan, and to the Ohio valley, where it is common. It appears to have been entirely overlooked by ichthyologists till 1876. Dr Ever- maiin collected five specimens of this fish in Sandy creek at North Hamlin N. Y. Aug. 20, 1894. The probability is that it will be found in other waters of the Great lakes region. The individuals used for illustration are from 3£ inches to 4J inches long. Order PLECTOSPONDYLI Carplike Fishes Suborder EVENTOGNATHI Carps Family CATOSTOMIDAE Slickers Genus CARPIODKS Rafinesque T.ody oblong; the dorsal outline more or less arched; the ventral outline nearly straight; depth from one half to one third of length; sides compressed, the back sharp edged; caudal peduncle short and deep; head short and deep; its upper surface rounded; eye moderate, median or anterior; suborbital bones well developed; fontanel present; mouth small, horizontal and inferior; mandible short; lips thin, the upper protractile, nar- row, the lower narrow; lifts feebly plicate or nearly smooth; OS NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM jaws without cartilaginous sheath; jnuciferous system moder- aicly developed; opercular apparatus well developed, the sub- opercle broad; isthmus moderate; pharyngeal bones remarkably thin, laterally compressed, with a shallow furrow along the an- terior margin on the inside, and another more central on the outline of the enlarged surfaces; teeth very small, compressed, nearly equally thin along the whole inner edge of the bone, form- ing a fine, comblike crest of minute serratures, their cutting- edge rising above the inner margin into a prominent point; gill rakers slender and stiff above, becoming reduced downward; scales large, about equal over the body; lateral line well de- veloped, nearly straight; dorsal fin long, nearly median, some- what in advance of ventrals, falcate, its anterior rays elevated, often filamentous; caudal fin well forked, the lobes equal; anal fin comparatively long and low, few-rayed; ventrals rather short, usually with 10 rays; pectorals short, placed low; air bladder with two chambers. Size medium or rather large. (After Jordan and Evermann) 55 Carpiodes thompsoni Agassiz Lake Carp- Drum Catostomus cyprinus THOMPSON, Hist. Vermont, 133, 1842. Carpiodes tlioni'psoni AGASSIZ, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, 191, 1855; COPE, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Tbila. 285, 1864; JORDAN, Man. Vert. 297, 1876; JORDAN. Bull. 12, U. S. Nat. Mus. 198, 1878; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 119, 1883. Body short and stout, the back strongly arched, the greatest depth two fifths of the length to base of caudal fin; head short, about one fourth of length, the snout acutely pointed; lips thin, white, meeting at a wide angie; tip of lower jaw much in ad- vance of nostrils; maxillary reaching to below- front of orbit; eye small, about one fifth length of head; dorsal about median, its rays considerably produced, the longest two thirds as long as base of fin; scales rather closely imbricated, 8-39 to 41-6. D. 27; A. 7; V. 10. Abundant in the Great lakes region. Found in Lake Cham- plajn. FISHES OF NEW YORK 90 Genus CATOSTOMUS Le Sueur Body elongate, fusiform, rounded, tapering anteriorly and posteriorly; head long, with pointed snout; eye small, placed high; suborbital bones narrow; foutanel present, large; mouth rather large, inferior, upper lip thick, protractile, papillose, lower lip greatly developed, with a broad free margin, usually deeply incised behind, so that it forms two lobes which are often more or less separated; mandible horizontal, short; opercles moderate; pharyngeal bones moderate, their teeth shortish, vertically compressed, rapidly diminishing in size upward; scales comparatively small; typically much smaller and crowded anteriorly; lateral line well developed, straightish; dorsal nearly median, with from 9 to 14 rays; anal fin short and high, with seven developed rays; ventrals inserted under the middle or posterior part of dorsal, with 9 to 10 rays; caudal fin forked, the lobes nearly equal. In males the fins are higher, and the anal is swollen and tuberculate in the spring. Air bladder with two chambers, the posterior large. Vertebrae 45 to 47. (After Jordan and Evermann) 56 Catostomus catostomus (Forster) Long-nosed Sucker Cypritnis catostomus FORSTER, Phil. Trans. LXIII, 155, tab. 6, 1773. Catostomus Jiwlsonins LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Pbila. I, 107, 1817; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 13, 1868. Catostomus loiigirostris JORDAN, Bull. 12, U. S. Nat. Mus. 175, 1878; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 126, 1SS3. Catostomus nanomyzon MATHER, App. 12th Rep't Adirondack Surv. N. Y. 36, plate, fig. 1, 1886. Catostomus catostomus JORDAN, Oat. Fish. N. A. 17, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penua. 25, pi. 20, fig. 30, 189S; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 176, 1S9€, pi. XXXII, fig, 77, 1900. The northern sucker has an elongate body, round and taper- ing, with a long and rather slender head. The depth of the body is contained about four and one half times in the length and equals length of head. The snout is much longer than in C. t e r e s , considerably overhanging the mouth, which is large, with thick coarsely tuberculated lips. Eye small, two fifths as long as the snout and one sixth as long as head; its position 100 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM in the head is exactly median. Dorsal origin equidistant from tip of snout and base of caudal; dorsal base as long as head without snout; longest ray one sixth of total length without caudal, twice as long as the last ray. Distance from ventral origin to anal origin equals length of head. Anal base one half as long as dorsal base; longest anal ray equal to longest of dorsal and twice as long as last ray. Ventral origin is under middle of dorsal; the fin equal to head without snout. Pec- toral nearly one fifth of total length without caudal. D. 10 to 11; A. 7 to 8; V. 10. Scales usually about 100 in lateral line and in 28 rows from dorsal origin to ventral origin. The northern sucker, long-nosed sucker, or red-sided sucker, as the above species is styled, occurs in the Great lakes and northwest to Alaska in clear, cold waters. It is very common in Lake Erie. It grows to a length of 2 feet and is largest and most abundant northward, in Alaska reaching a weight of 5 pounds. As a food fish the long-nosed sucker is little esteemed; but in cold countries the head and roe are used in making a palatable soup. The males in the breeding season, in spring, are profusely covered with tubercles on the head and fins and have a broad rosy band along the middle of the body. In the Yukon, river, Alaska, Dr Dall found the fish filled with spawn in April. The eggs are of moderate size and yellow in color. Nelson has seen this species seined by Eskimo in brackish estuaries of streams flowing into Kotzebue sound. W. J. Fisher has col- lected specimens on the peninsula of Alaska. This was not found in Cayuga lake basin by Dr Meek, but it occurs in the Adirondack region, and Dr Meek believes it is a member of the Cayuga lake fauna. Dr Evermann obtained five specimens at Grenadier island, N. Y. June 28, 1894. The small race found by Fred Mather in the Adirondacks is the ordinary dwarf form characteristic of mountain regions. He discovered four individuals, only 4| inches long, but mature and breeding " in a little mountain brook emptying into Big Moose nearly north of the Big Moose club house, by a bark FISHES OF NEW YORK 101 shanty known as ' Pancake Hall '." The fish were spawning, and he discovered many eggs under the stones. The females were brown with white on belly, the male writh red stripe on the side. 57 Catostomus commersonii (Lacepede) Common Sucker •Cypriinis commersonnii LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 503, 610. 1803. Cyprinus ieres MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 458, 1815. Catostomus teres GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 15, 1868; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 25, 1893. Catostomus communis DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 196, pi. 33, fig. 106, 1842. Catostomus pallidus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 200, pi. 33, fig. 104, 1842. Catostomus commcrsoni JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1883. Catostomus com-nirrxonii JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 178, 1896, pi. XXXIV, fig. 83, 1900. The common sucker has a moderately stout body, heavy at the shoulders and tapering to the tail. Its greatest depth is contained four and one half times in its length to tail, slightly more than length of head. Head conical, flattened on top; mouth rather large and the lips strongly papillose; dorsal fin situated in middle of length; ventral opposite dorsal; anal far back; second and third branched rays of dorsal highest, two thirds the length of head; third and fourth rays of anal longest, almost equal to length of head. D. 12; A. 7; V. 9. Scales 64; from dorsal to lateral line 9, and from lateral line to ventral, 9 or 10. The common sucker is also known as the pale sucker, white sucker, gray sucker, brook sucker, and, among the Canadian French, as the carpe Uanclie. It is the commonest member of its genus in waters east of the Rocky mountains. It is found from Canada to Florida and westward to Montana. Covering such a wide range of territory, the species is naturally variable, and has been described over and over again by many authorities under a great variety of names. The male of this sucker in spring has a faint rosy stripe along the middle of the side. The young are brownish in color and somewhat mottled and have a dark median band or a series of large blotches. The 102 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM adults are light olive varying to paler and sometimes darker; sides silver}". The species reaches a length of 22 inches, and a weight of 5 pounds. It is a very common inhabitant of ponds and streams of the lowlands, and a small race occurs in certain cold mountain streams of the Adirondack region, where it is dwarfed in size and changed in color but does not differ in essential characters. Dr Eothrock also obtained a mountain race of this sucker in Twin lakes, Col., at an elevation of 9500 feet above the sea level. The common sucker is a very indifferent food fish in the esti- mation of most people, but, when taken from cold waters and in its best condition, its flesh is very palatable. It takes the hook readily when baited with common earthworms. Dr Kichardson says: It is a common fish in all parts of the fur countries, abound- ing in the rivers and even in landlocked marshes and ponds, but preferring shallow grassy lakes with mud bottoms. In the beginning of summer it may be seen in numbers forcing its way up rocky streams, and even breasting strong rapids, to arrive at its proper spawning places in stony rivulets; soon after- wards it returns to the lakes. Its food, judging from the con- tents of the stomachs of those which I opened, is chiefly soft insects; but in one I found the fragments of a fresh-water shell. In the winter and autumn it is common in nets, and in the spawning season (June) may be readily speared, or even taken by the hand in shallow streams. It is a very soft, watery fish, but devoid of any unpleasant flavor, and is considered to be one of the best in the country for making soup. Like its congeners, it is singularly tenacious of life, and may be frozen and thawed again without being killed. Dr Meek found this species abundant throughout the entire Cayuga lake basin, where it is known as the common white sucker. Dr Evermann, in his manuscripts on the fishes of Lake Ontario, taken in 1894, mentions this sucker from the following localities: Stony creek, Black river, Mud creek, Cape Vincent, mouth Sal- mon river, Chaumont river, creek at Pultneyville, mouth Little Salmon creek, Sandy creek, Long pond, Stony Island, Lakeview FISHES OF NEW YORK 103 hotel, 7 miles northeast of Oswego, and Marsh creek. In the St Lawrence river basin he and Barton A. Bean obtained the young in Racket river, Norfolk N. Y., July 18 and in the St Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdensburg, July 17. In the Lake Champlain basin these two collectors secured young and half grown specimens in the Saranac river, at Plattsburg July 28, 1894. The writer received specimens from Canandaigua lake in November of 1896 and 1897, and seined the young in Bronx river in August 1897. The small mountain form was secured from Saranac lake in November 1897. It is conspicuous for its small size and its red color. The Canandaigua lake suckers, received in November 1896, throve in captivity till July 1897, wrhen the warm water killed them. Color brownish, olivaceous above, silvery below; the young are much blotched and marked on sides and back. It is occas- ionally caught on the hook. Young ones, in captivity, though they always grub about, and though they take food offered them, do not thrive and gradually starve. They remain wild and take alarm easily and often leap out of their tank. This species enters slightly brackish water. Eugene Smith1 58 Catostomus nigricans Le Sueur Hog Sucker; Stone Roller Catostomns mgricans LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philia. I, 102, ISiT; GUNTIIER, Cat. Fish. Brit Mus. VII, 17, 1868; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 130, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 26, pi. 21, fig. 31, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat Mus. 181, 1890; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 202, 1842. E.ro(j1oHnum (Hypentclium) macropkrum RAFINESQUE, Jour. Ae. Na/t. Sol. Phila. I, 420, pi. 17, fig. 3, 1817. The stone roller has a peculiar physiognomy. The head is flattened on top, the interorbital space is concave and the fron- tal bone short, broad and thick/ The body is subterete, its depth being contained four and one third times in the length without caudal or equal to length of head. The eye is rather small, being contained three times in length of snout; mouth large, lips well developed and strongly papillose; fins all large; 'Linn. Soc. N. Y. Proc. 1S97. no. 9, p. 13-14. 104 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM the dorsal base equals two thirds of length of head, while lli< pectoral is considerably longer than the dorsal. Caudal moder- ately forked; lateral line fully developed, on median line of body; scales moderate, equal. D. 11; A. 7; V. 9. Scales 7-52-7. Specimen examined, no. 8446, U. S. National Museum, from Cayuga lake, N. Y. The stone roller has a wide distribution and a remarkable variety of common names. Among them are: hammerhead, stone lugger, stone toter, crawl-a-bottom, hog molly, hog mullet, mud sucker, hog sucker, banded sucker, large-scaled sucker, and black sucker. The name, shoemaker, was formerly applied to this species in Lake Erie, perhaps on account of the resemb- lance of its color to that of shoemaker's pitch. Prof. Cope says that this species in Pennsylvania is most abundant in tributaries of the Ohio and in the Susquehanna, while in the Delaware it is uncommon. It ranges from western New York to North Carolina and westward to Kansas. It is the most remarkable-looking of all the suckers of New York, and may always easily be distinguished by the shape of its head. The species grows very large, reaching a length of 2 feet. It delights in rapid streams of cold, clear water. Its habit is to rest quietly on the bottom, where its color protects it from observation. It is sometimes found in small schools. The spawning season is in spring, and the young are abundant in small creeks, as well as in the rivers. The food consists of insect larvae and small shells, and it is specially fitted for secur- ing its prey under stones in the rapids. As a food fish this sucker has little value. Genus ERIMYZON Jordan Body oblong, compressed; head moderate; mouth moderate, somewhat inferior, the upper lip well developed, freely protrac- tile, the lower moderate, infolded, inversely V-shaped in outline.,, plicate, with 12 to 20 folds on each side; lower jaw without cartilaginous sheath, rather stronger than usual, and oblique when the mouth is closed; eye moderate; suborbital bones well FISHES OP NEW YORK 105 • developed, not much narrower than the fleshy part of the cheek below them; opercular bones moderately developed, not rugose; fontanel rather large; gill rakers rather long; pharyngeal bones weak; the teeth quite small, slender, and weak, rapidly diminishing in length upward, each tooth narrowly compressed, with a cusp on the inner margin of the cutting surface; scales rather large, more or less crowded forward; no lateral line; dorsal fin rather short and high, rays usually 11 or 12; pectoral fins moderate; anal fin high and short, more or less emarginate or bilobed in adult males; caudal fin moderately forked or lunate, its lobes subequal. Air bladder with two chambers. (After Jordan and Evermann) 59 Erimyzon sucetta (Lacepede) Chub Sucker Cyprians sucetta LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 503, 606, 610, 1803, Catostomus sucetta LE SUETJE. Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 109, 1817. Labeo giMosits DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 194, pi. 32, fig. 101, 1842 (dorsal incorrect). Catostomus tuberculatus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 199, pi. 31, fig. 97, 1842. Labeo esopus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 195, 1842. Erimyzon goodei JORDAN, Bull. 12, U. S. Nat. Mus. 148, 1878; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 1G, U. S. Nat. Mus. 134, 1883; GOODE, Fish, and Fish. Ind. U. S. pi. 221, 1884. Erimyzon sucetta (part) BEAN, Fishes Penna. 27, 1893. Erimyzon sucetta JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 185, 1896. The body of the chub sucker is oblong, rather deep and com- pressed. Its depth one third of standard length. The head is rather short, broad above, its length one fourth of total length to caudal. The mouth is rather small and but slightly inferior, protractile. The eye is contained five times in length of head and slightly less than twice in its distance from tip of snout. Dorsal short, rather high, placed in middle of length; ventrals directly underneath; highest dorsal ray (fourth) not quite equal to second anal ray, about two thirds of length of head; caudal slightly forked. No lateral line. D. 12 to 15; A. 7 to 8; V. I, 7. Scales 37 to 40; transverse 13 to 15. The chub sucker here described is the southern form which was first made known by Lacepede from an individual received 106 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM from Charleston S. C. Jordan and Evermauu now give the dis- tribution of this form as extending from Virginia to Texas. It appears to reach a little farther northward if the references to De Kay are properly made. His Labeo gibbosus and e s o p u s and the Catostomus tuberculatus seem to indicate the southern chub sucker. The species reaches the length of 1 foot. It has very little value as food, but the young furnish excellent food for the larger fishes and are very interesting for aquarium purposes. 60 Erimyzon sucetta oblongus (Mitchill) Chub Suclcer; Creek Fish C'yprinus oblong us MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 459, 1815. Lulico clcyans DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 192, pi. 31, fig. 100, 1842. Laibeo oUongus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 193, pi. 42, fig. 136, 1842. Moxostom-a Mongum GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 21, 1868. Erimyzon sucetta JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 133, 1883; GOODE, Fish, and Fish. Ind. U. S. pi. 220, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 27, 1893 (part). Erimyzan sucetta oblonyus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 186, 1896, pi. XXXVI. fig. 89, 1900. The northern chub sucker has the body more slender, its greatest depth being less than one third of the total length with- out the caudal. The nape is less gibbous than in E. sucetta. The caudal peduncle is more slender, its greatest depth being scarcely one third of the greatest depth of the body (two fifths in sucetta). The head is small and short, the eye less than one fifth as long as the head, the dorsal base shorter and -the fins containing fewer rays (11 in sucetta oblongus, 14 in sucetta). This is known as the chub sucker, sweet sucker, rounded sucker, creekfish and mullet. It has a wide range, practically including all the waters of the United States east of the Rocky mountains. The chub sucker grows to a length of about 1 foot. It is very tenacious of life and is a ready biter, but has little value for food. The young up to the length of several inches have a very distinct black lateral band. They are often found in the shelter of water lilies and other aquatic plants close to brackish waters. FISHES OF NEW YORK 107 Dr Evermann collected two specimens in Black creek, tribu- tary of Oswego river, at Scriba Corners N. Y. July 17, 1894. Dr Meek found it very common about Cayuga and Montezuma N. Y., ' but did not observe it near Ithaca. In the market of New York, according to De Kay, the chub sucker makes its appearance in October, November and December. Specimens were seined in Bronx river in August 1897. A young example sent from near Princeton N. J. by Prof. Ulric Dahlgren in September 1897 showed the following volun- tary change of color. When it arrived, it had the broad, longi- tudinal, median band well developed and the vertical bands obsolete; but soon after it was placed in a tank it obscured the longitudinal band entirely and developed the vertical bands. The food of the chub sucker consists chiefly of minute crusta- ceans, insect larvae and aquatic plants. Genus MIXYTUEMA Jordan Body rather elongate, subterete, becoming deep and rather compressed with age; scales rather large and nearly uniform in size; lateral line interrupted in the adult, but with perfect tubes, imperfect in partly grown individuals, and obsolete in the young; head moderate, rather broad above; mouth moderate, inferior, horizontal; the upper lip well developed, freely protrac- tile; the lower rather small, infolded, inversely V-shaped in outline, lower jaw without cartilaginous sheath ; eye moderate, rather high, nearly median; suborbital bones well developed: opercular bones well developed, not very rough; fontanel rather large; gill rakers rather long; isthmus moderate; pharyn- geal bones essentially as in M o x o s't o m a; dorsal fin rather short and high, inserted somewhat nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal; pectoral fins moderate, placed low; anal high and short; ventrals short, midway between tip of snout and base of caudal; caudal fin moderately forked, the lobes equal; air bladder with two chambers. Head in males tuberculate in spring. 108 NEW YORK STATE1 MUSEUM 61 Minytrema melanops (Eafinesque) Striped Sucker; Spotted Sucker; Sand Sucker CatostoiiniN iiirlnnops RAFINESQUE, Iclith. Ohieu. 57, 1820; KIRTLAND, Bost, Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 271, pi. 20, fig. 3, 1845. Catostomus fasciatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit1. Mus. VII, 19, 1SG8. Minytrcma- •melanops JORDAN, Bull. 12, U. S. Nat. Mus. 138, 1876; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 1(3, U. S. Nat. Mus. 136, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penua. 28, pi. 21, fig. 32, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47. U. S. Nat. Mus. 187, 1896, pi. XXXVI, fig. 90, 1900. Body oblong, robust in adults, its greatest depth one fourth total length to base of caudal; head moderate, subconical, its length contained about four and one half times in total length; eye placed high and in the middle of length of head, its diameter 2 in snout, 5 in head; nostrils about over the angle of the mouth; scales large, firm, in about 48 longitudinal and 12 or 13 trans- verse rows; dorsal origin over tip of pectoral, its base as long as its longest ray; ventrals nearly under middle of dorsal, length one sixth of total; longest anal ray nearly one fifth of total; least depth of caudal peduncle about one half the lengtli of head. D. 12; A. 7; V. 9. Color dusky above, coppery below, usually a dusky blotch behind dorsal fin; scales mostly with a dark spot at the base, the spots forming longitudinal sti-ipes. The striped sucker, also called soft sucker, sand sucker and black-nosed sucker, is found in the Great lakes and south to South Carolina and Texas. In Pennsylvania it is limited to Lake Erie and the Ohio valley. In New York it is to be expected in Lake Ontario and its tributaries, and should also occur in Chautauqua lake. The striped sucker grows to a length of 18 inches. Old males have the head tuberculate in the breeding season in the spring. The species is very readily distinguished by the dark stripes along the sides produced by spots at the base of each scale. In the young of this sucker there is no lateral line, but in adults it is almost entire. This sucker prefers clear, sluggish waters and grassy ponds. It readily adapts itself to life in the aquarium. It feeds almost entirely on mollusks, insects and insect larvae. The species is FISHES OF NEW YORK 1091 not much esteemed as a food fish, though it is sold in large numbers. Minytrema nielanops is normally without a lateral line, but this feature is occasionally partially developed and has caused some confusion in assigning certain individuals to. their proper genus; indeed, one author has described and figured the striped sucker as two species, belonging to two different genera, having been misled by this undeveloped character. t Genus MOXOSTOMA Rafinesque Body moderately elongate, sometimes nearly round, usually compressed; scales large, nearly uniform in size; lateral line com- plete, straight or anteriorly curved; head varying in length, sub- conical; eye usually rather large, placed moderately high; sub- orbital bones very narrow; fontanelle well developed; mouth varying much in size, inferior, the mandible horizontal or nearly so; lips unusually well developed, the form of the lower varying, usually with a slight median fissure, but never deeply incised; lips with transverse folds which are rarely broken up to form papillae; jaws without cartilaginous sheath; muciferous system well developed; opercular bones moderately developed, nearly smooth; isthmus broad; gill rakers weak, moderately long; pharyngeal bones rather weak, the teeth rather coarser than iu E r i in y z o n and Catostomus, strongly compressed, the lower five or six stronger than the others, which rapidly dimin- ish in size upward, each with a prominent internal cusp; dorsal fin nearly median, moderately long; anal fin short and high, with seven developed rays; caudal fin deeply forked; air bladder with three chambers. (After Jordan and Evermann) 62 Moxostoma anisurum (Rafinesque) White-nosed> Sucker Catostomus a-nis tints RAFIXESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 54, 1820; KIRTLAND, Bost.. Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 269, pi. 20, fig. 2, 1845; STOKER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 172, 1846. Catostomus carpio GUNTHKR, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 20, 1S6S. Myxostoma iin'mim JORDAN, Man. Vert. eel. 2. 315. 18TS; Bull. 12. U. S. Nat- Mus. 126, 1878. 110 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Moxostoma airisurum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 141, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 28, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN. Bull. 47. U. S. Nat Mus. 190, 1896. The body is elongate, little compressed, slightly arched ante- riorly, its greatest depth contained three and one third times in the length to end of scales. The head is moderate, flat and broad above, its length less than one fourth of the total without the caudal. Mouth slightly inferior; upper lip thin, lower strongly V-shaped; eye large, about one half as long as the snout, which is rather blunt and does not project much beyond the mouth; fins all well developed. The dorsal is large; its first ray is as long as the base of the fin, or about seven eighths as long as the head. Upper margin of dorsal nearly straight. Pectorals nearly reach to ventrals; the upper caudal lobe nar- row and longer than the lower. D. 15; A. 7 to 8; V. 8. Scales 5 to 6-43 to 46-4 to 5. Here described in part from a specimen measuring 16 inches, from Ohio. The white-nosed sucker is found sparingly in the Ohio river and the Great lakes region; widely distributed, but nowhere abundant. Cuvier and Valenciennes received from Milbert a specimen sent from Lake Ontario, measuring about 2 feet. Dr Jordan says this is very closely related to the common red horse, from which it can hardly be distinguished except by its fins. Dr Evermann collected a single specimen at Fox island, N. Y. June 29, 1894; he also obtained a specimen, 12 inches long, at Poiutbreeze N. Y. Aug. 21, 1894, which he refers to this species, though indicating some characters in which it differs from the normal form of the white-nosed sucker. 63 Moxostoma anreolum (Le Sueur) Red Horse Catostomus aurcohis LE SUEUR. Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 95, 1817; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 201, pi. 42, fig. 133, 1842. Catostomits onc'ula DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 198, 1842. Oneida Lake. Catostomus (luqiicsirii KIRTEAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 268, 'pi. 20, fig. 1, pi. 21, fig. 2. 1845; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, IS, 1868, Youghiogheuy River, Pa. Moxostoma aurcolum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 140, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 30, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 192, 1896. FISHES OF NEW YORK 111 Body oblong, the back in front of dorsal elevated and com- pressed, head short, conical, broad between eyes. The eye is rather large, one fourth length of head, which is contained five times in total length without caudal. The depth of the body is contained three and one half times in this length. Caudal peduncle deep, compressed, its least depth equal to one half the length of head; mouth small; the snout somewhat projecting; fins all well developed; the anterior rays of dorsal longest, as long as dorsal base, pectoral or longest anal rays, equaling length of head; caudal forked; scales large, about equal in size all over the body, and finely striated. D. 15; A. 8. Scales 6-4romclas RAFINESQXJE, Ichth. Ohien. 53, 1820; KIRTLAND, Bust. Jour. Nat Hist. Ill, 475, pi. 27, fig. 2, 1841; STORER, Syn. Fish. N. A. Ififi, 1846; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit Mus. VII, 181, 1868; JORDAN & GIL- BERT, Bull. 16, IT. S. Nat. Mus. 158, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. ;;r>. 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 217, 1896. The fathead minnow has a short, deep .and moderately thick body, and the head short with a very obtuse snout. The greatest depth of the body is equal to or slightly greater than length of head and is contained from three and two thirds to four and one fourth times in total length without caudal. The least depth of the caudal peduncle equals the length of postorbital part of the head. The head forms about one fourth of the total length to base of caudal; the width of the head equals two thirds of its length. The eye is as long as the snout and two ninths as long FISHES OF NEW YORK H9 as the head. The mouth is very snuill, terminal, slightly oblique; i he maxilla not reaching vertical through hinder nostril. The dorsal origin is above, and the ventral origin below the 21st scale of the lateral line. The dorsal base is two thirds as long as the head; the first ray is about as long as the eye, and the longest as long as the head without the snout. The ventral reaches a little beyond the anal origin; its length equal to dorsal base. The anal base equals nearly one half the length of head, and the longest ray is as long as the dorsal base. The caudal is moderate and not deeply forked. The lateral line is con- tinuous on about 20 to 28 scales, and in one specimen continued with interruptions almost to the caudal base. D. i, 8; A. i, 7; V. 8; P. 18. Scales 9-45 to 49-G; teeth 4-4. Length of specimens described, 3 inches. Color in spirits light brown, top and sides of head darker. A broad dark band on the base of the dorsal, most distinct anteriorly and sometimes absent behind. Males in spring are dusky, with black head and the snout and chin with numerous coarse tubercles. The fathead or blackhead is an inhabitant of the Ohio valley, and the Great lakes region west to Dakota and southwest to Texas. It is common in sluggish brooks, and instances have been known of its distribution by the action of cyclones. In Pennsylvania it is common in tributaries of the Ohio. The U. S. Fish Commission has obtained specimens from the following localities in the basin of Lake Ontario: Salt brook, H miles above Nine Mile point, June 11, 1893; Mill creek, Sack- ett Harbor, July 2. 1894; Three Mile creek, Oswego, July 27, 1894, where the greatest number of individuals was taken. Dr Meek says it is not very common in Cayuga lake, but is easily distinguished from the other minnows by its very long intes- tines. The fathead grows to a length of 2^ inches. The sexes differ in color, the females being olivaceous, while the males are dusky and in the spring have the head black and the snout covered with numerous large tubercles. The species has no value as food, but is an interesting one for the aquarium. Its food con- sists of mud and algae, and it seems to prefer a muddy bottom. 121) NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 68 Pimephales notatus (Rafinesque) Blunt-nosed Minnow; Spotted Minnow M until us nottitiis RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Obien. 47, 1820. Hyhorliynclius notatus COPE, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. XIII, 392, pi. 13, fig. .">, 1866 (the separate); GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 182, 1868; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat Mus. 159, 1883. I'hnepJiales notatus JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 22, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 36, 1898; JORDAN & EVERSIANN. Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 218, 1896. The blunt-nosed minnow has a moderately elongate body and a slender caudal peduncle. The head is somewhat conical with a short and blunt snout. The greatest depth of the body nearly equals length of head and is two ninths of the total length without caudal. The least depth of the caudal peduncle equals about one half of greatest depth of body. The snout is as long as the eye and one fourth as long as the head. The mouth is very small, inferior, nearly horizontal, the maxilla reaching to below the anterior nostril and provided with a short, thick, somewhat club-shaped barbel. The dorsal origin is slightly be- hind the ventral origin and over the 17th scale of the lateral line. The dorsal base is two thirds as long as the head, and about equal to the longest ray. The ventral origin is under the 16th scale of the lateral line; the fin does not reach to the vent. The anal origin is under the 27th scale of the lateral line; the base of the anal is two fifths as long as the head, and the longest ray is equal to the postorbital part of the head. The caudal is moderately large and forked. The lateral line curves very slightly downward as far as the ventral origin and then follows straight along the median line; it is complete. D. i, 8; A. i, 7; V. 8; P. 15. Scales 6-42 to 45-5; teeth 4-4. Length of specimens described, 3 inches. Color in spirits light brown; the fins except the dorsal paler. A black spot about as large as the eye on the front of the dorsal. In life the sides are bluish. Breed- ing males have the black on the dorsal continued backward on the membrane covering the rays and the head black, while the snout has about 14 to 17 large, pointed tubercles. A dusky shade sometimes present at base of caudal. FISHES OF NEW YORK 121 The blunt-nosed minnow is a larger species than the fathead, reaching a length of 4 inches, and its range extends from Quebec to Delaware, west to Kansas and south to Mississippi. B. W. Evennann and B. A. Bean obtained it for the V. S. Fish (Commission in the St Lawrence river, 3 miles belowr Ogdens burg, July IT, 1894, in abundance. They found it common also at Scioto creek, Coopersville N. Y. July 19, 1894. In the Lake On- tario region the Fish Commission collected the species at Cape Vincent, Grenadier island, Sacketts Harbor, Pointbreeze, Hunt- ingtonville, Charlotte, Stony Island, Pultneyville, Chaumont, Henderson bay. and Salt brook. Livingston Stone obtained the fish at Cape Vincent in the St Lawrence river, and presented it to the state museum at Albany. It is found in large numbers in the southern end of Cayuga lake, and in streams on the flats. Not very abundant at the northern end of the lake and in streams near Ithaca, above the falls, according to the records of Dr Seth E. Meek. The blunt-nosed minnow differs from the fathead in its larger size and in having a complete lateral line, but the sexual differences are similar in the two species. The males in spring have the head black and the snout with many large tubercles. The species is extremely variable and changes greatly with age. It frequents small and muddy streams, and its food consists of decaying vegetable matter. Genus SEMOTILUS Raflnesque Body stout, moderately compressed and elongate ; mouth ter- minal, wide, the upper jaw protractile; a small barbel just above the end of the maxillary; in most American minnows the barbel is at its tip; the maxillary barbel sometimes absent in young individuals; teeth 2, 5-4, 2, hooked, without grinding surface; scales rather large; lateral line complete; a short intestinal canal; dorsal placed behind ventrals; base of anal short. Vertebrae 22 + 20 = = 42. Fishes of large size in clear, swift streams from Canada to Virginia, west to Missouri and Wyoming. 122 NEW YOUK STATE MUSEUM 69 Semotilus bullaris (Ratiuesque) Fci'Ufi.sh; Wind Fish; Dace; Chivm; Silver Chub - inn* IiiiUuris RAFINESQUE, Araer. Mouth. Mag. II, 120, Dec. 1817. <'ltl>rinns curpuniUs MITCHILI,, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 324, Mar. 1818. Previous notice in same work, vol. I, 289, July, 1817, insufficient to hold name. The Corporaaleri of the Dutch, moreover, was the striped species, atromaculatus, Hrmntihis ImUarin JORDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 1, 1876; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 1C, U. S. Nat. Mus. 222, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 50, pi. 24. fig. 41, 1803; GOODE, Fish. & Fish. Ind. IT. S. pi. 228, upper figure, 1884. Leuciscux nitirinus tinea LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 321, 1758; LACE'PEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 491, 533, 1800. Tinea vulyaris CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVI, 322. pi. 484, 1842; HECKEL & KNER, Siissw. Fische, 75, fig. 34, 1858; GUNTIIER. Cat Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 264, 1868. Tinea tinea JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check List Fishes N. A. 512, 1896. B. 3; D. 12 to 13 (8 or 9 developed); P. 17; V. 9-10; A. 9-10. Scales 30 to 31—90 to 115. Length of head four and one third to four and three fourths; hight of body three and three fourths to four and one fourth in the total length including caudal. Eye six and one half to seven and one half in length of head; two and one fourth in length of snout; two to two and one fourth in distance between eyes. Interorbital space flat. The thickness FIS1IKS OF NEW YORK 127 of the head equals its length exclusive of the snout. Snout obtuse; mouth anterior, jaws anteriorly of the same length. gape wide, cleft rather shallow; I lie maxilla reaches to beneath the posterior nostril; lips thick. Dorsal origin over the end of the ventral base, and the fin extends almost to above Ihe anal origin; all the fins rounded. In the males the first or even more of Ihe ventral rays are thicker than in the female. Lateral line gradually descending to about the middle of the length, thence proceeding straight to the base of caudal. Leaden or greenish, lightest beneath; fins blackish. The tench has been introduced into the United States. An individual taken in the Potomac river near Washington 1>. C. has a grinding surface well developed on -the pharyngeal teeth, a character concerning which no mention is made in the current descriptions. The tench now extends throughout the fresh waters of Europe into those of Asia Minor. Its northern limit is said to be in Finland. It may or may not be native to England. The species prefers still waters in which aquatic plants abound. It is very tenacious of life and has been observed to live a whole day out of water. Its food consists of insects, larvae, worms, and vege- I table substances. Spawning takes place in June and July. The eggs are small and adhesive. The rate of growth is rather rapid under favor- able circumstances, the young having attained1 to a weight of I pound in their first year. Individuals of the weight of 10 or II pounds are recorded, and Salvianus mentioned a tench of 20 pounds. As for the quality of its flesh, opinions differ, some persons considering it unpalatable, while others regard it as delicious and wholesome. Genus I,KICIS< us Cuvier Body oblong, compressed or robust, covered with moderate or small scales; lateral line decnrved, complete, or variously im- perfect; mouth usually large and terminal, the lips normal, with- out barbel; teeth mostly 2, 5-4, 2 (in American species some 128 NEW YOUK STATE MUSEUM times 1, 5-4, 2, or even by atrophy, 1, 4-4, 1) usually 2, 5-5, 2 in the European type, hooked, with rather narrow grinding sur- face or none; anal basis short or more or less elongate; dorsal fin posterior, usually behind ventrals; intestinal canal short. Size generally large, some species very small. A very large group, one of the largest current genera in ichthyology, repre- sented by numerous species in the rivers of Europe, Asia, and North America. . . Individual irregularities in dentition are common in this genus. The typical species of the genus, Leuciscus leuciscus, is the common dace or vaudoise of Europe, and differs greatly from any of the American forms. The presence of various inter- mediate species, however, makes it impossible to draw any satis- factory line between the dace, Leuciscus, on the one hand, and such extreme forms as the long-mouthed minnows, 0 1 i n o s t o m u s , on the other. Clinostomus is a peculiar group of small, fine-scaled minnows, with the gape of the mouth larger than in any other C y p r i n i d a e whatever. The relationship of the species to those called R i <• h a r d s o n i u s is however very close. (After Jordan and Evermann) Subgenus CI.INOSTOMIJS (Jirard 72 Leuciscus elongatus (Kirtland) Red- sided iSlwner l.u.i-itits elongatus KJRKLAND, Rep't Zool. Ohio, 169, 1836; Bost. Jour. Nut. Hist. Ill, 339, pi. IV, fig. 1, 1841. Leucisciis proriger GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 245, 1868. Squalius elongatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 232, 1883. Phoxinus elongatus BEAN, Fishes Penna. 52, 1893. Leuciscus elongatus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 214. 1842; STORER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 161, 1846; GUNTHER, Cat Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 245, 1868; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 240, 1896. The red-sided shiner has an elongate fusiform body, its great- est depth two ninths of the total length without the caudal, its greatest width nearly one half of its depth. The caudal ped- uncle is long and slender, its least depth two fifths of greatest KISIIKS OK MOW 10 KK 12',) depth of body. The head is large, two sevenths of total length without the caudal, with long pointed snout and wide mouth. The snout is as long as the eye and twTo sevenths as long as the head. The width of the interorbital space is about equal to the diameter of the eye. The lower jaw projects strongly. The maxilla reaches to below the middle' of the eye. The gill open- ings are wide, the membranes separated by a very narrow isthmus. The dorsal origin is over the 25th scale of the lateral line; the base of the fin is two fifths as long as the head; the longest ray is as long as the head without the snout; the last ray is about half as long as the longest. The ventral origin is under the 23d scale of the lateral line; the fin extends to the vent, equaling length of eye and snout combined. The anal origin is under the 37th scale of the lateral line; the anal base is two fifths as long as the head; the longest ray twice as long as the last ray and one fourth of its distance from the tip of the snout. The caudal is large and deeply forked. The pectoral is two thirds as long as the head, extending to below the 17th scale of the lateral line. The lateral line is abruptly decurved over the anterior half of the pectoral. I), iii, 7; A. iii, 7; V. 8; P.14. Scales 12-63-7 (sometimes 10-70-5); teeth 2, 5-5, 2, hooked, some of them with a narrow grinding surface. In spirits the color is dark brown; a narrow dark stripe along the middle of the side extending on the head and around the snout; the fins are pale. In life the back is dark bluish, the belly silvery; breed- ing males have the first half of the lateral stripe crimson and the belly and lower fins rosy. The specimen described, number S4(I7, U. S. National Museum, from Meadville, Pa., is 3 inches long. The red-sided shiner is found from Pennsylvania to Minne- sota; abundant in clear streams of the Great lakes region and the upper Mississippi valley. In the Lake Ontario basin the U. S. Fish Commission collectors obtained it in the following localities in 1894: Spring brook, Pulaski, July 24; Wart creek, July 24; Three Mile creek, Oswego, July 27. 1->0 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Subgenus PHOXINUS Kafiucsque T:> Leuciscus margarita (Cope) Pearl Minnow ciiinixlnnuis iiiai-i/arita COPE, Cypr. Peun. 377, pi. 13, fig. 1. 1866. Xake Saratoga. Abramis versicolor DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 191, pi. 32, fig. 103, 1842. Stllbe cJirysoleucas DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 204, pi. 29, fig. 91, 1842. Abramis americanus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 305, 1868. Notetnigonus chrysoleucas JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 250, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 53, pi. 24, fig. 42, 1893. Abramis crysoleucas JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 250, 1896, pi. XLV, fig. Ill, 1900. The body of the roach is compressed, the back elevated and the head depressed and very small. The depth of the body is one third of the total length without the caudal ; the head is con- tained four and two third times in this length. The eye is FISHES OF NEW YORK 133 •contained three and one half times in the length of the head. The mouth is small, oblique, the maxillary not reaching to ver- tical through front of eye. The dorsal fin is much higher than long; its base is equal to the least depth of the caudal peduncle or twice the diameter of the eye, situated 6"n middle of body opposite the space between the ventral and anal fins. Anal longer than dorsal, its longest ray slightly exceeding the length of the base. Caudal forked. Lateral line much decurved on lower half of body behind pectorals. D. 8; A. 13. Scales 10-53-3. Teeth 5-5, hooked and with grinding surface. The roach, shiner, golden shiner or bream is one of the com- monest fishes of the eastern states. It is found from New England to Minnesota and southward. A variety of the roach replaces the common northern form from North Carolina to Texas. Evermann and Bean obtained it at Eouse Point N. Y. and in Scioto creek, Coopersville N. Y. July 19, 1894. In the Lake Ontario basin, the U. S. Fish Commission has it from: Salt brook, 1^ miles above Nine Mile point June 11, 1893 €ape Vincent June 21, 1894 Grenadier Island June 27, 1894 Black river, Huntingtonville July 5, 1894 Guffon creek, Chaumont July 7, 1894 Chauniont river July 10, 1894 Black creek, Scriba Corners July 17, 1894 Mouth Salmon river, Selkirk July 25, 1894 Dr Meek secured it in sluggish water on the flats near Ithaca. The roach is abundant in the lakes of Central park and in the Bronx; it was not found in the large lake of Prospect park, Brooklyn. Eugene Smith records its occurrence in the vicinity of New York associated with the common sunfish, killies, and catfish. The roach grows to a length of 1 foot and a weight of 1^ pounds. It frequents sluggish waters, abounding in bayous and weedy ponds, as well as in tidal waters. According to Jordan, 134 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM its favorite shelter is the yellow pond lily. It may be readily distinguished by its shape, which resembles that of the shad,, and by the very long anal fin, which contains from 14 to 17 rays. The colors of this fish are greenish above and the sides silvery with golden reflections. Fins usually yellowish; lower fins scar- let in breeding males. Though the roach is not a good food fish, it is taken by the- hook in large numbers and is a very useful species for bait. The roach, writes Eugene Smith, is an active fish and lives well in the aquarium, becoming very familiar with its keeper. Owing to the small size of its gullet, the smaller individuals will at length starve unless their food is much comminuted. The fish spawned in captivity in May, and early in December of the same year the young were H inches long. The adults do not like earthworms, but feed freely on chopped hard clams. 76 Abramis chrysoleucas roseus subs p. nov. Irish Roach; Pearl Roach Abramis crysolettcas subspecies, BEAN, Bull. Arner. Mus. Nat. Hist. N. Y. IX, 334, 1897. The " Irish roach " or " pearl roach " of a lake in Central park, New York city, is even more distinct from the typical northern roach than is the subspecies b o s c i of the rivers of 1he South Atlantic states, and should receive a name. This form is readily distinguished from A. c r y s o 1 e u c a s by its short and deep body, uniform size of scales on all parts of the body, and the permanent vermilion color of the pectoral, ventral,. ;md anal fins. An example studied in the New York aquarium has D. i, 7; A. i, 12; V. i. 8, scales 10-48-4; teeth 5-5, hooked, crenate, and with a grinding surface. The lateral line appar- ently is not so strongly decurved as in A. c r y s o 1 e u c a s. This is a beautiful fish and extremely shy in captivity. Two females and a male were ready to spawn in the aquarium about the end of JTune 1896. The females cast their eggs, but they were immediately eaten by the fish. FISHES OF NEW YORK !:'.") Genus XOTROPIS Rafinesque Body oblong or elongate, wjL'e or less compressed; nioutli nor- mal, mostly terminal and oblique, sometimes snbinferior; no barbels; teeth in one or two rows, those of the larger row always 4-4, hooked, sharp edged, or with a narrow grinding surface; scales large, often closely imbricated, those before the dorsal rarely very small; lateral line complete or nearly so, usually decurved; dorsal fin inserted above, or more usually behind, the veutrals; anal flu short or moderately long; abdomen rounded, never sharp edged. Coloration more or less silvery, often brilliant, the males in spring usually with red or white pigment and the head with small tubercles. A very large group of small fishes, specially characteristic of the fresh waters of the eastern United States, containing about 100 species, many of them characterized by extensive individual variations. (After Jordan and Evermann) 77 Notropis bifrenatus (Cope) Bridled Minnow Hl/bopste bifrenatus COPE, Cypr. Penna. 384, 1866; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit Mus. VII, 211, 1868 (as a doubtful species). Hfmitrciiiia bifrciiata JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, II. S. Nat. Mus. 162, 1888. Xotropis bifrenatus JORDAN, Check List Fishes N. A. 22, 1885; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull, -il, U. S. Nat. Mus. 258, 1896. Front convex between the orbits; length of muzzle equals diameter of iris band and pupil, sometimes nearly equals orbit. Iris colored in continuation of the lateral band. The lateral line rarely extends half way to the dorsal fin, while the pores of the same may be observed at the bases of the scales for half the remaining length of the animal. Length of the largest speci- men, 19 lines; breadth of muzzle at nares, 1.5 lines. Radii of the scales strong. Color above straw, the scales delicately brown edged; below impure white, with a narrow black line along base of anal fin to caudal. Along each side from caudal fin around the end of muzzle including the end of the mandible, a shining black baud loG NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM one and one half scales in width. This is bordered above on the muzzle, forming an arc from orbit to orbit, by an orange band,, which is strongly margined above by the brown of the top of the front. Opercular and suborbital regions below the black band,, pure silvery. (Rearranged from Cope) Head four and one fifth; depth four and one fifth; eye three. D. 8; A. 7. Scales 5-36-3; teeth 4-4. Body rather slender, the caudal peduncle somewhat contracted; head moderate, the muzzle very obtuse; mouth oblique, the jaws about equal, upper lip opposite lower part of pupil; eye large, longer than snout; lateral line developed for a very short distance. 13 scales- before dorsal. Length 1^ to 2 inches. This little minnow has no common name. It is found from Massachusetts to Maryland and is abundant in tributaries of the Delaware river. On account of its conspicuous colors, it is a useful bait for game fishes, specially the black bass. » 78 Notropis anogenus Forbes Notropis anogenus FORBES, Bull. 111. Lab. Nat. Hist. 138, 1885; MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. IV, 304, 1S88, Canal near Montezurna, N. Y.r JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, IT. S. Nat. Mus. 259, 1896. Head four and one fourth; depth four and two fifths; eye three and one fourth. D. 8; A. 7. Lateral line 34 to 37, 13 before dor- sal. Teeth 4-4. Very similar to N. h e t e r o d o n, but with the lateral line usually complete; the mouth very small and very oblique, almost wholly anterior; the lower jaw included, the upper lip above level of pupil; snout very short, blunt, shorter than eye. Dusky; a dusky lateral band through eye, ending in a faint black spot at base of caudal; a black speck above each pore of lateral line; chin black. Length 1^ inches. Western New York (Cayuga lake, Meek) to northern Illinois; rather scarce. (After Jordan and Evermann) According to Meek the species is quite common in the canal' near Montezuma N. Y. It is the smallest of all the Cayuga lake fishes. 79 Notropis cayuga Meek Notropis cayuga MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. IV, 305, 1888, Cayuga Lake*. N. Y.; JORDAN, Bull. V. S. F. C. IX, 17, 1891; JORDAN & EVERMANN,, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 260, 1896. FISHES OF NEW YORK 137 Head four and one sixth; depth four and one half; eye three and one half. Scales 36; before dorsal 14. Teeth 4-4. Allied to N. h e t e r o d o n, from which it may be best known by the absence of black on the chin. Lateral line wanting on some scales; mouth very small, anterior, the maxillary not reaching the eye; jaws subequal; eye large, equal to snout. Scales above dark edged, the outlines very sharply defined; chin not black; a black stripe through snout and eye, a dusky lateral shade and a small caudal spot. Length 2| inches. Cayuga lake and north- ern New York, westward to Assiniboia, South Dakota, Ne- braska, Kansas and Arkansas. Not rare, but hitherto usually confounded with N. heterodon. (After Jordan and Ever- mann) Several examples were taken by Dr Meek near Ithaca. The longest was 2? inches. He also obtained it from the canal near Montezuma N. Y. The IT. S. Fish Commission parties secured this minnow in many localities in 1894. Mouth of Little Salmon creek July 25 Chaumont river July 10 Black creek, tributary of Oswego river July 17 Three Mile creek, Oswego July 27 Great Sodus bay Aug. 6 Guffon creek, Chaumont July 7 Four Mile creek, Nine Mile point, Webster Aug. 9 Cemetery creek, Watertown July 5 Mud creek, Cape Vincent June 25 Mill creek, Sacketts Harbor July 2 80 Notropis heterodon (Cope) Allurnops licterodon COPE, Tree. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 281, 1864. Hybopsis heterodon COPE, Cypr. Penna. 382, 1866. Leuciscus Jietcrodon GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 261, 1868. Hemttrenria- licterodon JORDAN, Man. Vert. 303, 1878; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 163, 1883. Notropis Jteterodon JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 22, 1885; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 261, 1896. Head four; depth four; eye three in head. D. S; A. 8. Scales 5-36-3, the lateral line extending about half the length of 1:iS XKW YORK STATE MUSEUM body; teeth 4-4, often crenate. Body moderately stout, the back somewhat elevated; head rather pointed, the muzzle acuminate; mouth oblique, lower jaw projecting, upper lip oppo- site upper rim of pupil; maxillary extending to opposite front of orbit; 13 scales in front of dorsal; lateral line usually more or less imperfect. Color olivaceous; chin black; a blackish rostral band; sides with a leaden or dusky band. Length 2| inches. New York to Michigan and Kansas, common. Va- riable. (After Jordan and Evermann) Common in all the sluggish water on the flats near Ithaca. Not found at the north end of the lake, where it seems to be re- placed by Notropis a n o g e n u s . Meek The U. S. Fish Commission collectors have obtained it at Cape Vincent N. Y. June 21, Stony Island, July 2 and 3, and at Guffon creek, Chaumont, July 7, 1894. 81 Notropis blennius (Girard) Straw-colored Minnow Alluniops blennius GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 194, 1856. Pacific R. R. Surv. X, 261, pi. 57, figs. 13-16, 1858. Minnilus blennius JORDAN & GILBERT. Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 193, 1883. Notropis Uenn'ms JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 24, 1885; JORDAN & EVERMAXX, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 261, 1896. Body slender, elongate, its greatest depth one fifth of total length without caudal; head rather large, one fourth of total length without caudal ; the eye large, a little longer than snout, one third as long as the head; mouth small, inferior, horizontal, the maxilla reaching to front of orbit; snout very obtuse; dorsal a little nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal, its origin about over end of pectoral, its longest ray three fourths as long as the head; teeth 4-4; 13 to 15 rows of scales before dorsal. The ventral is under the base of the dorsal, its length equal to length of head without snout. D. 8 to 9; A. 7 to S. Scales 5 to 6-32 to 38-4. Color pale olivaceous; sides usually pale; usually a darker dorsal band and a small dark blotch before dorsal, sometimes a plumbeous lateral stripe but no caudal spot; fms all plain. Length 2 to 2^ inches. FISHES OF XKW YOIIK !•".!» Tliis small minnow is found in the Great lakes region, west- ward to Dakota and south to Texas. The U. S. Fish Commission collectors secured a moderate number of specimens in 1894 at the following localities. Cape Vincent June 23 Grenadier island June 27 Little Stony brook, Henderson bay July 4 Big Sandy creek, Belleville July 12 Mouth Salmon river, Selkirk July 25 Great Sodus bay Aug. 6 Dr B. W. Evermann and Barton A. Bean secured 12 examples in Scioto creek, Coopersville X. Y. July 19, 1894. They also took many specimens July IT in the St Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdensburg X. Y. Dr Evermann observed a diffuse plum- beous band along the side, each scale in the lateral line punctate with black, making the lateral line very conspicuous. In many a very small black spot was present at base of caudal. The dorsal was very low, only five ninths length of head. 82 Notropis procne (Cope) Shiner HyliOffiiatlnts procne COPE, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Pliila. 279. 283, 1864. Hybopsis procne COPE, Cypr. Penna. 385, pi. XI, fig. 2, 1S66. Lciiciscus procne GUNTHEE, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII. 260, 1868. Cliola procne JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 169, 1883. Notropis procne JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 23, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Peniia. 37, 1898; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 264, 1896. This little minnow has a short, slender and compressed body and a very slender caudal peduncle. The greatest depth, at the dorsal origin equals the length of the head, which is about one fourth of the total without caudal. In some described speci- mens the head is contained four and three fourths times and the depth of the body five and one fourth times in total length without caudal. The snout is short and obtuse, shorter than the eye, which is two fifths as long as the head. The mouth is terminal and small, the maxilla not reaching to front of eye. and the jaws equal. The lateral line is gently curved down- 140 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ward over the pectoral and, in the specimen examined, becomes interrupted in its posterior half. The dorsal origin is over the 12th scale of the lateral line and nearly over the ventral origin. The dorsal base is a little more than half as long as the head, and the longest ray is as long as the head. The ventral reaches to the anal origin. The anal base is half as long as the head and the longest anal ray is four fifths as long as the head. The caudal is moderately forked. D. 8; A. 7; V. 8; P. 13. Scales 5-32 to 34-3; teeth 4-4. Length of specimen described, from Havre de Grace Md., 2^ inches. Color in spirits light brown, the belly pale and lower half of head silvery. A narrow dark line along the top of the back and a narrow dark median band continued forward on the nose. Fins all pale. In life the body is olivaceous with a dark lateral stripe. The long tail suggests \ the name p r o c n e , a kind of swallow. The shiner is found from western New York to Maryland. Prof. Cope found it abundant in the tributaries of the Delaware and Susquehanna, in slow moving streams. It reaches the length of 2^ inches. Eugene Smith records it as " very plentiful in the small brooks directly running into tide water. It appears to approach the sea more closely than any other minnow, though it is never found in brackish water. It delights in strong currents, but in captivity lives well in the aquarium, feeding voraciously. It is almost entirely carnivorous. The Palisade ridge is probably the furthest limit of this species towards the east. It is met with in company of the suckers and the roach." It has proved an excellent bait for the game fishes. 83 Notropis hudsonius (DeWitt Clinton) Spawn-eater; Smelt Clupea Intdsonia DE WITT CLINTON, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist, N. Y. I. 49, pi. 2, fig. 2, 1824 (fide Giinther). Leuciscus liudsonius DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 206, pi. 34, fig. 100, 1842. (Hudson river and tributaries) Hybopsis hudsonius COPE, Cypr. Penna. 386, pi. 12, fig. 3, 1866. Cliola Intdsonia JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 171, 1SS3. FISHES OF NEW YORK 141 Notropis Inidsonius JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 24, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 38, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 269, 1S9G, pi. XLVII, fig. 119. The spawn-eater has a moderately elongate and compressed body, its greatest hight contained four and one half times in the total length without caudal, and about equal to length of head. The head is conical, with short, blunt snout equal to the diameter of the eye, which is contained three and one half times in the length of the head. The space between the eyes equals- length of postorbital part of head. Mouth small, nearly hori- zontal, the lower jaw very slightly the shorter, the maxilla reaching the vertical through the posterior nostril. The lateral line is slightly curved downward over the pectoral, straight and median for the rest of its course. The origin of the dorsal is over, and of the ventral under, the 13th scale of the lateral line. The dorsal base is two thirds as long as the head, and the longest ray as long as the head. The ventral reaches nearly or quite to the vent. The anal origin is under the 24th scale of the lateral line; the anal base is one half and the longest anal ray four fifths as long as the head. The caudal is large and deeply forked, its middle rays half as long as the outer, D. 8; A. 8 or 9; Y. 8; P. 14. Scales 7-38-5; teeth 2, 4-4, 1 or 2, with a narrow grinding surface on at least two. Length of specimens described from Washington D. C. 3^ to 4^ inches. Color in spirits pale brown, the fins and all of head except upper surface pale; a broad median silvery band, its greatest width about equal to diameter of eye; a dusky spot at the root of the caudal in the young. The spawn-eater is said to occur from Lake Superior to New York and southward. In Pennsylvania begins a form elsewhere described as N. a m a r u s , which differs in the structure of the pharyngeal teeth. This minnow does not much frequent small streams, but is abundant in the Delaware river and also in Lake Erie. De Kay records its occurrence in the Hudson and its tributaries. In the Lake Ontario region the U. S. Fish Commission col- lectors obtained numerous specimens in these localities. 142 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Salt brook, 1^ miles above Nine Mile point June 10-11, 1893 •Cape Vincent June 21, 1894 Grenadier island June 27, 1894 Horse island, Sacketts Harbor June 30, 1894 Mouth Salmon river, Selkirk July 25, 1894 Three Mile creek, Oswego July 27, 1894 Great Sodus bay Aug. 6, 1894 Long pond, Charlotte Aug. 17, 1894 Lake shore, mouth Long pond Aug. 17, 1894 Nine Mile point, Webster Aug. 23, 1894 East end Lake Ontario 1894 Livingston Stone also collected the species at Cape Vincent Aug. 9, 1898. In the Lake Champlain basin Evermann and Bean obtained it at Scioto creek, Coopersville, and Rouse Point July 19, 1894. The spawn-eater reaches the length of 10 inches. Its teeth are usually four in the principal row and two in the inner. Its spawn-eating habits are not verified. 84 Notropis hudsonius amarus (Girard) Gudgeon Huclsotmts amarus GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 210, 1856. (Chesa- peake Bay; Potomac river at Washington) Hybopsis storcrianus COPE, Cypr. Penna. 386, 1866. Leucisciis storcrianus GTTNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 250, 1868; KIRT- LAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 30, pi. IX, fig. 2, 1847. Cliola storcriana JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 170, 1883. Notropis amarus BEAN, Fishes Penna. 30, pi. 23, fig. 37, 1893. Notropis Into" nonius amarus JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 24, 1885; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 270, 1896. The gudgeon has a moderately elongate and compressed body and a slender caudal peduncle. The greatest depth equals one fourth of the total length to base of caudal, and the least depth of the peduncle equals the length of the postorbital part of head. The head is rather short with an obtuse short snout: the length «of the head is nearly one fourth of the total to b.ase of caudal. The snout is one fourth and the eye one third as long as the head. The maxilla extends to the vertical through the front of FISHES OF Ni;\V YORK 143 the eye; the lower jaw is slightly included; the mouth is slightly oblique. The width of the head equals nearly two Thirds of its length. The distance between the eyes equals the length of the orbit. The dorsal origin is over, and the ventral origin under, the 10th scale of the lateral line. The length of the dorsal base equals two thirds that of the head, and the longest dorsal ray is four fifths as long as the head. The anal base is as long as the postorbital part of the head and the longest ray is about two thirds as long as the head. The ventral reaches nearly to the vent, and the pectoral to below the 8th scale of the lateral line. The lateral line is very slightly bent downward over the pec- toral. The caudal is moderate in size and deeply forked. D. ii, 7; A. ii, 7; V. 8; P. 15. Scales 6-36 to 39-4; teeth 1, 4-4, 1 or 1, 4-4, 0 in the example described, from the Susquehanna river. Length 4| inches. The teeth are slightly hooked, and two or three on each side have a developed grinding surface. The color in spirits is light brown, the sides of body and lower half of head silvery; the young have a narrow dusky median lateral band^ which is sometimes continued on the snout, and a more or less distinct small dark blotch at the base of the caudal. The fins are all pale. The gudgeon or smelt of Pennsylvania is a variety of N. hudsonius of Clinton, which ranges from Lake Superior to New York and south in streams east of the Alleghanies to Georgia. The southern form is the variety a ra a r u s of Girard, which exhibits some difference in its pharyngeal teeth. The species is an extremely variable one. It grows to a length of about 8 inches. Prof. Cope records it as abundant in the Susquehanna, specially in the lower part of the river. This is a handsome silvery fish, and is as much used for food as its associate, the silvery minnow. 85 Notropis whipplii (Girard) Silverfin Cyprinella icJiipplii GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Pkila. 198, 1S56. Photogenis spUoptenis COPE, Cypr. Peiina. 378, 1866. Leuciscus spilopterus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 254, 1868. 144 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Luxilus kentuckiensis KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 27, pi. VIII, fig. 3, 1847. Hypsilepis kentuckiensis COPE, Cypr. Penna. 371, 1866. Cliola whipplei JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 178, 1883. Cliola analostana JORDAN & GILBERT, op. tit. 179, 1883. Notropis whipplei BEAN, Fishes Penna. 39, 1893. Notropis whipplii JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 278, 1896, pi. XLVIII, fig. 121, 1900. The .silverfin has a moderately elongate body, which is fusi- form in the adult. The caudal peduncle is short and stout. The depth of the body at the ventral fin equals nearly one fourth of the total length to the caudal base. The head is conical, com- pressed and with a pointed snout a little longer than the eye, which is two ninths as long as the head. The mouth is moder- ate, terminal, slightly oblique, the jaws nearly equal, the max- illa reaching to vertical through front of eye. The head is two ninths of the total length without caudal. The dorsal origin is a little behind the ventral origin and over the 15th scale of the lateral line. The length of the dorsal base equals one seventh of the total without caudal, and the longest ray is as long as the head without the snout. The ventral reaches nearly to the anal. The anal begins under the 21st scale of the lateral line; its base is as long as the dorsal base, and its longest ray is about two thirds as long as the head. The caudal is large and moderately forked. The lateral line curves downward over the pectoral. D. 8; A. 9; V. 8; P. 14. Scales 6-38 to 41-4; teeth 1, 4-4, 1, with more or less serrate edges. Length of specimen described, from the Susquehanna river, 4 inches. In spirits the back is brown, the sides dull silvery, the scales with a dusky margin, and the lower parts are whitish. A nar- row and long black blotch on the membrane between the 6th and 7th and another between the 7th and 8th dorsal rays. Lower fins pale. Males in spring have the fins partly or wholly charged with white pigment, and in the hight of the breeding season the pigment in the dorsal has a greenish tint, and the top of the head and snout is covered with minute tubercles. This is one of our finest minnows for the aquarium and is useful as food and bait for larger fishes. FISHES OP NEW YORK 145 The silverfin ranges from western New York to Virginia and west to Minnesota and Arkansas. It is a common and variable species. It reaches a length of 4 inches. In Pennsylvania it occurs in all the rivers and creeks, but according to Prof. Cope is least common in tributaries of the Delaware. According to Dr Meek it is common on flats near Fall creek and in the southern end of Cayuga lake. Evermann and Bean took it in Scioto creek, Coopersville N. Y. in July 1894. In the Lake Ontario region the U. S. Fish Commission secured the following specimens: Grenadier island June 27, 1894 Horse island, Sacketts Harbor June 30, 1894 Cape Vincent June 21, 1894 Mill creek, Sacket Harbor July 2, 1894 Cemetery creek and Black river, Watertown July 5, 1894 Chaumont river July 10, 1894 Great Sodus bay Aug. 6, 1894 Creek near Pultneyville Aug. 7, 1894 Specimens were obtained also by Livingston Stone at Cape Vincent Aug. 9, 1898, and presented to the State Museum. Subgenus LUXILUS Rafinesque 86 Notropis cornutus (Mitchill) Shiner • Redfin Cyprinus cornutus MITCHILL, Arner. Month. Mag. I, 289, July, 1817. (meager preliminary notice); op. cit. II, 324, Feb. 1818. (Wallkill river, N. Y.) nts megalops RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 121, Dec. 1817. (Hudson river, above the falls) Leuciscus vittatus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 212, pi. 34, fig. 108, 1842. (Ghittenonda and other tributaries of the Mohawk; also in Mohawk) Eypsilepis cornutus COPE, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 158, 1867. Leuciscus cornutus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 207, pi. 29, fig. 92, 1842; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 249, 1868. Minnilus cornutus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 186, 1883. Mlnnilus plumbeohts JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 192, 1883. Notropis mcgalops JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 26, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 40, 1893. Notropis cornutus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 281, 1896. 140 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The redfin when young has the body moderately elongate, but it becomes deeper with age and much compressed. The caudal peduncle is short, and its depth equals length of postorbHal part of head. The depth of the body at the ventral is contained three and one third to four times in the total length without the caudal. The head is short, deep and thin, its length one fourth of the total without caudal, its width about one half its length. The eye is as long as the snout and two sevenths as long as the head. Mouth moderate, terminal, oblique, the max- illa reaching about to vertical through front of eye. The dorsal origin is over, and the ventral origin under, the 12th scale of the lateral line. The length of the dorsal base equals one sev- enth of the total without the caudal, and its longest ray one fifth of the same length. The ventral reaches nearly or quite to vent. The anal origin is under the 23d scale of the lateral line. The anal base is one half, and the longest ray two thirds as long as the head. The caudal is large and deeply forked. The lateral line descends in a long curve, becoming straight and median over the anal origin. D. 8; A. 9; V. 8; P. 15. Scales 7-40 to 41-4; teeth 2, 4-4, 2, with narrow grinding surface. Length of specimens described, from 4 to 4-|- inches. The upper parts of this fish are steel blue and the scales are dusky at the edge and base. The sides are silvery, overlaid with a gilt line; there is another gilt band along the back. The belly is silvery except in spring males, in which it is a bright rosy color. The male in the breeding season has the lower jaw and the top of the head and nape covered with small tubercles. In the breeding condition this is a very handsome species, though the females and young lack the bright colors of the adult male. The redfin is known also as the common shiner, dace, rough- head, and banded dace. It is a very widely distributed species, is extremely variable, and, as a consequence, some geographic races have received distinct names. It extends from Maine to the Kocky mountains, but is absent from the Carolinas and Texas. It grows to a length of 8 inches. In Pennsylvania the species is common everywhere and is best known under the name of redfin. It reaches a very large size in Lake Erie. FISHMS OF NEW YORK 147 In New York Mitcliill had it from the Wallkill; Rafinesque from the Hudson above the falls. De Kay knew it from the Mohawk and some of its tributaries including the Chitteuonda. Dr Meek found it very^ common throughout the entire Cayuga lake basin. Evermanu and Bean collected it in the Saranac river, Plattsburg, July 28, and in Scioto creek, Coopersville, July 19, 1894. They secured it also in the St Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdensburg, July 17, 1894. The U. S. Fish Commis- sion field parties found it very common in the Lake Ontario basin 1892 to 1894, specimens having been recorded from: Jacket Harbor, Charlotte, Himtingtonville, Henderson Harbor, Cape Vincent, Pulaski, Oswego, Pultueyville, Pointbreezr, \Vebster, Belleville, Scriba Corners, Wart creek, North Hamlin and Salt brook. The redfin runs into small brooks and is most abundant in eddies and other quiet parts of the streams. It has no value except as food and bait for larger fishes, specially the black bass and pike perch. The flesh is very soft and decays rapidly after death. 87 Notropis cornutus frontalis (Agassiz) Leucisciis frontalis AGASSIZ, Lake Superior, 368, pi. 3, fig. 4, 1850, or Hyp- solcpis frontalis fide GUNTHER. Eypsilepis cornutus gibbits COPE, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 158, 1867. Minnilus cornutus var. frontalis JORDAN & GILBEET, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1ST, 1883. Notropis megalops frontalis MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 307, 1888. Notropis cornutus frontalis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 283, 1896. Very close to the typical cornutus, differing in its very heavy head and in the smaller number of scales (13 to 18) in advance of the dorsal. Great lakes.; everywhere common in mouths of brooks. Dr Meek found it scarce near Ithaca and t eomuion near Montezuma N. Y. Subgenus NOTROPIS 88 Notropis atherinoides Kafinesqne Emerald Minnow; Rosy Minnow X»ti-'>iiin atJirrinoidrs RAFINESQTJE, Amer. Mouth. Mas;. II. 20-1, Jan. 1818, Alburnus ruMlns AGASSIZ. Lake Superior, 364, pi. 3, figs. 1-3, 1850. Leuciscus rubellus GUNTHEK, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 254, 1868, 148 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM M inn i Jus riibcJJtis and dinemus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 202, 1883. Notropis dtlierinoides JORDAN. Cat. Fish. N. A. 27, 1885; MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Aead. Sci. IV, 308, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 44, 1898; JORDAN & E VERM ANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 293, 1896. The emerald minnow or rosy minnow has a long and thin body a iid the caudal peduncle moderately short and deep. The great- est depth of the body is contained four and three fourths to five and one half times in the total length to caudal base; the least depth of the caudal peduncle is contained 11^ times in the same length. The greatest width of the body is one half its hight. The head is of moderate size, its length two ninths of the total to caudal base. The snout is short and somewhat pointed, its length one fourth that of the head. Eye large, about three and one fourth times in length of head; mouth oblique, moder- ate, the maxilla reaching front of eye. The dorsal origin is midway between the eye and the base of the caudal, over the 17th scale of the lateral line. The base of the fin is two fifths as long as the head, and the longest ray equals the length of the head without the snout. The ventral origin is under the 13th scale of the lateral line, and the fin scarcely reaches to below the end of the dorsal base. The pectoral reaches to below the eighth or ninth scale of the lateral line. The anal origin is under the 24th scale of the lateral line; the base is one half as long as the head, and the longest ray equals the snout and eye combined. The caudal is rather large and deeply forked. The lateral line sweeps downward in a long and shallow curve, becoming nearly median over the anal base. D. ii, 7; A. ii, 9; V. 8; P. 14. Scales 6-39-4; teeth 2, 4-4, 2 or 1, some of them with a slight hook and narrow grinding surface. The specimens described (no. 8735, V. S. National Museum) are 4 to 4-J inches long. In spirits the upper parts are light brown, the sides and cheeks silvery, and the belly golden brown; the fins all pale; the width of the silvery stripe equal to diameter of eye. In life the upper parts are greenish; breeding males have the snout rosy. The emerald minnow is found in the Great lakes region, the Ohio valley and south to Tennessee, being abundant in lakes F I SI IKS OF M:\\ MIRK 140 and in rapids of rivers. The variety found in Pennsylvania has a shorter snout and a smaller eye than the typical a t h e r - i n o i d e s and has received the specific name d i n e m u s ; but the differences are not supposed to be constant. The emerald minnow reaches a length of C inches; it is gregarious like other minnows; and its golden lateral stripe on a clear green ground makes it a handsome species. Dr Meek found one example near Ithaca, in Six Mile creek, below the falls. A few specimens were also found in a small stream near Moutezuma dry dock, in company with X. 1 y t h r u r u s . Evermann and Bean caught a single example in Seioto creek, Coopersville. .Inly 19, 1894; also three specimens in the St Lawrence river. .'! miles below Ogdensburg July 17, 1894. At Cape Vincent June ill, 1X94. the U. S. Fish Commission collectors took 29 specimens, and at Grenadier island, June 27, they obtained 14 individuals. Livingston Stone also collected the species at Cape Vincent Aug\ 9, 1898, and presented speci- mens to the State Museum. 89 Notropis rubrifrons (Cope) Rosy -faced Miniioir AJbitnnix rubrifrons COPE, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 85, lS(.r>. Alltuntcllus rubrifrons COPE, Cyi>r. IVnna. 388, pi. XIII, fig. 3, 1806. Lcucixi-iix nibrifrniis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Bvit. Mus. VII, 255,- 1868. Minnllns rubrifrons and percobromits JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 202, 1883. 'Notrojilx (Hlectns BEAN, Fishes Penna. 44, 1893. Notropis rubrifrons JORDAN. Cat. Fish. X, A. 27, 1885; JORDAN & EVER- MAXN. Bull. 47, U. S. Xat. Mus. 205.. 1896. The rosy faced minnow has the body moderately long and thin, with a short and deep caudal peduncle. The greatest depth of the body equals one fourth, and the least depth of the peduncle, one eighth of the total length to base of caudal. The head is moderate in size; its width one half of its length, which is one fourth of the total to base of caudal. The snout is pointed and shorter than the eye, which is one fourth to two sevenths as long as the head and equal to the distance between the eyes. The mouth is oblique, and the lower jaw projects slightly; the 150 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM maxilla reaches nearly to below the front of the pupil. The dorsal origin is over the 15th, and the ventral origin under the 12th scale of the lateral line. The base of the dorsal is half as long as the head, and the longest dorsal ray equals the length of the head without the snout. The ventral reaches to the vent, which is under the 18th scale of the lateral line. The anal base is as long as the snout and eye combined, and the longest anal ray is two thirds as long as the head. The caudal is moderate in size and deeply forked. The lateral line curves gently down- ward over the pectoral. D. ii, 7; A. ii, 8; V. 8; P. 13. Scales 6-36-4; teeth 2, 4-4, 2, hooked. The specimens described are 2 inches long. In spirits the body is pale brown; a silvery shade along the median line; the head silvery except above; belly golden; fins all pale. In life the upper parts are olive green and the sides silvery. Males in the breeding condition in spring have prickles on the snout and the forehead; gill covers and dorsal base with a rosy flush. The name d i 1 e c t u s means delightful. The rosy-faced minnow, though reaching a length of only 3 inches or less, is a very beautiful fish. It is abundant in the Ohio valley and extends westward to Nebraska. This is the Alburnellus rubrifrons of Cope. The U. S. Fish Commission collections of 1894 contain this minnow from Salt brook, 1£ miles above Nine Mile point June 11, Mill creek, Sacket Harbor July 2, Wart creek July 24, Sandy creek, North Hamlin Aug. 20. Evermann and Bean secured it in abundance in Racquette river, Norfolk, July 18, 1894, and they had a few specimens from Scioto creek, Coopersville, July 19, 1894. 90 Notropis amoenus (Abbott) Alburn ell us amaenus ABBOTT, Amer. Nat. VIII, 334, 1874. Raritan River, N. J. Notropis amoenus JORDAN, Bull. U. S. Fish Com. XIII, 102, 1891; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 296, 1806. Head four; depth five and one third (four and three fourths to five and one half) ; eye three and one third. D. 8; A. 10. Scales FISHES OF NEW YORK 151 6-39-3. Close toN'otropis rubrifrons, but the scales before dorsal smaller, asinN. photogenis. Body elon- gate, compressed; eye large, longer than snout; mouth large, oblique, the jaws subequal, the maxillary reaching to below front of eye; 22 to 25 (rarely 18 to 20) scales before dorsal; lateral line much decurved; dorsal high, placed behind ventrals; pectorals moderate. Translucent green, sides silvery, with sometimes a faint plumbeous band ending in an obscure plum- beous spot. Length 3f inches. Clear streams east of the Alleghanies from the Raritan to the Neuse; abundant; formerly confounded with N. photogenis, of which it may be a variety. (After Jordan and Evermann) Eugene Smith1 says it is perhaps a variety of N. photo- genis (Cope). Abbott mentions it from the Raritan river, near New Brunswick N. J. 91 Notropis umbratilis lythrurus Jordan Redfin Notropis lythnints JORDAN, Proc. TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 476, 1884. HypsUepis diplaemia COPE, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 162. 1867. Minnilus diplaemius JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 197, 1883. Luxilus lucidus GIRARD, Pacific R. E. Surv. Fishes, 282, pi. LX, figs. 9-12, 1858. Notemigonus lucidus JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 249, 1883. Notropis lythrurus MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 307, 1888. Notropis umbratilis lythrurus JORDAN & EVERMANN Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 300, 1896. Head four and one fourth; depth four to four and one half; eye three to four. D. 7; A. 11. Scales 9-40 to 52-3; teeth 2, 4-4, 2. Body compressed, the caudal peduncle long; head long, conical, rather pointed; mouth large, moderately oblique, the premaxillary on level of pupil, the maxillary reaching to below eye; lower jaw somewhat projecting; eye moderate, about equal to muzzle; scales closly imbricated, crowded anteriorly, about 30 before dorsal; dorsal fin high, inserted about midway be- tween ventrals and anal; pectorals not reaching ventrals; . Soc. N. Y. Proc. 1S97. no. 9, p. 18. 152 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ventrals reaching to vent; caudal fin long. Coloration dark steel blue above; pale or silvery below; a more or less evident black spot at base of dorsal in front; the fins otherwise all plain. Males with the anterior dorsal region and the head profusely covered with small whitish tubercles, the belly and lower fins being of a bright brick red in the spring. Females very pale olive, sometimes almost colorless. Length 3^ inches. Minne- sota to western New York (Cayuga lake), North Carolina, Ala- bama, and Kansas; generally abundant in small, clear streams. (After Jordan and Evermann) Dr Meek took a single specimen from a small stream near the Montezuma dry dock. Genus RHINICHTHYS Agassiz Body moderately elongate and little compressed, with usually stout caudal peduncle and long, conical nose; head rather large, sometimes broad and flat above; eye small; mouth small, sub- inferior, the upper jaw fixed by the union of the upper lip to the skin of the forehead; end of maxillary with a small barbel. Teeth 2, 4-4, 2 (sometimes 2, 4-4, 1) those of the principal row usually hooked, without grinding surface. A short intestinal • •anal; scales very small; lateral line decurved, continuous; dorsal origin slightly behind ventral; base of anal short. Small fishes inhabiting clear, cold brooks and streams. 92 Rhinichthys cataractae (Cuv. & Val.) Long Nosed Dace; Niagara Gudgeon G-obio cula nu-t ac CrviER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVI, 315, pi. -is:: (pour), 1842 (specimen 5 inches long, from Niagara Falls, N. 1., Milbert); DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 394; 1842. (After Cuvier and Valenciennes) Leuciscus iiasutus AYRES, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 299, pi. XIII, fig. 3 (very bad), 1844. West Hartford, Conn. Specimen 514 inches long. Rhinichthys marmoratus AGASSIZ, Lake Superior, 354, pi. 2, figs. 1-2, 1850; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 189, 1868. Rhinichthys iiasutus GUNTHER, op. cit. VII, 189. Argyreus nasiitus COPE, Cypr. Penna. 369, pi. XII, fig. 5, 1866. Geratichthys cataractae GUNTHER, op. cit. VII, 176, 1878. Rhinichthys cataractae JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 207, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 46, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 306, 1896. FISHES OF NEW YORK 153 The long nosed dace has a moderately elongate body, with short and stout caudal peduncle and a moderate sized head. The greatest depth is contained four and two thirds times in the total length without caudal; the least depth of the caudal peduncle eight and one half times. The width of the body equals the combined length of snout and eye. The length of the head is one fourth of the total without caudal and three times the length of the snout. The eye is placed high, one fifth to one quarter as long as the head and about two thirds as long as the interorbital width. The mouth is horizontal, small, placed under the snout, the lower jaw the shorter, the upper lip thick and provided with a small barbel at each end. The maxilla reaches to below the posterior nostril. The dorsal origin is above the 23d scale of the lateral line, and the ventral origin is under the 20th. The dorsal base is one half, and the longest ray four fifths as long as the head. The ventral reaches a little beyond the vent and almost to the anal origin. The pectoral reaches nearly or quite to the origin of the ventral, being longer in males. The anal origin is under the 34th scale of the lateral line and a little behind the end of the dorsal. The anal base is one half, the longest ray three fourths as long as the head. The caudal is comparatively large and well forked. The lateral line drops gently downward in a short curve over the pectoral and becomes median over that fin. I), ii, 7; A. ii, 6; V. 8; P. 12. Scales 13-57 to 65-10; teeth 2, 4-4, 2, three of the principal row hooked. Length of the specimen described (no. 8505, U. S. National Museum) 3^ inches. In spirits the color is brown mottled with grayish; the under surface of head sharply defined and pale; the fins all pale. Breeding males in spring have the lips, cheeks and lower fins crimson. The sides are without a black lateral band, which is characteristic of the black nosed species. The general color is olivaceous or dark green with the lower parts paler. The back is nearly black. Some of the scales are mottled with dark and olivaceous. The young have a trace of a dusky lateral band. The fish reaches the length of 5£ inches. 154 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The long nosed dace or Niagara gudgeon is found in New England and the Middle states, and in the Great lakes region in clear, cold water. In Pennsylvania, according to Cope, it is limited to the rapids and swift waters of the eastern part of the state. Evermann and Bean collected 50 specimens in Saranac river, Plattsburg N. Y. July 28, 1894, but did not find it in the St Lawrence river or in the Lake Ontario tributaries. Though Dr Meek obtained no specimens of this species from Cayuga lake basin, he believes it a member of the fauna, as it is common in the streams south of Ithaca near Van Ettenville, Chemung co. N. Y. The long nosed dace frequents rapids and rocky pools, and is associated in mountain regions with the brook trout. Its move- ments are swift and powerful and it is a very shapely little fish. As a bait for the black bass it is scarcely surpassed. 93 Rhinichthys atronasus (Mitchill) Black Nosed Dace; Brook Minnow Cyprinus atronasus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 460, 1815. (Wallkill River; Fresh-water trout brooks of New York); Amer. Month. Mag. I, 289, Aug. 1817. Mud-fish, from Wallkill Creek. Cyprinus vittatus RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 121, Dec. 1817. Hudson River above the falls. Leuciscus atronasus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 205, pi. 23, fig. 69, 1842. RJiiniclitliys atronasus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 191, 186S; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 208, 1883; MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 308, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 47, pi. 23, fig. 39, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 307, 1896. Aryyreus atronasus STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 122, pi. XXI, fig. 4, 1867. The black nosed dace has a moderately long and stout body, with a broad back, and rather small conical head. The greatest depth of the body is contained four and one fourth to four and one half times in the total length without caudal. The least depth of the caudal peduncle equals one half greatest depth of body. The head is one fourth as long as the fish to caudal base; its width is about one half its length and the snout nearly one third to two sevenths. The eye is as long as the snout and much less than width of interorbital space. The mouth is small, FISHKS OF NEW YORK 155 slightly oblique and with nearly equal jaws; the maxillary bar- bel small or wanting; the maxilla reaches to below the front edge of the posterior nostril. The dorsal origin is nearer to root of caudal than to tip of snout, over the 26th scale of the lateral line. The length of the base is contained two and one third times in that of the head, and the longest ray equals length of head without snout. The ventral origin is slightly in advance of the dorsal origin, and the fin extends to the vent. The pectoral reaches to the 16th scale of the lateral line. In breeding males it is greatly thickened. The anal origin is behind the end of the dorsal base, under the 34th scale of the lateral line; the fin is variable in length with sex and age, some- times five sixths as long as the head. The caudal is small and not deeply forked. The lateral line curves downward over the pectoral, soon becoming median. D. ii, 6 or 7; A. ii, 6; V. 8; P. 11. Scales 10-56 to 63-10; teeth 2, 4-4, 2, three of the prin- cipal row strongly hooked. Length of the specimens described (no. 33984, U. S. National Museum) 2| to 3 inches. In spirits the upper parts are brown and are separated from the silvery lower parts by a dark lateral band, as wide as the short diame- ter of the eye and continued on the snout. Breeding males in spring have the lateral band and the lower fins crimson, run- ning into orange in summer. In the young the dark median band extends on the tail fin. The black nosed dace or " rockfish " is represented in our waters by two forms, one of which is found in the eastern part of the Great lakes region and from Maine to Virginia; this is replaced in the upper lake region and in the Ohio valley, south- ward to Georgia and Alabama, by the blunt nosed variety, Ehinichthys obtusus of Agassiz. The species grows to-the length of 3 inches. The collections of the U. S. Fish Commission in the Lake Onta- rio region contained this species from a great many localities: Cape Vincent, Great Sodus bay, Sacketts Harbor, Stony Island, Grenadier island, Oswego, Buena Vista, Belleville, Pulaski, Wart creek, Huntingtonville, Henderson bay, and Webster. The 156 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM fish were taken in June, July and August and were rather com- mon in most places. Everinann and Bean took one example in the St Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdensburg, July 17, 1894; they secured eight specimens in the Saranac, at Plattsburg, July 28, 1894. According to Dr Meek it is common near Ithaca in all streams above and below the falls; but was not found by him near Mon- tezuma. Mitchill described the fish from fresh-water brooks of New York containing trout, chiefly from the Wallkill, where Rafmesque also knew of its occurrence. De Kay states its hab- itat to be clear, fresh-water streams and rivulets of New York and adjoining states. Eugene Smith found it associated with darters, blobs and small minnows in the vicinity of New York city. This fish prefers clear small brooks. Swift and active in its movements and beautiful in colors, it is one of the most inter- esting inhabitants of the waters in which it lives. In the aqua- rium Eugene Smith observed it to eat voraciously of animal food and to be more hardy than any other minnow. • Genus HYBOPSIS Agassiz Body robust, or variously elongate; mouth terminal or in- ferior, with lips thin or somewhat fleshy, a conspicuous barbel always present and terminal on the maxillary; a second barbel sometimes present on each side; prernaxillaries protractile. Teeth 4-4, or 1, 4-4, 1, or 0; hooked, the grinding surface narrow or obsolete. Scales usually rather large; lateral line continu- ous. Dorsal inserted over, in front of, or slightly behind ven- trals; anal basis short. Males usually with nuptial tubercles, and sometimes flushed writh red. A large and varied group, closely allied to N o t r o p i s, from which it differs chiefly in the presence of the small maxillary barbel. (After Jordan and Evermann) FISHES OF NEW YORK 157 Subgenus ERIJIYSTAX Jordan 94 Hybopsis dissimilis (Kir tl and) Spotted SMner Luxilus dissimilis KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. Ill, 341, pi. IV, fig. 2, 1841. Ceraticlitliys dissimilis COPE, Cypr. Penna. 368, pi. 12, fig. 1, 18C6; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 177, 1868; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull, 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 215, 1883. Hifbopsis dissimilis JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 29, 1885; BEAN. Fishes Penn:i. 48, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. :!1S, 1S96. The spotted shiner has a long and slender body, its greatest depth being nearly one fifth of the total length without the caudal. The caudal peduncle is long and low, its least depth two fifths of greatest depth of body. The width of the body equals two thirds of its depth. The head is moderately large, its length one fourth of the total without the caudal. The snout is long but obtusely rounded at the point, its length one and one half times the diameter of the eye, which is two sevenths of the length of the head. The mouth is small, in- ferior, horizontal, the maxilla reaching to below the anterior nostril and with a small barbel at its hind end. The gill open- ings are separated by a very broad isthmus. The dorsal begins over the 16th scale of the lateral line and sliglilly in advance of the ventral; the dorsal base is one half as long as the head; the longest ray is as long as the head without the snout; the last ray is as long as the snout. The ventral reaches to the vent, its length one seventh of the total without the caudal. The pectoral reaches to below the 13th scale of the lateral line. The anal origin is under the 27th scale of the lateral line; the anal base is short, equaling the diameter of the eye; the longest ray is as long as the ventral; the last ray is one third as long as the head. The caudal is moderately large and deeply forked, the middle rays one half as long as the external rays. The lateral line is nearly straight and median. D. ii, 8; A. ii, 6; V. 7; P. 15. Scales 6-43-5; teeth 4-4, hooked and with a short grinding surface. In spirits the back is brown, the lower parts are whitish, and the sides are broadly striped with silvery. In 158 XEW YORK STATE MUSEUM life the lateral stripe is bluish and overlaid with dusky spots and is continued forward through the eye around the snout. The fins are pale. The specimen described, no. 36746, U. S. National Museum, from AYhite River Ind., is 3.1 inches long. The spotted shiner occurs in the Great lakes region and Ohio valley southward to Kentucky and west to Iowa. It is abun- «/ «•• dant in creeks of western Pennsylvania. Kirtland had the spe- cies from the Mahoning river and from Lake Erie. The spe- cies is most common in the Great lakes and in the channels of large streams, and does not run into small brooks. It is a ready biter and is caught in large numbers by hook fishing. It is useful as bait, being employed with minnows to bait the hooks on " set lines." The species grows to the length of 6 inches, and derives its name from the bluish baud along the sides which is inter- rupted so as to form spots. The sides are bright silvery in color and the fins unspotted. The body is long and slender. Subgenus HYBOPSIS Agassiz 95 Hybopsis storerianus (Kirtland) Lake Minnow Rutilus storerianus KIRTLAND, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. I, 71, 1842. (Lake Erie) Leuciscus storeriamis KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 30, pi. 9, fig. 2, 1847; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 250, 1868. Ceraticlitliys luccns JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 213, 1883. Cliola storeriana JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 173, 1883. Hybopsis storeriamis JORDAN, Oat. Fish. N. A. 28, 1885; JORDAN & EVEB- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 321, 1896. Body elongate, compressed, the dorsal outline ascending grad- ually to origin of dorsal, thence descending to the caudal fin; head short, compressed, its length four and one third in total without caudal; depth of body one fourth total; eye equal to snout, one third length of head; interorbital space broad, flat, somewhat grooved, its width about equal to eye; preorbital bone large, oblong, conspicuous, silvery; mouth rather small, horizontal, the lower jaw included; edge of premaxillary below level of eye; maxillary not reaching to front of orbit; barbel FISHES OF NEW YORK 150 conspicuous; snout boldly and abruptly decurvod, I lie lip thick- ened, forming a sort of pad; lateral line somewhat decurved. Rows of scales along back converging behind dorsal, where the upper series run out, as in N o t r o p i s c o r n u t u s . Fins rather higher and more falcate than in H. k e n t u c k i e n s i s : dorsal fin inserted well forward, over ventrals; pectoral fins pointed, not reaching ventrals; ventrals not reaching vent; caudal long, deeply forked. Teeth usually 1, 4-4, 0, hooked, without grinding surface. Translucent greenish above; sides and below brilliantly silvery; cheeks and opercles with a bright silvery luster; fins plain; a slight plumbeous lateral shade; no caudal spot; no red. Length 5 to 10 inches. Lake Erie to Nebraska and eastern Wyoming, Tennessee, and Arkansas; abundant in the larger streams, specially in Iowa. (After Jor- dan and Evermann) Kirtland found the lake minnow only in Lake Erie, where it was frequently taken with seines in fishing for other species. The U. S. Fish Commission recently added it to the fauna of the Lake Ontario basin, three specimens having been collected in Long pond, Charlotte, Aug. 17, 1894. Subgenus NOCOMIS Girard 9G Hybopsis kentuckiensis (Rafinesque) Horned Chub; River Chub Luxilus kentuckiensis RAFIXESQUE. Ichth. Ohien. 48, 1820. Semotilus Mguttatiis KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. Ill, 344, pi. Y, fig. 1, 1841. Leuciscus Uguttatus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 214 (estralimital), 1842. Ccratichtliys Uguttatus COPE, Cypr. Penna. 366, pi. 11, fig. 5, 1866; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 178, 1868; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16. U. S. Nat. Mus. 212, 1883. Ceralu-litlnjs micropogon JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16. U. S. Nat. Mus. 212, 1883. Hybopsis kentuckiensis BEAN, Fishes Penna. 49, pi. 24, fig. 40, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 322, 1896. Body stout and rather short, its greatest depth nearly equal to length of head and one fourth of total length without caudal ; snout long and obtuse, its length rather more than one third 100 MOW YORK STATE MUSEUM length of head, aiid nearly twice diameter of eye; mouth large and placed low, the maxilla reaching to below front of eye, the lower jaw shorter than upper; dorsal origin slightly nearer to root of caudal than to tip of snout, its base one half as long as the head and two thirds as long as its longest ray; ventral under front part of dorsal, its length equal to dorsal base; anal origin under 24th scale of lateral line, longest anal ray about one seventh of total to caudal base, pectoral two thirds as long as head, and reaching to below 13th scale of lateral line; caudal moderately forked. D. iii, 7; A. iii, 6. Scales G-40 to 45-5. Color bluish olive, the head darker; green and coppery reflections on the sides. Fins pale orange, pinkish in spring; lower parts white. Breeding males have the top of head swollen into a crest and covered with coarse tubercles, from which arises the name horned chub; they have also some- times a red spot on each side of head. The young have a broad dark median band and a dusky spot at the base of the tail fin. Kafinesque states that the fish is known as Indian chub, red- tail and shiner. Other names in eastern localities are nigger chub, river chub, jerker, horned dace and horny-head. The species ranges from Pennsylvania westward to Dakota and south to Alabama. In Pennsylvania it is common in the Susquehanna and the Ohio basin, but absent from the Dela- ware. Dr Meek collected a few specimens at Montezuma N. Y. and found none in any of the other localities investigated. Eugene Smith refers to this species two specimens of fish from the Passaic river. The flesh of his fish appeared to be very soft. The horned chub abounds in large rivers and is rarely seen in small brooks. This minnow grows to a length of 10 inches and is good for food. As a bait for the black bass the young horned chub, because of its endurance on a hook, can not be excelled. Genus COVESIUS Jordan Body elongate; head normal, not depressed, the profile con- vex; mouth terminal, normal, a well developed barbel on the anterior side of maxillary, just above its tip. Teeth 2, 4-4, 2, FISHES OF XF:W YORK 161 hook CM!, without grinding surface1. Scales rather small; lateral line continuous. Dorsal fin over or slightly behind ventrals; anal basis short. Size rather large. This genus is closely re- lated to the section N o c o m i s under H j b o p s i s , from which it may be separated by the presence of two teeth in the lesser row, by the position of the barbel, and by I he smaller scales. Its relations with S e in o t i 1 u s are equally close. The species are not well known. (After Jordan) 97 Couesius plumbeus (Agassiz) Lake Chub: Plumbeous Minnow; Morse Lake Minnow GoUo pliuiibcus AGASSIZ, Lake Superior, 366, 1850. Cerfttirltilnifi prostJiauius COPE, Cypr. Peuua. 365, pi. XI, fig. 4, 1866. CeraHclitliys plinnbeus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish, Brit. Mus. VII, 176, 1868. i* rtixxiiiiilifi JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 218, 1S83, in part. profitJicmiiis JORDAX & GILBERT, op. cit. 219, 1883; MATHER, App. 12th Rep. Adirondack Surv. 30, 1886. Couesius pliniibcits JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 323, 1896. Body moderately elongate and somewhat compressed; great- est depth four and one half to four and two thirds in total length without caudal, and equal to length of head; head rather flat above, not much raised above the level of the eyes; inter- orbital space nearly one and one half times long diameter of eye, which equals snout and is one fourth length of head; head four and one third in total without caudal; maxillary reaching to below front of orbit, a small barbel placed high at its tip, lower jaw well included. Scales small, smaller in advance of dorsal fin. Lateral line beginning high up on the nape, abruptly descending to the median line over the pectoral fin, and thence running nearly straight to the caudal fin. Dorsal origin mid- way between tip of snout and base of caudal fin,, over middle of ventral base, longest ray two thirds of head, length of base one half of head; ventral scarcely longer than dorsal base, the fin not reaching vent; longest anal ray equal to ventral, base of anal two fifths of head; pectoral reaching to 18th scale of lateral line; caudal deeply forked, its upper lobe two ninths of total without caudal. D. 8; A. 8. Scales 13-65-8; teeth 2, 4-4, 162 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 2. Brown above; sides somewhat silvery, abruptly separated from the dusky upper parts; snout and top of head back as far as hind border of eye, dusky; fins plain. Length 7 inches. Streams and lakes from Lake Superior east to the Adirondack region and Canada; more common northward. Here described from specimens from Beaver river, Herkimer co. N. Y., and Lake Lomond, near St John N. B. Mather had specimens from Morse lake, in the Adirondacks, and it is reported also from Seventh lake, Fulton Chain. The species is known from Lake Superior east to the Adirondacks and New Brunswick. Agassiz had it from Lake Huron as well as Lake Superior. Genus EXOGLOSSUM Rafinesque Body rather short and stout, subterete; lower jaw three- lobed, the dentary bones being close together and completely united, not forming a wide arch as in the minnows generally; upper jaw not protractile; pharyngeal bones small, the teeth hooked, and without grinding surface, 1, 4-4, 1. Scales moder- ate; lateral line complete. Dorsal origin is nearly over the be- ginning of the ventral; anal fin short; isthmus broad; gill rakers weak; pseudobranchiae present; air bladder normal; alimentary canal short; peritoneum white. Size large. No marked sexual peculiarities; the males with some black pigment in spring. 98 Exoglossum maxillingua (Le Sueur) Cut-lips; Niggei* Gliub Cyprinus maxilUngiia LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 85, 1817, Pipe Creek, Maryland. Exoglossum annitlatum RAFINESQUE, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 421, 1818. Hudson River. /•:.rr)(//os\»»(. itittrexcens RAFINESQUE, op. cit. I, 421, 1818. Lake Champlnin. l-:.rn(/!<>ssinn rilhi/inn RAFINESQUE, op. cit. I, 421, ISIS. Hudson River. ExoylOMiim iiifi.fillinf/na AGASSIZ, Amer. Jour. Sci. Arts, XIX, 215, 1855; COPE, Cypr. Peuna. 360, pi. XI, fig. 1, 1866; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 1SS, 1868; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 160, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 36, pi. 22, fig. 36, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 327, 1896, pi. LIV, fig. 140, head below. The cut-lips has a stout, short and thick body, its greatest hight nearly equal to the length of the head, and one fourth of FISHES OF NEW YORK 1G3 the total without caudal. The caudal peduncle is short and deep, its least depth about one half the head. The snout is short and obtusely conical, its length somewhat greater than the eye and nearly equal to one third of the head. The maxilla reaches to below the nostrils, its length equaling that of the snout. Head four and one fifth in total to base of caudal. The dorsal origin is nearly over the ventral origin and in the vertical through the 23d scale of the lateral line. The dorsal base is about one half as long as the head, and its longest ray equals twice the distance from the dorsal origin to middle of eye. The pectoral is about as long as the longest dorsal ray, and the ventral reaches to the anal origin. The base of the anal is one half as long as the longest anal ray. The caudal is moderately forked. D. 8; A. 7. Scales 9-54-6; teeth 1, 4-4, 1. Length of specimen described, 4f inches; from Takorna Park D. C. Color brown or olivaceous, darker above; a short and narrow dark bar above root of pectoral; young with a dusky bar at the caudal base. Fins dusky, their extremities pale. The cut-lips may be readily distinguished by the three-lobed lower jaw, the dentary bones being closely united and the lower lip represented by a fleshy lobe on each side of the mandible. The cut-lips is known also as chub, butter chub, nigger chub, and day chub. It is a very common species in the Susquehanna and its tributaries. Its range is not extensive, reaching only from western New York to Virginia. In New York it occurs in Lake Ontario, the St Lawrence, Lake Chaniplain, Cayuga lake, and the Hudson river. The U. S. Fish Commission has it from the following New York localities in the Lake Ontario basin: Mouth Salmon river, Selkirk. Big Sandy creek, Belleville. Wart creek, Buena Vista. Little Stony brook, Henderson bay. Big Stony creek, Henderson Harbor. Spring brook, Pulaski. Black river, Huntingtonville. All of these were obtained in July, 1894. Everniann and Bean collected it also in the St Lawrence, 3 miles below Ogdensburg, 164 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM July 17, 1894, and in Scioto creek, Coopersville and Saranac river, Plattsburg, July 19, 1894. Dr Meek found it in small numbers in Six Mile creek and Fall creek below the falls. It inhabits clear running water. The fish grows to the length of 6 inches and may be at once distinguished from all of the other minnows by its three-lobed lower jaw. It is believed that this singular structure of the mouth enables the fish to scrape niollusks from their hold on rocks, as its stomach usually contains small shellfish. It takes the hook readily. Genus CARASSIUS Nilsson This genus differs from Cyprinus in being without barbels; its pharyngeal teeth are compressed, in a single series, 4-4. Temperate Asia and Europe. Domesticated and degenerated into numerous varieties. (After Giinther) Pharyngeal teeth spatulate, four in a row on each side; mouth terminal, without barbels; base of the dorsal fin elon- gate; anal fin short; both fins with a spine which is serrated behind. (After Heckel and Kner) Body oblong, compressed and elevated; mouth terminal, with- out barbels; teeth 4-4, molar, but compressed; scales large; lateral line continuous; dorsal fin very long, with the third ray developed into a stout spine, which is serrated behind; anal short with a similar spine; ventrals well forward. (After Nilsson) 99 Carassius auratus (Linnaeus) Goldfish (Introduced) Cyprinus auratus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 322, 1758; CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVI, 101. 1842; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 190, 1S42; STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 115, pi. XXI, fig. 1, 1867. Carassius auratus BLEEKER, Syst. Cypr. rev. Ned. Tijclschr. Dierk. I, 255, 1863; Atlas Ichth. Cypr. 74, 1863; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 32, 1S68; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 253, 1883; GOODE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, pi. 231, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 54, pi. 25, fig. 43, 1893; JORDAN & EVEBMANN, Check List Fish. N. A. 512, 1896. The body of the goldfish is oblong, stout, with the back ele- vated and compressed. Its depth at dorsal origin is contained FISHES OF NEW YORK 165 about two and one half times in the total length without the tail; the head is contained three and one third times in this length. The head is small in front of eye, being depressed on snout, and the dorsal profile from tip of snout to dorsal fin is very steep. The rather small eye equals one fifth or less of length of head. Mouth terminal, oblique, rather small, the maxilla not reaching the vertical from front of eye. No barbels. Teeth compressed, 4-4. The dorsal fin is high and long, com- mencing over the seventh scale of the lateral line and running back to near the caudal; its longest rays, first and second, a little longer than the spine, equal to one half of depth of body, or length of head from pupil to its posterior end. From the third to the last the rays gradually decrease in size, the last being less than half the length of the longest. The first dorsal spine is minute, one fourth the length of second, which is strong and coarsely serrated. The anal is short, the length of its base being but two thirds the length of its longest rays; first spine small, one third the length of second, which is stout and ser- rated. Pectoral fin broad and rounded, its length three fifths of that of head, or equal to longest anal ray. It reaches to ventral, which is placed well forward. Caudal fin large; scales large, deeper than long; lateral line median, complete, almost straight. D. II, 18; A. II, 7; V. 9. Scales 5-30-6. The specimen described is from the fish ponds, at Washington D. C. Length S inches. The common goldfish or silverfish is a native of Asia, whence it was introduced into Europe and from there into America, where it is now one of the commonest aquarium fishes and is extremely abundant in many of our streams. In Pennsylvania it abounds in the Delaware and Schuylkill river. I)e Kay made the following remarks about the goldfish, or golden carp, as he styles it. The golden carp, or goldfish, as it is more generally called, was introduced from China into Europe in the early part of the 17th century, and probably shortly after found its way to this country. They breed freely in ponds in this and the adjoining states. They are of no use as an article of food, but are kept 166 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM in glass vases as an ornament to the parlor and drawing-room. They are said to display an attachment to their owners, and a limited obedience to their commands. They are introduced into lakes, ponds, fountains and reser- voirs generally. An individual was kept in a fountain at 42d street and 5th avenue, New York, by Patrick Walsh nine years, and was then presented to the aquarium. At the Cold Spring Harbor hatchery, L. I., several varieties were hatched from the same lot of eggs. These included the normal form, the typical fantail, and one which was so deep- bodied that it could scarcely balance itself in swimming. The goldfish in the New York aquarium were never troubled by fungus or parasites. In many of our streams and ponds, the goldfish has run wild, and hundreds of the olivaceous type will be secured to one of a red color. In the fauna of the moraine ponds and in quarry holes, the goldfish stands first. It will breed in foul water where only catfish and dogfish [Umbra] can be found. Eugene Smith The goldfish is extremely variable in color and form. It is usually orange, or mottled with black and orange, yet in some streams, and even in pond culture, silvery individuals are often more common than any of the mottled varieties. The species grows to the length of 12 inches. It spawns early in the spring and is subject to many dangers and is attacked by numerous enemies. The fish, however, is extremely hardy, prolific, and tenacious of life. Genus CYPRIMJS Linnaeus Body robust, compressed, resembling that of the buffalo fish; mouth moderate, anterior, with four long barbels; snout blunt, rounded; teeth molar, broad and truncate, 1, 1, 3-3, 1, 1; scales large; lateral line continuous; dorsal fin very long, with a stout spine, serrated behind; anal fin short, also with a spine. Large fishes of the fresh waters of Asia; introduced into Europe and America as food fishes. It has been generally introduced into private ponds in nearly all parts of the United States; from these it has escaped into the streams and lakes, and is now an FISHES OF NEW YORK 167 abundant fish in most of our larger, warmer rivers and in the ponds and bayous of the Mississippi valley. On the south shore of Lake Erie (and in the Mississippi near Quincy 111. and the Delaware river) it has become well established and is of con- siderable commercial importance. (After Jordan and Evermann) 100 Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus Carp (Introduced) Cyprinus carpio LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. eel. X, I, 320, 1758; CUVIER & VAL- ENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVI, 23, 1842; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 188, 1842; HECKEL & KNER, Siissw. Fische, 54, fig. 21, 1858; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 25, 1868; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 10, U. S. Nat. Mus. 254, 1883; GOODE, Fish. & Fish. U. S. I, pi. 230, Leather carp, 1884; American Fishes, 411, figure, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 55, pi. 1, colored, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMAXN, Check- List Fishes N. A. 512, 1896. The carp has a stout and moderately elongate body and a small head. The greatest depth equals one third of the length without the caudal fin. The length of the head is nearly one fourth of the total to the base of the tail. The caudal peduncle is about two fifths as deep as the body, and the caudal fin is strongly forked. The eye diameter is contained six and one half times in the length of the head. The mouth is moderate, the upper jaw not extending to front of eye. The dorsal begins at a distance from tip of snout equal to twice length of head; the length of its base equals twice length of pectoral; the long- est ray equals length of head withouf the snout; the last ray is two fifths as long as the head. The anal begins under the 15th ray of the dorsal; its longest ray is two thirds as long as the head and more than twice as long as the last ray; the length of its base is about two fifths of length of head. The ventral begins under the second ray of the dorsal; its length nearly equals longest dorsal ray. The pectoral is nearly one fifth of total length without the caudal. The long spines of the dorsal and anal are strongly serrate along their hinder edges. A bar- bel on the upper lip and another at the angle of the mouth on each side; the longest barbel about equal to diameter of eye. Three varieties are recognized, the scale, the mirror and the 168 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM leather carp, based chiefly on the scaling of the body. The leather carp is nearly naked, and is said to be the best variety; the mirror carp has a few large scales irregularly placed; and the scale variety has the body completely scaled. The color is olivaceous, varying into dusky and blue. In the leather carp the lower parts are more or less suffused with yellowish. D. Ill, 20; A. Ill, 5; V. I, 7; P. 15. Scales 5-38-5. The carp is a native of Asia and has been introduced into Europe and America as a food fish, chiefly for pond culture. It thrives in all warm and temperate parts of the United States and reaches its best condition in open waters. In Texas it has grown to a length of 23 inches in 11 months after planting. The leather variety is most hardy for transportation. Mr Hessel has taken the carp in the Black and Caspian seas; salt water seems not to be objectionable to it, and it will live in stagnant pools, though its flesh will be decidedly inferior in such waters. The carp hibernates in winter except in warm latitudes, takes no food and does not grow; its increase in size in temperate latitudes occurs only from May to August. Reproduction. The spawning season begins in May and con- tinues in some localities till August. A carp weighing 4 to 5 pounds, according to Mr Hessel, yields from 400,000 to 500,000 eggs; the scale carp contains rather more than the other varie- ties. During the spawning the fish frequently rise to the sur- face, the female accompanied by two or three males. The female drops the eggs at intervals during a period of some days or weeks in shallow water on aquatic plants. The eggs adhere in lumps to plants, twigs and stones. The hatching period varies from 12 to 16 days. Size. According to Hessel the average weight of a carp at three years is from 3 to 3^ pounds; with abundance of food it will increase more rapidly in weight. The carp continues to add to its circumference till its 35th year, and in the southern parts of Europe Mr Hessel has seen individuals weighing 40 pounds and measuring 3^ feet in length and 2f feet in circum- ference. A carp weighing 67 pounds and with scales 2| inches PISHES OF NEW YORK 109 in diameter was killed in the Danube in 1853. There is a record of a giant specimen of 90 pounds from Lake Zug in Switzer- land. Examples weighing 24 pounds have been caught recently in the Potomac river at Washington D. C. Food. The carp lives principally on vegetable food, prefera- bly the seeds of water plants such as the water lilies, wild rice and water oats. It will eat lettuce, cabbage, soaked barley, wheat, rice, corn, insects and their larvae, worms and meats of various kinds. It can readily be caught with dough, grains of barley or wheat, worms, maggots, wasp larvae, and sometimes with pieces of beef or fish. During the summer of 1897 two female leather carp died in captivity as a result of retention of the eggs. Large individuals are found in Prospect park lake. Brooklyn, where the specie® was introduced. The food of the fish in cap- tivity includes hard clam, earthworms, wheat, corn, lettuce and cabbage. Its growth is remarkable. A leather carp has fully doubled its weight in one year. Linnaeus says the carp was introduced into England about the year 1600. De Kay places the first introduction into New York waters in the year 1831 and publishes a letter of Henry Eobinson, Newburg, Orange co., who brought them from France, reared and bred them successfully in his ponds, and planted from one dozen to two dozen annually in the Hudson dur ing the four years preceding his letter. Mr Robinson stated that they increased greatly and were frequently taken by fisher- men in their nets. Order APODES Eels Suborder EXCHBLYCEPHALI Family AT^OITII^LIDAE True Eels Genus AX<;I'IL,L,.\ Shaw Body elongate, subterete, compressed posteriorly, covered with small, linear, embedded scales which are placed obliquely, some of them at right angles to others; lateral line well devel- 170 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM oped; head long, conical, pointed; eye small, well forward, over the angle of the mouth; teeth small, villiform, subequal, in bands on each jaw and a long patch on the vomer; tongue free at tip; lips rather full, with a free margin behind, attached by a frenum in front; lower jaw projecting; gill openings rather small, slit- like, about as wide as base of pectorals and partly below them; nostrils superior, well separated, the anterior with a slight tube; vent close in front of anal; dorsal inserted at some distance from the head, confluent with the anal around the tail; pectorals well developed. Species found in most warm seas (the eastern Pacific excepted) ascending streams, but mostly spawning in the sea. (After Jordan and Evermann) 101 Anguilla chrysypa Rafinesque Eel Anguilla chrisypa RAFINESQUE, Arner. Month. Mag. II, 120, Dec. 1817. Lake George; Lake Champlain; Hudson River above the falls. Anguilla vulgaris MITCHIIX, Trans. Lit. and Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 360, 1815; GOODE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, pi. 239, 1884. Muraena bostoniensis LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat Sci. Phila. 81, 1821. Anguilla tyrannus GIRARD, Ichth. U. S. Mex. Bdy. Surv. 75, pi. 40, 1859. Anguilla blepliura RAFINESQUE, Ainer. Month. Mag. II, 120, Dec. 1817. South shores of Long Island. Muraena rostrata LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 81, 1821. Oayuga Lake. Anguilla tenuirostris DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 310, pi. 53, fig. 173, 1842. Anguilla rostrata DE KAY, op. cit. 312, 1842. Copied from Le Sueur. Lakes Cayuga and Geneva, N. Y.; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 361, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 95, pi. 30, fig. 58, 1893. Anguilla macrocephala DE KAY, op. cit. 313, 1842. After Le Sueur. Sara- toga Lake, N. Y. Anguilla bostoniensis STOREK, Hist. Fish. Mass. 214, pi. XXXIII, fig. 1,1867. Anguilla olirysypa, JORDAN & DAVIS, Rev. Apod. Fish. 668, 1892; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 348, 1896, pi. LV, fig. 143. In the eel the body is elongated, roundish throughout most of its extent, compressed behind. The scales are deeply embedded and very irregularly placed, some at right angles to others. The head is conical, elongated with pointed snout and small eye, except in the male. The lower jaw is longer than the upper. The jaws with small teeth in bands; a long patch of teeth on the vomer. The gill openings are partly below the FISHES OF NEW YORK 171 pectoral fins, small and slitlike. The beginning of the dorsal is at a distance of nearly twice the length of the head behind the gill opening. The anal begins still farther back, and the vent is close to its origin. The dorsal and anal fins are con- tinuous around the tail. Hight of body nearly two thirds the length of the head, which is contained about eight and one fourth times in the total. The distance from the gill opening to the vent equals two and one half times the length of the head. The color varies greatly, but is usually dark brown, more or less tinged with yellow; lower parts paler. In the male referred to the upper parts were silvery gray sharply separated from the satiny white of the abdomen. In the eel the lateral line is very distinct. The eel appears to have only one common name. It is one of the best known and most singular of our fishes, yet its breeding habits are even now enveloped in doubt. The species ascends the rivers of eastern North America from the Gulf of St Law- rence to Mexico, the former being the northern limit of the species on our coast. In the Ohio and Mississippi valleys it is extremely common, and its range has been much extended by the opening of canals and by artificial introduction. It has been transferred to the Pacific coast. The eel has been known to exceed a length of 4 feet. The average length of individuals however is about 2 feet. The female is larger than the male, paler in color, and is different in certain other particulars, which will be mentioned in the description of the species. This is a very important food fish. It is caught chiefly when descending the rivers in the fall. In 1809 about a ton of eels were caught in a single fish basket above Harrisburg. At the present time this method of capture is illegal. Both adults and young eels ascend the streams in spring, the young coming in millions, but in the fall run small eels are seldom seen. Till a comparatively recent date it was not certainly known that the eels have rggs which are developed outside of the body. Even now the breeding 172 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM habits are unknown, but it is supposed that spawning takes place late in the fall or during the winter near the mouths of rivers on muddy bottoms. Dr Jordan has expressed the belief that the eel sometimes breeds in fresh water, since he has found young eels less than an inch long in the headwaters of the Alabama river, about 500 miles from the sea. It is esti- mated that a large eel contains about 9,000,000 eggs. The eggs are very small, measuring about 80 to the inch, and can scarcely be seen by the naked eye. The difference of size in the sexes has already been referred to. According to one writer the males are much smaller than the females, rarely exceeding 15 or 16 inches in length. The question whether eels will breed in fresh water has an impor- tant bearing on their introduction into places from which they can not reach the sea. The generally accepted belief is that, while the eels will grow large and fat, they will not reproduce under such circumstances. When the eels meet obstructions in streams, they will leave the water and travel through wet grass or over moist rocks. They have not been able to surmount the falls of Niagara. At the foot of this barrier hundreds of wagon loads of young eels have been seen crawling over the rocks in their efforts to reach the upper waters. Dr Mitchill heard of an eel, which was caught in one of the south bays of Long Island, that weighed 16| pounds. He records the use of eelpots and the practice of bobbing, and also the winter fishing by spearing. Dr Mitchill states distinctly that the ovaries of eels may be seen like those of other fish, but they are often mistaken for masses of fat. Dr DeKay states that he had examined the silver eel of the fishermen and was disposed to consider it only a variety of the common eel. He charac- terizes it as " silvery gray above, with a clear, satiny white abdomen, separated from the color above by the lateral line." W<- found eels moderately common in Great South bay late in September. At Bellport thousands of eelpots are employed, and these are fastened to stakes which are set in straight lines FISHES OF NEW YORK 173 over a large extent of the bottom. These stakes project from four to six feet above the surface of the water. At Blue Point -cove, Great River beach and Fire Island we found five individuals •of a kind of eel known to the fishermen as silver eel. These were taken between September 25 and October 7, and they were the only ones of the kind seen by us. They attracted attention at once, both on account of their colors, large eyes, short snouts and long pectoral fins, as compared with the common form. There is still some doubt in my mind as to whether this represents a distinct species or not. It may be the silver eel, A n g u i 1 1 a a r g e n t e a , of Le Sueur, which is described as silvery gray above, separated from the silvery white abdomen by a distinct lateral line. But, to whatever species they may be referred, the greatest interest attaches to them because they have proved, •on examination by Prof. John A. Ryder, to be males with the generative glands so well developed as to leave no doubt con- cerning the sex of the individuals. Prof. Ryder has published a report on these specimens, with figures showing sections of the syrskian organs, and announces the fact that the male eel has now been positively indentified from at least two points along our eastern coast, the other locality being Woods Hole Mass. He felt little doubt that, if the eels had been taken a few weeks later, ripe spermatozoa would have been found in them, and he considers it probable that the eggs are cast some time during the months of December or January. The speci- mens from Woods Hole were taken in November 1881, and they show slightly larger syrskian organs than in the Fire island specimens. In captivity eels live many years. They delight to lie buried in the mud or sand with only their heads out, ready for anything edible to come within reach. Mussels and snails are picked out of the shells by them. (After Eugene Smith1) The eel in captivity is particularly liable to attacks of fungus, which do not always yield to treatment with salt or brackish Soc. X. Y. Proc. 1897. no. 9, p. 29. 174 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM water; but the parasite can be overcome by placing the eel in a poorly lighted tank. In Cayuga lake, N. Y., according to Dr Meek, the eel is not common, but is occasionally taken at each end of the lake. W. H. Ballon makes the following remarks about their feed- ing habits: They are among the most voracious and carnivorous fishes. They eat most inland fishes except the gar and the chub. . . They are particularly fond of game fishes, and show the delicate taste of a connoisseur in their selections from choice trout, bass, pickerel and shad. . . On their hunting excursions they overturn huge and small stones alike, working for hours if necessary, beneath which they find species of shrimp and crayfish, of which they are exceedingly fond. . . They are among the most powerful and rapid of swimmers. . . They attack the spawn of other fishes open-mouthed, and are even said to suck the eggs from an impaled female. . . They are owl- like in their habits, committing their depredations at night. Family Conger Eels Genus LEPTOCEPHAIAS (Gronow) Scopoli Body formed as in A n gu i 1 1 a ; no scales; head depressed above, anteriorly pointed; lateral line present; mouth wide, its cleft extending at least to below middle of eye; teeth in outer series in each jaw equal and close set, forming a cutting edge, no canines, band of vomerine teeth short, tongue anteriorly free; vertical fins well developed, confluent around the tail, pectoral fins well developed, dorsal beginning close behind pectorals; gill openings rather large, low; eyes well developed^ posterior nostril near eye, anterior near tip of snout, with a short tube; lower jaw not projecting. Skeleton differing in numerous respects from that of A n g u i 1 1 a . Vertebrae about 56+100. In most warm seas. This genus contains the well known and widely distributed conger eel and three or four closely related species. (After Jordan and Evermann) Lateral line in a deep, pale furrow, decurved slightly from the head to below dorsal origin, very conspicuous pores in its anterior third. FISHES OF NEW YORK 175 102 Leptocephalus conger (Linnaeus) Conger Eel; Sea Eel Muraena conger LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. eel. X, I, 245, 1758. Anguilla conger MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 360, 1815. Anguilla oceanica MITCHILL, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 407, 1818, off New fYork. Conger occidentalis DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 314, pi. 53, fig. 172, 1842, very poor. Conger vulgaris GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 38, 1870. Conger niger JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, IT. S. Nat. Mus. 362, 1883. Leptocephalus conger GOODE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, pi. 240, 1884; JOR- DAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 354, 1896, pi. LVII, fig. 148, 1900; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898. Dorsal fin begins opposite to or just behind tip of pectoral; eye one and one half in snout, five to six in head; snout three and one fourth to four and one fourth in head; gape extending nearly or quite to below hind margin of eye; head one and four fifths to one and six sevenths in trunk; tail longer than rest of body; pectorals three and one half in head; upper lip full, with conspicuous pores. Length of head one ninth of total length, depth of body two fifths length of head. Pores in lateral line very conspicuous. Color dark olive brown, sometimes nearly black, above; chin, space behind pectorals and lower parts soiled white. The conger eel occurs on both coasts of the Atlantic, on our coast extending from. Cape Cod to Brazil, but not often coming into shallow bays. An exception is noted in Great Egg Harbor bay, where the fish is not rare in summer. It is sometimes caught in Gravesend bay also in summer, and occasional indi- viduals ai'<- captured on hand lines off Southampton L. I., by men fishing for sea bass and scup. The fishermen dislike to handle the species on account of its pugnacity and strength; it snaps viciously at everything near it when captured in our waters; yet, strangely enough, the writer has seen a hundred or more, taken on trawl lines off the north coast of France, in a boat at one time, and not one gave evidence of ferocity. In captivity in the aquarium the sea eel suffers severely from fungus attacks, which are not relieved by changing the fish from salt water to fresh. Perhaps the salinity of the water in some 176 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM localities is too low, and relief might be obtained by supplying sea water of normal ocean density. The young and larval form of the conger is a curious, elongate,, transparent, bandlike creature with a minute head, a very small mouth and with the lateral line, belly, and anal fin dotted with black points. An individual nearly 3 feet long was captured with a hand line by A. P. Latto in the ocean, near Southampton L. I. Aug. 3, 1898, while fishing for sea bass and scup. In the Woods Hole region, according to Dr Smith, " it comes in July and remains until fall; very common for several years, but rather rare formerly. Fishermen as a rule do not dis- tinguish it from the common eel. A few are taken in traps and with lines, but many large ones, weighing from 8 pounds upward, are caught in lobster pots. A specimen in the col- lection weighs 10 pounds. One caught on a line at Falmouth, Aug. 30, 1897, weighed 12 pounds. The smallest observed are 15 to 20 inches long." Mitchill declared the flesh to be very dainty eating. DeKay said the flesh has a peculiar unsavory taste. He discovered that it is a vicious animal, snapping when captured at everything near it. In France the conger eel is among the cheapest and least esteemed of the food fishes. The observations of Dr Otto Hermes, director of the Berlin aquarium, on the habits and the reproduction of the conger eel are of very great interest. Reference is made to them by Groode in Fixli IIIH] Fislierii Industries of the United States, § 1, p. 657, and two figures copied from drawings of Dr Hermes are given in the text. The ovary of the conger, says Dr Hermes, is developed in captivity, and th.s is often the cause of the death of the eel. ' In a conger which <1 ed in the Berlin aquarium the ovaries pro- truded very extens' y, and a specimen in the Frankfort aqua- rium burst on a (•<•(, f the extraordinary development of the ovaries. The ova; N of this eel, which weighed 22| pounds, themselves weigh/ ounds, and the number of eggs was about 3,300,000. The i t cf a natural opening fcr tho escape of the eggs was evident!;, this case, the cause of death. In the fall FISHES OF NEW YORK ITT of 1879 Dr Hermes received a number of small sea eels taken in. the vicinity of Havre. These eels ate greedily and grew rapidly. Only one was tardy in its development, so that it could easily be distinguished from the rest. This one died June 20, 1880, and was examined the same day. It proved to be a sexually mature male and served to clear up some very doubtful problems in the reproduction of the species, as well as its ally, the common. eel. Order ISOSPONDYLI Isospondylous Fishes Family ELOPIDAE Tarpons Genus TARPON Jordan & Everrnann Body oblong, compressed, covered with very large, thickr silvery, cycloid scales; belly narrow, but not cariuated, its edge writh ordinary scales; mouth large, oblique, the lower jaw prom- inent, maxillary broad, extending beyond the eye; villiform teeth on jaws, vonier, palatines, tongue, sphenoid, and pterygoid bones; eye very large, with an adipose eyelid; lateral line nearly straight, its tubes radiating widely over the surface of the scales; branchiostegals 23; pseudobranchiae wanting; gill rakers long and slender; dorsal fin short and high, inserted behind the ventrals (over the ventrals in M e g a 1 o p s ), its last ray elon- gate and filamentous as in M e g a 1 o p s , D o r o s o m a , and Opisthouema ; anal fin much longer than dorsal, falcate its last ray produced; caudal widely forked; pectorals and ventrals rather long; anal with a sheath of scales; dorsal naked; caudal more or less scaly; a collar of large scales at the napi\ Vertebrae about 57 (28+29). Size very large, the largest of the herriuglike fishes'. (After Jordan and Evermann) 103 Tarpon atlanticus (Cuv. & Yal.) : Tdrjioii ; Unnidc EcuiUc ; N/7nr A"///// Megalops atliniticiis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, 39S, 1S46. . Guadaloupe. Megalops elongatus GIEAHD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 224. 38:>S, Long Island. Megalops tlirissokles GINTUFI:. Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII. 472, ISiiS; JORHAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 262, 1883; GOODE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 610, pi. 217 B, 1884; American Fishes, 406, fig. 1888. 178 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Tarpon atlanticus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 409, 1896; pi. LXVII, fig. 177, 1900; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898; EVERMANN & MARSH, Fishes Porto Rico, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1900; 80, fig. 10, 1900. Body elongate, compressed, not deep, its greatest bight about one fourth of total length without caudal. Length of head * nearly equal to greatest hight of body. Mouth large, oblique, the lower jaw very prominent, the maxillary extending beyond the vertical from hind margin of eye; eye moderately large, two thirds length of snout, two elevenths length of head; dorsal origin midway between tip of snout and end of middle caudal rays, dorsal base two fifths as long as head, dorsal filament nearly as long as the head; ventral origin midway between tip of snout and end of anal fin, the ventral fin two fifths as long as the head; base of anal three fourths as long as the head; pectoral fin as long as the longest ray of dorsal; caudal deeply forked, its longest rays equal to dorsal filament. Size large, weight reaching nearly 200 pounds and length 6 or 7 feet. Color silvery, darker above. D. Ill, 12; A. Ill, 23; P. 13; V. II, 9. Scales 12-47. The tarpon inhabits the western Atlantic from Cape Cod to Brazil and the West Indies, being rather uncommon northward, but abundant toward the south, ascending rivers in pursuit of smaller fishes on which it feeds. The species grows to the length of 7 feet and the weight of 150 pounds, or upward. It is not prized for food, but is now very celebrated as a game fish of great endurance and strength. The scales are an article of com- merce as curiosities. Fishermen dread the tarpon because it leaps through their nets with great violence, and the Pensacola seiners have known of persons being killed or severely injured by its leaping against them from the seine in which it was inclosed. As to the edible qualities of the flesh opinions differ, but the fact is that the species is seldom eaten. Girard had a specimen from Long Island which he described in 1858. Since that time it has been seen there occasionally. In the fall of 1898, Capt. H. E. Swezey reported to me that he found one about 4 feet long in Swan river at Patchogue. The fish was FISHES OF NEW YORK 179 recently dead, and lie believes it came into tin- river alive. In the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass, it is now a regular summer visitor. According to Dr Smith, it is " taken every year in traps at South Dartmouth, also occasionally at Quissett and at Menemsha, in latter part of September. All are about one size, 80 to 100 pounds. Fishermen call them ' big scale fish.' An effort has been made to find a market for them in New Bedford, but the people did not like them, owing to the toughness of the flesh." The tarpon evidently breeds at Porto Rico, as Everrnann and Marsh collected a number of individuals measuring from 2^ to 3^ inches at Fajardo in February 1899, these apparently being the first young of the species so far recorded. Genus ELOPS Linnaeus Body elongate, subcylindric; scales small, silvery; head moder- ate; conical anteriorly, with very long jaws, the lower slightly included; branchiostegals 30; eye large and placed high; dorsal fin high in front, the last rays short, origin of fin about midway between tip of snout and end of middle caudal rays, the fin depressible into a scaly sheath; anal fin short, well behind end of dorsal, also depressible into a sheath; pectorals and ventrals each with a long appendage; caudal fin long and deeply forked; opercular bones thin, with expanded, rnembranaceous borders, a collar of scales on occiput; lateral line continuous, nearly straight, its tubes simple; large pseudobrauchiae. Vertebrae 43+29=72. Large fishes of the open seas. The young are ribbon- shaped, elongate, and pass through a series of metamorphoses similar to the changes observed in the congers. 104 Elops saurus Linnaeus Biy-ct/cd }[ erring Elops saunis LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, I, 518, 1TG6; DE KAY. N. Y. Fauna, Fishes. 2G7. pi. 41. fig-. 131, 1842; JORDAN & GILBERT. Bull. 1C. U. S. Nat. Mus. 261, 1883; GOODE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 611, pi. 218, upper figure, 1884; JORDAN & KVKKMAXN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 410, 180G; pi. LXYII, fig. 178. 1900: BEAN, Bull. Ainer. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 334, 1897; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII. 90. 1898; BEAN, 52.1 Ann. Rep't N. Y. State Mus. 9C, 1900; EVERMANN & MARSH. Bull. U. S. F. C. for 1900, 81, fig. 11, 1900. Elops iiiermis MITCHILL, Trails. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I. 4-1.". 180 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Body elongate, subcylindric, compressed toward the tail, its greatest depth contained from five to six times in its length without caudal; caudal peduncle slender, its least depth three eighths of length of head; head moderate, obtusely conical, its length four and one fourth to four and one half in total with- out caudal, flattened above, with a broad, deep furrow between the eyes; eye large, one fifth as long as the head; upper jaw broad, rounded, entire, longer than the lower, which is received into it, the maxillary reaching far behind eye, almost to hind edge of preopercle; the gular plate three or four times as long as broad. D. 20; A. 13; V. 15; B. 30. Scales 12-120-13. Length 3 feet. Tropical and temperate seas; common in America, north to Virginia and the Gulf of California; occasional as far north as Cape Cod. Color bright silvery, with a greenish tinge along the back. Pupils black; iris golden; summit of the head bronzed; opercles with golden metallic tints; all the fins more or less punctate with black; dorsal and caudal light olive brown; lower fins tinged with yellow. Mitchill found some individuals in the New York market in September 1813, under the name of salmon trout. One which he bought was 22 inches long and weighed 42 ounces. The fish were sold at 75c each, a remarkably good price for a species now generally considered unsalable because the flesh is dry and bony. An adult was caught in Gravesend bay Oct. 5, 1896. Among the fishermen there it is known as " seering " and " cisco ". Several examples, each about 1 foot long, were taken at South- ampton L. I. in October 1898, by A. P. Latto, and presented to the State Museum. At Cape Cod, according to Dr Smith, it is " common in fall, none appearing before October. Taken in traps in Vineyard sound and in herring gill nets at Vineyard Haven. Average length, 18 to 20 inches. No young observed." The fish does not breed on our coast. The young are known to be ribbon-shaped and elongate and to pass through a remark- able series of changes similar to those observed in the ladyfish, Albula vulpes. FISHES OF NEW YORK 181 Family Ladyfishes Genus ALBI LA (Gronow) Bloch & Schneider Body rather elongate, little compressed, covered with rather •small, brilliantly silvery scales; head naked; snout conical, sub- quadrangular, shaped like the snout of a pig, and overlapping the small, inferior, horizontal mouth; maxillary rather strong, short, with a distinct supplemental bone, slipping under the membranous edge of the very broad preorbital; premaxillaries short, not protractile; lateral margin of upper jaw formed by the maxillaries; both jaws, vomer, and palatines with bands of villiform teeth; broad patches of coarse, blunt, paved teeth on the tongue behind and on the sphenoid and pterygoid bones; eye large, median in head, with a bony ridge above it, and almost covered with an annular adipose eyelid; opercle mod- erate, firm, preopercle with a broad, flat, membranaceous edge, which extends backward over the base of the opercle; pseudo- branchiae present; gill rakers short, tuberclelike; gill mem- branes entirely separate, free from the isthmus; branchiostegals about 14; a fold of skin across gill membranes anteriorly, its posterior free edge crenate; no gular plate; lateral line present; belly not carinate, flattish, covered with ordinary scales; dorsal fin moderate, in front of ventrals, its membranes scaly; no adipose fin; anal very small; caudal widely forked; pyloric caeca numerous; parietal bones meeting along top of head. Verte- brae numerous, 42+28=70. A single species known, found in all warm seas. In this, and probably in related families, the young pass through a metamorphosis, analogous to that seen in the conger eels. They are for a time elongate, band-shaped, with very small head and loose transparent tissues. From this condition they become gradually shorter and more compact, shrinking from 3 or 3^ inches in length to 2 inches. According to Dr Gilbert, this process, like that seen in various eels, is a normal one, through which all individuals pass. In the Gulf of California, where these fishes abound, these band-shaped young are often thrown by the waves on the beach in great masses. (After Jordan and Evermann) 182 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 105 Albula vulpes (Linnaeus) Lady fish; Bone Fisli ; Banana Esox rulpes LINNAEUS, Syst. Na.t. ed. X, I, 313, 1758. Bath-inns inJin-s DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Irishes, 2G8, 1842, name only. All ill a Parrae CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, 339, 1846. Albiila crittlirriclieilos CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. 362, pi. 574, 184ii. Allnila wHOrlujiu-lins GUNTI-IER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 468. 18G8. Albula nil pcs JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 10, U. S. Nat. Mus. 258. 1883; GOODE, Fish & Fish. Incl. U. S. I, G12, pi. 218, lower fig. 1884; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. Separate. 42, pi. XXIII. fig-. 31, 1800; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 411, IMir,. pi. LXVIII, fig. 17'.), 1900; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898; EVERMAXX & MARSH, Bull. U. S. F. C. for 1900, 82, fig. 12, 1900. Body fusiform, elongate, rounded, its greatest depth, at dorsal origin, contained four and two thirds times in total length to base of caudal fin and equal to distance from posterior nostril to end of head; caudal peduncle rather slender, its least depth about one third of greatest depth of body; head long, conical, the snout rather acutely pointed, length of head about three and two thirds in total; eye moderate, one half of snout, one fifth of head, placed high; mouth inferior, small, the maxilla not reaching to below front of eye; collar of enlarged scales on the nape extending down to the base of the pectoral; dorsal origin about midway between tip of snout and base of caudal, the base of the fin a little more than one half the length of head, the longest ray as long as the head without the snout, the last ray one third as long as the longest. The pectoral reaches to below the 15th scale of the lateral line. The ventral origin is under the 32d scale of the lateral line; the fin three eighths as long as the head. Anal origin equally distant from base of caudal fin and end of ventral base, the longest ray one third as long as head, the last ray less than one half as long as the longest; caudal fin long, deeply forked, the outer rays equal in length to Light of body. D. Ill, 14; A. I, 8; Y. 1, 10. Scales 8- 75-8. Bright silvery; upper parts olivaceous; fins pale; axils of pectorals and ventrals dusky. Size large, length reaching 3 feet. Tropical seas, on sandy coasts, on our coasts ranging north- ward to Cape Cod and San Diego. A valuable food fish, but FISHES OF NEW YORK 183 not esteemed in northern waters. Highly prized at Key West and the Bermudas; not much in favor at Porto Rico. The ladyfish is found on our coast from Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico. It also occurs in the Bermudas and West Indies. The Bermuda names arc bony fish and grubber. It is considered an excellent food fish on these islands, and Dr Goode testifies from personal experience to its value as an edible species. At Cozumel, off the coast of Yucatan, it is highly esteemed. On our coast it is occasionally found as far north as Cape Cod. The ladyfish is not described by either Mitchill or DeKay as one of the fishes of New York; and I did not see it in Great South bay, but it was taken later in the fall by Capt. Lewis B. Thurber, of Patchogue, who forwarded it to me. Dr Smith says it is very rare at Woods Hole Mass, where it was reported by Prof. Baird in 1871. Since 1871 it has been observed only once or twice, and none has been taken for many years. Family HIODONXIDAE Mooneyes Genus HIODON Le Sueur In the mooneyes the body is oblong, compressed, covered with cycloid silvery scales of moderate size. Head short, naked, with obtuse snout and no barbels. The mouth is terminal, of mod- erate size; jaws subequal. The margin of the jaw is formed by the nonprotractile intermaxillaries and the slender maxillaries, which are articulated to the end of the intermaxillaries. The opereular apparatus is complete. Intermaxillary and mandible with small cardiform teeth, wide set; feeble teeth on the maxil- laries; a row of marginal teeth on the tongue, those in front very strong canines; a baud of short close set teeth on middle of tongue; vomerine teeth small, close set, in a long double series; teeth on the palatine, sphenoid and pterygoid bones. The lower jaw is received within the upper so that the mandi- bulary teeth are opposite to those on the palatine bone. The very large eye has a little developed adipose eyelid. Nostrils large, close together, with a flap between them; gill membranes 184 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM deeply cleft, free from isthmus, their base covered by a fold of skin; branchiostegals 8 to 10; no pseudobranchiae; gill rakers short, thick and few in numbers; a straight and well developed lateral line; belly without scutes; no adipose fin; dorsal fin over the caudal part of the vertebral column; anal long and low;, ventrals large; caudal deeply forked; stomach horseshoe-shapedr with blind sac; intestine short; one pyloric appendage; air bladder large and simple. The eggs fall into the abdominal cavity before exclusion. 106 Hiodon tergisus (Le Sueur) Mooneye; Toothed Herring Hiodon tergisus LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 366, Sept. 1818, Ohio- River and Lake Erie. HioOROSOMA Kafinesque The genus D o r o s o m a has a herring-like body, with a short and obtuse snout. The body is much compressed and is covered with moderately large, thin, cycloid scales. The head is scaleless, short and small; the eye large and provided with FISHES OF NEW YORK 187 an adipose eyelid. The belly is compressed to an edge, which is armed with sharp serra! ures. Mouth small, transverse; the lower jaw the shorter, jaws toothless. The maxilla does not extend to the middle of the eye. Gill rakers numerous, mod- erately long and slender; gill membranes deeply cleft and free from the isthmus; pseudo'branchiae well developed; lateral line wanting-. The dorsal fin is placed nearly over the middle of the body, slightly behind the origin of the ventral. Its last ray is produced into a long filament. The pectorals and ventrals are rather long and each is provided with an appendage formed of several elongate, overlapping accessory scales. The caudal is deeply forked. Anal very long, its last rays low. The stomach is stout and short, resembling the gizzard of a hen. 108 Dorosoma cepedianum (Le Sueur) Gizzard Shad \t('!/(ilops cepediana LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac.' Nat. Sci. Phila. I. 361, Sept. 1818. (Baltimore and Philadelphia markets). Chi pea lietentnis RAFIXESQUE, Anier. Month. Mag. Ill, 355, Sept. 1818. Ohio River. Dorosoma notata RAFIXESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 40, 1820. Ohio River. riiatocssus ciii>ca"uuiiis and <-IUpticus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 265, 1842, as oxtrM-liniital. Chatocssus ellipticus KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 235, pi. X, fig. 1, 1844. Chatocssiis ccpciliuniis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XXI, 90, pi. 612, 1848. New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 409, 1868. Dwosonia cepedianum JORDAN £ GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 271, 1883; GOODE, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 610, pi. 217 A, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Peiina. 63, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 416, 1896, pi. LXIX, fig. 183, 1900. The depth of the body is contained two and two thirds times in the total without caudal, the length of the head four and one third times. Eye longer than snout, one fourth length of head. The third ray of the dorsal is two thirds as long as the head, and the filamentous ray nearly equals the head in length. Length of dorsal base about one half that of head; anal base two sevenths of total length of body without caudal, its longest ray two thirds of length of ventral or one third of that of head. Pectoral three fourths as long as head. Lower caudal lobe 188 NEW YORK STATE MUSEfUM longer than upper, its length equal to that of the head. D. iii^ 10; A. ii, 31. Scales 56 to 64, about 20 in a transverse series. Scutes in front of ventrals 17, and from ventral to vent 12. Upper parts bluish; sides silvery, sometimes with golden reflec- tions. In young individuals there is a large dark blotch on eaich side not far behind the head. This disappears with age. The mud shad, also known as gizzard shad, winter shad, stink, shad, white-eyed shad, hickory shad, hairy back, and thread herring, is found in brackish waters along the coast from New York southward to Mexico, ascending streams and frequently becoming landlocked in ponds. A variety of this fish is also common in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, whence it has spread through canals into Lakes Erie and Michigan. Cuvier and Valenciennes had the species from New York, whence it was sent by Milbert. De Kay mentions it only as an extralimital fish; but in his time the fish fauna of Lake Erie was very little known. This fish grows to a length of 15 inches and a weight of 2 pounds. It spawns in summer, and its food consists of algae, confervae, desrnids and diatoms. With its food it takes large quantities of mud, from which it separates the organic sub- stances after swallowing. This is a beautiful species, some- what resembling the shad in general appearance and has been very successfully kept in the aquarium, where its bright colors and graceful movements make it attractive, but its flesh is soft, tasteless and seldom eaten when any better can be obtained. In most regions fishermen consider it a great nuisance and throw away their entire catch. Negroes eat the mud shad from tributaries of the Chesapeake, and in Florida the fish has been utilized to some extent in making guano. The name gizzard shad alludes to the form of the stomach, which is very much' like that of a hen. Family CLTLTI^EIDAE: Herrings Body oblong or elongate, more or less compressed, covered with cycloid or pectinated scales; belly sometimes rounded, sometimes compressed, in which case it is often armed with FISHES OF NEW YORK IS! I bony scrratures; head naked, usually compressed; mouth rather large, terminal, the jaws about equal, maxillaries forming the lateral margins of the upper jaw, each composed of about three pieces; preniaxillaries not protractile; teeth mostly small, often feeble or wanting, variously arranged; adipose eyelid present or absent; gill rakers long and slender, gill membranes not con- nected, free from the isthmus; no gular plate; gills four, a slit behind the fourth; branchiostegals usually few (6 to 15); posterior lower part of opercular region often with an angular emargination, the tips of the larger branchiostegals being abruptly truncate; pseudobranchiae present; no lateral line. Dorsal fin median or somewhat posterior, rarely wanting; no adipose fin; ventrals moderate or small (wanting in Pristi- g a s t e r ); anal usually rather long; caudal fin forked. Verte- brae 40 to 56. Genera about 30; species 150; inhabiting all seas, and usually swimming in immense schools; many species ascend fresh waters, and some remain there permanently. The northern and fresh-water species, as in many other families, differ from the tropical forms in having a larger number of vertebral segments. Genus ETRUMEIS Bleeker Body rather elongate, somewhat compressed; the abdomen rounded and without serratures; mouth terminal, of moderate width, formed as in C 1 u p e a , but the maxillary more slender; teeth moderate, in patches on jaws, palatines, pterygoids, and tongue; scales cycloid, entire, very deciduous; branchiostegals numerous, very slender. Ventrals inserted posteriorly, entirely behind dorsal; the dorsal fin rather long, of 18 to 20 rays; anal low, of moderate length. Pseudobranchiae well developed; pyloric caeca numerous. No silvery lateral stripe. Few species. Asiatic and American. (After Jordan and Evernianu) 109 Etrumeus teres (De Kay) Round Herring Alosa teres DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 262, pi. 40, fig. 128, 1842. New York harbor. Etrumeus teres GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 467, 1866; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 263, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 148, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. separate. 44, 1890. Etrumeus sadina JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 420, 1896, not Clupea sadina MITCHILL; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898. 190 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Body slender, rounded, elongate, its greatest depth one sixth of total length without caudal; head rather long, one fourth of total without caudal; mouth small, the jaws subequal in front, the maxilla extending to or slightly beyond the front of the eye; the mandible not at all projecting when the mouth is closed, but rather included; thickness of body more than two thirds of its depth; vo merino teeth present, lingual teeth well developed, teeth in the jaws weak; eye large, equal to snout, three and one third in length of head; dorsal origin midway between tip of snout and origin of anal, the longest dorsal ray more than one half length of head; ventrals well behind dorsal, the length little more than one third length of head; anal basis short, about one third length of head; axillary scales above pectorals and ventrals very long, those over the pectoral more than one half as long as the fin. D. 18; A. 13. Color, bright silvery; darker above, with a tinge of blue and yellow on the sides. Head metallic silvery with coppery reflections; iris golden; dorsal and caudal tinged with yellow, the remaining fins translucent, with minute dark specks. Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico, not rare southward; a favorite food of bluefish. The " New York shadine " of Mitchill can not be identified with this species; it was evidently a species of Pomolobus bearing a close resemblance to the shad. MitchilFs shadine had a spot behind the gill cover, a wide and toothless mouth, a projecting lower jaw and 15 anal rays. These characters are in opposition to the known characters of the round herring, and there is no probability that this little fish was before him for description. De Kay saw only a single specimen of the round herring from the harbor of New York. A copy of Mite-hill's1 description is here given for comparison. 13 New York S]nulin<\ 0 1 n p e a s a d i n a An elegant species with a small smutty spot behind the gill cover; but with neither spots nor stripes on its back or sides. Mouth wide and toothless. Tongue small. Back delicately variegated with green and blue. Lateral line straight. Sides silvery white, considerably above that line; and '; Mitchill. Lit. and Phil Soc. N. Y. Trans. 1X1.1. 1:4.17. FISHES OP NEW YORK 191 below it quite to the belly. The white reflects vividly green,, red, and other splendid lines. Head rather elongated. Lower jaw projecting. Scales very easily deciduous. Form neat, taper, and slender. (Jills rise into the throat on each side of the root of the tongue. Eyes pale and large. Tail deeply forked. On account of the even connection of the false ribs, the belly is not at all serrated, but quite smooth. A semitransparent space in front of the eyes from side to side. Rays: Br. 7; P. 10; V. 9; R 18; A. 15; C. 19. This species was not taken in Great South bay, but on the ocean beach adjacent to the Blue Point lifesaving slaiion. Jt is the slender herring described by Dr DeKay from a single specimen taken with a seine in New York harbor in the latter part of October. He found it associated with numerous speci- mens of the big-eyed herring, E 1 o p s s a u r u s. DeKay states that the E 1 o p s appeared to be known to the fishermen as the round herring, but the name is more applicable to the little species now under consideration. Several specimens wen- seined on the ocean beach at Blue Point Lifesaving station, Octo- ber 7. None were obtained in the bay. September 24, 51 exam pies of this fish were found lying on the beach, in the vicinity of the same station, having been driven ashore by bluefish. In August 1890 great schools of round herring were stranded in this way. Prof. Baird found a number of specimens along the beach of Great Egg Harbor bay in 1854, and a single specimen was seined by Capt. Thomas Steelman in the same locality in October 1887. Young individuals, from 4i to 4f inches long, were taken in Gravesend bay July 30, 1896. They were associated with young- mackerel, of slightly larger size, in bunches and schools. John B. DeXvse saw some schools that he estimated to contain 25,000 » fish. l)r Smith says it is apparently rare at Woods Hole; known to have been found on only a few occasions. In October, some years ago, several were taken in traps at Meuemsha bight. Marthas Viuevard. 192 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Genus CLUPEA (Artedi) Linnaeus True herrings with the body elongate, numerous vertebrae, the ventral serratures weak, arid an ovate patch of small but persistent teeth on the vorner. The few species belong to the northern seas, where the number of individuals is inordinately great, exceeding perhaps those of any other genus of fishes. Not anadromous, spawning in the sea. The genus C 1 u p e a, which includes the shad, river alewife -or herring and the Ohio golden shad or skip jack, admits of division into several subgenera, one of which includes the common sea herring and other marine species, another the shad and still another the river alewives. The last have the suborbital bone longer than deep and are supplied with teeth on the tongue and in some species in the jaws. 110 Clupea harengus Linnaeus Sea, Herring Clupea Jiarenfftis LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. eel. X, I, 317, 1758; MITCHILL, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 323, Mar. 1818; OUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XX, 30, pi. 591, 1847; GTTNTHER, Gat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 415, 1868; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 265, 1683: GOODE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 549, pi. 204, 1884; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. separate, 42, pi. XXIV, fig. 32, 1890; JORDAN & EVERJI, \NN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 421, 1896, pi. L/XX, fig. 185, 1900; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898. 'Clupea Jialec MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 451, 1815. Clupea pusilla MITCHILL, op. cit. 452, 1815. Clupea coerulca MITCHILL, op. cit. 457, 1815. Clupea elongata DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 250, 1842; STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 152, pi. XXVI, fig. 1, 1867. Body elongate, slender, fusiform, compressed, its greatest depth one fourth of total length without caudal; caudal pedun- cle slender, its least depth one third of length of head; head moderate, two ninths of total length without caudal; eye large, three and one half to four in head, and with a well developed adipose eyelid; lower jaw strongly projecting; maxilla reaching to below middle of pupil, its length three sevenths of length of head; cheeks longer than high; an ovate patch of small teeth on vomer, palatine teeth minute or wanting, small teeth on the tongue, small teeth in the jaws in young examples, usually dis- FISHES OF NEW YORK 193 appearing with age; gill rakers very long and slender, about 40 on the lower part of the first arch; dorsal origin midway between tip of snout and end of scales, dorsal base one eighth of total length without caudal, longest dorsal ray equal to pos- torbital part of head, last dorsal ray one half the length of longest; yentral under about middle of dorsal, its length three eighths of head; anal base a little shorter than dorsal base, its longest ray one fifth, and its shortest ray one tenth of greatest depth of body; caudal fin well forked, its longest rays three fourths of head; pectoral fin about two thirds as long as the head. Scales very deciduous. Abdomen with weak serratures, before and behind the yentrals, 28 scutes in front of and 13 behind the yentrals. D. 18; A. 17. Scales 14-57. Vertebrae 56. Peritoneum dusky; back and head deep blue, tinged with .yellow; opercles yellowish, tinged with violet; iris silvery; sides silvery with bright reflections. Length 12 to 17 inches. North Atlantic ocean, on our east coast south to Cape Hatteras, spawning in the sea. The sea herring is the most important food fish of the world and it is undoubtedly the most abundant of all the fishes. Its food consists of small invertebrates, chiefly copepods and the larvae of worms and mollusks. It forms the most important food of many of our valuable food fishes including the cod, had- dock, halibut, bluefish, and a great many others. Herring spawn at two seasons, spring and fall, the first spawning con- tinuing from April to June and the second season between July and December. The eggs are adhesive and are deposited on the bottom, where they adhere to seaweeds and other objects of support. The egg is about T 1 li* Pomolobus mediocris i .Mitchill) Hickory tf]m<•. .\V\v York; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 1C, U. S. Nat. Mns. \2G(., 18s::: M< DONALD, Fish & Fish. I ml. U. S. I, GOT, pis. 21GA. 21GB, 1884; BEAN, 19th Rep. Conim. Fish. X. Y. separate. 43, pi. XXV. fig. 34. IS'in. < 'In/tea niuttowaca MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. «fc Phil. Soc. X. Y. I, 4.~>1. 181.". Long Island. ('In pea. virfsci'iis DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 252. pi. 13, fig. 37. 184 2. Alona niattoicaca DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 260, pi. 40, fig. 127. 1842. Muxn liiicata STOKER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 102, pi. XXVII, fig. 2, 1867. ciinmi mattoiraca GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mns. VII, 438, 1868. Potiivloliiis ntcdirnrix JORDAN ca pseiidoJiarcnijns WILSON, Rees's Encycl. IX, about 1811. Chipca rcnidlift MITCIIILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 22, 1814; Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 454, 1815; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 267, 1883; BEAN, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 588, 1884; Fishes Penna. 58, pi. 25, fig. 45, 1893; GOODE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, pis. 207, 208, 1884. Alosa t i/ri ii us DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 258, pi. 13, fig. 38, 1842. Pomolobus rernalis GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. 24, 1879. Pamolobiis pscitdoliarcugtts GILL, Rep. U. S. F. C. I, 811, 1873; JORDAN & EVEEMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 426, 1896, pi. LXXI, fig. 189, 1900; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 96, 1900. Body deep and heavy forward, much compressed. Its greatest depth, at dorsal origin equals one third of total length to base of caudal. The least depth of caudal peduncle equals but one half of length of head. The head is short, being almost as deep as long, about one fifth of the standard length. The eye is large, deeper than long, its length slightly greater than its distance from tip of snout — about three and one half in head. Maxillary broad, extending to the vertical through pupil; upper jaw ernarginate, lower jaw slightly projecting. Length of dorsal base almost equal to that of head; its highest ray about two thirds as long as the base, or equal to anal base. The anal is low, its longest ray being equal to length of eye. Caudal deeply forked, partially scaled near base. Length of pectoral less than that of dorsal base. D. 16; A. 17 to 19. Scales 15-50 to 54. In the male the dorsal is higher, its longest ray about equal to length of dorsal base, or two thirds the length of head. Color on black blue silvery and paler on sides and underneath; a black spot behind head; dusky lines on body, which are only visible on large examples. Described from no. 27197 U. S. National Museum from Poto- mac river. Length 11 inches. The branch herring, river herring or alewife has a variety of additional names. It is the ellwife or ellwhop of Connecticut river, the spring herring of New York, the big-eyed and wall- 200 XK\V YO1JK STATE MUSEUM eyed herring of the Albemarle, the sawbelly of Maine, the gray- back of Massachusetts, the gaspereau of Canada, little shad of certain localities, and the Cayuga lake shad of New York. The recorded range of the branch herring is from the Neuse river. N. C., to the Miramichi river, in New Brunswick, ascending streams to their head waters for the purpose of spawning. The ftsh is found abundant in Cayuga and Seneca lakes, N. Y., where it has probably made its way naturally. In Lake Ontario, since the introduction there of the shad, the alewife has become so plentiful as to cause great difficulty to fishermen, and its periodi- cal mortality is a serious menace to the health of people living in the vicinity. The belief is that the fish were unintentionally introduced with the shad. In Pennsj'lvania the branch alewife occurs in the Delaware and the Susqiiehanna in great numbers in early spring. The U. S. Fish Commission, in 1894, obtained specimens at thev following localities of the Lake Ontario region. Cape Vincent , June 21 Grenadier island June 27 Mouth Salein river, Selkirk July 25 Long pond, Charlotte, N. Y. Aug. 17 Lake Shore, moutn Long pond Aug. 17 Sandy creek, North Hamlin Aug. 20 Not a native of Cayuga lake but often found there in large numbers. Known to the fishermen as sawbelly. It is thought to have been introduced into the lakes of central New York by the state fish commission. Large numbers are often found dead on the shores of Seneca and Cayuga lakes. (After Meek) De Kay says it appears in New York waters with the shad about the first of April, but never in sufficient numbers to form a separate fishery. The branch herring, or alewife, is the first of the alewives to appear in Graveseud bay; it comes with the shad. It endures captivity well. Nov. 30, 1897, individuals above 7 inches in length were caught in Gravesend bay, which were probably the young of the year. FISHES OF NEW YORK 201 This alewife seldom exceeds 1 foot in length, the average mar- ket examples being about 10 inches. The weight of the largest is about -i pound, and the average weighf is about 5 or fi ounces. The fish enter the rivers earlier than the shad and return to the sea, or to estuaries adjacent to the river mouths, at some undetermined date in the fall. During the summer months enormous schools of full grown, but sexually immature alewives migrate along the coast, feeding on small crustaceans and them- selves furnishing food for bluefish, sharks, porpoises and other predaceous animals; but none of them are known to enter fresh waters. In the rivers the alewives appear to eat nothing, but they can be captured with small artificial flies of various colors. Their eggs are somewhat adhesive and number from 00,000 to 100,000 to the individual. They are deposited in shoal water; spawning begins when the river water is at 55° to 60° F. The period of hatching is not definitely known, but is believed to exceed four days. During the spring and summer the young grow to a length of '2 or 3 inches; after their departure from the streams nothing is known of their progress, but it is believed that they reach maturity in four years. We have no means of learning the age of the immature fish seen in great schools off shore, and thus far the rate of growth is unsettled. . The branch alewife, though full of small bones, is a very valuable food fish and is consumed in the fresh condition as well as dry salted, pickled and smoked. The fry can be reared in ponds by placing adults in the waters to be stocked a little before their spawning season; and they furnish excellent food for bass, rockfish, trout, salmon, and other choice fishes. The proper utilization of the immense oversupply of these fish in Lake Ontario has become a serious economic problem. Alewives are caught in seines, gill nets, traps' and pounds and they are often taken by anglers with artificial flies. 202 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 114 Pomolobus cyanonoton (Storer) Glut Herring; Blueback Alosa cyanonoton STOKER, Proc. Best. Soc. Nat. Hist. II, 242, 1848, Hist. Fish. Mass. 101, pi. XXVII, fig. 1, 1867. Pmnolobus aestivaUs GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. 24, 1879; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47. U. S. Nat. Mus. 426, 1896, pi. LXXI, fig. 190, 1900; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898. Clupea aestivaUs JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 267, 1883: MCDONALD, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 579, pis. 209, 210, 1884, not Clupea aesti wills MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 456, pi. V. fig. 6, 1815. Body moderately deep and compressed, its greatest depth two sevenths of the length without caudal; least depth of caudal peduncle two sevenths of greatest depth of body; head short, one fifth of total length without caudal, the maxilla extending to below the middle of the eye, its width about one third of its length, lower jaw somewhat projecting, upper jaw notched; eye smaller than in P. pseudoharengus, equal to snout and one fourth of length of head, chiefly covered by an adipose mem- brane; gill rakers about 44 below and 21 above the angle of the first arch, the longest about equal to iris; lower caudal lobe the longer, about equal to length of head. Dorsal fin begins in advance of ventral origin, over the 13th row of scales; the longest ray is about three fourths as long as the base of the fin and twice as long as the last ray. Anal base two and one half times as long as the longest ray and as long as the head with- out the snout. Ventral under the 6th developed ray of dorsal, the fin one half as long as the head; its axillary scale about one half as long as the ventral fin. A small black spot behind the opercle on the level of the top of the eye. Narrow dark streaks on about five rows of scales above the median line. Peritoneum very dark. D. iii, 15; A. ii, 18; V. i, 8; P. i, 15. Scales 13-53; scutes 21 + 14. Above bluish, sides and gill covers with coppery reflections, lower parts silvery. Irish golden. Here described from a male specimen taken in the Potomac river and now in the U. S. National Museum. Mitchill's name, a e s t i v a 1 i s , can not be applied with any certainty to the "glut herring"; it appears to be a synonym of FISHES OF \K\V YORK -<>:> in e d i o c r i s and m attowaca of the same author. Its relation to m a 1 1 o w a c a was long since pointed out by 1 >r Gill. The description1 herewith appended appears to make this conclusion inevitable. Summer herring of New York (C 1 u p e a a e s t i v a 1 i s). Has a row of spots to the number of seven or eight, extending in the direction of the lateral line. Tail forked. Belly serrate; and, in most respects, resembling the C. h a 1 e c , herein already described. Rays: Br. 6; P. 15; V. 9; I). 16; A. 19; C. 19. The figure shows a row of eight dark spots on the side extend- ing as far back as the end of the dorsal fin on the level of the eye. This resembles the hickory shad, Pomolobus medio- c r i s , more than anything else, and it probably was that species. The glut herring arrives later than the branch herring and does not ascend streams far above salt water. It appears to spawn only in the larger streams or their tidal tributaries and at a temperature of 70° to 75°; while the branch herring spawns in water as low as 55° to 60° and ascends far up the streams and their small fresh-water branches. In Gravesend bay the glut herring is called shad herring. Nov. 30, 1897, two young fish of the year, measuring about 7 inches in length, were obtained from that bay. In Great South bay the species is called herring. A single example was secured there on Sep. 29, 1890. In 1898 it was not collected either in Great South bay or Mecox, in both of which the branch herring- was abundant. At Provincetown the species is known as the blueback and kiouk. According to Storer, it appears there in small numbers in May, but is not abundant before June 10, and it remains on the coast for a short time only. The alewife, or branch herring, arrives on the coast of Massachusetts about the end of March, and is taken till the middle or last of May. Genus ALOSA Cuvier Body deep, compressed, deeper than in related American genera, the head also deep, the free portion of the cheeks deeper 1Mitchill. Lit. and Phil. Soc. N. Y. Trans. 1815. p. 456, pi. 5, fig. 6. L'04 NEW YOKK STATE MUSEUM than long; jaws wholly toothless (except in young); upper jaw with a sharp, deep notch at tip, the premaxillaries meeting at a very acute angle. Vertebrae 56 (in A 1 o s a a 1 o s a), other- wise as in Pomolobus, to which genus A 1 o s a is ver\ closely allied. Species three, of the north Atlantic, ascending- rivers; highly valued as food fishes. Though very full of small bones, the flesh is white and rich, but not oily. 115 Alosa sapidissima (Wilson) Shad Clujtra NiiitiriiHNutHi YTiLSON, Rees's New Cyclopedia, IX, about 1811, in> pagination, no date; RAFINESQUE, Aruer. Mouth. Mag-. II, 205, Jan. 1818, says Wilson first distinguished and named the Shad; MCDONALD in Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 594, pis. 212, 213, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 60. pi. 2, 1803; CHENEY, 4th Ann. Rep. N. Y. Comm. Fish. colored plate facing p. 8, 1899. Clupea alosa MITCIIILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 440, 1815. Alosa prfiestabilis DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 255, pi. 15, fig. 41, 1842; STOKER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 154, pi. XXVI, fig. 2, 1867. Alosa sapidissima LINSLEY, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, XLVII, 70, 1844; STORER. Syn. Fish. N. A. 206, 1846; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 427, 1896. pi. LXXII, fig. 191, 1900; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII. 91, 1898. The American Shad. GOODE, American Fishes, 400, fig. 1888. The shad was formerly referred to the genus Clupea, but differs from the typical sea herring in the shape of the cheek bone, which is somewhat deeper than long. The adult is tooth- less, but the young has well developed, though small, teeth in the jaws, which sometimes persist till the fish has reached a length of 15 inches. To this subgenus the name Alosa was given by Cuvier. The shad has a deep body and a large mouth, with the jaws about equal. The gill rakers are very long and slender, varying with age from 40 to 60 below the angle of the first arch. In the female the dorsal originates a little in front of the middle of the length; in the male somewhat farther in front. The dor- sal of the male is rather higher than that of the female, while the body is not so deep. In the female the greatest depth is one third of the total without caudal and the length of the head two ninths. In the male the length of the head is one 1'ISIIKS OF XKW YORK 20." four-Ill of the total without caudal. The dorsal has 1M divided rays and 4 simple ones; anal U> divided and .! simple. Scales 10—60 to 05. Scutes 22+16. The color is bluish or greenish with much silvery; a dusky blotch close behind the head, two thirds as large as Ihe eye, and frequently from several to many, in one or two rows, behind this. The lining of the belly Avails is pale. The shad is known also as the white shad, and in the colonial days it was known to the negroes on the lower Potomac river as the whitefish. It is found naturally along the Atlantic coast of the United States from the (Julf of St Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico, ascending' streams at various dates from January in its extreme southern limit to June in far northern waters. In the Delaware and Susquehanna it makes its appearance in April and departs after spawning; but remains sometimes as late as July 18, and man}* die. The original distribution of the shad has been widely extended by artificial introduction. In certain rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico the fish has been established by planting-. In the Ohio river a fishery has been created by the same method; and in the Sacramento river, (1al., the shad was successfully introduced, and it has colonized not only this river but all suit- able rivers from San Francisco to southern Alaska. It is now one of the common market species in San Francisco and other west coast cities. In the Susquehanna the shad was formerly one of the most important native food fishes, but its range is now- very limited on account of obstruction by dams. 20 years ago the fish commissioners reported that a few shad are taken yearly above the Clark's Ferry dam, none or at most a few dozen above the Shamokin dam, none above the Xanticoke dam and none above Williamsport. The largest run of shad that has been known to pass the Columbia dam was that of 1867. '• In 1871 the finest Columbia shad were hawked in the market at Harrisburg, MO miles from the fisheries, at considerably less than a dollar a pair. The catch at Columbia exceeded 100,000." 200 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The obstructions in the Delaware have been almost entirely overcome. In 1891 shad were caught higher up the Delaware than for many years, and spawned in the upper reaches of the river beyond the New York state line. In 1891 the Delaware, for the first time since 1823, was restored to its normal condi- tion by means of the fishway at Lacka waxen; and, according to Col. Gay, it is at present the best shad river in the country. The number of eggs obtained for artificial propagation in the lower river was unusually small, but the number naturally deposited in the upper waters wras greater than for many years. Col. Gay observed a large number of big female shad at Gloucester City, but a great scarcity of males. This necessitated a long run up the river before spawning. The cause is believed to be the low temperature of the water during May, the lack of rain cutting off the usual supply of warm surface water and the tributaries of the upper river bringing down nothing but cold spring water, keeping the temperature of the river below the normal for spawning purposes. Consequently, the shad as- cended more than 300 miles. Mr Fo • Hessel succeeded in rearing sliad on the Daphuia and Cyclops to a length of 3 or 4 inches, and one time, when they had access surreptitiously to an abundant supply of young carp, well fed individuals reached a length of 6 inches by the first of November. Shad have been kept at the central station of the U. S. Fish Commission over the winter, but at the age of one year, doubtless for lack of sufficient food, the largest was less than 4 inches long. At this age they were seen to capture smaller shad of the season of 1891, which were an inch or more in length. The commissioner of fisheries detected young shad also in the act of eating young California salmon; and on one occasion found an undigested minnow, 2 or 3 inches long, in the stomach of a large shad; and they have been caught with minnows for bait. The principal growth of the shad takes place at sea, and, when the species enters the fresh waters for the purpose of spawning, it ceases to feed, but will some- times take the artificial fly and live minnows. The migratory habit of the shad has already been referred to. The spawning habits have been thus described by Marshall McDonald. The favorite spawning grounds are on sandy flats bordering streams and on sand bars. The fish appear to associate in pairs, usually between sundown and 11 p. m. When in the act of spawning they swim close together near the surface, their dorsal fins projecting above the water and their movements producing a sound which the fishermen call '' washing." The eggs are expressed by the female while in rapid motion; the male following close and ejecting his milt at the same time. Such of the eggs as come in contact with the milt are impreg- nated, but the greater portion of them are carried away by the current or destroyed by spawn-eating fishes. After impregna- tion the egg sinks to the bottom, and under favorable conditions develops in from three to eight days. According to Seth Green, the embryo shad swim as soon as they break the shell, and make their way to the middle of the stream, where they are comparatively safe from predaceous fishes. A mature female shad of 4 or 5 pounds contains about 25,000 eggs on the average, but as many as 60,000 have been obtained from a 6 pound fish, and 208 NEW YOKK STATIC M US MUM 100,00(1 were obtained from a single female on the Potomac. There is great mortality among the shad after spawning. Dead fish of both sexes are frequently seen floating in the water in the late months of summer. Mitchill states that the shad visits New York annually about the end of March or beginning of April; that is, ascends toward the sources of the Hudson; that it usually weighs 4 or 5 pounds, but sometimes as much as 12 pounds. I)e Kay says a large variety, supposed to be an old fish, and weighing from 10 to 12 pounds, were frequently taken in the Hudson, under the name of yellow backs. The shad, in his time, ascended the river 150 miles, to spawn, and descended in the latter part of May. The introduction of gill nets, he writes, has caused a scarcity of the fish and will drive them from the river before many years. Nets set off shore in Gravesend bay in the fall frequently inclose large quantities- of young shad, sometimes a ton and a half at one time, during their migration seaward, but they are at once liberated. The fish are usually about 0 to 8 inches long. Oct. 17, 1895, 60 or 70 were caught in John B. I)e Nyse's pound, among them a male 11 inches long and 2f inches deep, and a female 12 inches long and 3 inches deep. Oct. 31, 1895, a male 1?4 inches long and 3^ inches deep, and a female 13i- inches long and 3^ inches deep were obtained in the same pound. Apparently the shad do not all remain at sea after their first migration till they are sexually mature. In the Potomac river young shad 8 to 9 inches long occasionally enter in the spring with the adults in large num- bers'. Mr I)e Nyse informs me that in the first spring run of small shad in Gravesend bay fully 1)0$ are males. Genus SARIJISELLA < •"» taken in 1885 in Lake Erie. These are caught chiefly in pound and gill nets. The catch in 1885 amounted to more than one third of the entire quantity of fishes taken in this lake. There is no apparent diminution in the number of these fishes, and their artificial propagation has not been practised. A male and a female were forwarded by Mr Annin from Three- mile bay, Lake Ontario, Nov. 22 and 25, 1895. MEASUREMENTS FEMALE Inches IncUes Length, including caudal ............................. 13 ^ 13 Length of middle caudal rays ........................ % ........ Least depth of caudal peduncle. . . .' .................. 1 ........ Depth of body at dorsal .............................. 3 2V2 Length of head ................................... ... 2% 2% Length of maxilla ................................... % 7/s Diameter of eye .......................... ........... % Vz Length of longest gill raker .......................... % ........ The male has 17+31 gill rakers; the female, 47. Scales of the male, 8-74-8; of the female, 76. In the female the maxilla reaches to the front of the pupil; the lower jaw projects a little; the dorsal and anal each have 10 divided rays; the dorsal has a black tip; the pectoral is dusky above; the ventral and anal are pale; the caudal is dusky towards its margin. The cisco, according to Mr Anuin, lives in deep waters and spawns in brooks in December. Dr Meek saw a few specimens of the species from Cayuga lake. The U.S. Fish Commission obtained four specimens at Cape Vincent X. Y. Nov. 11 and 17, 1891. The U. S. National Museum lias a number of examples from Lake Champlain, some of them from Yergennes Vt., and others from Ticonderoga N. Y. BeKay savs the shad salmon occurs in the smaller lakes in the interior * of the state, which still communicate with our inland seas. 127 Argyrosomus hoyi Gill Mooneye Cisco; Shiner Argyrosonnis lioiii GILL, Mss. JORDAN, AMKT. Naturalist. 13o. March, 1875. Lake Michigan, near Racine, Wis.; EVERMANN >T here for the first time announced as a member of the New York fauna, and the description leaves no doubt of the correctness of the identification. The fish examined, a female with ripe eggs, was taken in Canandaigua lake, Dec. 19, 1896, by Mr Annin's men. It was the only one caught, and was captured by becom- ing gilled in the funnel of the net. Mr Annin is satisfied th;it this is the lake shiner of the fishermen, which they sometimes- see in immense schools at the surface, and kill for trolling bait by shooting them. 128 Argyrosomus prognathus (H. M. Smith) Long JcuiD' Bloater Coregonus prognatJuis HUGH M. SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XIV. 4, pi. 1, fig. o,. 1895, Lake Ontario, at Wilson N. Y. Argyrosomus hoyi MILNER, Kept. U. S. F. C. II, 86, 1874, Outer Island. Lake- Superior, not of GILL. Argyrosoimts progiiatJnts EVERMANN & SMITH, Kept. U. S. F. C. XX, 314,. pi. 26, 1896; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 471. 18!)<>. Body oblong, much compressed, back elevated, tapering rather abruptly toward the narrow caudal peduncle, the adult fish hav- ing a slight nuchal hump as in C. clupeiformis; greatest depth three and one half to four in body length; head rather short and deep, pointed, four to four and one third in length; greatest width half the length, cranial ridges prominent; snout straight, its tip on level with lower edge of pupil; top of head two in distance from occiput to front of dorsal; mouth large and strong, maxillary reaching to opposite middle of pupil, two- and one half in head, length three times its width, mandible long, projecting beyond upper jaw when mouth is closed, reach- ing to or beyond posterior edge of eye, one and three fourths to one and seven eighths in head; eye small, five in head, one and one half in snout, one and one third in interorbital space, one and one half in suborbital space; gill rakers slender, about length of eye, 13 above and 25 below angle. Adipose fin the- length of eye, its width half its length. Narrowest part of cau- dal peduncle contained nearly four times in greatest bod}r depth. Dorsal rather high, with nine or ten developed rays, the longest one half longer than base of fin and contained one and thn < 238 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM fourths times in greatest body depth, three and one fourth times iu distance between dorsal and snout, and one and one half times in head; free margin slightly concave; origin midway between end of snout and base of caudal; dorsal base opposite nine scales. Anal with 10 to 12 developed rays, the longest ray equal to base of fin and two thirds of hight of dorsal. Ventrals as long as dorsal is high, their origin midway between anterior edge of orbit and base of caudal. Ventral appendage short, covering about three scales. Pectorals as long as ventrals. Scales rather large, about 75 in lateral line, seven or eight above the lateral line, seven or eight below the lateral line. Lateral line straight except at origin, where it presents a rather marked €urve. Sides of body uniformly bright silvery, with pronounced bluish reflection in life; the back dusky, the under parts pure white without silvery color. Above lateral line, light longitudi- nal stripes involving central part of scales extend whole length of body. Fins flesh color or pinkish in life, the dorsal and cau- dal usually showing dusky edges; postorbital area with a bright golden reflection; iris golden, pupil black. Branchiostegals, eight. Average length, 15 inches. Habitat: Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and doubtless the entire Great lake basin, in deep water. This fish is called long-jaw in Lakes Michigan and Ontario. Specimens were obtained from John S. Wilson of Wilson N. Y. and from George M. Schwartz of Rochester N. Y. Dr R. R. Gurley also secured examples at Nine Mile Point N. Y. in June 1893. This species is quite different from any other whitefish inhab- iting the Great lake basin. It may be at once distinguished from all the whitefishes known to occur in the United States by the general form of body combined with the very long lower jaw, which is contained less than twice in the length of the head and extends backward to or beyond the posterior edge of orbit. 129 Argyrosomus tullibee (Richardson) Tull'ibec; Mouyrel WhiteftsJi Salmo (Corcf/onus) tttllibee EICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. Ill, 201, 1836, Cumberland House, Pine Island I^ake. FISHES OF NEW YORK Coregonus tullibee GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 199, 1866; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 301, 1883; JORDAN, Oat. Fish. N. A. 43, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 70, pi. 27, fig. 49, 1893. Argyrosomus tullibee JORDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 2, 361, 1878; EVERMANN & SMITH, Kept U. S. P. C. XX, 320, pi. 28, 1896; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat Mus. 473, 1896; BEAN, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 343, 1897. The body of the tullibee is very short, deep and compressed; its greatest hight about one third of the length without caudal. The head is pointed, as in the blackfin, the mouth large, with the lower jaw scarcely longer than the upper. The maxilla extends to below the middle of the eye. The eye equals the snout in length and is two ninths of length of the head. Scales much larger on front part of body than on the caudal peduncle. The gill rakers are long, slender and numerous, about 30 below the angle on the first arch. D. 11; A. 11. Scales in lateral line 74, eight rows above and seven below lateral line; pyloric caeca,. 120. The upper parts are bluish; sides white and minutely dotted. The spermary, according to Richardson, is wood brown. This species is usually called the tullibee, but in Lakes Erie and Michigan it is sometimes styled the mongrel whitefish on the supposition that it is a cross between the common white- fish and the lake herring. The tullibee has been taken recently in Lake Michigan; and Dr E. Sterling had a specimen from Lake Erie. It is found occa- sionally in others of the Great, lakes and extends northward into British America; but is comparatively little known to the fisher- men and is very rare in collections. This fish grows to a length of 18 inches. The late F. C. Gilchrist was the first to describe the habits of the tullibee, and this he did in Forest and Stream in the following language. In September they will again be found gradually nearing the shoal water, feeding heavily, and plump with fat and the now swelling ovaries. Later on they appear to eat little or nothing and devote all their time to playing until about the 25th of October, when they have settled down to the business of propa- gation, which they have finished by November 10. They prefer shallow water close to shore with clean sand to spawn on, and :240 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM during the day they may be seen in pairs and small schools, pok- ing along the shores, but at night they come in thousands and keep up a constant loud splashing and fluttering, very strange and weird on a calm night. Two years ago I carefuly counted the ova from a ripe fish 2^ pounds in weight, and found there were 23,700, closely resembling whitefish eggs in appearance, but ; somewhat smaller. After spawning the fish are very thin, lank, dull in color, and quite unfit for human food. James Annin jr furnished me the following notes on the .spawning of the tullibee in Onondaga lake, N. Y. They generally commence running up onto the shoals about November 15, and the season extends into December. They come up to the banks or gravelly shoals and spawn in from 3 to 6 and 7 feet of water. They have never been caught with the hook in this lake; and an old fisherman told me that he had tried almost every kind of bait, and had used the very finest gut and the smallest hooks baited with Ganamarus (fresh-water shrimp) and other kinds of natural food — that is, he supposed the food was natural to them. At the same time, he claims he could see them in large schools lying in the water 8 or 10 feet from the surface. A female tullibee was sent from Onondaga lake by Mr Annin Nov. 18, 1895, and another of the same sex Nov. 25, 1896. The following notes relate to the female obtained Nov. 18, 1895. Inches Length to end of caudal isy2 Length of upper caudal lobe 2% Length of middle caudal rays 1 Least depth of caudal peduncle 1% Depth of body at dorsal origin 4% Length of head 31/! Length of inaxilla % Diameter of eye % Length of longest gill raker T9s The mandible projects slightly. B. 8; D. 11; A. 11; V. 11. 'Scales 8-75-8; gill rakers, 17+27. The female received Nov. 25, 1896, is 15 inches long. New York is well supplied with Coregonidae, having seven of the 16 North American species. C. quadrilateralis is the frostfish of the Adirondacks and the Great lakes. C. •clupeiformis, the common whitefish, inhabits the Great Jakes and Lake Chainplain; it is very abundant also in the FISHES OF NEW YORK 241 Adirondacks. A r g y r o s o rn u s osmeriformis is a shapely little herring of Seneca and Skaneateles lakes. A. a r t e d i is the common lake herring or cisco of the Great lakes and Lake Champlain. A. hoyi, the lake shiner, or Hoy's whitefish, is above recorded from Canandaigua lake. A. p r o g u a t h u s, the long-jaw, the only summer spawning whitefish so far as knowrn, lives in Lake Ontario; and, finally, A. t u 1 ] i b e e, is the fine whitefish of Onoudaga lake. Genus OXCORHYXCHIS Sucklcy Body elongate, subfusiform, or compressed; mouth wide, the maxillary long, lanceolate, usually extending beyond the eye; jaws with moderate teeth, which become in the adult male -enormously enlarged in front; vomer long and narrow, flat, with a series of teeth both on the head and the shaft, the latter series comparatively short and weak; palatines with a series of teeth; tongue with a marginal series on each side; teeth on vomer and tongue often lost with age; no teeth on the hyoid bone; branchiostegals more or less increased in number; scales moderate or small; dorsal fin moderate; anal fin comparatively elongate, of 14 to 20 rays ; pyloric appendages in increased num- ber; gill rakers rather numerous; ova large; sexual peculiarities very strongly developed; the snout in the adult males in summer and fall greatly distorted, the premaxillaries prolonged, hooking over the lower jaw, which in turn is greatly elongate and some- what hooked at tip, the teeth on these bones also greatly en- larged. The body becomes deep and compressed, a fleshy hump is developed before the dorsal fin, and the scales of the back become embedded in the flesh ; the flesh, which is red and rich in spring, becomes dry and poor. Salmon, mostly of large size, ascending the rivers tributary to the north Pacific in North America and Asia, spawning in the fall. 130 Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum) King Salmon; Quinnat Salmon; Chinook Salmon (Introduced) .Salmo tshaicytsclia WALBAUM, Artedi. Gen. Pise. Ill, 71, 1792.. Salmo quinnat RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. Ill, 219, 1836; GIRARD, Pac. R. R. Exp. Fish. 306, pi. 67, 1858. •Oncorltynch-us quinnat GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 158, 1866. 242 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Oncorliynchus orientalis GUNTHER, op. cit. 159, 1866. OncorJiyncJnis cJiouiclia JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 300, 1883; STONE in Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 479, pi. 186, lower fig. 1884; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. IX, 190, pi. XLVI, fig. 1, 1891; Fishes Penna. 72, 1893. OncorliyncJius tscJiawytscha JORDAN & EA^ERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 479, 1896, pi. LXXVII, fig. 206, 1900. Body stout, moderately elongate, its greatest depth contained three and two thirds to four times in total length without caudal; caudal peduncle short and stout, its least depth one third of greatest depth of body; head conical, pointed, its length one fourth of total length without caudal; eye small; less than one half of length, of snout, and about one seventh of length of head; maxilla slender, its width scarcely one fourth its length, which is one half the length of head; nostrils nearly midway between eye and tip of snout; teeth small, longer on sides of lower jaw than in front, vomerines few and weak, disappearing in the males; gill rakers usually about 23, of which 14 are below the angle of the first arch; dorsal origin midway between tip of snout and base of upper external caudal rays, the base of the fin as long as the longest ray, one half as long as the head, the last ray two fifths as long as the longest; adipose fin over the end of the anal, its width scarcely one half its length, which is two sevenths of the length of the head. The anal base is three fifths as long as the head; the longest anal ray is two fifths as long as the head and more than twice as long as the last ray. The ven- tral is under the last rays of the dorsal, midway between front of eye and base of caudal, its length one half the length of head, its appendage one half as long as the fin. Pectoral as long as postorbital part of head. B. usually 17 or 18; D. 11; A. iii, 15 or 16. Scales usually 27-146-29, sometimes as many as 155 in a longitudinal series. Vertebrae 66. Pyloric caeca 140 to 185. The quinnat salmon is the largest and finest of the Pacific salmon. It ranges from Monterey Cal. to Alaska and eastern; Asia, ascending rivers in some cases 1500 miles or farther from the sea. It has been introduced into lakes of New York, but there is no evidence that it has become established in any waters of the state. Possibly better results might be secured if larger fish were selected for the experimental stocking. FISHES OF NEW YORK L'-l-'i This is the largest fish of the salmon family, individuals weighing 100 pounds and measuring upward of 5 feet in length being on record from the Yukon and other Alaskan rivers. The average weight of adults is above 20 pounds. The flesh of this salmon is paler in color than that of the red salmon, but it is superior in flavor to all others. The quinnat is the first to arrive near the shores in the spring, and the time of the run depends on the latitude, becoming later and later till, in Norton sound, the present known northern limit of its migration, it appears early in June. Unless the spawning period be close at hand, it does not ascend rivers rapidly, but generally plays around for a few days, or even a couple of weeks, near the river limit of tide water. It has been estimated that it proceeds up the Columbia river at the rate of 100 miles a mouth till the exigencies of reproduction compel a faster rate of travel. In the sea this salmon feeds on herring, caplin, and crusta- ceans. A male of about 35 pounds, taken at Karluk August 4, had in its stomach 45 caplin. In fresh water the fish take no food. Spawning takes place near the head waters of streams in clear shallow rapids. The fish excavate oblong cavities in the gravel beds where there is a current, and in these nests the eggs and milt are deposited. The eggs are protected from some of their enemies and fatalities by their environment, but are still a prey to freshets and to the pestiferous little fresh-water sculpins, or blobs, that abound in all trout and salmon waters, so far as ob- served. The young are hatched in from 60 to 100 days. They are destroyed in large numbers by aquatic birds, blobs, and large fishes. The adults are killed by seals, sea lions, and sharks. After spawning, nearly all the parent fish die, specially those that ascend rivers a long distance. The quinnat is a very valuable fish for canning, salting and smoking. If it could be acclimated in the Great lakes, it would form the basis of new and important industries. The practica- bility of rearing this species in fresh waters without access to the sea has been satisfactorily demonstrated in France by Dr Jousset de Bellesme, director of the aquarium of the Trocadero. 244 XEAV YORK STATE MUSEUM The results of the experiment of introducing this salmon into New York waters are as yet unknown, but it is to be hoped that it will be successful. Since the change of method by which larger fish are employed for transplanting, the outlook appears to be more favorable. Genus SAL-MO (Artedi) Linnaeus Body elongate, somewhat compressed; mouth large, jaws, palatines, and tongue toothed, as in related genera, vomer flat, its shaft not depressed, a few teeth on the chevron of the vomer, behind which is a somewhat irregular single or double series of teeth, which in the migratory forms are usually deciduous with age; scales large or small, 110 to 200 in a longitudinal series; dorsal and anal fins short, usually of 10 to 12 rays each; caudal fin truncate, ernarginate or forked, its peduncle comparatively stout; sexual peculiarities variously developed, the males in typical species with the jaws prolonged and the front teeth en- larged, the lower jaw being hooked upward at the end and the upper jaw emarginate or perforate. In the larger and migratory species these peculiarities are most marked. Species of moder- ate or large size, black spotted, abounding in the rivers and lakes' of North America, Asia and Europe; no fresh-water species occurring in America east of the Mississippi valley; two Atlantic species, marine and anadromous. The noninigratory species (subgenus T r u 1 1 a) are in both continents very closely related and difficult to distinguish, if indeed all be not necessarily re- garded as forms of a single one. The excessive variations iu color and form have given rise to a host of nominal species. 131 Salmo salar Linnaeus Atlantic Salmon ; Salmo salar LINNAEUS, Sj-st. Nat. ed. X, I, 308, 1758; Seas of Europe; MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 435, 1815; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 241, pi. 38, fig. 122, 1842; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 11, 1866; STOKER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 142, pi. XXV, fig. 2, 1867; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 312, 1883; GOODE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 468. pi. 186. upper fig. 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 74, color pi. 4, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, IT. S. Nat. Mus. 486, 1806; BEAN, Bull. Arner. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 344, 1897. FISHES OF XK\V YORK -\~> The Atlantic salmon has a moderately thick and elongate body. The greatest hight, at the origin of the dorsal fin, is two ninths of the total length without caudal. The caudal peduncle is rather slender; its least depth about one third of the greatest depth of body. The head is comparatively small; its length in the female about one fifth of total without caudal. The eye is placed at a distance from the top of the head equal to its own diameter. It is one half as long as the snout, and about -one seventh of length of head. The maxillary reaches a little past the eye in adults. Its length equals the depth of caudal peduncle. The dorsal origin is midway between tip of snout and adipose fin. The adipose fin is long and narrow, its width one half its length, and equal to length of eye. The base is slightly longer than its longest ray, and nearly one eighth of total without caudal. The last dorsal ray is about one third of length of dorsal base. The ventral origin is nearly under the end of the dorsal base. The length of the fin equals one half the length of head. The appendage is two fifths of the length of the fin. The pectoral is as long as the dorsal base. The distance of the ventral origin from the anal origin is a little more than length of head. The longest anal ray equals length of ventral. The last ray is two fifths of length of longest. B. 11; D. 11 divided rays and 3 rudiments; A. 9 divided rays and 3 rudiments. Scales 23, 120, 21. Vertebrae 60. Pyloric catca 60 to 70. In the adult the upper parts are brownish or grayish; the sides silvery. Numerous X-shaped or XX-shaped black spots on the upper half of the body, side of the head, and on the fins. Males in the breeding season have red blotches along the sides. In the young there are from 10 to 12 dark crossbars mingled with red blotches and black spots. The salmon in America has but a single common name. When the young have reached a length of 2 inches and taken on the vermilion spots and dark cross bands, they are called parr, and retain this name while they remain in fresh water. Before descending to the se'a in the second or third spring, the parr assumes a bright silvery coat and is then known as a sinolt. 246 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM After a sojourn in salt water lasting from four months to about two years, it may return to its native river either as a sexually immature salmon or as a grilse, the female not yet ready for reproducing its species though the male is sexually mature.. The landlocked variety of the Atlantic salmon has been vari- ously denominated fresh-water salmon, Schoodic trout, Sebago trout, dwarf salmon and winninish, the last in use in the Sagi- naw region. In some Nova Scotian rivers a misnomer, gray- ling, is applied to the landlocked salmon. This species inhabits the north Atlantic, ascending rivers of Europe and America for the purpose of reproduction. In Europe it extends southward to France, and in the United! States the most southern river in which specimens have been, obtained is the Potomac. It occurs in small numbers in the Delaware and in large numbers in the Hudson, but in the last three river basins mentioned its presence is the result of arti- ficial introduction. It is not found in abundance south of the Merrimac, and in rivers of New England and Canada in which it is native it is maintained almost exclusively by artificial culture. The usual weight of the Atlantic salmon ranges from 15 to 40 pounds, but individuals weighing 60 pounds have been recorded. The growth of the salmon is accomplished chiefly in the ocean. As a rule the adults enter the rivers on a rising temperature when ready to deposit their eggs, the spawning occurring on the falling temperature in water not warmer than 50°. The time of entering the Delaware and Hudson is April, the Connecticut a little later, the Merrimac still later; to the Penobscot the salmon come most abundantly in June and July; and to the Miramichi from the middle of June to October. The salmon is not much affected by changes in temperature of the water, enduring a range of fully 45°. The eggs are deposited in shoal water on sandy or gravelly bottom, the parent fish making deep depressions by means of their noses or by flopping motions of the tail. The period of egg-depositing lasts from 5 to 12 days. The spawning season begins about the middle of October and may run into December. In. some European FISHES OF NKW YORK 247 rivers the season continues till February. The eggs are about one fourth of an inch in diameter, and the female is estimated to have about 1000 for each pound of her weight. In the Penobscot, according to the observations of Mr Atkins, an •eight pound female yields from 5000 to 6000 eggs; and a female of 40 pounds about 15,000 eggs. The hatching period ranges from 140 to 200 days or more, depending on the temperature. A newly hatched salmon is about three fourths of an inch long, and the yolk sack is absorbed in from a month to six weeks. It then begins to feed on small organisms in the water. At the age of two months it measures 1^- inches and begins to show crossbars and red spots, gradually coming into the parr stage. In the sea the salmon feeds on herring, caplin, sand lance, smelt and other small fishes, besides crustaceans; but during its stay in fresh water it takes no food. Among the worst enemies of salmon eggs are trout, eels, suckers and frogs. Numerous species of birds destroy the fry, &mong them sheldrakes, kingfishers, gulls and terns. The value of the salmon as a food and game fish is so well known as to require no description here. Those that find their way into market are usually caught in pound nets, gill nets or seines, and the bulk of them are taken at or near the mouths of the streams which they are about to enter for the purpose of spawning. Many are captured in the upper reaches of streams by the spear. Eggs of the Atlantic salmon, just on the point of hatching, from the Eestigouche river, Canada, were received at the New York aquarium from Percy Baker about May 1, 1897. Several hundred healthy embryos were obtained from them. These were reared almost without loss till June 18, when the temper- ature of the water had reached 76° and nearly all perished. November 27, one of the few survivors was 3§ inches long. Liver was the principal food of the fry. Mitchill, in the first volume of t^he transactions of the Literary and Philosophical Society of New York, says that the salmon •" has been taken, since the discovery, a few times in the Hudson. 24X M-:W YORK STATE MT'SKUM But here he is a straggling fish, and not in his regular home. There is no steady migration of salmon to this river. Though pains have been taken to cherish the breed, salmon has never- frequented the Hudson in any other manner than as a stray." In 1842 DeKay published the following note: The sea salmon rarely now appears on our coast except as a straggling visitor. Such an occurrence took place in August 1840, when a salmon weighing 8 pounds entered the Hudson river, and ascended it more than 150 miles, when it was taken near Troy. . . It now is only seen on our northern bor- ders, ascending the St Lawrence from the sea, and appearing in Lake Ontario in April, and leaving it again in October or November. They were formerly very abundant in the lakes in the interior of the state which communicated with Lake Ontario ; but the artificial impediments thrown in their way have greatly decreased their numbers, and in many cases caused their total destruction. I have seen some from Oneida lake weighing 10 and 15 pounds. . . They are occasionally found in Lake Ontario during the whole year; but, as the same instinct which compels them to ascend rivers also leads them again to the sea, and as there is no barrier opposed to their return, we may pre- sume that these are sickly or possibly barren individuals. Experiments for restocking the Hudson are now in progress, and it is probable that the river may again become a salmon stream. 132 Salmo salar sebago (Girard) Landlocked Salmon (Introduced) Salmo sebago GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 380, 1853, Sebago Lake, Maine; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 153, 1866. Salmo salar var. sebago JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 312.. 1883. Salmo gloverii GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Pbila. 85, 1854; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 153, 1866. Salmo salar sebago JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, IT. S. Nat. Mus. 487. 1886; BEAN, Bull. Anier. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 344, 1697. There are at least two well marked races of salar salmon which do not enter the sea but live permanently in fresh water. Both of these differ from the migratory salmon in several par- ticulars: they are smaller, their eggs are larger, they retain the parr marks much longer, they are more subject to disease attending the egg-producing season, and the young grow more FIS1IKS ()!•• NK\V YORK rapidly. Tin- o u a n a n i <• h e of the Saguenay river country is the farlhest removed from the typical sea salmon by its very much smaller size, larger fins and different pattern of coloration. The larger of the two landlocked salmon of the United States is found in the four river basins of the state of Maine, the Presumpscot, Sebec, Union and St Croix. Here the weights vary considerably, spawning fish ranging all the way from 3 pounds to 10 or 12 pounds, while occasional individuals reach 25 pounds. The Sebago form is the one that has been intro- duced into the Adirondack lakes and other New York waters. Spawning begins late in October, but is at its hight in November. Eggs are shipped in January, February and March, and the fry are ready for planting in June. At Green lake, Me., the landlocked salmon often endure a summer temperature above 80° F., but they refuse to take food when the water reaches 75°. This salmon has been introduced into NewT York waters from Maine, and appears to have become established in several locali- ties. A very fine example was obtained from the South Side Sportsmen's Club of Long Island, but it was injured in transpor- tation and never recovered. In April 1896 several individuals from Maine were presented by Eugene G. Blackford. One of these lived in a tank of salt water in the New York aquarium for 19 months, and was then frightened by visitors when the water was drawn low for cleaning, and injured itself so badly that it died after a few hours of struggling. The following measurements were obtained from the fresh fish. Inches Length 24 Middle caudal rays from end of scales 1% Depth 4 Least depth of caudal peduncle 1% Head 4% Snout 1% Eye tt Orbit % Snout to dorsal •. 91,£ Dorsal base 2% Longest dorsal ray 2% Last dorsal ray L'oO NEW YOIJK STATE MUSEUM Inches Snout to ventral. . . . .' ...................................... Length of ventral .......................................... Snout to anal .............................................. 16% Anal base ................................................. Longest anal ray ........................................... Last anal ray ............................................. Snout to adipose dorsal ..................................... 17% Width of adipose dorsal ................ , .................... Vn Length of adipose dorsal ................................... % Length of pectoral ......................................... 31A Upper jaw ................................................ 244 Maxilla ................................................... 2 The head has about 28 dark spots, the largest on the gill cover, oblong, £ inch long. Bod}* with many large and small black spots, a few with a pale ring around them, and some as large as the largest on the gill cover; one on the caudal peduncle of one side distinctly X-shaped. General color dark bluish gray; belly and lower parts iridescent silvery; fins all dusky; the dorsal with many black spots; eye pale lemon, the upper part dusky. Gill rakers, 9+11, the longest -&- inch. B. 11; D. 10. Scales, 21-123-20. 133 Salmo henshawi Gill & Jordan Lake Tahoc Trout; Red-throat Trout (Introduced) Salmo licnsliawi GILL & JORDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 2, 358, 1878, Lake Tahoe; Rept. Chief Eng. Part 3, 1878, App. NN, 1610, pi. IV; JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. I, 75, 1878. Salmo purpuratus var. hensliawi JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 316, 1883. Salmo mykiss CHENEY, Third Ann. Rept. N. Y. Comm. Fish. 239, color pi. facing p. 238, 1898. Salmo mykiss liensliaivi JORDAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. IX, 14, pL II, fig. 5, 1891; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 493, 1896. Salmo clarkii liensliaioi JORDAN & EVERMANN, op. cit. 2819, pi. LXXIX, fig. 208, 1900. Body elongate, not much compressed, its greatest depth one fourth of the total length without caudal; caudal peduncle rather long; its least depth equaling two fifths of the length of the head; head long, conical, slender, its length contained about four times in the total to caudal base; a slight keel on the top of the head; snout obtusely pointed; maxilla not extending far behind the eye, about equal to pectoral, which is three fifths of FISHKS OF NEW YORK 251 length of head; gill rakers short and stout, about 18 on the first arch, of which 13 are below the angle; vornerine teeth in two long, alternating series; hyoid teeth rather weak, in a small patch; dorsal fin small, its last rays two thirds as long as the highest; anal fin rather high; caudal short and distinctly forked. D. 9 to 11; A. 12; B. 10. Scales 27 to 37-160 to 200-27 to 40; pyloric caeca 50 to 60. Color dark green in life, varying to pale green; the sides sil- very with a broad coppery shade which extends also on the cheeks and opercles; a yellowish tinge on the sides of the lower jaw and red or orange dashes between its rami; back every- where covered with large, roundish black spots; dorsal, adipose * fin and caudal fin with similar spots, and a few on the anal; belly with black spots. The Tahoe trout is a large species inhabiting Tahoe lake, Pyramid lake, Webber lake, Donner lake, Independence lake, Truckee river, Humboldt river, Carson river, and most streams of the east slope of the Sierra Nevada; it occurs also in the head waters of Feather river, west of the Sierra Nevada, prob- ably by introduction from Nevada. The usual weight is 5 or 6 pounds, but individuals weighing 20 to 29 pounds are recorded. Eggs of the Lake Tahoe (Cal.) trout were obtained by James Annin jr at Caledonia N. Y., and young fish reared at his establishment were sent to the aquarium in November 1896. They throve till the latter part of June 1897, when they were overcome by the warm water. They could not endure a transfer to the cooler salt water, like most of the other fish of the salmon family. At Caledonia station, according to Mr Cheney, this fish begins to spawn before the middle of March and continues for two months. The impregnation of eggs is from 90$ to 95$, but just before the hatching period a large number of the eggs burst and the embryos are lost. There is loss too between the hatching and feeding times, and the fry do not feed as readily as the brook trout. Altogether, Mr Annin, the superintendent of 252 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM hatcheries, estimates the total loss between impregnation of the eggs and feeding of the fry as about 40^. After the fry begin to feed, they are not more difficult to rear than brook trout. 134 Salmo gairdneri Richardson Stedhead; Gairdwer's Trout; Salmon Trout (Introduced) Salmo gairdnerii RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. Ill, 221, 1836, Columbia River. Fario gairdneri GIRARD, Pac. R. R. Surv. Fishes, 313, pi. LXXI, fig. 1, 1858. Salmo purpuratus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit Mus. VI, 116, 1866, not of Pallas. Salmo gairdnerii GUNTHEK, op. cit. 118, 1866. Salmo gairdneri JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 313, 18S3; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. IX, 198, pi. XLIX, fig. 9, 1891, not fig. lO, which is young mi/kiss; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 498, 1896, pi. LXXXI, fig. 21."), 190u: CHENEY, Third Ann. Rept. N. Y. Comm. Fish. 241, color pi., 1S9S. Form of S. s a 1 a r . Body elongate, little compressed, its greatest depth two ninths of the total length without caudal; caudal peduncle short, its least depth three sevenths of length of head; head rather short, one fifth of total length without caudal, maxilla reaching far behind the eye, its length one half the length of head; eye small, two thirds of length of snout, two elevenths as long as the head; teeth rather small, vomerines in two long, alternating series about as long as the palatine series; gill rakers short and stout, about 20 on the first arch, of which 12 are below the angle; dorsal origin much nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal, base of dorsal two thirds of length of head, longest dorsal ray one half the length of head and twice as long as last ray; adipose fin very small and nar- row, over the beginning of the anal; caudal fin moderately forked in the young; ventral origin midway between tip of snout and base of caudal, ventral fin one half the depth of body; anal base one half as long as the head, longest anal ray equal to postorbital part of head; pectoral fin one eighth of total length without caudal. B. 11 or 12; I). 11; A. 12. Scales from 137 to 177, usually about 150-28; pyloric caeca 42; vertebrae 38+20= 58. Color olive green above, sides silvery, head, back, dorsal FISIIKS OF .\K\V YOKK and caudal fins profusely covered with- small black spots, no red between the ranii of the lower jaw. The steelhead trout is found in coastwise streams from southern California to Bristol bay, Alaska. It spawns in the late winter and early spring; ripe eggs were obtained at Sitka, Alaska, June 10. Spent fish of this species are frequently taken with the spring run of the king salmon. The economic value of the steelhead is very great; the fish reaches a weight of 30 pounds, though the average weight is under 20 pounds, and the non-anadromous forms seldom exceed 5 or 6 pounds. From information furnished by Mr Annin it appears evident that some of the eggs of trout received at Caledonia N. Y. many years ago from the McLeod river, Cal., as rainbows, really in- cluded both rainbows and steelheads. He finds certain females producing deep salmon colored eggs, while in the same pond and receiving the same food as other females which furnish very light colored, almost white, eggs. Some of the females also differ from others in going to the spawning beds nearly two months earlier. It is now known also that the McLeod con- tains a small-scaled form of the rainbow, known to the Indians as the no-shee, and this also may easily have been sent to the east under the name of rainbow. Striking differences in the appearance and habits of so called rainbows introduced into the various states, lend color to this supposition. Steelheads were obtained for the New York aquarium in No- vember 1896, from the IT. S. Fish Commission. They were hatched from eggs shipped from Fort Gaston Cal. to the station at Craig brook, Me. The length of the trout when received ranged from 4 to 4J inches. After one year they were 10 inches long on the average, and weighed many times as much as they did when received. None of them at any time showed a red lateral band such as is present in the rainbow, and they are farther distinguished by the presence of white tips on the ven- tral and anal fins; the dorsal also has a small white tip. They have been kept almost from their arrival in salt water, and 254 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM could not have been kept in the warm Croton water in June. The salt water never rose above 71^° F and continued at this high temperature only 10 days. The N. Y. Fisheries, Game and Forest Commission planted some of these trout in a Long Island stream and some in a lake in northern New York. Those that were planted on Long Island, says Mr Cheney, when rather more than a year old rose to the fly of the trout fisherman and made a most gallant fight, but it is too early to tell the outcome of the experiment. The eggs are one fifth of an inch in diameter; they hatch in 42 to 50 days with water at 50°. 135 Salmo fario Linnaeus Brown Trout (Introduced) Salmo fario LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 30, 1758; BLOCK, Ichth. I, 121, taf.' 22, & 157, taf. 23, 1785; RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. Ill, 144, pi. 92, fig. 3, A & B, 1836; DAY, Fish. Great. Brit. & Ireland, II, 95, plates CIX, fig,. 3, CXIII, CXIV, CXVI, fig.l, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 78, color pi. 6, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check-List Fish. N. A. 512, 1896. Salmo fario ausonii GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 64, 1866. Salar ausonii CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XXI, 319, pi. 618, 1848. The brown trout of Europe was introduced into the United States from Germany in February 1883 and in subsequent years; it has now become thoroughly acclimated in the fresh waters of many of the states. The body of this trout is comparatively short and stout, its greatest depth being contained about four times in the length without the caudal. The caudal peduncle is short and deep, its depth equal to two fifths of the length of the head. The length of the head in adults is one fourth of the total length without caudal or slightly less. The diameter of the eye is about one fifth of the length of the head, and less than length of snout. The dorsal fin is placed nearer to the tip of the snout than to the root of the tail; the longest ray of this fin equals the dis- tance from the eye to the end of the opercle. The ventral is tinder the posterior part of the dorsal; its length is about one half that of the head. The adipose dorsal is placed over the end FISHES OF NEW YORK 255 of the anal base ; it is long and expanded at the end. The caudal is emarginate in young examples, but nearly truncate in speci- mens 10 inches long. The pectoral is nearly one sixth of the length without the caudal. In the male the jaws are produced^ and very old ones have a hook. The maxilla extends to the hind margin of the eye. The triangular head of the vonier has a transverse series of teeth, and the shaft of the bone bears two opposite or alternating series of strong persistent teeth. D. 13-14; A. 10-11; P. 13; V. 9. Scales 25-120-30; pyloric caeca 38-51; vertebrae 57-58. On the head, body and dorsal fin usually numerous red and black spots, the latter circular or X-shaped and some of them with a pale border; a yellowish margin usually present on the front of the dorsal and anal and the outer part of the ventraL The dark spots are few in number below the lateral line. The ground color of the body is brownish or brownish black, varying with food and locality. Names. In European countries in which this species is native it bears the name of trout or brook trout or the equivalents of these terms. In Germany it is bachforelle ; in Italy, trota; in France, truite. In the United States it is known as the brown trout and von Behr trout, the latter in honor of Herr von Behr, president of the D cut seller Fischerie Tercin, who has been very active in the acclimation of the fish in America. Distribution. The brown trout is widely distributed in conti- nental Europe and inhabits lakes as well as streams, specially in Norway and Sweden. Tributaries of the White sea, the Bal- tic, the Black- sea and the Caspian contain this species. In Great Britain it lives in lakes and streams and has reached a high state of perfection; in Germany and Austria, however, the trout is a characteristic fish, and our supply has been drawn prin- cipally from the former country. Moreau found it at an eleva- tion of 7000 feet in the Pyrenees, and a color variety is native to northern Algeria in about 37° north latitude. In the United States the brown trout has been successfully reared in Colorado at an elevation of nearly 2 miles above sea level; it is now well 256 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM established in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Colorado, and several other states. This trout has proved to be well adapted to the region east of the Rocky mountains, which has no native black spotted species, though the western streams and lakes contain many forms in a high state of development. Size. Under favorable conditions the brown trout has been credited with a weight of 22 pounds and a length of 35 inches. In New Zealand rivers, where it was introduced with unusual success, it now approximates equal size; but in most localities 10 pounds is about the limit of weight and 5 or 6 pounds is a good average, while in some regions the length seldom exceeds 1 foot and the weight ranges from -|- pound to 1 pound. In the United States a wild specimen, seven years old, weighed about 11 pounds. In a well in Scotland an individual aged 15 years measured only about 1 foot in length. These illustrations will serve to show how much the growth of a brown trout is affected by its surroundings and food supply. The species has been known to become sexually mature when two years old and 8 inches long. Habits. The brown trout thrives in clear, cold rapid streams and at the mouths of streams tributary to lakes. In its move- ments it is swift, and it leaps over obstructions like the salmon. It feeds usually in the morning and evening, is more active dur- ing evening and night, and often lies quietly in deep pools or in the shadow of overhanging bushes and trees for hours at a time. It feeds on insects and their larvae, worms, mollusks and small fishes and, like its relative, the rainbow trout, it is fond of the eggs of fishes. In Europe it is described as rising eagerly to the surface in pursuit of gnats and is said to grow more rapidly when fed on insects. Reproduction. Spawning begins in October and continues through December and sometimes into January. The eggs are from i to £ of an inch in diameter and yellowish or reddish in color; they are deposited at intervals during a period of many days in crevices between stones, under projecting roots of trees, and sometimes in nests excavated by the spawning fishes. The FISI1KS OF NEW YORK --j parents cover the eggs to some extent with gravel. The hatch- ing period varies according to temperature from 40 to 70 days. Females aged three years furnish on the average about 350 eggs each, but individuals of this age have yielded as many as 700, and even at the age of two years some females produce from 400 to 500. When they are four or five years old, the num- ber of eggs has reached 1500 to 2000. The young thrive in water with a temperature of about 50° F. Sterility in the females is common, and breeding females have been observed to cease reproduction when eight years old. Qualities. The brown trout is in its prime from May to the last of September. Its flesh is very digestible and nutritious, and deeper red than that of the salmon when suitable food is furnished; the flavor and color, however, vary with food and locality. Insect food produces the most rapid growth and best condition. This species has been so long known as one of the noblest of the game fishes and its adaptability for capture with artificial flies because of its feeding habits is so well understood that I need not dwell on these familiar details. The brown trout is remarkably hardy in captivity. A large female, received from Eugene G. Blackford in April 1896, and placed in a salt-water tank at the aquarium, lived there and throve till 1898. During most of the time the trout was in salt water, but at certain intervals fresh water was substituted for a short time, specially when symptoms of fungus made their appearance. In November 1896 she excavated a shallow depres- sion in the gravel bottom and deposited a lot of eggs. The fish was extremely shy, and never lost its fear of the attendants. Liver and live killifish were used for its food. A very beautiful and interesting hybrid is produced by cross- ing the brown trout and the brook trout. The following is a description of this hybrid: Salmo (HYBRiD=fario f ontinalis) Hybrid Trout In a paper published seven. years ago the writer stated, as a result of his studies, that, when a large-scaled trout is crossed 258 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM with a small-scaled one, the hybrid will be large-scaled which- ever way the cross be made. The hybrid between the brown trout and the brook is a large-scaled form, and it is sterile as far as reported. The aquarium has had this hybrid from the South Side Sportsmen's Club, and from the New York hatcheries at Cold Spring Harbor L. I. and Caledonia. It is always a strik- ingly handsome fish, and grows to a large size; but it is far less hardy than either of its parents. The cross has always been artificially made, and never occurs naturally. Two specimens studied gave the following measurements in inches: MEASUREMENTS Caledonia N. Y. 0 ikdale X V . June !0, 1896 Wai '2-',, ;8<)7 Jaiues Auuiii jr G. P. Slade Extreme length ................................ 9% Length of middle caudal rays from end of scales. % Depth of body .................................. 17s 3ys Least depth of caudal peduncle ................. % Length of head ................................ 2 3% Length of snout ................................ % l1/^ Length of upper jaw ............................ 1% Length of lower jaw ............................ 1% Diameter of eye ................................ TB -fe Distance from snout to dorsal origin ............. 3% Length of dorsal base .......................... 1 ** Length of longest dorsal ray .................... ITS Length of last dorsal ray ........................ % Distance from snout to ventral origin ............ 4*/2 Length of ventral ............................... 1% Distance from snout to anal origin ............... 6 .... Length of anal base ............................ % Length of longest anal ray ...................... 1% Length of last anal ray .......................... % The Caledonian specimen has no hyoid teeth; the vonierines- are in a very small patch on the head of the bone only. The gill rakers are 4+10, the longest about one half the diameter of the eye. It has about 124 tubes in the lateral line. Branchiostegals, 10. The following color notes were taken from the fresh fish. Dorsal fin with numerous dark blotches resembling those of young rainbow; adipose long and slender, amber color with two obscure dusky blotches, one of these very indistinct; lower half of sides pink; ventral, anal and caudal pink; ventral and anal FISHK.S OF NEW YORK - •">'.) with a inilk white front margin, that in the anal limited behind by a dark line as in brook trout; sides reticulated with large meshes of lemon yellow interspersed with darker purplish or olive. Dorsal blotches are mingled with pale lemon. Pectoral pale vermilion. Eye silvery white with yellowish reflections. The specimen from Oakdale L. I. weighed 20 ounces. It has a triangular ' patch of vomerine teeth, as found in f o n t i - n a 1 i s, but continued behind by several teeth in a single row, the entire length of the vomerine series being -^ of an inch. 136 Salmo trutta levenensis (Walker) Loch Leven Trout (Introduced) Xul mo levenensis WALKER, Wern. Mem. I, 541. 1811; YARREI/L, Brit Fish. ed. 2, II, 117, 1841; ed. 3, I, 257, fig. 1859; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 101, 1866; DAY, Fish. Great Brit. & Ireland. II, 92, pi. OXVI, fig. 2 & 2a, 1884; BATED, Kept. U. S. F. C. XII, LVIII, 1886. Salmo trutta levenensis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check-List Fish. N. A. 512, 1896. The Loch Leven trout of Great Britain was introduced into the United States from Scotland in 1885 and subsequent years. It is somewhat closely related to the European brow^n trout, Salmo fario, and has been artificially crossed with that species in the United States, so that it is sometimes difficult to find the pure bred Loch Levens in fish cultural establishments at home. The body of the Loch Leven is more slender and elongate than that of the brown trout, its greatest depth contained four and one fourth to four and one half times in the total length without caudal. Caudal peduncle slender, its least depth three eighths of the greatest depth of the body, and equal to length of snout and eye combined. The head is rather short and con- ical, its length two ninths to one fifth of the total length without caudal. The snout is one fourth or slightly more than one fourth as long as the head. The interorbital space is somewhat convex, its width equal to three fifths of the length of post- orbital part of head. The eye is of moderate size, its long diameter contained five and one half to six times in the length of the head, and equaling about twice the greatest width of the 260 NEW YORK STATIC MUSEUM maxilla. The maxilla reaches to or slightly beyond the hind margin of the eye. Teeth rather strong, those in the intermax- illary and mandible the largest, triangular head of vomer with two or three in a transverse series at its base, teeth on the shaft of the vomer usually in a single, partially zigzag, persistent series. Mandible without a hook and little produced even in breeding males. Dorsal origin distant from tip of snout about as far as end of dorsal base from base of caudal; the dorsal tin higher than long, its base one eighth of total length without caudal, its longest ray equal to longest ray of anal fin. The anal fin is much higher than long, its distance from the base of the ventral equaling length of the head. The ventral origin is nearly under the middle of the dorsal; the fin being as long as the postorbital part of the head. Pectoral equals length of head without the snout. Adipose fin very small, its width one half its length which is about equal to eye. Caudal fin einargi- nate unless fully extended, when it becomes truncate, the outer rays about one seventh of total length including caudal. D. 13 (=iv, 9); A. 12 (=iii, 9); P. 14; V. 9. Scales 24 to 28-118 to 130-26 to 30; pyloric caeca 47 to 90; vertebrae 56 to 59. Upper parts brownish or greenish olive, or sometimes with a reddish tinge, sides silvery with a varying number of x-shaped black spots, or sometimes rounded brown spots or rounded black spots which may be ocellated; occasionally red spots are seen on the sides, and the adipose fin may have several bright orange spots, or it may show a red edge and several dark spots; sides of the head with round black spots; dorsal and adipose fins usually with numerous small brown spots; tip of pectoral black ish; anal and caudal fins unspotted, but the caudal sometimes has an orange margin and the anal a wiiite edge with black at its base; a similar edge may sometimes be observed on the ventral. The Loch Leveii trout is a nonmigratory species, inhabiting Loch Leven and other lakes of southern Scotland and of the north of England. Its range in Great Britain and on the con- tinent of Europe has been greatly extended by fish cultural I'M SI IKS OF XI<;\V YORK operations, and the tisli is now fairly well known in I lie ('nited Slates, though mixed to some extent with the brown trout, as remarked above. The Loch Leveii trout has been recorded of the weight of 18 pounds, but the average weight at 6 rears of age is about 7 pounds, though some individuals of that age may reach 10 pounds. The natural food of this species includes fresh-water iiiollusks (snails, B u c c i n u m , etc.), crustaceans, worms and small fish. In captivity it is reared on liver, horse flesh, chopped clams and various other meats. As a food fish the Loch Leven is highly esteemed on account of the red color and the delicate flavor of its flesh when obtained from suitable waters; in some localities the flesh often becomes white from lack of food or improper food. The spawning season may begin late in September or early in October and continue till December. In Michigan it corre- sponds with that of the brook trout. The egg varies from about £ to ^ inch in diameter. A trout weighing 2 pounds contained 1(J44 eggs, the weight of which was ^ pound. The Loch Leven will take the artificial fly as readily as the brown trout and the brook trout. Its great size and strength add to its attractions for the angler. 137 Salmo irideus Gibbous Jidiuboto Trout (Introduced) //•/(/<•//* GIBBONS, Proc. Cal. Ac. Nat. Sci. 30. 1855, San Lcamlro Crook. Alameda County, Cal.: JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 312, in part. 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. XII, 36, pi. V, figs. 2 & 3, 18&4; Fishes Peuna, 77, color pi. V, 1898; Ann. Kept. N. Y. Cornm. Fish.; JORDAN & EYKRMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. pi. LXXXI, fig. 216, 1900. irideus Shasta JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 502. 1806. Body short and deep, its greatest depth equaling two sevenths of the total length without caudal. The least depth of caudal peduncle equals one half the length of head. The head is short and deep; its length is contained about four and two thirds times in the total length without the caudal. The snout is short, 262 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM not much longer than the eye, about one fourth the length of head. Diameter of the eye contained four and two thirds times in length of head; maxilla not quite reaching to below hind margin of eye; vomerines in two irregular series; gill rakers about 20. Dorsal origin a little nearer tip of snout than to caudal base. The length of the dorsal base is contained seven and one half times in total without caudal, and slightly exceeds longest dorsal ray; last dorsal ray one half as long as the long- est. 'Ventral origin is under middle of dorsal base; the fin is as long as the longest dorsal ray; the ventral appendage about as long as the eye; when the ventral is extended, the distance of its tip from the vent is one third of length of head. The anal base is a little more than one half as long as the head; the longest anal ray equals the longest dorsal ray; the last ray is not quite so long as the eye. Adipose fin short, its width nearly equal to its length and two thirds of diameter of eye. B. 11; D. 11 divided rays and 4 rudiments; A. 10 divided rays and 3 rudiments. Scales 21-135 to 140-20. The upper parts usually greenish blue, sometimes purplish; the sides more or less silvery and profusely spotted with small black spots, which are most numerous above the lateral line; head, dorsal, adipose, and caudal fins also black spotted. Sea- run specimens are uniform silvery without black spots. In the breeding season the broad crimson lateral band becomes brighter, and the sides of both sexes are iridescent purplish. The jaws of the male in the breeding season are not much dis- torted, but they are very much larger than in the female. The rainbow trout is a native of the mountain streams of the Pacific coast and ranges from California to southern Alaska. A small example was taken at Sitka, in 1880, by Admiral L. A. Beardslee, U. S. N., and is now in the collection of the U. S. National Museum. This trout is found chiefly in mountain streams west of the Sierra Nevada s. It rarely descends into the lower stretches of the rivers, but occasionally does so and passes out to sea. The rainbow has been extensively intro- duced into many eastern states, but not with uniform success. In Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri and North Carolina it has, been FISHES OF NEW YORK 263 well acclimatized, and it is also fairly established in New York. The average individuals of this species are less than 1 foot in length, but specimens measuring more than 2 feet and weigh- ing 13 pounds have been recorded. At Neosho Mo. the young have been artificially grown to a length of nearly 1 foot in a year. The rainbow feeds on worms, insect larvae and salmon eggs. In streams in which the California salmon and rainbow exist together, the rainbow is more destructive to the salmon eggs than any other species. Spawning takes place in winter and early spring, varying with temperature and locality. The bulk of the eggs are usually taken in Januar}r, February and March, and the average yield from each female is about 900 eggs. A few of the females spawn when two years old, but about one half of them begin at three years. The egg is from ^ to f inch in diameter; it has a rich cream color when first taken, changing to pink or flesh color before hatching. The rainbow will live in water of a much higher temperature than the brook trout will endure and it thrives in tidal streams and even in salt water. On Long Island, for example, the South Side Sportsmen's Club obtains a great deal of fine sport with this trout in the estuary of its trout brook. The flesh of the rainbow is generally much esteemed, and in most localities the game qualities of the fish are scarcely inferior to those of the brook trout. Large rainbow trout do not stand transportation well when ice is used to cool the water in which they are carried. They frequently injure their eyes, and become blind soon after the end of a journey. They are inveterate fighters, and the strong- est invariably rules and harasses the rest. Contrary to what has been stated heretofore, they will not endure high tempera- tures as well as the brook trout, at least in the aquarium. 138 Salmo lemanus Cuvier Swiss LaJce Trout (Introduced) Salmo lemanus CUVIER, Regne Anim. fide Giinther; GTJNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 81, 1866. Salmo trntta JURINE, Mern. Soc. Pbys. Geneve, III, 1, 158, pi. 4, 1825. 264 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Far'w h'inunus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XXI, 300, pi. 617 (male) 1848. Swiss lako trout ATKINS, Kept U. S. F. C. XVII, XVIII, XIX, 1893 and 1894. Head well proportioned in its shape, of moderate size, body rather stout; preoperculum with a distinct lower limb, oper- culmn rather broad and high; snout of moderate length, rather produced in the male sex, in which a mandibular hook is devel- oped in the spawning season; maxillary longer than the snout, and at least as strong and broad as in S. f a r i o ; in specimens 12 inches long it extends somewhat behind the vertical from the hind margin of the orbit. Teeth moderately strong, those on the v oilier in a single series, alternately bent toward the right and left, persistent throughout life. Pectoral fin rounded, its length being less, and in young individuals more than, one half of its distance from the ventral. The caudal becomes trun- cate with age; in specimens of from 12 to 15 inches in length it is emarginate, the middle rays being half as long as the outer ones. The hind part of the body of moderate depth; there are 13 or 14 scales in a transverse series descending from behind the adipose fin forward to the lateral line. Back greenish, sides and belly silvery, numerous very small X-shaped black spots on the sides; opercles and dorsal fin with numerous black dots; the other fins greenish. I). 13; A. 12; P. 14; V. 9. Scales 26 to 28-115 to 128-36; pyloric caeca 45-52; vertebrae 57 (once), 58-59. (After Giinther) Attempts have been made from time to time to introduce into large, cold lakes of the United States the fine lake trout of Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Eggs have been furnished to the U. S. Fish Commission by the Swiss government, and these were hatched at the Craig brook (Me.) station, and from there the young were distributed to lakes believed to be suitable for the experiment. In New York, the Adirondack League Club ob- tained 1000 of the young of this species in 1896 and deposited them in Green lake, in Herkimer county. The specimen de- scribed below is probably one of the results of that experiment. Swiss lake trout were furnished also to the New York Pish Com- FISHES OF NEW YORK 265 mission for planting in Lake George, and 100 yearlings were presented to the New York aquarium. A specimen taken in Green lake, Adirondack League Club preserve, Herkimer <•<>.. .Inly 20, 1800, was forwarded to the (I. S. Fish Commission, Washington 1), C., and there described by J)r W. C. Kendall, from whose notes the following account is drawn. The total length of the specimen is llf inches. When first taken it was reported to measure llf inches. The body is moderately elongate, its greatest depth contained three and three fifths times in the total length to base of caudal. Head large, slightly more than one third of total length to base of caudal; eye rather large, about one fifth of length of head; snout long, about three tenths of length of head; teeth on jaws, palatines and tongue long, curved and sharp, those of the lower jaw longest, shaft of vomer long with a zigzag row of sharp teeth; gill rakers short, the longest one third of diameter of iris, 4 + 11 on right side, 5 + 10 on left side. Hight of longest dorsal ray two thirds of length of head. Pectoral five eighths as long as the head. B. 11-12; D. ii, 0; A. i, 8. Scales in lateral line 115. General appearance of S a 1 m o s a 1 a r s e b a g o , from which i( svould probably not be distinguished by the casual ob- server.if caught where the landlocked salmon occurs; but the 1 e rn a n u s is distinguishable by the heavier appearance for- ward of the dorsal fin. Color in spirits, brownish on back, top of head and sides of head; sides and belly very silvery; large roundish black spots above lateral line forward and on cheeks and opercles; perpen- dicularly elongate spots forward below lateral line; black of all spots most intense on edges of scales; posteriorly the spots show only on the edges of the scales, being variously crescentic. double or triple crescentic, X or double X shaped; fins p'ale with slightly dusky tinge; dorsal with 5 transverse rows of black spots. Mr De Witt, who sent the specimen, furnished the following- notes on Green lake, from whence it was forwarded. " Maxi- mum depth 42 feet, with temperature at bottom at that depth, as far as I have been able to ascertain, about 40°. Has no 266 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM outlet so far as we know. No brown trout have ever been put in it, and we take it for granted that the specimen I send is one of the 'Swiss trout." Genus CKISTIVOIUER Gill & Jordan This genus contains one or two species, large, coarse chars, distinguished from Salvelinus by the presence of a raised crest behind the head of the vonier and free from the shaft; this crest is armed with teeth. The hyoid teeth constitute a strong, cardiform band. The typical species is a large char or trout, spotted with gray instead of red, and found in the larger lakes of eastern North America. (After Jordan and Evermann) The species n a in a y c u s h is found also in a lake (Henry) in Idaho, in the Columbia river basin, and northwestward to northern Alaska. 139 Cristivomer namaycush (Walbaum) Lake Trout; Salmon Trout Salmo namatjcitsh WALBAUM, Artedi. Gen. Pise. Ill, 68, 1792. Hudson Bay, based on the Narnaycush Salmon of Pennant; RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. Ill, 179, pi. 79 & pi. 85, fig. 1, 1836, Great Lakes; THOMP- SON, Nat. Hist. Vermont, I, 140, figure, 1842; KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 25, pi. Ill, fig. 2, 1844; GUNTHER, Cat Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 123, 1866. Salmo pallidiis RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 120, December, 1817. Lake George, Lake Champlain and other lakes; not ascending brooks. Salmo ametnystinus MITCHILL, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 410, 1818. Salmo Jwodli RICHARDSON, op. cit. 17, pi. 82, fig. 2, pi. 83, fig. 2, 1836. Salmo conflnis DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 238, pi. 38, fig. 123, 1842. Salmo amethystus DE KAY, op. cit. 240, pi. 76, fig. 241. Salmo adirondacus NORRIS, American Angler's Book, 255, 1865. Salmo siscowet GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 124, 1866. Salvelinus namuycush JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 317, 1883; GOODE, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 485, pi. 191B, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 82, color pi. 8, 1893. Cristivomer namaycush JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 504, 1896, pi. LXXXII, fig. 217, 1900; BEAN, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 348, 1897. The lake trout or Namaycush has a stout and moderately elongate body. The caudal peduncle is slender; its hight little more than one third of the greatest hight of the fish. The eye is large, placed near the top of the head, two thirds as long as FISHES OF NEW YORK 267 the snout, and contained four and a half to five and a half times in length of head. The maxilla reaches far behind the eye; its length nearly half that of head. The origin of the dorsal is midway between tip of snout and root of tail. The length of the base equals length of maxilla; its longest ray one sixth of total without caudal. The ventral is under the hind part of dorsal; its length half the length of head. The append- age is very short, about half the length of eye. The fin, when extended, reaches nearly to the vent. The distance between ventral origin and anal origin is one fifth of total length with- out caudal. The anal base is about one third of length of head; the longest ray half of length of head; the last ray equal to eye. The pectoral is nearly twro thirds as long as the head. B. 11 to 12; D. 9 to 10 besides several rudiments; A. 9 and several rudiments; V. 9. Scales of lateral line about 200. The coloration is extremely variable, generally grayish, in the variety known as the tuladi, nearly black. Alaskan specimens are usually very dark; occasionally the upper parts are pale. The sides are profusely covered with roundish pale spots, some- times with a reddish tinge. On the back and top of head there are fine vermiculations resembling those of the brook trout. The caudal in addition to numerous pale spots has many small dark blotches. The lake trout has received many names, among which are the following: Mackinaw, Nauiaycush, togue, tuladi, and salmon trout. Additional names of the species are lunge, red trout, gray trout, and black salmon. Togue and tuladi are names ap- plied in Maine, New Brunswick and Canada; Mackinaw and salmon trout in the Great lakes region, the latter used also in New York. Namaycush is of course an Indian name. The lake trout is native in the Great lakes region, lakes of New York and New England, Idaho and northward into Labrador, British America and Alaska. Extending over such a wide range of country, it varies greatly in size, form and color, which will in part account for the various names which it has received. It has been found above the Arctic circle in Alaska. 208 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM This is one of the largest species of the salmon family resi- dent in fresh waters. It reaches a length of 3 feet, and speci- mens weighing 40 pounds are not uncommon. It is said that an example of 90 pounds and G feet in length has been taken. The species is found in its best condition in Lakes Huron, Michi- gan and Superior. In Alaska it grows to a large size, and is a very shapely and beautifully colored fish. The lake trout is one of the most rapacious fishes of its family. In Lake Michigan it feeds largely on the cisco and other small whitefishes. At Two Rivers Wis. a lake trout measuring 23 inches was found to contain a burbot about 17 inches long. The gluttony of this species is proverbial. It will devour table refuse, and materials of this kind have frequently been taken from its stomach. Even twigs, leaves and pieces of wood have been taken by this trout. The species is much more sluggish in its habits than the brook trout, and is taken on or near the bottom. The gill and pound nets in which this species is princi- pally captured are set in deep water. The spawning of the lake trout usually begins in October and continues into November. For this purpose they come up on rocky shoals and reefs in depths of from 70 to 90 feet, and spawn near the edges of rock caverns, into which the eggs settle. The young are hatched late in the winter or early in spring. In some localities the depth of the spawning areas ranges from 15 fath- oms to only 7 feet. Mr Milner found 14,943 eggs in a lake trout weighing 24 pounds. In the hatchery, with a water tempera- ture of 47°, the young hatch about the last week of January, but their hatching may be retarded several weeks by lower temperatures. The fishery for the lake trout is most active in September, October and November, and the fish are taken chiefly in pound and gill nets. In some regions many of them also are caught with hooks. In Lake Erie a few7 large trout of this species weighing from 25 to 40 pounds are taken off the city of Erie. In 1885, according to the statistics of the U. S. Fish Commission, 100,000 pounds of lake trout were taken in Erie county. Pa. PISHES OF NEW YORK 269 The only New York examples of lake trout were received from James Ainiin jr, Caledonia, in the fall of 1896. They lived and grew rapidly till the warm water killed them in June 1897. They could not endure transfer lo salt water of a lower temper- ature, as so many other trout will do, and nothing- else could be utilized to tide them over till the completion of the refrigerating plant. Owing to the extensive individual and race variation among trout referred to this species, it seems desirable here to give some notes and measurements made from individuals obtained from New Hampshire and Vermont. Two lake trout weighing about 4^ pounds each were shipped in a can only a few inches longer than the fish, from Roxbury Yt. November 17, and, after an express journey of 20 hours without an attendant, one of them survived in good condition, while the other was nearly dead on arrival and died within one hour. The latter was a female, and appears to have injured itself severely by jumping in the can; it was not in good condition when it left Vermont. 12 large brook trout shipped with the lake trout in two cans arrived without injury; these and the lake trout were presented by John W. Tit- comb, Fish and Game Commissioner. Commissioner N. Wentworth of Hudson Center N. H. for- warded the New Hampshire lake trout, one from Newfound lake, the other from Lake Winnepesaukee. They were sent to determine whether the trout of the two lakes, which the fisher- men assert are different species, really are distinct. The com- missioner wrote that " the Newfound trout has darker flesh, more like the sea salmon. This is not caused by their food, as both lakes are alive with smelt. The Winnepesaukee lake trout are better biters; tons of them are caught through the ice every winter. The Newfound trout are hardly ever caught through the ice. A few were caught last winter for the first time to my knowledge. I am sure there is but one variety of lake trout in Newfound lake. We had one in our tanks this fall that would weigh 25 pounds." The only differences to be found on examination were such as relate to the depths at which 270 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM the two races habitually live; one is the slim, dark colored tuladi, and the other the common lake trout of the Great lakes region. It is necessary, however, to call attention to the lake trout from northern Vermont which furnished one of the series of measurements given below. The gill rakers in that example are few in number and unusually short, four or five on each side being reduced to mere spiny tubercles. The following table gives dimensions in inches. MEASUREMENTS Newfound Winniplseo- Roxbury lake gee lake Vt. 33? Length, including caudal 24V. 27% 22 Length to base of middle caudal rays \ 21 23% Least depth of caudal peduncle 1% 1% •Greatest depth of body 4% 6% iTMckness of body 2% 2% 2% Length of head 5% Q% 4% Length of snout 1^4 1% 1% Length of postorbital part of head 3*4 3% 2y2 Length of upper jaw 2% 3% 2% 'Length of maxilla 2& 3 2 Diameter of eye % % % Intel-orbital width 1% 2% 1% Distance from snout to dorsal 10% 12% 10 Length of dorsal base 2% 2^ 2% Length of longest dorsal ray 3 2% 2% Length of last dorsal ray 1% 1% 1% From end of dorsal to adipose fin 4% i 5 4% Length of adipose fin % 1 % Width of base of adipose fin % TSB % Distance from snout to ventral 12% 14% 11% Length of longest ventral ray 2% 2% 2% Length of last ventral ray 1% 1% Length of ventral appendage % % % Distance from snout to anal 16 18% 15% Length of anal base 2 2% 1% Length of longest anal ray 2% 2Y2 2% Length of last anal ray 1 1 % Length of pectoral SYs S-Vz Length of upper caudal lobe 3% 3% Length of lower caudal lobe 3% 3% Length of longest gill raker. ^ & FISHES OF NEW YORK 1571 In the Newfound lake fish we have: B. 11; D. 11; A. 10 (counting divided rays only); V. i, 8; P. i, 12. Scales 26-195-34 (about 150 tubes); gill rakers, 9+13, the long- est a little more than one half the length of eye, the one in the angle club-shaped at the tip. It is a male with sperniaries mod- erately small but soft. The body is gray, darker on the back. The onler <-dge of the pectoral and ventral and the front margin of the anal are white as in f o n t i n a 1 i s . A white tip to the lower caudal lobe and a very small one at the top of the dorsal. Otherwise the coloration is like that of ordinary lake trout, which have the pectoral, ventral and anal chiefly vermilion in the breeding season. The male from Winnepesaukee lake has: B. 12 to 13; D. 10; A. 10; V. i, 8; P. 12. Gill rakers 8+12, the longest about one half as long as the eye. The ground color is a little lighter than in the Newfound lake trout, and the vermilion of the pectorals, ventrals and anal is less intense. The sper- niaries are larger than in the specimen from Newfound, and in about the same stage of development; the body is considerably stouter. The female from Roxbury Vt. shows the following additional characters. B. 12; D. 10; A. 10; V. i, 8. Gill rakers 8+12, the longest exactly one half as long as the eye. The eggs and ovaries are small as in young females. The pectorals, ventrals and anal are chiefly vermilion, as in the male from Newfound lake. The body is silvery gray with numerous small, whitish spots, these present also on the dorsal. Hon. H. W. Sage is authority for the information that the lake trout was formerly common in the lake near Ithaca. About 1830 a large individual was found stranded in Cayuga lake inlet, about H miles from the lake. Genus SALVELIMS (Nilsson) Richardson Body moderately elongate; mouth large or small; teeth of jawrs, palatines, and tongue essentially as in S a 1 m o , the hyoid patch present or not; vorner boat-shaped, the shaft much de- NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM pressed, without raised crest, with teeth on the head of the bone and none on the shaft; scales very small, 200 to 250 in a lengthwise series; fins moderate, the caudal forked in the young, truncate in some species in the adult; sexual peculiarities not strongly marked, the males with the premaxillaries enlarged and a fleshy projection at the tip of the lower jaw. Coloration dark, with round, crimson spots, the lower fins sometimes with mar- ginal bands of black, reddish, and pale. Species numerous in the clear streams and lakes of the northern parts of both con- tinents, sometimes descending to the sea, where they lose their variegated colors and become nearly plain and silvery. The members of this genus are by far the most active and handsome of the trout, and live in the coldest, clearest and most secluded waters. (After Jordan and Evermann) 140 Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill) Brook Trout Salmo fontinaUs MITCHILL, Trans. Dit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 435, 1815, near New York; RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. Ill, 170, pi. 83, fig. 1, 1830; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 235, pi. 38, fig. 120, 1842; GTJNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 152, 1806. Xnlmo canadensis HAMILTON SMITH in Griffith's Cuvier, X, 474, 1834, Canada . immacuhitiiN II. R. STOKER, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. VI, 364, 1850, Lower St Lawrence. I'nitlirni/tixlcr DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna. Fishes. 23(1, pi. ::'.», lig. 13'0, 1S42. Ba.ione fotitincilis DE KAY, op. eit. 244, pi. 20, fig. 58, 1842. XnltrUiiKS fontinaUs JORDAN, Pnoc. IT. S. Nat. Mus. I, 81, 1878, in part; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, IT. S. Nat. Mus. 320, 1883; GOODE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 497, pi. 192, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 80, color pi. 7, 1893; Bull. Ainer. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 350, 1897; BOWERS, Manual Fish Cult. ed. 2, color pi. frontispiece, 1900; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 506, pi. LXXXII, fig. 218, 1900. The brook trout varies greatly in the shape of the body, which is sometimes short and deep and again elongate and moderately I hiu. The depth is usually about one fourth or two ninths total length without caudal, and is about equal to length of head. The least depth of the caudal peduncle is a little more than one third of its greatest depth. The head is large and the snout somewhat obtuse. The eye is in front of the middle of its length, a little more than one half as long as the snout, and about one KISIIKS OF MOW YOIJK -T."» sixth of length of head. The dorsal fin is about midway be- tween lip of snout and root of tail. Tin- length of its base equals about half its greatest depth of body. The longest ray equals length of ventral. The ventral origin is a little behind the middle of the dorsal. In the male, when laid backward, it reaches nearly to the vent. The length of the appendage equals that of the eye. The anal base is two thirds as long as (he ventral, its longest ray equal to ventral. The adipose fin is short and stout, its width two thirds of its length and about two thirds of length of eye. D. 10; A. 9. Scales in lateral line ±.T> 1o i':>5; six gill rakers above the angle of the first arch; 11 below. The coloration is highly variable with age and locality. The upper parts are usually grayish much mottled with dark olive or black. The dorsal fin and anterior part of caudal base and top of head are also mottled. The caudal has narrow dark bars. The lower fins dusky with a, creamy white interior edge bound behind by a narrow black streak. On the sides numerous pale brownish blotches encircle small vermilion spots. The brook or speckled trout of the east is indigenous to the region east of the Alleghany mountains and the Great lakes region, ex< ending from North Carolina on the south to Labra- dor on the north. The distribution of this trout has been won- derfully extended by artificial introduction, as it has always been a favorite with fish culturists. It is now to be found thriving in many of the western states and territories, and is particularly thrifty in Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada, and Cali- fornia. It has also been sent to Mexico and to European conn tries. The average brook trout seldom exceeds 7 or 8 inches in length, and smaller individuals are much more abundant and require legal protection. In the northeastern part, of its habitat the brook trout grows much larger, specimens weighing from .'> to 6 pounds being not uncommon; and in one of the Eangeley lakes an individual weighing 11 pounds is recorded; while Seth Green took a 12 pound specimen in the Sault Ste Marie, and Hallock mentions one which was said to weigh 17 pounds. 274 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The brook trout does not flourish iu water warmer than 68°, and prefers a temperature of about 50°. It is an inhabitant of the cold, clear mountain streams, and will leave a region which becomes polluted by mill refuse and other hurtful substances. In the Long Island region and around Cape Cod, where the brook trout has free access to salt water, it has the habit of • going to sea in the fall and remaining during the winter. It then grows rapidly and becomes a much more beautiful fish than many which live exclusively in fresh water. In hot weather, when the temperature of the streams becomes too high and lakes are accessible, trout seek the deep parts of the lakes and the vicinity of cold springs. In streams they are to be found in deep pools or in channels. They feed in spring and early summer among the rapids on insects and small crusta- ceans. The brook trout is a nest-builder. Cavities are made in the gravel, and the nest is shaped with the tail, and the larger stones are carried in the mouths of the parents. After the eggs are deposited, they are covered with gravel. The eggs are not all deposited at one time. Spawning usually begins in October, but brook trout are spawning at some locality in almost every month of the year except midsummer. The egg is about | inch in diameter, and varies in color from pale lemon to orange red. The average yield of the female is from 400 to 600. Livingston Stone has taken 1800 from a fish weighing 1 pound. The period of hatching will depend on the temperature, ranging from 165 days in water of 37° tov 32 days in water of 54°. The yolk sack is absorbed in from 30 to 80 days, and after its absorption the young fish begin to feed. The rate of growth will of course depend on the amount of food consumed. In artificial culture yearlings, according to Mr Ainsworth's esti- mate, will average 2 ounces; fish of two years 4 ounces; of three years, 8 ounces, and of four years, 1 pound. The value of the brook trout as a food fish and its game quali- ties are so well known that I need hardly refer to them here. The brook trout is well adapted to domestication in aquarium tanks; it soon overcomes its fear of moving objects, takes its FISHES OF NEW YORK -Tf) food regularly, and is always attractive because of its beauty and graceful movements. It will live in fresh and salt water. When it is attacked by fungus in fresh water, the parasite is easily killed by introducing salt water, gradually increasing in salinity, and the trout is not at all injured or inconvenienced by the treatment. In captivity the food consists almost entirely of chopped hard clams and liver for the young, while hard clams, live killifish and occasional earthworms are given to the large fish. The increase in size with such feeding is remarkable. A brook trout, from Caledonia N. Y., not more than 3^ inches long- in November 189G, measured 12^ inches in length and 3-| inches in depth Dec. 10, 1897. A single young brook trout from Caledonia survived in water at 76° F but that temperature was generally fatal to the species. Dr Meek has found the trout in small streams on the uplands throughout the Cayuga lake basin. Mitchill knew this fish chiefly as an inhabitant of Long Island waters, and has given an interesting account of the fishing at Nichols, Patchogue and Fire Place, where a Mr Bobbins, in 12 days in the summer of 1814, caught 190 trout weighing 139 pounds, 11 ounces. The largest at Patchogue weighed 2-J pounds, the largest at Fire Place, 3 pounds. A Mr Purvis, of New York, caught a trout measuring 24 inches and weighing 4} pounds at Fire Place. At that time, according to Mitchill, the trout was '' bought at the extravagant price of a quarter of a dollar for a single fish not more than 10 or 12 inches long," and New York anglers traveled " away to Hempstead and Islip for the pleasure of catching and eating him." 141 Salvelinus alpinus (Linnaeus) Saibling (Introduced) Kalino alp inns LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I. 309. 1758, Lapland, West G-othland. Sal mo salrelinus LINNAEUS, op. et loc. cit. Lintz in Austria. Salmo salmarinus LINNAEUS, op. cit. 310, 1758. Salmo umUa LINNAEUS, op. cit. 310, 1758, Lakes of Switzerland and Italy. Salmo ascanii CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XXI, 256. 1848. Norway. 276 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Salmo rival-is GAIMARD, Voyage eu Island, Greenland, pi. 15, 1851, Iceland. Salmo wilhiffhMi GUNTHER, Proc. Zool. Soc. 46, 1862, Lake Windemiere. Salmo grayi GUNTHER, Proe. Zool. Soc. 51, 1862, Lough Melvin. Ireland. Salmo colli GUNTHER, Proc. Zool. Soc. 12, 1863, Lough Esk. Salmo perisii GUNTHER, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. XV, 75, 1865, North Wales. Salmo killinensis GUNTHER, Proc. Zool. Soc. 699, 1865; Loch Killiu, Inver- ness. Salvelinm alpinus BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. Sterling Lake, New York & New Jersey; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check-List Fish. N. A. 293. 1896; and Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 508, 1896. Salvelinus alpimis (Linnaeus) Salbling; Saibling (Introduced) Body moderately elongate, compressed, its greatest depth two ninths of total length to caudal base; the caudal peduncle short and stout, its least depth two fifths of length of head; head rather short, its length contained from four and one third to four and one half times in total length to base of caudal (middle caudal rays). The body is somewhat elevated at the nape and for a short distance behind it. Mouth large, the maxilla reaching somewhat behind eye, its greatest width less than one fourth of its length, the upper jaw one half as long as the head; eye rather large, nearly equal to snout, one fifth of length of head; interorbital space convex, one and one half times diameter of eye; lower jaw very slightly projecting; vomerine teeth in a very small patch on the head of the bone, lingual teeth strong, teeth on both jaws well developed, those of the mandible strongest; gill rakers short, straight, very slender, the longest one half as long as the eye, 11 above and 14 below the angle of the first arch. The dorsal origin is nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal, its distance from the snout equaling twice the length of head; the dorsal base is as long as the postorbital part of head; the longest dorsal ray is two thirds as long as the head, and nearly twice as long as the last ray. Adipose fin twice as long as wide, as long as the iris, its origin distant from base of middle caudal rays a space equal to length of head without the snout; the fin is over the end of anal base. Ventral midway between tip of snout and base of middle caudal FISHES OF XE\V YORK 277 rays, its length two thirds of length of head; its appendage as long as the eye. Anal fin distant from ventral origin a space equal to length of head; anal base as long as snout and eye combined; longest anal ray equal to ventral and nearly two and one half times last anal ray. Pectoral as long as the head without the snout. Caudal well forked, its outer rays about as long as the pectoral fin. Color of the upper parts dark gray or greenish, the sides with a silvery shade passing into a deep red or orange on the lower half and, specially, the belly; red spots on the sides; lower fins margined with white and a blackish shade within the margin; sides of the head silvery; dorsal and caudal fins uniform dusky, unspotted. The saibling has been introduced into the United States, and a specimen was obtained from Sterling lake, X. J., Dec. 29, 1888. This was presented by A. S. Hewitt jr to Eugene G. Blackford of New York city, and by him forwarded to the U. S. National Museum for identification and preservation. The specimen is 9f inches long. It does not differ in any way from European specimens with which it has been compared, as may be seen from the following description. The greatest hight of the body equals two ninths of the total length without caudal; the least hight of the caudal peduncle is two fifths of greatest depth of body and one third of length of head. Head large, one fourth of total length without caudal; snout equal to eye, four in head; maxilla extending to slightly behind orbit, its width nearly one fourth of its length; mandible slightly projecting. Dorsal origin nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal; base of dorsal one half as long as the head; longest dorsal ray equal to pectoral and nearly two thirds of length of head; last dorsal ray one third of length of head. Adipose fin over the last two or three anal rays, its length about equal to diameter of iris. The ventral origin is under the fifth or sixth divided ray of the dorsal; the fin is as long as the postorbital part of the head; its appendage is not quite one third as long as the fin, and equals the diameter of the iris. 278 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The anal base is four ninths as long as the head; the last ray of the fin is one half as long as the longest, which is one half as long as the head. The pectoral reaches almost to below the origin of the dorsal, its length two thirds of length of head. Caudal deeply forked, its middle rays less than one half as long- as the outer, which are equal to length of head without the snout. The fish is an immature male with about 10 oblong parr marks on the sides and with a few narrow dark blotches simu- lating half bands on the back from near the nape to a point behind the dorsal fin; numerous pale spots along the middle of the sides, each of which no doubt had a vermilion spot in the center in life. Sterling lake is in New York and New Jersey; and it was stated that the trout are found in streams emptying into the lake. This is noteworthy as being the only instance, as far as known, of successful introduction of the saibling into our waters. 142 Salvelinus alpinus aureolus (Bean) tiiww.pee Trout ; Golden Trout: Silver Trout (Introduced.! (tin-coins BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 628, 1887, Sunapee Lake, New Hampshire. alyimts aureolus JORDAN, Forest & Stream, Jan. 22. 1S91; QUACKENBOS, Trans. N. Y. Ac. Sci. XII, 139, 1893; JORDAN & EVER- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat Mus. 511, 1896, pi. LXXXIII, fig,. 220. 1900. alpinus GARMAN, American Angler, Feb. 5, 1891. The type of the description, no. 39334, was obtained in Sun- apee lake, N. H., in the fall of 1887 by Dr John P. Quackenbos. The length of the specimen to the caudal base is 6f inches. The greatest hight of the body equals the length of the head, and is contained about four times in the total without caudal. The least hight of the tail equals one third the length of the head. The maxilla reaches past the middle, but not to the end of the eye; its length is contained about two and two thirds times in length of head. The length of the upper jaw is contained about two and one third times in the length of the head, and is equal to the longest anal ray. The eye is a little longer than FISHES OF XF.W YORK I*"!) the snout, and is contained four and two seven tli times in the length of the head. Hyoid teeth well developed. The first dorsal is a little nearer the tip of snout than to the base of caudal, and the length of its base is one half the length of the head. The adipose dorsal is distant from end of first dorsal a space equal to twice the length of the ventral. The anal is at a distance from the snout equal to about three times the length of the head. The longest anal ray is equal to the length of the upper jaw. The length of the middle caudal rays is equal to twice the diameter of the eye. The ventral is situated midway between the tip of the snout and caudal base; its length equals one half the length of the head. The length of the pectoral is about twice the width of the interorbital area. B. 10; 1 >. iv, 0; A. iii, 8; P. 13; V. !>. Scales 35-210-40; gill rakers fi+10-12. The peculiarity of the gill rakers of this trout is that they are always curled up at the ends and not straight, as in the o (] u a s s a from Maine. Sides silvery white. Back with about six well defined bandlike markings, besides some irregular dark blotches. There are about 10 parr marks on the sides, and numerous small, roundish, white spots. In colors this char is different from the o q u a s s a from Maine, but, if fresh specimens of the Maine trout were compared with this young fish, the difference in color might not be so grea I . The specimen described is a young male with the spermaries showing as a mere slight ribbon. Its stomach contained an earthworm and the wing cases of a squash beetle. The other two specimens (somewhat smaller) are females far from maturity. In a female, no. :>T408. 11 inches in total length, both parr marks and bauds across the back show very plainly. This female has a few free eggs in the abdominal cavity and seems to be nearly spent. In examples of this size the tail is deeply forked, the middle rays being less than one half as long as the external rays. i/ In males the pectoral is always longer than in females of equal size. 280 XBW YORK STATE MUSEUM The following color notes were taken from nos. 38321 to 38328, collected by Col. Hodge in Sunapee lake. Dec. 10. 1886. Head and upper parts brownish gray, caudal the same, with the exception of a narrow white margin on the lower lobe; under surface of head, in most examples, brownish gray, in others whitish; belly orange, this color extending up on the sides but not to the middle line of the body; anal orange, with white margin in front; ventrals orange, with broad white margin on the outer rays; pectorals, gray upper half, and orange lower half; dorsal gray, lighter along the base; sides, both above and below lateral line, with numerous orange spots, fading out to whitish. The largest of these spots are little more than one third as long as the iris. No mottliugs anywhere. MEASUREMENTS Locality . Body : Greatest higlit . . . Greatest width . . , Higlit at ventrals. Least hight of tail. Length of longest gill raker. Head: Greatest length Distance from snout to nape. . Greatest width Width of iuterorbital area... Length of snout Length of opercnlum Length of maxillary Length of upper jaw Length of mandible Distance from snout to orbit. Diameter of orbit Diameter of iris Dorsal (first): Distance from snout Length of base Length of longest ray Length of last ray 37408 < 2 SDNAPKK LAKE, N. H. Millime- ters lOOths of length 257 100 51 20 25 9% 49 10 21 8 4 1% 54 21 36 14 24 9 IS 6% 11 4 13 5 21 8 25 9% 31 12 13 5 13 5 9 3% 112 43y, 28 11 32 12% 15 5% 38 36 13 2 38 27 18 11 14 21 8 11 8% 76 19 21 12 23V* 22 8 1% 23% 16% 11 6% 4 8% 10 13 47 11% 13 7% FISHES OF NEW YORK 281 MEASUREMENTS Current number of specimen 37408 $ Locality SUNAPKK LAKE, N. H. lOOtha of length Dorsal (soft) : Millime- ters From origin of first Length along hind margin... Length of base. Anal: Distance from snout Length of base • Longest ray Last ray Caudal: Length of middle rays from end of scales Length of external rays Pectoral: Distance from snout Length Ventral: Distance from snout Length Length of appendage Branchiostegals Dorsal Anal Pectoral Ventral Number of scales in lateral line. . . Number of transverse rows above lateral line Number of transverse rows below lateral line Number of gill rakers Number of caecal appendages 90 9 5 183 22 28 13 18 41 53 37 127 31 14 10 9 8 1,8 38 a 39 35 31/2 2 11 5 6% 15% 20% 49 12 39334 $ SUNAFEE LAKE, N. H. lOOths Of length Millime- ters 60 6 3 117 15 16% 8 13 32 36 24 84 20 8 10 y s 13 1,8 210 35 40 ,-12 371/3 3% 1% 73 9 10 5 8 19% 22 14% 521/2 12% 5 The golden trout is a native of Sunapee lake and Dan Hole pond, in New. Hampshire, and of Flood's pond, in Maine. Doubt- less it exists in other lakes of New England and British North A merica. It is a large species, reaching a length of 20 inches and the weight of 6 or 8 pounds; even larger individuals have been reported. Spawning takes place in Sunapee lake on reefs in shallow water and not in the streams tributary to the lake; the «In a , 37409. 282 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM season is about the same as for the brook trout. The colors of the male in the breeding season are gorgeous, and the sight of a host of spawning fish in the water is one to be remembered. Many large and small trout of this kind have been deposited in Lake George and other suitable waters of the state. Family Smelts Genus OSMERIS (Artedi) Linnaeus Body elongate, compressed; head long, pointed; mouth wide, the slender maxillary extending to past the middle of the eye, lower jaw projecting, preorbital and suborbital bones narrow; maxillaries and premaxillaries with fine teeth, lower jaw with small teeth, which are larger posteriorly, tongue with a few strong, fang-like teeth, largest at the tip, hyoid bone, vomer, pala- tines and pterygoids with wide set teeth; gill rakers long and slender; branchiostegals 8; scales large, loose, 60 to 70 in the course of the lateral line; dorsal small, about midway of the body, over the veutrals; anal rather long; vertebrae about 40; pyloric caeca small, few. Small fishes of the coasts of Europe and northern America, sometimes ascending rivers; delicate in flesh and considerably valued as food. (After Jordan and Ever- manu) 143 Osmerus mordax (Mitchill) t; Ice Fish Atln-rina mordax MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 446, 1815, New York. Oxtiirnis viridescens LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 230, May, 1818, Boston to Newport; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 243, pi. 39, fig. 124, 1842, streams flowing into Long Island Sound, Hackeusack & Passaic rivers; STOKER, Syii. Fish. N. A. 197, 1846; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 167, 1866. Oswcnts mordax JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, IT. S. Nat. Mus. 203, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 64, pi. 26, fig. 46, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 523, 1896, pi. LXXXVI, fig. 228, 1900; EVER- MANN £ KENDALL, Kept. U. S. Commr. Fish & Fisheries for 1804, 593, 1896, Lake Meniphremagog & Lake Champlain. The smelt has an elongate and somewhat compressed body and a long, pointed head, with the lower jaw projecting. The mouth PISHES OK NEW YORK 283 is large, the maxilla extending slightly behind the eye. Small teeth on the intermaxillaries and maxillaries and the front of the lower jaw. Posteriorly the teeth of the mandible an- larger. The tongue is armed with a few large fanglike teeth. .and there are widely set teeth on the vomer, palate, and ptery- goid bones and at tin- root of the tongue, dill rakers long and slender; branchioslegals eight; the dorsal small, nearly median over the ventrals; anal moderately long; scales large, thin, easily deciduous, in about 75 rows along the sides; lateral line short, not extending much beyond the end of the pectoral; a few small pyloric caeca. The hight of the body is nearly one fifth of the total length, without caudal, and nearly equal to the length of head. The eye is nearly one fifth as long as the head. The pectoral equals the longest dorsal ray in length and, -also, length of anal base. The ventral is one half as long as the head. Longest anal ray not much more than one half the -anal base. D. ii, 8; A. iii, 14; V. ii. 7. The upper parts are greenish; a broad silvery band along the sides; body and fins with numerous minute dusky points. The smelt is known along our east coast from Labrador to Virginia. It probably extends still farther north, but the record of W. A. Stearns, published in the proceedings of the National Museum for 1883, p. 124, fixes the most northern locality known #t present. He found the smelt common in August in shoal water off the wharves of Cape Breton. In Pennsylvania the fish is common in the spring in the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. In numerous lakes of Maine, New Hampshire, and other New England states, the smelt is common landlocked, and thrives •as well as in the salt water. De Kay knew the smelt as a marine species ascending the Hackensack and Passaic rivers. The species occurs also in Lakes Champlain and Memphremagog. In the former lake it reaches a large size. At Port Henry N. Y. the fish is called ice fish. Its range has been widely extended by artificial introduction, which is very easily effected by transporting the fertilized eggs 284 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM from the small brooks in which the species spawns. The eggs- are adhesive and attach themselves to stones, and their trans- portation is accomplished very easily. The smelt grows to a length of 1 foot; the average size as found in the markets is about 7 inches. It enters the rivers for the purpose of spawning and is most abundant in the winter and early spring months. Spawning takes place in the Raritan river, N. J., in March. The eggs of the smelt have been arti- ficially hatched by Mr Ricardo, Fred Mather and other fish, culturists. The smelt is an excellent food fish and is also used for bait,, and still more extensively as food for landlocked salmon, lake and brook trout and other important salmonoids, which are artificially reared in lakes. It has proved to be one of the best fishes for this purpose. Immense quantities of smelts are caught during the winter months in nets, seines and by hook and line. They are usually shipped to market in the frozen con- dition, packed in snow or crushed ice. The fish which have not been frozen, however, are prized more highly than any others. The smelt begins to run into Gravesend bay in December and remains during cold weather. In the spring it ascends rivers to spawn. The eggs are small (-2-0- inch in diameter) and number 496,000 to the fluid quart; they adhere to stones, twigs etc. on the bottom. Some females begin to spawn when only 3 or 4 inches long. In fish cultural operations k> the spawning fish, of both sexes,. are placed in troughs, which are covered to exclude light, which is very injurious to the eggs. The eggs are naturally laid and fertilized, and become attached to each other and to the troughs. They are scooped up with a flat shovel, placed on wire trays in water, and are forced through the meshes of the trays to sepa- rate them. They are hatched in automatic shad jars, blanketed to exclude light. If during hatching the eggs bunch, they are removed from the jars and again passed through the meshes- of the wire trays." The fry are hardy in transportation. FISHES OF NEW YORK 285 In captivity the adults live till about th<' end of June, when the water becomes too warm and they die. Their food consists mainly of shrimps and other small crustaceans. Order IXOMI Lantern Fishes Family :sYNOn>ors:TiDAE Lizard Fishes Genus SYNODUS (Gronow) Bloch & Schneider First superior pharyngeal cartilaginous, second without teeth, third and fourth separate, with teeth; lower pharyngeals sep- arate; body elongate, subterete; head depressed, the snout tri- angular, rather pointed; interorbital region transversely con- cave; mouth very wide; premaxillaries not protractile, very long and strong, more than half length of head, niaxillaries closely connected with them, very small or obsolete, premaxillaries with one or two series of large, compressed, knife shaped teeth, the inner and larger depressible, palatine teeth similar, smaller, in a single broad band; lower jaw with a band of rather large teeth, the inner and larger teeth depressible, a patch of strong, depressible teeth on the tongue in front, and a long row along the hyoid bone; jaws nearly equal in front; eye rather large, anterior, supraorbital forming a projection above the eye; pseudobranchiae well developed; gill rakers very small, spine- like; gill membranes slightly connected; top of head naked; cheeks and opercles scaled like the body; body covered with rather small, adherent, cycloid scales; lateral line present; no luminous spots; dorsal fin short, rather anterior; pectorals moderate, inserted high; ventrals anterior, not far behind pec- torals, large, the inner rays longer than the outer; anal short; caudal narrow, forked; vent posterior, much nearer base of caudal than base of ventrals; branchiostegals 1- to 16; stomach with a long, blind sac and many pyloric caeca; skeleton rather firm. 286 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 144 Synodus foetens (Linnaeus) Lizard Flsli Xtjtino foetens LINNAEUS. Syst. Nat. eel. XII. I. 513, 1766, South Carolina. Esor salmoiicHS MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. X. Y. 1, 442. 181.". New York. S'aiinis mcj-iniiiiis CUVIER. Regne Anirn. ed. II, 314. 1829. Mexico. Saunis foetens GUNTHER, Cat Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 396. 1864. Synodus foetens JORDAN & GILBERT. Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 280, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 148. 1888, 19th Rep. Cornm. Fish. N. Y. 275, 1890; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 538. 1896, pi. LXXXVIII, fig. 236, 1900. Body slender, elongate fusiform, its greatest depth about one seventh of total length without caudal; caudal peduncle short, stout, its least depth equal to length of snout; head conical, sharply pointed, its length contained four and one third times in total without caudal; snout much flattened above, pointed, its length about one fourth the length of head, and nearly twice diameter of ej'e; jaws nearly equal in front or the lower included, maxilla reaching well behind orbit, the upper jaw as long as postorbital part of head; anterior nostril with a flap, posterior simple, the anterior nearer to eye than to tip of snout; eye .small, partly on top of head, two elevenths of length of head, about two thirds of interorbital width ; teeth o>f upper jaw closing down over the mandible; dorsal origin nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal, over the 18th scale of the lateral line, dorsal base one half as long as the head, longest dorsal ray equal to upper jaw, last dorsal ray one third as long as head; adipose dorsal very small and slender, its length not equal to eye; ventral equidistant from tip of snout and vent, the fin four fifths as long as the head; pectoral short and rounded, its length equal to snout and eye combined; anal origin distant from caudal base a space equal to one fourth the length without caudal, anal base three fifths as long as the head, longest anal ray one half as long as head without the snout, last anal ray one half as long as anal base; caudal deeply forked, the middle rays less than one half as long as the outer; interorbital space slightly concave. D. 10, the first two and the last simple; A. 14; V. 8; P. 14. Scales 7-59-7; here described from specimens numbered 35936, U. S. National Museum, from Fire island, L. I. riSIIKS OF \KW YORK 287 Color of upper parts olive brown or grayish, sides below lateral line paler, belly yellowish, pectorals, ventrals and anal with a yellow tint, caudal dusky, dorsal with traces of narrow bars, inside of mouth and of gill openings yellow. The lizard fish reaches a length of 12 inches; it is found from Cape Cocl to Brazil, being very common from Virginia southward. It comes into shallow waters during the summer and remains on the New York coast till October. It is a voracious species, of no value as food. Adults and young of this species are rather common in the < rreat Egg bay region, N. J. At Beesleys Point, Sep. 2, 1887, a small individual was found to have swallowed a Pleurouectes americanus, which distended the stomach of its captor laterally to nearly twice its normal width. Abundant in thoroughfares near Seiners Point August 30. One individual taken is 7f inches long. Some very large ones have been seen; an example caught at Beesleys Point, Septem- ber 9, is nearly 9 inches long, and we have secured some larger than this. The species is unknown to the fishermen. The lizard fish, called sand pike by some authors, is the trout pike of Mitchill. Besides bearing these names, it is known as snakefish, cigar fish and spearfish. The species appears not to have been known to l)e Kay. It is very common in Great South bay, 36 specimens having been taken in the latter part of Sep- tember and the first two days of October. Mitchill's examples from the head of New York bay wrere from 8 to 9 inches long, in Great Egg Harbor bay, though it is a very common fish, the fishermen have no name for it. Order IIAI-LOMI Plkelikc Fislies Family i:Mt3Rir>AE Mud Mln-noirx Genus UMBRA (Kramer) Miiller Body oblong, covered with cycloid scales of moderate size, without radiating striae; no lateral line; head shortish, little 288 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM depressed; eye rather small; cleft of mouth moderate; ventral fins 6-rayed, below or slightly in front of dorsal; anal fin much shorter than dorsal; pectorals rather narrow, rounded, placed low, with 12 to 15 rays, which are much articulated; caudal rounded; preopercle and preorbital with mucous pores; branchi- ostegals six; gill rakers short, thick. Size small. Three species, very similar to each other, inhabiting the waters of the United States and Austria. 145 Umbra limi (Kirtland) Mud Minnow; Dogfish Hydmrgira limi KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. Ill, 277, pi. II, fig. 4, 1841. Hydraryira fnsca THOMPSON, Nat. Hist. Vermont, 137, 1842, Lake Chain- plain. Hydntrgira atricauda DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes. 220, 1842. Hydrargyra fvsca STOKER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 182, 1846. Umbra limi GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 232, 1866; JORDAN & GIL- BERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 350, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 88, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47. U. S. Nat. Mus. 623, 1896. The mud minnow has a comparatively short and stout body, its depth not equal to the length of the head and about one fourth of total without caudal. The length of the head equals two sevenths of the total. The head is flattened above and rather large. , D. 14; A. 9; V. 6. Scales in lateral line 35, in transverse series 15. The color is dark olive or greenish, and the sides have irregular, narrow, pale bars, which are sometimes obscure or absent. A black bar at the base of the tail. The mud minnow, mud dace or dogfish is found in the Great lakes region from Lake Champlain to Minnesota, being most abundant in Wisconsin. It is occasionally taken in the Ohio valley. It was not found by Dr Meek at Ithaca; but was taken in small numbers near Cayuga and Montezuma. The fish was taken by U. S. Fish Commission collectors in Griffon creek, Chau- rnont N. Y. July 7, and in Mill creek, Sacketts Harbor N. Y. July 2. De Kay had specimens from Lake Champlain. It grows to a length of 4 inches. It has no value whatever except as food for other species. Like the related mud minnow FISHES OF NEW YORK 289 next mentioned, it is hardy and interesting in the aquarium. The name mud minnow relates to a singular habit of the fish of burrowing into the mud when the water evaporates out of a pond. It has been related that this fish has been plowed up in ponds and swamps which have become dried out. Prof. Baird has recorded the following fact about this species. " A locality which with the water perfectly clear, will appear destitute of fish will perhaps yield a number of mudfish on stirring up the mud on the bottom and drawing a seine through it. Ditches on the plains of Wisconsin or mere bog holes affording lodgment to nothing beyond tadpoles may thus be found full of m e 1 a n u r a s." The nnid minnow shipped from Caledonia N. Y. by James Annin jr in wet moss has survived a 12 hours' journey; but it has never proved hardy either in balanced tanks or in running water. This is remarkable, because there is evidence to prove that the species can endure alternate freezing and thawing with- out permanent injury. 14G Umbra pygmaea (Be Kay) X triced Ifud Muuioic Leuciscus IJI/IJIIKICUS DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 214, pi. 42, fig. 134. 1842, Tappan, Rockland Co., N. Y.; STORES, Syn. Fish. N. A. 162, 1846. Fiiitdulns fuscus AYKES, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 296, pi. XIII, fig. 2, 1844, Brookhaven, Long Island. Helanura annul at a AGASSIZ. Amer. Jour. Sci. Arts, 135, 1854. Umbra pi/rj>iiaea JORDAN, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. X, 53, 1877; BEAN, Fishes rPenna. 88, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 624, 1896, pi. XCIX, fig. 268. 1900; MEARNS, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 317, 1898. Umbra limi pijffimaea BLATCIILEY, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 13. 1885. Melauura pygmaea BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 147, 1888. The body of the mud minnow is oblong, robust; its greatest depth is contained slightly more than four times in the total length without the caudal and not equal to length of head. The snout is short ; eye moderate about equal to snout, four and one half in head. Cardiform teeth on premaxillaries, lower jaw, vomer and palatine bones. The gill openings are very wide, the rakers short and rather numerous; jaws short, gape of mouth 290 NEW YORK STATE MUSEIUM rather wide. The body is covered with rather large cycloid scales, and the head is almost entirely scaled. D. 14; A. 8. Scales eight or nine in a transverse series, 35 from head to tail. Color dark green, more or less mottled (in spirits brownish); sides with a dozen pale longitudinal streaks, regularly ar- ranged; a darker stripe through eye; black bar at base of tail, which is present in very young examples as well as in the adult. The eastern mud minnow is found from New York to South Carolina in Atlantic streams. According to Prof. Cope it is very common near Philadelphia. De Kay had very small indi- viduals from brooks near Tappan, Rockland co. N. Y. Dr Theo- dore Gill collected specimens in the same county in 1855. The species grows to a length of about 5 inches, and is well adapted for aquarium life, but has no other value except as food for larger fishes. Its habits are similar to those of the species last described. The body is stouter than in Umbra 1 i m i ; the head is broader, less flattened on top, with a larger eye, shorter snout and the profile more convex. The dogfish is a most peculiar fish, as voracious as a pike and as tough-lived as a catfish. It requires but little water and can often lie dug from the moist mud of ditches the water of which has evaporated. None may be found in a stream, but the puddles and muskrat holes alongside may be full of them. It is a good deal of an air-breather, rising to the surface to gulp in air and then descending again, in the fashion of the paradise fish. In the aquarium it is very hardy and apt to annoy other species by driving them around and attacking their fins. When exposed to the air in freezing weather, it succumbs almost instantly, also when put into water containing much lime; on the other hand, hot weather does not in the least trouble it, except that it gets its supply of air more frequently. In movement it is very erratic, now dashing about as if mad, again standing perfectly motionless in the water, only moving the pectorals and ventrals " like a dog, running," again only moving pectorals and the rear part of the dorsal or the latter FISHES OF NEW YORK 291 fin alone. It can turn its head sideways at an angle and remain awhile in that position. When feeding, it gorges the morsel at one attempt, after star- ing at it a while. Sometimes when overfed, the dogfish can not swim about at all, but lies like a log on the bottom. (After Eugene Smith1) Family LUCIIIDAE. Pikes Genus LUCIUS Rafmesque Body elongate, not elevated, more or less compressed pos- teriorly, broad anteriorly; head long, the snout prolonged and depressed; mouth very large, its cleft forming about half the length of the head; lower jaw the longer; upper jaw not pro- tractile, most of its margin formed by the maxillaries, which are quite long and provided with a supplemental bone, pre- maxillaries, vomer and palatines with broad bands of strong cardiform teeth which are more or less movable; lower jaw with strong teeth of different sizes; tongue with a band of small teeth; head naked above; cheeks and opercles more or less scaly; gill openings very wide; gill membranes separate, free from the isthmus; gill rakers tuberclelike, toothed; branchio- stegals 12 to 20; scales small; lateral line weak, obsolete in young specimens, developed in the adult; dorsal posterior, opposite and similar to anal; caudal fin emarginate; pectoral fins small, inserted low; ventrals rather posterior; vent normal; no adipose fin; no barbels; stomach not caecal, without pyloric appendages; pseudobranchiae glandular, hidden; air bladder simple. Basis cranii double (Cope). Fishes of moderate or large size, inhabiting the fresh waters of the northern parts of Europe, Asia and North America. The genus Lucius is readily subdivided into three groups distinguished by their size, scaling and coloration. In the first group are three species of true pickerels, in which the cheeks and opercles are entirely scaly, the color is greenish, usually with dark reticulations, and the largest species reaches a 1 Linn. soc. N. Y. Proc. 1897. no. 9, p. 27-28. 292 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM length of about 2 feet. To this group the subgeneric name Kenoza is sometimes applied; it includes the banded pick- erel, the little pickerel and the chain pickerel, all of which occur in New York. 147 Lucius americamis (Gnielin) Banded Pickerel Esox Indus ,3 ainericainis GMELIN, Syst. Nat. 1390, 1788, Long Island, New- York. Esox niycr LE SVEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 415, 1818, Lake Sara- toga, New York; STOREK, Syn. Pish. N. A. 185, 1846; GUNTHER, Gat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 229, 1866. Esox scomberhis MITCHILL, Amer. Mouth. Mag. II, 322, March. 1818, Murderer's Creek, New York. Esox fasciatus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 224, pi. o4, fig. 110, 1842, streams and ponds of Long Island. Esox raveneli HOLBROOK, Ichth. S. C. 201, 1860, Charleston, S. C. Esox americamis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 352, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 89, pi. 28, fig. 53, 1893. Lucius amcricaniis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 628, 1896. The banded pickerel has an elongate body; its depth con- tained about five times in the total length without caudal; the length of the head three and one fourth times in the standard length. The snout is contained two and two thirds times in the length of the head, and the eve five and one half times in the same length. The maxillary extends to vertical through middle of eye; the lower jaw projects considerably beyond the upper. Teeth in the jaws strong, directed backwards. The ventral is placed in middle of body, the dorsal and anal fins far back, opposite each other; their longest rays of about the same length, much longer than the bases of the fins. Caudal deeply emarginate. B. 11-13; D. 11-14; A. 11-12. Scales in lateral line 105. The body is usually dark green, sometimes brownish black, above; the sides greenish yellow with about 20 dark curved bars, which are generally very distinct; dorsal and caudal fins dark brown, the other fins lighter, sometimes red- dish; a, dark bar from the eye to angle of jaw, another from the snout through the eye to upper edge of opercle. The banded pickerel is probably identical with the " mackerel pike " of Mitchill. It is a small fish, seldom exceeding 12 FISHES OF NEW YORK 293 inches in length, and will not average more than ^ pound in weight. It occurs only east of the Alleghanies, from Massa- chusetts to Florida in coastwise streams. In Pennsylvania it is limited to waters in the eastern part of the state, and the same is true in New York. This pickerel is too small to have much importance as a food fish. It resembles in general appearance and habits the little pickerel of the west. It frequents clear, cold and rapid brooks and is said to associate with the brook trout without injury to the latter. Dec. 30, 1895, James Annin jr sent from Rockland N. Y. a small pickerel which had attracted his attention on account of its colors and markings. It was taken in a small spring brook, tributary to the Beaver kill, which, about 10 or 15 miles below, unites with the Delaware. Subsequently two examples were forwarded alive from the same place, and one of them is still living in the aquarium 1897. The following notes and measure- ments, in inches, relate to the first individual of undetermined sex, the organs being undeveloped. MEASUREMENTS iDches Length, including caudal fin 7% External caudal lobe (horizontally) 1% Middle caudal rays (from end of scales) % Length of head 1 34 Greatest depth of body iy8 Least depth of caudal peduncle % Length of snout % Length of maxilla il Length of mandible 1 W Diameter of eye A Distance from snout to dorsal 5 IB Length of dorsal base % Length of longest dorsal ray •"•! From end of dorsal to caudal origin % Distance from snout to pectoral 1% Length of pectoral ii Distance from snout to ventral 3% Length of ventral % Distance from snout to anal 5~y± Length of anal base % Length of longest anal ray !B From end of anal base to origin of lower caudal lobe. % 294 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM B. 12; D. 12; A. 11; V. 9. Scales, 24-110. The maxilla reaches to below the middle of the pupil. The mandible projects -& of an inch when the mouth is closed. The diameter of the eye is> contained five and two thirds times in length of head. The stomach was empty, but insect remains were voided from the- vent. Colors. About 20 oblique, interrupted, dark bands on the body; a narrow oblique dark band under the eye and four rather large dark blotches on the cheek and opercle; pectorals, ven- trals and anal orange; a tinge of orange on the dorsal and caudal; general color olivaceous gray, with golden reflections; lower parts creamy white; iris lemon mingled with pale brown; peritoneum silvery. All the pickerels are liable to fungus attacks without appar- ent cause, but, as a rule, they can be cured by the salt water treatment. Their food consists of small live killifish, which they approach slowly and deliberately till within 5 or 6 inches, when they rush, seize, and stop as abruptly as if stopped by an obstruction. Eugene Smith says this pickerel is often found in brackish water in the vicinity of New York, and is then more brown in color. L. reticulatus is found also on Long Island close to salt water, as at Water Mill. 148 Lucius vermiculatus (Le Sueur) Little Pickerel Esox vermiculatus LE SUEUR in CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss, XVIII, 333, 1846, Wabash River, Indiana. Esox orassus AGASSIZ, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, 308, 1854, Tennessee River, Huntsville, Alabama. Esox uinbrosus KIKTLAND, Proc. Cleveland Ac. Sci. 79, 1854, Rockport, near Cleveland, Ohio; COPE, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. Phila. 409, 1866. Esox cyplio COPE, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 78, 1865, Waterford, Michigan; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 230, 1866. Esox porosiis COPE, Trans, Am. Phil. Soc. Phila. 408, 1866, substitute for c y p h o . Esox salmoneus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 352, 1883. Esox i-enmculatits BEAN, Fishes Penna. 90, pi. 28, fig. 54, 1893. Lucius vermiculatus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 627,. 1896. FISHES OF NEW YORK 295 The little pickerel has a short, stout body and a long head. The greatest depth is nearly one fifth of the length without cau- dal and two thirds of length of head; length of head two sevenths of total without caudal; eye two fifths of length of snout, one sixth of length of head. The maxilla reaches to below middle of eye. Cheeks and opercles fully scaled; dorsal origin twice as far from eye as from end of scales, its base two fifths of head, its longest rny nearly one half of head; anal under dorsal and with slightly longer rays; ventral nearly mid- way between tip of snout and end of scales, its length equal to snout and to pectoral. B. 11-13; D. 12; A. 11 or 12. Scales in lateral line 105. Body green or grayish, usually with many irregular streaks or reticulations, which are sometimes entirely lacking; sides of the head generally variegated; a dark bar extends downward from the eye, and another forward. Fins plain, but the caudal is sometimes mottled at its base. This pickerel inhabits the valleys of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and streams flowing into the Great lakes from the south- ward. In ponds formed in the spring by the overflow of river banks it is one of the characteristic fishes and is often de- stroyed in great numbers by the drying up of such bodies of water. In Pennsylvania the little pickerel, or trout pickerel, is common in the Ohio and its tributaries. Prof. Gope mentions it also as an inhabitant of the Susquehanna river, in which it is probably not a native. The U. S. Fish Commission obtained a moderate number of specimens in the Lake Ontario region at the following New York localities. Black creek, tributary of Oswego river, Scriba Corner July 15 Lakeview hotel, 7 m. west of Oswego July 17 Wart creek July 24 Great Sodus bay Aug. 16 Outlet Long pond, 4 m. west of Charlotte Aug. 7 Marsh creek, near Point Breeze Aug. 21 296 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM This fish grows to the length of 1 foot and is, therefore, too small to have much importance for food. 149 Lucius reticulatus (Le Sueur) Chain Pickerel; Grreen Pike Esox reticulatus LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Pliila. I, 414. 1818, Con- necticut River, Adams, Mass.; Philadelphia, Pa.; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 223, pi. 34, fig. 107, 1842; KIKTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 233, pi. X, fig,. 2, 1844; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 229, 1866; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 353, 1883, BEAN, Fishes Penna. 90, pi. 29, fig. 55, 1893. Esox tridecemUneatus MITCHILL, Mirror, 361, 1S25, Oneida Lake. N. Y. Esox pJialeratus (SAY) LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 416, 1818,. St Augustine, Fla. Esox affiuis HOLBROOK, Ichth. S. C. 198, I860, Charleston, S. O. Lucius reticulatus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 627, 1896; EVERMANN & KENDALL, Kept. U. S. Cornmr. Fish & Fisheries for 1894, 597, 1896; MEARNS, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 317, 18S6; Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. XXI, 344, 1898. The chain pickerel has a long and slender body, its depth near the middle equaling about two thirds of the length of the hoad and contained five to six times in the total without caudal. The caudal peduncle is slender, its depth little more than one third of greatest depth of body. The snout is long and pointed, as long as the postorbital part of the head and about three times the length of the eye, which is one seventh to one eighth of length of head. The dorsal base equals two fifths of length of head, its longest ray equal to snout. The anal begins under the third or fourth ray of the dorsal, its longest ray nearly one half as long as the head. Caudal deeply forked. Ventral half way from tip of snout to end of scales, its length equal to snout and slightly greater than length of pectoral. B. 15; I). 15; A. 14. Scales in lateral line about 125. The cheeks and opercles are completely scaled. The color is usually greenish, sometimes brown or almost black. On the sides are many narrow, dark lines connected by cross streaks, forming a network which suggested the name reticulatus. Occasionally the body is uniform greenish, as in a specimen taken in the Potomac river a few years ago. In the young the reticulations are very obscure, and a pale stripe FISHES OF NEW YORK 207 is found along the middle line on the second half of the body. In adults the sides are often golden or olive yellow, and have dark reticulations. A distinct dark band under the eye. The chain pickerel is known under other names; it is the jack of the south, the federation pike of Oneida lake, N. Y. the green pike of the Great lakes and the eastern pickerel of many writers. It does not occur west of the Alleghanies, but is found from Maine to Florida and Alabama east of this range of mountains. It lives in ponds, lakes and streams and occurs within the same territory as L. a m e r i c a n u s , but farther away from the coast. (After Eugene Smith.1) At Water Mill this pickerel occurs in or near brackish water at the east end of Mecox bay, and it is in very plump condition, on account of the abundance of small fishes on which it feeds, for example, the silversides, .young sunfish, and small killifishes of several kinds. Dr Meek notes that the species seems to be subject to indi- vidual variation. In many respects the specimens from Cayuga lake appear to be intermediate between r e t i c u 1 a t n s and v e r m i c u 1 a t u s . It is not very common. The pickerel is common in ponds and streams of the Hudson Highlands, according to Dr Mearns, and is taken in winter as well as in summer. A specimen weighing 3^ pounds was caught in Poplopen's pond in 1882. It is abundant also in Cauterskill lake, of the Catskill mountains. The U. S. Fish Commission obtained it in Black river, Huntingtonville N. Y. July 5. Examples were sent from Canandaigua lake, and young were obtained in Bronx river. This pickerel is the largest of its group, reaching a length of 2 feet and a weight, occasionally, of 8 pounds, though this is much above the average. Like the pike, this is one of the tyrants among fishes, a fierce and hungry marauder; and yet it has been introduced by fisher- men into many waters in which it is not native and has greatly multiplied. In the Potomac, the Connecticut, the Delaware and 'Linn. Soc. N. Y. Proc. 1897. no. 9. p. 29. 298 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM other large rivers the pickerel abounds; it is to be found in large numbers lying in wait among the river grasses or in ponds under the shelter of leafy water plants for the minnows which it consumes in enormous numbers, or some unlucky insect, frog or snake which attracts its voracious appetite. Spawning takes place in winter and early in the spring, and the young soon become solitary and wolfish like their elders. The fish obtained from Canandaigua lake spawned in their tank in June 1897, and the young were naturally hatched, but they died when about f inch long for want of acceptable food. As a food fish not much can be said in praise of the chain pickerel, though it is eaten and doubtless liked by a good many people. The flesh is often coarse and watery and is always full of small bones. This fish, however, furnishes considerable sport to the angler, since it is a very free biter and fights with great boldness and stubbornness when hooked. It is caught by trolling with a spoon or still fishing with live shiners, pickerel frogs and many other baits. A minnow gang is often very effective in pickerel fishing. The hooks must be tied on gimp as a protection for the line from the sharp teeth of the fish. This species is always hard to keep in good condition in captivity, because of its liability to fungus attacks. The salt water treatment, however, keeps the fungus in check. Subgenus LUCIUS The longest known and most widely distributed species of Lucius is the common pike, the typical species of the genus. In the subdivision into groups this would be the sole representa- tive of the Lucius group, which has the cheeks fully scaled and the lower half of opercles naked. The sides are pale spotted on a darker ground, and the size is very much larger than that of the pickerels. Fossil remains of the pike have been found in quaternary deposits in Europe. 150 Lucius lucius (Linnaeus) Common Pike; Pickerel Esox lucius LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 314, 1758, Europe; RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. Ill, 124, 1836; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 226, 1866; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 353, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 91, pi. 29, fig. 56, 1803. FISHES OF NEW YORK 299 Esox estor LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 413, 1818. Lake Erie; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 222, 1842; STOKER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 1S4. 184-6. Esox boreus AGASSIZ, Lake Superior, 317, 1850, Lake Superior. lAK-ius Indus JORDAN & LvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 628, 1^ pi. C. fig. 269, 1900; E-VERMANN & KENDALL, Kept. U. S. Commr. Fish & Fisheries for 1894, 597, 1896. The pike lias a stout, elongate body and a long head, with broad and produced snout. The greatest depth is about one fifth of the length without caudal. The caudal peduncle is nearly equal to one half depth of body. The eye is nearly median and about one sixth of length of head, which is -a\ of total without caudal. The mouth is very large and strongly toothed. The tongue, roof of mouth, pharynx and gill arches bristle with teeth in cardlike bands, giving the fish extraor- dinary power in seizing and holding its prey. The dorsal and anal fins are near the caudal. The dorsal base is a little longer than its longest ray and equals depth of body at its origin. Ventral fin midway between tip of snout and end of tail fin. B. 14 to 16; D. 17 to 20; A. 16 or 17. Scales in lateral line 120 to 125. The ground color of the body is grayish varying to bluish or greenish gray. The sides are thickly covered with pale blotches, none of them as large as the eye, arranged nearly in rows. The dorsal, anal and caudal fins have many rounded, dark spots. Adults without dark bar below eye. Naked part of opercle bounded by a whitish streak. In the young the sides are covered with oblique yellowish bars, which afterward break up into the pale spots of the adult. Pike is the best known name for this species, though the misnomer " pickerel " is rather extensively used. The origin of pike is involved in uncertainty; some trace it to the resem- blance in shape of the snout to the pike or spear, while others believe it to refer to the darting motion of the fish when speed- ing through the water. The name pickerel is used in Vermont and around Lake George, N. Y. " Frank Forrester " (Herbert) styles it the great northern pickerel. The name jack is applied in Great Britain to young pike. Brocket is the French name, hecM the German and lucclo the Italian designation of the 30(1 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM species. In Prof. Cope's paper in earlier reports of the Penn- sylvania Fish Commission the names lake pike and grass pike are used for the fish. Distribution. In the north temperate and arctic regions of North America, Europe and Asia the pike is equally common. In North America it extends from Pennsylvania to high northern latitudes. In Alaska, Townsend and others found it above the arctic circle, and Ball and Nelson took it in abundance in the Yukon. From Greenland and the islands of the Arctic ocean the pike appears to be absent. The identity of our American pike with the common one of Europe was recognized by Cuvier and Richardson more than half a century ago; the former com- pared specimens from Lake Huron with European examples, and Richardson with the English pike, and both were unable to find specific differences between the two. The pike is said to be common in Lake Champlain and in all its larger tributaries. In the Lake Ontario region the U. S. Fish Commission collectors secured it at the following places. Mud creek, Cape Vincent N. Y. June 25, 1894, Chaumont river July 10, outlet Long pond. 4 miles west of Charlotte X. V. Aug. 17. Dr Meek found the species in Cayuga lake, where he says lie was unable to find any other fish of the genus except the pickerel. James Annin jr obtained the pike in Silver lake, Wyoming co. N. Y. July 1, 1896. He reports that it does not occur in Canan- daigua lake. On the continent of Europe the largest recorded specimen was taken at Bregenz in 1862; this was said to weigh 145 pounds. In Scotland a pike measuring more than 7 feet and weighing 72 pounds has been reported. We do not find monsters like these in America. " Frank Forrester " mentions individuals of 16 to 17 pounds. Lake George, N. Y., is famous for its large pike. Dr Frank Presbrey of Washington D. C. caught one there in 1889 weighing a little more than 16 pounds, and more than 30 examples, averaging in excess of 10 pounds each, were taken that season by another person from Washington in the same waters. PISHES OF NEW YORK Some of the largest pike were upward of 4 feet long. The average length is about 2 feet. The fishing season generally begins June 1 and ends Decem- ber 1; but many of the states have no close season. In Penn- svlvauia, the close time lasts from December 1 to June 1. V • The pike is a voracious fish and destroys everything within its reach in the form of animal life; other fish, water birds and mammals are consumed in enormous numbers. From its con- cealment, like a beast of prey it darts out suddenly on its victims and seldom misses its mark. The pike is even more destructive than the pickerel, and two of the latter, measuring 5 inches in length, have been reported to eat more than 100 minnows in a day. Spawning takes place in winter and early spring on shal- lows and frequently on overflowed meadows. The eggs are about •J inch in diameter, and a female weighing 32 pounds was esti- mated by Buckland to contain 595,000. The young pike has a very large yolk sac. The period of hatching varies, with the temperature of the water, from 14 to 30 days. The female is said to be larger than the male; the fish breeds at the age of three years. At the age of one year the fish may reach a length of 12 inches, and, if well supplied with food, it will increase in weight from 2 to 3 pounds yearly. The pike is a fairly good food fish and forms an important element of the Lake Erie fisheries. As a game fish the species is widely known; it can be readily caught by trolling or spinning or on lines set under the ice. Live minnows and frogs are favorite baits; and Dr Henshall says it will rise to a large, gaudy fly. In Lake George the white chub is one of the best known baits. Subgeims MASCALONGUS The largest member of the pike family is the single repre- sentative of the section Mascalongus, in which the lower half of the cheeks, as well as of the opercles, is scaleless. The scales are smaller than in the other groups. The sides and vertical fins are profusely covered with roundish black spots on a pale ground. The branchiostegals number IT "302 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM to 19. A color variety is occasionally met with having the body uniformly dark gray, unspotted. 151 Lucius masquinongy (Mitchill) Masoalonge; Spotted Mascalonge Esox masqithiongy MITCHILL, Mirror, 297, 1824, Lake Erie. Esox masquinongy (MITCHILL) KIRTLAND, Fishes of Ohio, 194, 1838, Lake Erie. Esox noUlior THOMPSON, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. Ill, 163, 1850, Lake Champlain; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 353, 18S3; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 93, pi. 29, fig. 57, 1893. Lucius ma-squinoiigy JORDAN & EVEKMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 629, 1896, pi. C, fig. 270, 1900; EVERMANN & KENDALL, Kept. U. S. Commr. Fish & Fisheries for 1894. 598. 1896. The mascalonge has a stout and moderately elongate body, its greatest depth, midway between the pectoral and ventral fins, one fifth to one sixth of the total length to the end of the scales. The caudal peduncle is short and slender, its depth one third of greatest depth. The length of the head is two sevenths of the total without the caudal, and the small eye equals less than one fourth the length of snout. The eye is nearly in the middle of the length of the head. The mouth is very large; the maxilla extends to below the hind margin of the eye. The teeth are as in the pike, but even more formidable. Dorsal and anal far back, the origin of the former a little in advance of the anal origin; the length of dorsal base about two fifths of head, longest dorsal ray one third of head, caudal deeply forked; ventral mid- way between end of head and end of anal, its length equal to one half the depth of body; pectoral nearly equal to postorbital part of head. B. 17-19; D. 17; A. 16; V. 12. Scales in lateral line 150. The color is usually dark gray, sometimes immaculate as in the color variety immaculatus, but generally with numer- ous distinct, roundish, black spots about as large as buckshot. The dark spots are present only on the basal parts of the dorsal, anal and caudal fins. The lower parts are pale, the belly white. The name of this giant pike is apparently derived from the language of the Ojibwa or the Cree Indians; it is variously spelled FISHES OF NEW YORK 303' and its meaning is uncertain, though the roots, according to H. W. Henshaw, are probably mask (ugly) and klnonge (fish). In the books it appears as muscalonge, muskellunge, niuskallunge, mascalonge and maskinonge, all variations of the same term. Some writers style it the great pike, and by others it is confused with the common pike, E. lucius. Prof. Cope mentions also, the name blue pike. The mascalonge is recorded by Prof Cope from Couneaut lake, Crawford co. Pa., the specimen measuring 17 inches in circum- ference behind the eyes. It is found occasionally in the Ohio valley. The species, however, is most abundant in the Great lakes region. In Lake Erie favorite localities are Dunkirk and Barcelona N. Y., Erie Pa. and Mills' Grove O. The northern, limit of the fish is not definitely fixed. It is asserted by some persons that the fish inhabits Cayuga lake, but others deny this. Dr Meek was unable to find it there after diligent search. It was known in Lake Champlain more than a half century ago and was described by Eev. Zadock Thompson. Mitchill and Kirtland had it from Lake Erie. De Kay confounded the mascalonge with the pike, and apparently had no example of the former. In the St Lawrence river the species is well known. It is recorded that in 1865 Mr Schultz caught a mascalonge at Milwaukee weighing 100 pounds. In 1864 Fred Alvord declared that he had an 85 pound specimen in Maumee bay. The average length of the species is about 3 feet, and there is reason to believe that a length of 8 feet is sometimes reached. Individuals weighing 50 pounds are moderately common. With the excep- tion of the lake trout and some of the salmon, this is undoubtedly the largest game fish in the United States. The fish seem not to be gregarious, but occur usually in pairs. Their food consists mainly of smaller fishes, and their voracity is notorious. In the spawning season in small rivers falling into Lake Sirncoe, Richardson states that they feed on small fishes and on gelatinous green balls which grow on the sides of banks under the water. o(M NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM This is an excellent food fish, but not common enough to have much commercial importance. As a game fish it has few superiors. The spoon bait is very effective in the capture of mascalonge, and live fishes are extensively used. A corres- pondent of Land and Water describes a singular and successful lure made from a young brown calf's tail, through the center of which the shank of the hook was passed and fastened to a swivel. 152 Lucius masquinongy immaculatus (Garrard) Unspotted Masoalonge; Barred Mascalonge Exo.r iiniiiiK-itltitHs GARRARD MS; noticed in several fishing journals, Eagle Lake, Northern Wisconsin, fide JQRDAN & EVERMANN. Eso-r iiHtHijiiiiioiiyi/ iiiiiuaculatiis JORDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 5, 89, 1SS8. Luciiix tniina JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, Li. S. Nat. Mus. 332, 1883. 312 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Fundulus ddaphamis JORDAN & GILBERT, op. eit. 334, 1883; HUGH M. SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. X, 65, 1890; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 645, 1896, pi. GUI, fig's. 275, 275a, 1900; BEAN, Fishes Penna, 85, 1893; 52d Ann. Kept. N. Y. State Mus. 98, 1900; MEARNS, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist, X, 318, 1898. The body is moderately slender and elongate, its greatest depth equaling about two ninths of the total length without tail, or somewhat less than the length of the head. The head is flat above, the width between the eyes equal to nearly half the length of head. The mouth is very protractile, small, its width somewhat greater than the length of the lower jaw. The upper jaw is as long as the eye, a little more than one fourth the length of head, which equals about one fourth of total length without caudal. The length of the dorsal base equals the depth of the body and much exceeds length of anal base. Length of longest dorsal ray less than one half of head; longest anal ray two thirds of length of head. The dorsal is midway between the tip of the snout and the root of the caudal. The anal is wholly under the dorsal. Length of pectoral six and one half times in total. Caudal large, convex behind. P. 14; A. 12. Scales 44-46-13. The females are olivaceous with silvery; sides traversed by 15 to 25 narrow, dark cross bands; fins pale. The males, at least in the breeding season, are pale olive with about 20 pearh' white cross bands. The barred killifish, also known as the spring inummichog and toothed minnow, inhabits the Great lakes and their tribu- taries, east to Massachusetts, south to Virginia and Indiana, west to Colorado, according to Cope south to Texas. The species was first made known from Saratoga lake. It is very abundant in the Lake Ontario region, having been taken by U. S. Fish Commission collectors at the following New York localities. Mud creek, Cape Vincent June 25 Grenadier island, Lake Ontario June 28 Horse island, Sacketts Harbor June 30 Mill Creek, Sacketts Harbor July 2 FISHES OP NEW YORK >> Stony Island July 2 and 3 Little Stony brook, Henderson bay July 4 Guffon creek, Chaumont July 7 Chaumont river July LO Great Sodus bay Aug. 6 Creek near Pultneyville Aug. 7 Long pond, Charlotte Aug. 17 St Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdens- burg July 17 According to Dr Meek, it is common on the flats and in the southern end of Cayuga lake, also in streams on the uplands, at Cayuga and Montezuma. Dr Mearns took it in Echo lake and Long pond of the Hudson Highlands. The state museum secured numerous individuals from Shinnecock bay July 21, Scallop pond, Peconic bay July 28, and Mecox bay Aug. 1, 1898. The fish is very common in a lake at 110th street and 5th avenue, Central park, New York city. In Eugene Smith's experience the species throve better in the aquarium than any other killifish except Fundulus heteroclitus, and became very tame in captivity, though always attacking the fins of other fishes. In the New York aquarium the fish proved to be very delicate, usually dying from fungus attacks before the salt water treatment removed the parasite. In Ohio, and west, is found a variety with very distinct and somewhat irregular bands and the back always spotted, which has been called variety m e n o n a by Jordan and Copeland. Eastern specimens have the back unspotted and the cross bands faint and regular, but extremely variable in number. The dif- ference in coloration of the sexes is very striking, specially in the breeding season, when the adult males have silvery cross bands. The barred killifish grows to the length of 4 inches. It runs down into brackish waters along the east coast and ascends far up the streams, delighting in cold water. It is eaten in large numbers by the striped bass and the weakfish. In the fresh waters the black bass and trout also feed on it. 314 NEW YORK STATE: MUSEUM Genus LUCAMA Girard The body oblong, compressed; lower jaw prominent, the cleft of the mouth short and very oblique ; mouth moderate, the snout not produced, each jaw with a single series of conical teeth; scales very large; gill openings uo( restricted; dorsal and anal rays in moderate number, the dorsal above or slightly in advance of the anal; anal fin not modified in the males. Very small, oviparous fishes of the brackish waters, swan1] is :md shallow bays of the United States. 156 Lucania parva (Baird & Girard) Rainwater F/.s-// Cyprinodon parmts BAIRD & GIRARD, Ninth Smithsonian Kept. 345, It55, Greenport, Long Island; GUNTHEH, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI. 307, 1866. Lvcania parva JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 893, 1883; BEAN. Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 148, pi. II, fig. 18, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. 'Fish. N. Y. 275, 1890; HUGH M. SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. X, 68, I860; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 665, 1896, pi. CIX, fig. 202, 1900; BEAN, 52d Ann. Kept. N. Y. State Mus. 99, 1900. Body rather short and stout in the adult, its greatest depth two sevenths of the length to base of caudal; caudal peduncle moderately long and deep, its least depth nearly one half the length of head; the mouth small, oblique, with heavy projecting lower jaw; snout short, nearly equal to eye, about two ninths as long as the head; eye rather large, its horizontal diameter two sevenths as long as the head; head stout, with obtuse muz- zle, its length nearly one third of the total to base of caudal; dorsal origin midway between tip of snout and base of middle caudal rays, the dorsal base about one fifth of total length to caudal base, the longest dorsal ray one half as long as the head, the last dorsal ray a little more than one third as long as the head. The anal fin begins under the middle of the dorsal, its base as long as the snout and eye combined, its longest ray one half as long as the head. The ventral is slightly in advance of the dorsal, its length three eighths of length of head. The pectoral reaches slightly beyond the origin of dorsal, its length nearly one fifth of total length to base of caudal. Caudal large, 1-ISIIKS OF NEW YOKK 315 roundish, scarcely truncate behind in the adult. I), ii, 8; A. ii, 6; V. i. n. Scales 10-L'T. <.'olor in life: males olive or pale brown, with bluish reflec- tions, edges of the scales darker, dorsal dusky orange, some- times with a large, black spot at the base in front, ocellated with orange, caudal orange yellow, tipped with black, ventrals and anal orange red, tipped with dusky, pectorals translucent; females with the fins pale olive, without black spot or edgings. Length H to 2 inches. The species is found along the coast in brackish waters from Massachusetts to Florida; very common on Long Island. Abun- dant in Peconic, Shinnecock, and Great South bays, and in a fresh-water stream at Water Mill L. I.; not yet reported from <;ravesend bay. It seldom exceeds 1^ inches in length and is interesting chiefly on account of its translucent body and grace- ful movements. It has not proved hardy in captivity. The species was first described by Prof. Baird from Green- port L. I. Genus CYPRINODOX vLacepede Body very short and stout, the back elevated; mouth small, the bones of the jaws well formed; snout short; teeth mod- erate, incisorlike, tricuspid, in a single series; scales very large; dorsal fin moderate, inserted in advance of front of anal, its first ray not enlarged; anal smaller; ventral fins small, occasion- ally wanting in specimens from desert pools; intestinal canal little longer than body; gill membranes considerably united, free from the isthmus; gill openings restricted, the opercle above adnate to the shoulder girdle. Chubby little fishes, inhabiting the brackish waters of middle America, sometimes living in warm salt springs, their colors generally brilliant. Oviparous; the sexes similar except in color. 157 Cyprinodon variegatus LacepMe She-epshcad Minnow Ci/prinodon rarierjat-us LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. Y, 486, 1803, South Caro- lina; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 305, 1866; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 329, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 148, 1888; 19th Kept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y. 275, 1890; 52d Auu. Kept. N. Y. State Mus. 99, 1900; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mue. 671. 1896. pi. CXI. fig. 296. 296«. 1000. 316 _NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Esox orinus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 441. pi. IV, fig. 7, 1815, New York. LeUas otnnus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 215, pi. 27, fig. 84, 1842. Lebias ellipsoides LE SUEUE, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. II, 6, pi. 2, figs. 1, 2, 1821; STOKER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 179, 1846. Body short and stout, heavy anteriorly, its width more than one half its hight, its greatest hight two fifths to nearly one half of total length to base of caudal, the males higher than the females; caudal peduncle short, its least depth equal to postorbital part of head; head conical, its width at gill covers equal to its length without the snout, its length one third of total without caudal; jaws very short, mouth small, terminal, slightly oblique when closed, the lower jaw somewhat promi- nent, the upper protractile; the maxilla curved abruptly down- ward at the end, about as long as the eye, not reaching to the front margin of the orbit; eye circular, longer than snout, not quite one fourth as long as the head, placed near the top of the skull, about two thirds of wTidth of interorbital space; dorsal origin a little nearer to tip of snout than to base of middle caudal rays, the dorsal base, in males, as long as the head with- out the snout, three and two thirds in total length without caudal, the longest dorsal ray, in males, about equal to length of head, and twice as long as the last ray. The ventral reaches nearly or quite to anal origin, its length one half length of head. The anal base is two fifths as long as the head, its longest ray one fifth of total without caudal. The pectoral is narrow and as long as the head in males, reaching almost to the beginning of the anal; in females it is not quite so long as the head, and does not reach beyond the middle of the ventral. Caudal fin short and truncate, its length about one fourth of the total without caudal, and about equal to the head without the snout. D. 11; A. 10; B. fi. Scales 17-28. This is known in Great South bay as the porgy mummy. Mitchill recorded it as more rare than the other killifishes. DeKay has it as the Sheepshead Lebias. This little fish seldom exceeds 2 inches in length. The males are more brightly colored and higher bodied than the females, and have a narrow, dark margin to the caudal fin. FISHES OF NEW YORE? 317 The Sheepshead killifish ranges from Cape Cod to Florida. It is not important except as food for other fishes. Very common in salt water ditches. One of the best of its family for aquarium purposes, as it thrives and breeds in captivity; the young, however, may be eaten by their parents. Order SYNENTOGNATHI Family ESOCIDAE Needlefishes Genus TYLOSURUS Cocco Body elongate, very slender, not much compressed; both jaws prolonged into a beak, the lower jaw somewhat the longer, much the longer in young fishes, the very young resembling Hemiramphus ; each jaw armed with a band of small, sharp teeth, beside which is a series of longer, wide set, sharp, conical, unequal teeth; no teeth on vomer or palatines; scales small, thin; lateral line running along the side of the belly, becoming median on the tail; no finlets; dorsal fin more or less elevated anteriorly; caudal fin short, unequally lunated or forked; pectorals moderate; ventrals small, the latter inserted behind the middle of the body; gill rakers obsolete; bones usually more or less green; size comparatively large. Species numerous. Voracious fishes, chiefly American; one species crossing to Europe; some of them entering rivers. This genus differs from the old world genus E s o x (Linnaeus) Kafinesque (= B e 1 o n e, Cuvier) in the absence of gill rakers and of vom- erine teeth. 158 Tylosurus marinus (Walbaurn) • Billftshj Silver Gar Esox mariinis WALBAUM, Artedi. Gen. Pise. Ill, 88, 1792, based on SCHOPF, Sea Snipe, Long Island. Esox longirostris MITCHIIX, Anier. Month. Mag. II, 322, March, 1818. Belone truncata LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. II, 126, 1821; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 227, pi. 35, fig. 112, 1842; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 244, 1866; STOKER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 136, pi. XXIV, fig. 3, 1867. Tylosurus longirostris JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 374, 1883. 318 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM TijloKurus mnrinits JORDAN & FOEDICE, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. :i51. BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 146, 18,88; 19th Kept. Comuirs. Fish. N. Y. 273, 1890; Fishes Penna. 97. 1898; JORDAN & EVERMANX, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 714, 1896; MEARNS, Bull. Anier. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 318, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Kept. N. Y. State Mus. 90, I'.M«>. Body long, slender and somewhat compressed. The depth of the body is less than one fifth of length of head; the eye is rather large, two fifths of the length of the postorbital part of the head. The pectoral is as long as the postorbital part of the head and twice as long as the ventral. The distance of the dorsal from the root of the caudal is one fourth its distance from the tip of the lower jaw. The anal ends under the end of the dorsal and begins in advance of the dorsal origin. The ven- tral is almost equidistant from the root of the caudal and the hind margin of the eye. D. 15 to 16; A. 15 to IT; V. 6. The body is green with a broad silvery band along the sides and a dark bar on the operculum. The scales and bones are green. The silver gar, also called soft gar, billfish and needlefish, is found along our coast from Maine to Texas, and, though a marine species, it ascends rivers far above the limits of tides. It has been found in the Susquehanna river at Bainbridge Pa., and it also runs up the Delaware, the Hudson and other rivers. Schopff is authority for the names sea pike and sea snipe for this species at New York. Mitchill refers to it as th^ long-jaw >d fresh-water pike, and also as the billfish, a name still in use in various localities for this fish. Billed eel is the name used in Great South bay. DeKay calls it the banded garfish. Still another name used for the species is needlefish; and it is said that gar is derived from a Saxon word meaning needle. The species is found on our coast from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico. Mearns has found it in the Hudson and its estuaries in autumn. Mitchill observed it so frequently in that river that he considered it an inhabitant of fresh water. In Gravesend My the fish occurs from June to September. In Shinnecock bay, Mecox bay, a.nd Great South bay the writer collected it almost evervwhere. FISHES OF NEW YORK This species reaches a length of 4 feet. It is very destructive to small fishes, which are readily seized in its long and strongly toothed jaws. In the Gulf of Mexico the habits of the silver gar have been observed by Silas Stearns, whose notes are to be found in the Fishery Industries of tlie United States. It is found at Pensacola Fla. in the summer, but retreats farther south in the winter. The silver gar swims at the surface and feeds on schools of small fish. On the New York coast it devours killifishes, anchovies, silversides, and other little species. Its movements are swift and its aim certain. It has been known to seize mullet and other fish one third as large as itself and is some- times killed by attempting to swallow spiny fish too large to pass through its throat. It spawns in the bays in May and June. Mr Stearns found it to be an excellent food fish, though it is seldom eaten on the Florida coast. Though the fish is one of excellent flavor and, according to DeKay, greatly relished by epicures, it meets with little favor in northern markets. Nothing is recorded about its breeding habits except the statement of Silas Stearns that it spawns in the bays of the Gulf coast in May and June. The fish is not hardy in transportation and in captivity. 159 Tylosurus raphidoma (Ranzani) Hound fish; Guard fish Belone raphidoma RANZANI, Nov. Comm. Ac. Nat. Sci. Inst. Bouon, V, 359, pi. 37, fig. 1, 1842, Brazil; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 249, 1866. Belone gcrama CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVIII, 437, 1S46, Martinique; GUNTHER, op. cit. 241, 1866. Belone crassa POEY, Memorias, II, 291, 1861, Cuba. Belone mclaitochh-a POEY, op. cit. 21)4, 1861; GUNTHER, op. cit. 249. 186R. Tylosurus rjladius BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 239, 430, 1882, Peiisaenlu: Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 146, pi. II, fig. 15, 18SS, young, Ocean City, N. J. Tj/lnsurus crassus JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 112, 1884. Tylosurus raphidoma JORDAN & ETERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 71.". 1896, pi. CXVI, fig. 308, 1900. Body robust, little compressed, its greatest width a little more than two thirds its greatest depth, which is about one fourth 320 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM the length of head and one thirteenth of total to base of caudal; caudal peduncle slightly depressed, a little broader than deep, with a slight dermal keel; head broad, broader above than below, three tenths of total length to base of caudal; inter- orbital space nearly two thirds of length of postorbital part of head, with a broad, shallow, naked, median groove, which is wider behind and forks at the nape; supraorbital bones with radiating striae; distance between nostrils a little more than one sixth of length of snout; jaws comparatively short, strong, tapering, very stiff, lower jaw wider and longer than upper, both jaws with broad bands of small teeth on the sides, within these a series of very large knife-shaped teeth. The length of the longest teeth is a little more than three times their breadth. Posterior teeth in both jaws directed backward, anterior teeth erect, number of large teeth about 25 on each side of the upper jaw and 23 below, length of the large teeth about one fifth of diameter of eye, no vomerine teeth. Upper jaw from eye about one and three fourth times as long as the rest of the head; eye large, one seventh as long as snout, three eighths of postorbital part of head, and five ninths of interorbital width; maxillary entirely covered by preorbital; cheeks densely scaled; opercles scaly only along anterior margin; scales minute, specially on the back, somewhat larger below. Dorsal fin rather high in front, becoming low posteriorly, the hight of its anterior lobe equaling postorbital part of head, its longest ray two fifths of length of dorsal base. In a young example, 6^ inches long, the posterior part of the dorsal is much elevated, the longest ray equaling the distance from middle of pupil to end of head. Caudal fin lunate, its lower lobe nearly one half longer than the upper; middle rays about as long as eye; anal fin falcate, low posteriorly, its anterior lobe equal to anterior dorsal lobe; ven- tral fins inserted midway between base of caudal and middle of eye, a little shorter than pectorals, and equal to postorbital part of head; upper ray of pectorals broad, sharp edged, length of pectoral three and two fifths in head, and slightly greater than postorbital part of head. D. i, 21-23; A. i, 20-23; V. 6; P. 14. FISHES OF NEW YORK Color dark green above, silvery below; dorsal and pectoral blackish; ventrals somewhat dusky; anal yellowish, the lobe slightly soiled; caudal dusky olivaceous; no suborbital bar and no scapular spot ; a slight dusky shade on upper posterior part of cheeks, and a yellowish bar on anterior edge of opercle; caudal keel black. This species is very closely allied to T. fodiator Jordan & Gilbert, described from Mazatlan, differing from it appar- ently in its longer jaws, slightly greater number of fin rays, and larger scales. Here described from the type of T. g 1 a d i u s Bean, which is 29 inches long. A young example was seined at Ocean City N. J. Aug. 1, 1887. D. i, 21; A. i, 20. Length 6$ inches. A dark cutaneous flap attached along the side of the mandible and folded underneath, meeting its fellow of the opposite side and concealing a small part of the lower jaw; dorsal black, except on the first six rays, which are pale, much elevated at the posterior part, where the longest ray equals the distance from the middle of the eye to the end of the head. 14 black blotches on sides not extending to caudal, the largest two thirds as wide as length of eye; paired fins and anal pale; caudal the same, except anterior half of upper lobe, on which the membrane covering the rays is black, while the intervals between the rays are pale; back greenish; under surface, except mandibular flap, silvery. This species has 'not previously been recorded in the region. The usual range of the species is from the West Indies and Florida Keys to Brazil; the young straying northward occa- sionally in summer. The fish reaches a length of 5 feet and is sometimes dangerous to fishermen in its powerful leaps from the water. The scales and bones are green; the flesh is little esteemed for food on this account. A description and figure of the young are published by Bean in the Bulletin of the U. S. Fish Commission for 1887, p. 146, pi. 2, fig. ir>. 322 NEW YORK STATK MUSEUM 160 Tylosurus acus fLac£p&de) Hound fish Spliyraena acus LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat,. Poiss. V, 6, pi. 1, fig. 3, 1808, Martinique. Belone lutiinana POEY, Meniorias, II, 290, 18G1, Havana; GUNTHEK. C.u. Fish. Brit. Mns. VI, 249, 1866. Belone jonesi GOODE, Am. Jour. S>ci. Arts, 205, 1877, Bermuda; GUNTHER, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. Ill, 150, 1879. .Belone car-iMa-a GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mns. VI, 241, I860, not of LE SUEUE. Tylosurns acus JORDAN & FORDICE, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 355. 1886; JORDAN & EVEEMANN, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mns. 716, 1896, pi. CXVI, fig. 309. 1900. Body slightly compressed, its greatest depth one twentieth of total length, its greatest width about one twenty-eighth of the same; free part of tail somewhat depressed, quadrate, its depth one third of greatest hight of body; caudal carinae moder- ate, black; head somewhat depressed above, striated, with a broad, shallow median groove which expands posteriorly into a wide, somewhat depressed triangular area, length of head con- tained three and one fourth times in total length without caudal; superciliary region sharply striated; snout equal to maxillary, one fifth of total length, and three times postorbital part of head; mandible slightly shorter than distance from snout to nape, 10 times vertical diameter of eye, and projecting beyond tip of upper jaw; eye equal to width of interorbital area and one eighth of length of head; teeth large, sharp, not very close, maxillary teeth about 60, the largest one sixth as long as the eye; mandibular teeth about GO, the largest one ninth as long as the eye; no vomerine teeth; dorsal origin at a distance from tip of ^nout equal to two and one fifth times length of head, slightly behind anal origin, length of dorsal base five times long diameter of eye, greatest hight of dorsal fin equal to greatest width of head, and contained seven and one half times in length of head, last dorsal ray about one third of anterior rays; anal base terminat- ing anteriorly to end of dorsal at a distance equal to length of first dorsal ray; ventral origin midway between front of orbit and base of middle caudal rays, length of ventrals one seventh FISHES OF NEW YORK of length of bead; length of pectoral slightly greater than that of postorbital part of head; caudal forked, the lower rays about one fourth longer than the upper. D. 23-24 ; A. 21-22 ; P. 13 ; V. 5 ; B. 12. Scales in lateral line (estimated) 380. Above deep green, below silvery white, opercles and cheeks silvery white, anterior rays of dorsal and pectoral fins blackish, caudal carinae also blackish. " The houndfish, as it is called in Bermuda, is a graceful, active species attaining to the length of 3 feet or more. It fre- quents swift tide courses, where it preys upon small fishes, par- ticularly the schools of silversides and anchovies. It takes the hook well." Goode The species occurs in the West Indies and sometimes strays northward as far as Buzzards bay in summer; it was first described from Martinique. Individuals have been recorded from Beaufort N. C. Family Balaos Genus HYPORHAMPHIS Gill Body elongate, moderately compressed, the sides of the body not vertical, but more or less convex; the dorsal outline parallel with that of the belly; upper jawT short, lower jaw prolonged into a slender beak, bordered with membrane, this beak shorter in the young; prernaxillaries forming a triangular plate, the teeth of which fit against the toothed part of the mandible; maxillaries joined to premaxillaries; teeth feeble, mostly tricuspid; gill rakers rather long; head covered above with large, shieldlike scales; scales large, deciduous; no finlets; caudal fin more or less forked, the lower lobe the longer; dorsal and anal similar, opposite each other, not modified in the males, last ray of dorsal usually short; ventrals small, inserted well forward, nearly midway between opercle and base of caudal. Oviparous. Air bladder large, simple, not cellular. Young with the lower jaw short. Sides in our species with a distinct silvery band, as in Atherina. Species numerous, in all warm seas, 324 NEW YORK STATE MUSEiUM going in large schools, but usually remaining near shore, feeding chiefly on green algae. Size comparatively small. 161 Hyporhamphus roberti (Cuv. & Yal.) HalfbeaTc Hemiriiainiilnis roberti CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, 24, 184G, Cayenne; GUNTIIER. Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 2&3, 1866; MEEK & Goss. Proc. Ac. Nat, Sea. Phila. 223, 1884; BEAN, Bull. TJ. S. F. C. VII, 147, pi. Ill, tig. 16, 188S; 19th Kept. Corumrs. Fish. N. Y. 274, 1890. HemirlHtmi>ltus itnifasrintns JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, IT. S. Nat. Mus. 376, 1883. Hyporltam.[jlnye (from end of scales only a little longer than the eye); dorsal and anal fins densely scaled; lateral line com- FI SI-IKS OF NEW YORK •"•-•"• mencing ;it the isthmus, running close to the ventral edge of the body to the origin of the ventrals, where it rises slightly and is discontinued over the end of the anal base. P. ii, i:>: A. i, i:>: V. i, (j; P. 10; B. 12. Scales 7-54; vertebrae 34+17=51. Translucent green above; the scales above with dark edges; a narrow silvery band, about one half the width of eye, along the side from axil of pectoral to base of caudal; tip of lower jaw crimson in life and with a short filament; three narrow dark streaks along middle of back; anterior part of dorsal and anal and tips of caudal dusky, almost black; peritoneum black. The half beak is occasionally found on our northern coast to ('ape Cod, but appears to have been unknown to Mitchill and Pe Kay. The species ranges southward to the Gulf of Mexico. We found 12 small examples Oct. 1, 1890, at Fire island. Two young examples were taken in Great Egg Harbor bay in 1887, and a larger one, 6£ inches long, was taken in the same locality. According to B. A. Bean this fish was not abundant in the Chesapeake, at Cape Charles, Ya., during September 1890. The halfbeak is a rare fish in New York waters. It attracts attention because of the great inequality in the length of the jaws, the lower jaw being many times as long as the short upper jaw. One of the most striking color marks of this fish is the crimson tip of the lower jaw. The body is silvery, darker on the back, and has a distinct silvery lateral stripe. In 1898 the writer collected this species for the New York state museum in small numbers in Great South bay, during August and September. Only one adult was obtained. The localities are: south side Great South bay. Clam Pond cove, and Horsefoot creek. This fish, like the silver gar, is readily taken at night by means of a lantern. The light dazes the fish, so that it does not see the net. Genus EILEPTORHAMPHUS Gill This genus consists of pelagic species related to H e m i - rhamphus, the body much more slender and greatly com- pressed, and the pectorals very long, approaching those of the flying fishes. Ventrals small, inserted posteriorly. Air blad- 326 NEW YORK STATE MUSEHJM der not described , probably cellular. One species in our limits. 162 Euleptorhamphus velox Poey (?) Slender Halfbeak Euleptorhamphus velox POEY, Syn. Pise. Cubens, 383, 1867, Cuba; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 724, 1896. IHemi/rhampnus longirostri-s GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 276, 1866. Euleptorhamphus longirostris PUTNAM, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 238, 1870. Hemirhamphus (Euleptorhamphus) longirostris JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 377, 1883. Body much compressed, elongate, its greatest depth one eleventh of total length from tip of upper jaw to base of caudal; greatest width of head equal to long diameter of eye; least depth of caudal peduncle two thirds of eye; snout equal to eye, three and one third in head (length of head here is from tip of upper jaw to hind margin of opercle); length of head including lower jaw two fifths of total to base of caudal, the lower jaw projecting beyond upper a distance equal to three times rest of head; eye three in head, greater than interorbital width; dorsal origin at a distance from tip of snout equal to four and two thirds times length of head (without lower jaw), dorsal base equal to nearly three times hight of body, longest dorsal ray two thirds length of head; the anal begins under the third ray of the dorsal, its base two and one third times hight of body, its longest ray equal to hight of body; ventral short, slightly shorter than eye, three and two thirds in head, extend- ing nearly half way to anal origin; pectorals long, reaching half way from pectoral origin to anal origin, nearly twice as long as the head; caudal lobes very unequal, the upper much shorter than the lower. D. 22; A. 21; V. 6; P. 7, the upper very broad and long, the others slender. The back with a very thin edge. Color light brown above, the sides from the upper edge of the pectoral base downward bright silvery, this extending also on the head. The species is found in the West Indies; it has been taken at Newport R. I., and at Cape Cod. It reaches a length of IS inches. The Hemirhamphus macrorhynchus of FISHES OF NEW YORK Cuvier and Valenciennes, taken in the south Pacific, appears to be closely related. Family SCOMBERESOCIDAE Sauries Genus SCOMBERESOX Lace'pede Body elongate, compressed, covered with small, thin, decidu- ous scales, the general aspect being that of a mackerel; both jaws in the adult more or less prolonged, forming a slender beak, the lower jaw always the longer, teeth very feeble, pointed, maxillaries joined fast to premaxillaries; pectoral and ventrals small; dorsal and anal low, similar to each other, each with four to six detached finlets, as in the Scombridae; gill rakers numerous, long and slender; pharyngeal bones essen- tially as in Exocoetus, fourth upper pharyngeal on each side wanting or fused with the third, third pharyngeal greatly enlarged, separate from its fellow, covered with tricuspid teeth, second with simple teeth, first toothless, lower pharyngeaTs united, forming a triangular bone with concave surface, covered with tricuspid teeth; into the hollow of this bone the upper pharyngeals fit. Pelagic fishes, swimming close to the surface in large schools in temperate regions. They bear strong analogic resemblances to the mackerels in form, color and habits, as well as in the dorsal and anal finlets. The significance of these resemblances is unknown. Young with the jaws short, precisely as in the genus Colo- 1 a b i s , but lengthening with age, which is not the case in C o 1 o 1 a b i s . Air bladder large. Atlantic. 163 Scomberesox saurus (Walbaum) Saury; Skipper Esox saurus WALBAUM, Avtedi. Gen. rise. Ill, 93, 1792, Cornwall. Scomberesojc scuteUatwn LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. II, 132. 1821, Newfoundland. Scomberesox eqitirostriim LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. II, 132, 1821. 328 NEW YORK STATE MUSE'TJM Scomberesox storeri DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 229, pi. 34, fig. 111,. 1842, New York; STOKER, Hist. Fish. Mass. i:-,7, pi. XXIV, fig. 4, 1S67. Scotnleresox sannis FLEMING, Brit. Anim. 184; GTNTIIER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 257, 1866; GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 21, 1879; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, TJ. S. Xat. Mus. 375, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Xat. Mus. 725, 1896, pi. CXVII, fig. 314, 1900. Body compressed, elongate, its greatest liiglit one ninth of total length to base of caudal; anal equal to eve and postorbital part of head combined; least hight of caudal peduncle equal to eye; both jaws slender and produced, the lower longer than upper, the distance from eye to tip of lower jaw equaling one fifth of total to base of caudal; eye one third as long as post- orbital part of head, about one fifth of length of upper jaw; small scales on opercle, but none on subopercle; body covered with small scales; dorsal origin at a distance from front of eye equal to five times hight of body, dorsal base three times as long as the eye, longest dorsal ray one half as long as post- orbital part of head, last dorsal ray equal to eye, five separate finlets behind the dorsal; anal under the dorsal, its base slightly longer, as long as postorbital part of head, longest anal ray equal to longest of the dorsal, last anal ray scarcely equal to eye, six finlets behind the anal; caudal fin deeply forked, sym- metric, the outer rays as long as the anal base; ventrals mid- way between front of eye and base of caudal, length of fin about twice diameter of e}re, distance from ventral origin to anal origin equal to length of upper jaw; length of pectoral one fourth the length of head to tip of upper jaw; lateral line con- taining minute, roundish pores, near the ventral edge, in modi- fied scales which extend obliquely backward. D. 11+v; A. 13+vi; V. i, 5; P. 14. Scales 14-124 (136 to free part of middle caudal rays, 80 rows from axil of pectoral to origin of dorsal) ; opercle with about 8 rows of scales. Back brownish to upper level of eye; sides with a silvery band, nearly as broad as the eye and almost on the same level; lower parts silvery with a golden tinge overlying it. The saury grows to the length of 18 inches. It inhabits th<-, temperate parts of the Atlantic in Europe and the United FISHES OF XFW YORK 329 States, congregating in schools in the open seas, where it is preyed on by porpoises, tunny, bonito, cod, bluefish and other predaceous animals. At Provincetown Mass., according to Storer, large quantities are yearly thrown on the shore, but they are considered worthless, while on other parts of Cape Cod they are taken in immense numbers, and are considered very nutritious food. The saury, or skipper, is migratory, arriving on our coast in summer and departing on the approach of cold weather. It is a surface swimmer and, therefore, is particularly liable to the attacks of voracious fishes. Couch says: It is sometimes seen to rise to the surface in large schools and fly over a considerable space. But the most interesting spec- tacle, and that which best displays their great agility, is when they are followed by a large company of porpoises, or their still more active and oppressive enemies, the tunny and bonito. Multitudes then mount to the surface and crowd on each other as they press forward. When still more closely pursued, they spring to the hight of several feet, leap over each other in sin- gular confusion, and again sink beneath. Still further urged, they mount again and rush along the surface by repeated starts for more than 100 feet, without once dipping beneath, or scarcely seeming to touch the water. At last the pursuer springs after them, usually across their course, and again they all disappear together. Amidst such multitudes — for more than 20,000 have been judged to be out of the water together- some must fall a prey to the enemy; but, so many hunting in company, it must be long before the pursuers abandon. From inspection we should scarcely judge the fish to be capable of such flights, for the fins, though numerous, are small and the pectorals far from large, though the angle of their articulation is well adapted to raise the fish by the direction of their motions to the surface. Its power of springing, therefore, must be chiefly ascribed to the tail and the finlets. It rarely takes bait; and, when this has happened, the boat has been under sail, the men fishing with a " lash," or slice of mackerel made to imitate the living body. The skipjack is frequently seen springing above the surface on our coasts, and no doubt at such times it is pursued by bluefish, bonito and, probably, mackerel or cod. 330 NEW YORK STATE MUSEIUM Family Flying FisJies Genus EXOOOETUS (Artedi) Linnaeus Body elongate, broad above, somewhat compressed; head short, blunt, narrowed below; mouth small; jaws very short, about equal; chin without barbel; maxillaries not joined to the preinaxillaries; teeth very feeble or wanting; eyes large; gill rakers moderate; scales large, deciduous; no finlets; dorsal fin short, opposite anal; caudal widely forked, the lower lobe the longer; pectoral fins very long, reaching past the beginning of the anal, and serving as organs of flight, their great size en- abling these fishes to sustain themselves in the air for some time; ventral fins large, posteriorly inserted, also used as organs of flight; air bladder very large; no pyloric caeca. Species numerous in all warm seas, living mostly in the open water and swimming in large schools. Subgenus EXOCOETUS 164 Exocoetus volitans Linnaeus Flying Fish Exocoetus volitans LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 316, 1758; JORDAN & MEEK, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 57, 1885; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 734, 1896, pi. CXVIII, fig. 318, 1900. Exocoetus rubescens RAFINESQUE, Arner. Month. Mag. II, 205, January, 1818, Banks of Newfoundland. Exocoetus ciffinis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit Mus. VI, 288, 1866. Exocoetus melanurus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 379, 1883. Exocoetus exiliens JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 380 and 904, 1883. The hight of the body is nearly one sixth of the total length without caudal, the length of the head one fourth. The depth of the head equals the distance from the tip of the snout to the hind margin of the orbit. Snout little produced, shorter than eye, which is two sevenths to one third as long as the head; interorbital space flat or slightly concave, slightly greater than diameter of eye; width of body at pectoral base four sevenths of length of head; dorsal origin opposite anal origin, length of longest dorsal ray two fifths of length of head; anal fin long, its FISHES OF NEW YORK 331 longest ray one third of length of head; pectoral fin reaching slightly beyond dorsal and anal, its length five sevenths of that of the body; ventral origin midway between the eye and the base of caudal, the fin reaching beyond the middle of the anal base, its length two sevenths of length of body. D. 11-13; A. 11-13. Scales 55 (30 to 35 rows between occiput and dorsal origin; 25 rows before ventrals), 6 rows between the origin of dorsal and the lateral line. Pectoral fin with an oblique white blotch across its lower half, and with a narrow whitish edge; ventrals grayish or whitish, with a slight dusky shade in the axil; dorsal and anal without dark markings. The flying fish is found in open seas on the Atlantic coast; it extends northward to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland; it is known also in southern Europe, and in the Pacific and the Indian ocean. The flight of the flying fish has been much discussed, for and against; but no doubt remains in the minds of those who have seen the action at close range that the flight is genuine. Not only can the fish start from the water and rise into the air, but it can also change its direction suddenly at will, to escape its pursuers, and it has been observed to hover like a humming bird or a great moth and then dart off suddenly out of reach of the net thrust out to secure it. Such an occurrence took place at Woods Hole Mass., some years ago in the presence of the writer. The flying fish is an excellent food fish, but does not come to our markets frequently, because of its habitat in the open sea. It <;omes aboard vessels occasionally in storms or when trying to •escape from its enemies, and is highly prized by its captors. The species reaches the length of 1 foot. Subgenus CYPSELURUS Swainson 165 Exocoetus heterurus Rafinesque Flying Fish Exocoetus heterurus RAFINESQUE, Caratteri Ale. Nuov. Gen. 58, 1810, Palermo; JORDAN & MEEK, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 59, 1885; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 735, 1896. 332 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Exocoetns cr»n, pi. IV, fig. 1, 1821, Gulf of Mexico; GUNTHER, Oat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI. 2SO. 1W\. Citlixi'luntx i limit us JORDAN & GILKEKT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 380, 1883. Exocoetus furcatus GUNTHEU, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 2Si;. 1866; JORDAN & MEEK, Proe. U. S. Nat. Mus. 01, 1885; JORDAN & E VERM ANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 737, 1896. Body slender, compressed, moderately elongate, its depth con- tained five and one fourth times in total length without caudal; head not very broad, much narrowed forward, its length con- tained four and one half times in total without caudal; the snout rather pointed, more compressed than in other species; inter- orbital area flat, its width at anterior margin of orbit equal to diameter of eye, which is one third of length of head; mouth small, maxillary not reaching orbit, its length four and three fourths in head, mandible two and one half in head; snout four and one fifth in head; eye one third of length of head; pectoral fin long and broad, its length one and two ninths in length of body, extending to 10th ray of dorsal, first pectoral ray simple, slightly more than one half the length of fin, second ray divided, third and fourth rays longest; ventral origin mid- way between hind margin of eye and base of caudal, ventrals long, four ninths of length of body, their tips reaching almost to caudal fin; dorsal fin rather high, its longest ray two thirds as long as the head, its base nearly equal to head; anal fin inserted farther back than dorsal, its base three fifths as long as dorsal base, its longest ray one half as long as the head; lower caudal lobe two sevenths as long as the body. D. 13; A. 9 to 10. Scales in lateral line 40; about 29 rows in advance of dorsal fin and about 23 on the lateral line in advance of the ventrals; S rows between the dorsal origin and the lateral line. Brownish above, silvery below; the lower posterior half of pectorals black, the upper pectoral rays with a broad white band, the tips of the rays whitish, other parts marbled with 334 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM black; the ventrals black except on two outer rays, on inner ray, and a small spot on next two inner rays, about one fourth dis- tance from ventral origin; axil of ventrals pale. Giinther describes the ventral as having the posterior part black. Three black spots on dorsal fin and three blackish cross bands on the lower caudal lobe, a black spot on tips of third, fourth, fifth, and sixth rays of the anal, or the lower part of the fin some- times black. The species grows to the length of 6 inches. Young indi- viduals have barbels at the syniphysis of the lower jaw, which vary in length and disappear with age. The fish is found abundantly in warm seas, ranging north to Cape Cod and to the Mediterranean. Specimens have been taken at Newport R. I. Dr Mitchill described the species from an example 3 inches long. His specimen had two barbels, each half an inch long. The eyes, according to his description and figure, are very much larger than in Exocoetus heterurus. 107 Exocoetus gibbifrons Cuv. & Val. Exocoetus (jibbifrons CUVIEK & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, 118, 1846, Atlantic; JOEDAN & MEEK, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 65, 1885; JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 528, 1886; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 741, 1896. Body robust, little compressed, its greatest depth one sixth of the total length without caudal; head rather short, inter- orbital area slightly concave, about one fourth wider than eye; profile of snout convex, descending more abruptly than in any other American species, making a decided curve downward; snout rather blunt, one fourth as long as the head; length of head contained four and three fifth times in total without caudal; maxillary two ninths as long as head; pectoral fins rather broad and long, two thirds of total without caudal, their tips reaching to tips of last rays of dorsal, first ray of pectoral simple, its length five elevenths of length of fin, second pectoral ray simple, about one half longer than first ray, third pectoral ray divided, fourth ray longest; ventral origin midway between hind margin of eye and root of caudal, length of ventrals about -one third of total without caudal, the fin reaching to last anal FISHES OF NEW YORK rav; dorsal origin far in advance of anal origin, longest dorsal ray five elevenths of length of head; anal base five eighths as long as dorsal base, longest anal ray one third of length of head; least depth of caudal peduncle contained three and one fifth times in length of head, the lower caudal lobe two sevenths of total length without caudal. D. 12; A. S. Scales before dorsal 30; before ventrals 25; between dorsal origin and lateral line 7. Color brown above, silvery below; on each scale on the upper part of the body a darker brown spot near its posterior extremity, which gives the appearance of a dark brown streak along each row of scales; pectorals uniformly brown, or greenish brown; ventrals dusky, nearly black mesially, the posterior part of the fin still darker; no dark markings on dorsal or anal fins; caudal dusky, plain. Atlantic ocean, two specimens known, both examined by Dr Jordan, from whose description the above was taken. One indi- vidual was secured by Samuel Powell at Newport R. I.; the other was obtained by Dussuniier in the Atlantic ocean and by him presented to the Museum of Natural History at Paris. This example is 9 inches long. Order HEMIBRANGHII Half -gills Family GASTEROSTEIDAE: Sticklebcwks Genus EUCALIA Jordan Fresh-water sticklebacks, feebly armed, the skin not mailed, the dorsal spines few and uoudivergeut, the gill membranes forming a free fold across the isthmus, pubic bones fully united. One species known. 168 Eucalia inconstans (Kirtland) Brook Stickleback Gastcrostcits inconstans KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. III. 273, pi. II. fig. 1, 1841, brooks of Trumbull County, Ohio; STOKER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 64, 1846; BEAN, Bull. 15, U. S. Nat. Mus. 130, 1879; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat Mus. 394, 1883. 336 NEW YORK STATE MUSEFUM Eucalid litcniistniis JORDAN, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 65, 1877; EIGEXMANX. Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 238, 1886; BE AX, Fishes Penna. 98, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 744, 1890; EVERUANX & KcxriALL. Kept. U. S. Comnir. Fish & Fisheries for 1894, 599, 1896, Franklin County, Vermont. The body is more elongated than in £he other sticklebacks described, and stouter, the caudal peduncle has no keel, and the skin is entirely smooth. The ventral spines and pubic bones are very small, the latter concealed under the skin. The thoracic processes are covered by the skin, slender and widely separated. The dorsal spines are short, nearly equal in length, placed in a straight line, the anterior spines shortest. The ventral spines are small and serrated. The depth equals one fourth and the head two sevenths of the total length without caudal. I). III-IV, I, 10; A. I, 10. Males in the breeding season are jet black, tinged entirely with coppery red. The females and young are greenish, variegated with darker. The brook stickleback occurs in the fresh waters from New York westward to Dakota and is said to extend north to Green- land. A variety from Oayuga lake has been described by Dr Jordau. It has the ventral spines longer than the pubic bones. In Pennsylvania the brook stickleback inhabits the Ohio val- ley. lu New York it occurs only in the western part, being .specially abundant in the Lake Ontario region. The U. S. Fish Commission has specimens from Salt brook, 1-J miles above Nine Mile point, June 11, 1893, Mill creek, Sacket Harbor, July 2, Cape Vincent, July 2, Black river, Huntingtonville, July 5, Three Mile creek, Oswego, July 27, Four Mile creek, Nine Mile point, near Webster, August 9, and Long Pond, Char- lotte, August IT. Evermann and Bean collected it also July 28, 1894, at Saranac river, Plattsburg. Dr Meek found it com- mon in standing and sluggish water on the flats of Cayuga lake basin. John W. Titcomb obtained it from a small brook in Franklin county, Vt., the outlet of Franklin pond, a tributary of Pike river, which flows into Missisquoi bay. It grows to a length of 2-| inches, and has no value as food, but is an interesting aquarium fish. It is however extremely FISHES OF XK\V YORK -">:>>T pugnacious, and, when these fish are kept in confinement, great morlalily is caused by iheir quarrels. The species is abundant in small streams, where it secretes itself among aquatic plants and is always alert to attack small fishes and insects. Speci- mens have recently been obtained from an artesian well in South Dakota, the well having a depth of TOO feet. From this great depth the fish were brought up in full strength and vigor, and they were kept in an aquarium several months afterward. A similar occurrence has been recorded by Mrs Eigenmann, in the Proccc!-."> sticklebacks in structure, hut with prolonged snout and different ventral fins. A single genus, with three species. The bony shields. dianiH eristic of this genus, are the following: 1 A narrow strip along the median line of the back behind the skull (confluent neural spines). 2 The pair of broader lateral dorsal shields are peculiar bones, separated processes of the occipital bone. These shields are the longest, provided anteriorly with a ridge, which is prolonged and extends far backward between the muscles of the back. This ridge is flexible, and does not interfere with the lateral move- ments of the fish; it appears to serve as a base for the attach- ment of muscular fibers. 3 The narrow shield on the side is the postclavicle, its pos- terior part being dilated and fixed to the lateral dorsal shields. 4 The ventral shields are the interclavicles; their posterior half is broadest, much pitted inferiorly; they are narrower before the middle, leaving a free lanceolate space between them, and are again a litt-e widened anteriorly, where they join the clavicle and urohyal. These plates extend as far backward as r;ie jsnkylosed vrtebrae. (After Jordan and Evermann) 173 Fistularia tabacaria Linnaeus Trumpet Fish Fistularia tdlmciiria LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. eel. X, I, 312. 1758; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 233, 1842; STOKER, Syu. Fish. N. A. 191, 1840; GUN- THER. Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. Ill, 529, 1S61; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. Ifi, U. S. Nat. Mus. 389, 1883; BEAN, Bull. TJ. S. F. C. VII, 14G. 1888; 19th Kept. Commrs. Fish. X. Y. 273, 1890; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47. U. S. Nat. Mus. 757, 1S9G. Fixtularia neo'boracensis MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 437, pi. Ill, fig. 8, 1815. Fistularia scrrata DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 232, pi. 35, fig. 113, 1842. Massachusetts; STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 140, pi. XXV. fig. 1, 1867; GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex lust. XI, 4, 1879, Rockport Mass., not of CUVIER, Regne Anini. ed. 1, 349, 1817. Body greatly depressed, elongate, its depth about one thirty- fourth of its length to base of caudal and only abuut two thirds of its width. The middle caudal rays ar«- produced into a thread- 346 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM like filament, which is a little longer than the snout. The snout is greatly prolonged, two and three fourths times as long as the rest of the head. Mouth at the end of the long tube oblique, the lower jaw projecting a distance equal to one third of diameter of eye; upper jaw two thirds as long as postorbital part of head, lower jaw nearly twice as long as upper; eye nearly equal in length to upper jaw, about nine and one half in length of head; snout three and two thirds in total length to caudal base; margin of orbit with thin, sharp points in front and behind; dorsal origin at a distance from tip of snout equal to three times length of snout, base of dorsal slightly longer than eye, longest dorsal ray one fourth the length of snout; anal exactly opposite dorsal, its base equally long, its longest ray also equal to longest dorsal ray; ventrals small on a narrow base, their distance from tip of snout and end of external caudal rays nearly equal; pectorals short, on a broad base, their length one half the length of head without the snout; caudal lobes equal, the upper external rays three fifths as long as the head without the snout. D. 14; A. 13; V.7. Reddish brown above, with numerous large, oblong, pale blue spots on the sides and back, arranged in series; under surface of head and belly at least to ventral fins, pale and silvery. The fish was known to Dr Mitchill and described by him from a specimen 14 inches long. We are not informed where he ob- tained this example, but it was an individual in the fresh condi- tion. Dr De Kay called it the spotted pipefish and takes his account from the report of Dr Mitchill. The trumpet fish is generally common in the West Indies and neighboring seas, where it is said to reach the length of 6 feet. It is occasionally taken as far north as Cape Cod. It is not common in that region, and is apparently rare in Great South bay, though three examples were taken at Fire island, Septem- ber 30, and one at Blue Point Lifesaving station, October 7. In Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J. the species is moderately abundant, as the writer seined 25 specimens in August and September 1887. The species is interesting on account of its peculiar structure, but is without economic value. FISHES OF NEW YORK 347 Order LOPHOBRANCHII TuftgiUs Suborder SYNGNATHI Family •> PlpefisJies Subfamily Genus SIPHOSTOMA Raflnesque Body elongate, very slender, six or seven-angled, not com- pressed, tapering into a very long tail, the dorsal keels of the irunk not continuous with those of the tail; head slender, taper- ing into a long, tubelike, subterete snout, which bears the very short, toothless jaws at the end; humeral bones firmly united with the ''breast ring;'' body covered with a series of bony, keeled, radiated plates, arranged in linear series; dorsal fin dis- tinct, rather short, inserted before or opposite the vent, which is near the middle of the body; caudal fin present, rather small; anal fin minute, close behind vent; pectorals developed, short and rather broad. Male fishes with an egg pouch along the under side of the tail, formed by two cutaneous folds, and splitting lengthwise to release the young fishes. Species very numerous, inhabiting all warm seas; abounding in bays among the seaweeds, and entering the rivers. The females in most species are deeper than the males, with more robust trunk, with longer snout, and a more distinct ventral keel. Subgenus SIPHOSTOMA 174 Siphostoma fuscum (Storer) Common Pipefish rtyngnath'iis fuscus STORER, Rept. Fish. Mass. 162, 1839, Nahant. Syngnatlms peckianus STORER, op. cit. 163, pi. I, fig. 2, 1839, Holmes' Hole, Marthas Vineyard; Syn. Fish. N. A. 238, 1846; Hist. Fish. Mass. 218, pi. XXXIII, fig, 3, 1867. Syngnatlms fasciatus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 319, pi. 54, fig. 174, 1842. Syng-natlius viridescens DE KAY, op. cit. 321, pi. 54, fig. 176, 1842, Hudson River, at Sing Sing. tiipltostoma fnsctim and peckiainnn, GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 4, 1879. Xipltostoma fitscum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 383, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 134, 18S6; 19th Rept. Comrurs. Fish. N. Y. 244, 1800; 52d Ann. Rept. X. Y. State Mus. 101, 1900; JORDAN & EVEB- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 770, 1S96. 348 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The female is much deeper bodied than the male, the depth of body equaling one third of length of head, while in males it is only one fourth of this length. Tail very long, slender, and tapering, its length three fifths of total length without caudal; snout a little longer than rest of head, with a well marked median keel above and below, the upper one serrulate; occiput, nuchal plates and opercle keeled, the carinations on opercle sometimes nearly obsolete; belly slightly convex and with a low keel; eye small, five in snout, three in postorbital part of head; dorsal fin at a distance from tip of snout equal to two and two thirds times length of head, the base of the fin one fifth longer than head, the longest ray two sevenths as long as base of fin, and about one third as long as the head, the fin covering 5+5 body rings (4-5+5-4); anal fin of female reduced to two or three rays on a very narrow base, its length about equal to length of eye; caudal convex when expanded, the mid- dle rays longest, as long as the postorbital part of head; pec- toral short, on a broad base, its length one fourth the length of head. D. 3G to 40 ; rings 19+37 (or 18 to 20+36 to 40.) Color brown above, pale below, everywhere mottled with brown; under surface of snout pale, lower part of opercles silvery. The common pipefish is abundant on our Atlantic coast from Cape Ann to Virginia. It is known as the billed eel in Great South bay. It is abundant in all parts of the bay. Though this species is not valuable for food or bait, it is an interesting aquarium fish and has the same singular breeding habits as the sea horse. After the ova of the females are excluded, they are received and hatched, and the young are cared for, in the niarsupium of the male. The species, according to De Kay, ascends the Hudson to Sing Sing, where it breeds in slightly brackish water. It is to be found in shallow water among aquatic plants. The female is conspicuously different from the male in its colors and the much greater depth of its body. The pipefish is moderately abundant in summer in eelgrass and sea lettuce in Gravesend bay. In 1808 the state museum had it from all parts of Great South bay and from Shinnecock, FISHES OF NEW YORK 349 Peconic, and Mecox bays. Both young and adults were abun- dant during the summer. Males, females and young were abundant at Ocean City N. J. early in August 1887; but the males were more numerous than the females. The egg pouches of the males were filled with eyed embryos, arranged in four series on each side. A male 6^ inches long, taken near Ocean City, August 31, had the pouch unsynimetrically filled, the left side containing more than two thirds of the whole number of embryos and increasing in carry- ing capacity from behind forward. This is the billfish at Soniers Point. In the aquarium the species is fond of shrimp eggs and small Gamma r us ; but. on account of the difficulty of securing proper food, its life in captivity is usually short. In a slowly circulating tank, at a temperature of 54° F. several individuals were alive and, apparently, in good condition. Subfamily HIF-POCAMPINAE Genus HIPPOCAMPUS Rafinesque The body strongly compressed, the belly gibbous, tapering abruptly to a long quadrangular, prehensile tail; head with a distinct curved neck, placed nearly at a right angle with the direction of the body, surmounted by a compressed occipital crest, on the top of which is an angular, star-shaped coronet; top and sides of the head with spines. Physiognomy remark- ably horselike, like that of a conventional knight at chess. Body and tail covered with bony plates, forming rings, those on the body each with six spines or tubercles, those of the tail with four; pectoral fins present, short and broad; anal minute, usually present; dorsal fin moderate, opposite the vent; egg pouch in the male a sac at the base of the tail, terminating near the vent. 175 Hippocampus hudsonius DeKay Sea Horse; Horseflesh Hippocampus hudsonius DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 322, pi. 53, fig. 171, 1842; STOKER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 239, 1846; Hist, Fish. Mass. 222, pi. XXXIII, fig. 4, 1867; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, IT. S. Nat. Mus. 907, 1S83; BEAN, 19th Kept. Cornmrs. Fish. N. Y. 243, 1890; JORDAN & EVER- MAKN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 777, 1896, pi. CXXI, fig. 327, 1900; MEARNS, Bull. Aru. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 318, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Kept. N. Y. State Mus. 101, 1900. 350 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Syngnathus hippocampus, Sea horse Pipefish, MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 475, 1815. Hippooampus heptagoims JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 38R. 1883, not of RAFINESQUE. Body short and deep, much compressed, much shorter than the prehensile tail, which is three times as long as the head and more than three times greatest depth of body; snout as long as postorbital part of head, its depth two fifths of its length; eye circular, two fifths as long as the snout; interorbital space two thirds of diameter of eye; occiput with a five-pointed crest; a sharp spine above the gill covers on each side, one above the posterior part of the eye and one on each side of the throat; a blunt spine between the nostrils; the edges of the bony plates of body with the usual blunt spines. There are no cirri on the individual 'here described, but the species is said to have them sometimes. DeKay does not mention cirri in his account of the fish. Dorsal fin on 3^ rings; base of dorsal one half as long as head; longest dorsal ray one half as long as snout. D. 19; rings 12+32 to 36. Color light brown or dusky, without spots, but sometimes with pale grayish blotches which are sharply edged with paler and blackish. DeKay's specimens were light brown, with iridescent opercles, the iris yellow. The sea horse is now known to occur on the New York and New Jersey coasts in moderate numbers during the summer months; its range extends from Cape Cod to Charleston. Mearns states that, during the summers of 1895 and 1896, a number of sea horses were taken by fishermen when netting shrimp in the eelgrass bordering the salt marshes near Consook island, at low tide. It has sometimes been found abundant in the nets in Gravesend bay, but has not occurred in large num- bers since 1895. In 1898 only a few individuals were taken in Great South bay, and the same scarcity was observed by fisher- men at Southampton L. I. In captivity it thrives best in balanced tanks, but its life is short on account of parasitic attacks, which lead to swelling and ankylosis of the jaws. Its food in the aquarium includes U n c i o 1 a and shrimp eggs. The sea horse excites popular interest on account of its singular shape, its prehensile tail, FISHES OF NEW YORK 351 and the fact that the male carries the eggs and protects the young in a pouch behind the vent. In this egg sac the young are protected till large enough to live independently, going out in search of food and returning to their shelter at pleasure. Order ACANTHOPTERI Spiny-rayed Fishes Suborder SALMOPERCAE Trout Perches Family FJERCOF>SIDA.E Sand Rollers Genus PERCOPSIS Agassiz Body rather slender, pellucid, covered with rather thin scales; dorsal fin with two slender spines or simple rays; anal with one; scales roughest posteriorly; lateral line developed; preopercle entire or very nearly so; vertebrae 17+17=34. Atlantic slope, in cold or clear lakes and rivers. 176 Percopsis gnttatus Agassiz Trout Perch; Sand Roller Percopsis guttatiis AGASSIZ, Lake Superior, 286, pi. I, figs. 1. 2, 1850, Lake Superior; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 207, 18G6; JORDAN & GIL- BERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 322, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 84, 1893; EVEBMANN & KENDALL, Kept. U. S. Comror. Fish & Fisheries for 1894, 509, 1896 from THOMPSON; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 784, 1896, pi. CXXI, fig. 329, 1900. Salmoperca pellucida THOMPSON, Appendix Hist. Vermont, 33. 1S53, Lake Champlain. Percopsis Jiammondi GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 151, 1864, Kansas. Body rather long and moderately compressed, covered with thin ctenoid scales; head scaleless and without barbels; gill openings wide; opercles well developed; gill rakers short, tuber- cular; skull highly cavernous; mouth small; the margin of the upper jaw formed by the short nonprotractile intermaxillaries; no supplemental maxillary bone; small villiform teeth on the intermaxilliaries and mandible. The tongue is short, not free at tip. Pseudobranchiae developed. Six branchiostegals. The lateral line is continuous. The first dorsal over middle of body, with nine to 11 developed rays; adipose fin small; the anal and ventral eight rayed; caudal long, forked; pectorals narrow, 352 NEW YORK STATE MUSEIUM placed high. The stomach is siphonal and with numerous pyloric caeca, as in certain Salnionidae. The eggs are moder- ately large and are excluded through an oviduct. Air bladder present. The greatest hight of the body is about two ninths of the total without caudal, the head about three elevenths. The maxilla does not reach to the eye. The lower jaw is slightly included. Scales in lateral line 47 to 50. Color pale olivaceous, or brown, the upper parts with rounded dark spots made up of minute dots; a silvery median stripe, becoming obsolete in front; peritoneum silvery. The trout perch is a common fish in the Great lakes and their tributaries. It ranges north to Hudson bay, having been obtained at Moose Factory by Walton Hayden, also from Nelson river, near Rock Factory, by Dr Robert Bell. It has been obtained in the Delaware river by Dr C. C. Abbott, in the Potomac by Prof. Baird, in the Ohio by Drs Jordan, Henshall and Bean, and Dr Gill has recorded the species from Kansas. Dr Meek obtained no specimens from Cayuga lake, but he has no doubt it is found there. The U. S. Fish Commission had it from Lake Ontario, Nine Mile point, near Webster N. Y., in 1893; also from Cape Vincent and Grenadier island. The fish is a resident of Lake Champlain, in which it was first discovered by Thompson, several years before Agassiz secured it in Lake Superior. The trout perch is too small to be valuable for food, but is doubtless an excellent bait. It is one of the most remarkable fishes of our fresh waters, combining as it does the characters of the salmon and some of the perches. Its name indicates this singular relationship. It is voracious, takes the hook freely, and spawns in the spring. Suborder XENARCHI Family APHREDODERIDAE ; Pirate Perches Genus APHREDODERUS Le Sueur Body oblong, elevated at the base of the dorsal, compressed behind, the head thick and depressed, the profile concave; FISHES OF NEW YORK caudal peduncle thick; mouth moderate, somewhat oblique, the lower jaw projecting, maxillary reaching to anterior border of the eye; teeth in villiform bands on jaws, voiner, palatines, and pterygoids; premaxillaries not protractile, maxillaries small, •without evident supplemental bone; preopercle and preorbital with their free edges sharply serrate, opercle with a spine; bones of skull somewhat cavernous, sides of the head scaly; lower pharyngeals narrow, separate, with villiform teeth; gill membranes slightly joined to the isthmus anteriorly; gill rakers tuberclelike, dentate; pseudobranchiae obsolete; gills four, a small slit behind the fourth; branchiostegals six; scales mod- erate, strongly ctenoid, adherent, lateral line imperfect or want- ing; vent always anterior, its position varying with age, from just behind the ventral fins in the young to below the opercle in the adult; dorsal fin single, median, high, with but three or four spines, which are rapidly graduated, the first being very short; anal small, with two slender spines; ventral fins thoracic, with a very short spine, the number of soft rays usually seven; caudal fin rounded behind; air bladder simple, large, adherent to the walls of the abdomen; vertebrae 14+15; pyloric caeca about 12. A single genus, with probably but one species, confined to the United States. 177 Aphredodems sayanus (Gilliams) Pirate Perch Aphredoderus sayanus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 35, pi. 21, fig. 62, 1842; near Philadelphia Pa. Aphredoderus gibbosus LE SUEUR, in CUVIEB & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 448, pi. 278, 1833. Aphredoderus sayanus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 35, pi. 21, fig. 62, 1842; STOKER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 47, 1846; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 460, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 145, 1888; Fishes Penna. 101, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 786, 1896, pi. CXXII, fig. 331, 1900; EUGENE SMITH, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. No. 9, 33, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Kept. N. Y. State Mus. 101, 1900, Patchogue, Long Island. The body is moderately stout, oblong, somewhat compressed posteriorly. Scales ctenoid. • The dorsal fin is continuous, with three or four spines and 11 soft rays. The anterior spines much the shortest. The anal has two spines and six rays. The mouth 354 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM is rather large for the size of the fish: the lower jaw somewhat longer than the upper; the maxilla reaches to front of eye; jaws, vomer and palatine bones with villiform bands of teeth; lateral line wanting. The depth of the body is two sevenths and length of the head one third of the total without caudal. The eye is two ninths as long as the head. The origin of dorsal is much in advance of the middle of the total length; the pectorals do not reach as far back as the ventrals; ventrals more than one half length of head; the longest anal spine three sevenths of length of head; the caudal rounded. Scales in 48 to 55 series. The color is variable, sometimes olivaceous, at other times dark brown with numerous dark punctulations; a dark bar at the base of the caudal followed by a light one. The pirate perch ranges from New York westward to Minne- sota, and in the Mississippi valley it extends to Louisiana. In Pennsylvania the species occurs in Lake Erie, probably in tribu- taries of the Ohio and in the lower Delaware. Common in East lake at Patchogue and in the head of Swan river. The farthest place east from which it is known appears to be Suffolk county on Long Island.1 This is one of the most interesting little fishes of the fresh waters, particularly because the position of the vent varies with age. In the young it is behind the ventrals, while in the adult it is in the throat. The fish grows to a length of 4 inches. Nothing is recorded about its habits except that it is very voracious and feeds at night. It is common in sluggish streams and ponds in the shelter of aquatic plants. In captivity it has never been observed to feed; perhaps it takes food, however, at night, but it does not thrive in the aquarium. Suborder PERCESOOBS Family ATHERINIDAE Silvers ides Genus MENIDIA (Bonaparte) J. & G. Body elongate, more or less compressed; head oblong, com- pressed; belly before ventrals, more or less rounded in section, 18ce Ayres. Enumeration of the Fishes of Brookhaven L. I. etc. Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. 1844, IV. FISHES OF NEW YORK 355 not compressed to an edge; mouth small, the gape curved, very oblique, usually not reaching the eye; lower jaw short and weak; maxillary slipping entirely under preorbital; jaws each with a band of simple, usually villiform teeth; premaxillaries very freely protractile, their spines comparatively long, nearly equal to the eye, extending backward beneath a fold of skin, which connects the basis of the maxillaries; posterior part of the pre- maxillaries broad; no teeth on vomer or palatines; both dorsals short, the usual radial formula being D. V-l, 8. first dorsal usually, but not always in front of anal; soft dorsal and anal scaleless; scales rather large, entire. 178 Menidia gracilis (Giinther) Slender Silversides AthcriniclitJnts yracilis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. Ill, 405, 1861. Menidia yracilis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 797, 1896, Specimens from St George's Island, Potomac River. The origin of the anterior dorsal fin is opposite to the vent, exactly in the middle of the distance between the end of tbe snout and the base of the caudal. The distance between the origins of the two dorsal fins is somewhat more than one half of that between the origin of the posterior and the caudal. The hight of the body is contained nine times in the total length, the length of the head five and one half times. The silver}' baud is narrow, and occupies a part of the fourth series of scales. Scales with the margin entire. Caudal lobes equal in length; caudal somewhat longer than the pectoral, and rather shorter than the head. 31 lines long. Probably young. Habitat unknown. D. IV, I, 8; A. I, 19. Scales 9-40. (After Giinther) The specimens above referred to, from St George's island, lower Potomac river, were obtained by Dr Hugh M. Smith, of the U. S. Fish Commission, in the summer of 1890. The specimens were compared with the published descriptions of M. b e r y 1 1 i n a (Cope) and were found to differ in some minor details, the dorsal formula being V, I, 10 instead of V, I, 11, the anal rays averaging I, 16 or I, 17 instead of I, 18, and the silvery stripe apparently taking a different course. 356 NEW YORK STATE MTJSEIUM Some large examples (3-j- inches long) of the Potomac river silverside no. 43125, U. S. National Museum, collected by TV. P. Seal, apparently in 1890, agree very well with the description of b e r y 1 1 i n a and also with the characters of Dr Smith's specimens. It is probable that Cope's name must be associated with this fresh-water form, and not the name gracilis of Giinther. None of our individuals have four dorsal spines, and there is no certainty that Dr Gunther's type came from the United States. I have, however, followed Drs Jordan and Evermann in their identification. The species is said to range from Woods Hole Mass, to Albe- inarle sound. 179 Menidia beryllina (Cope) F ' resli-wuter SUversides Chirostoma beryllinum COPE, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. 408, 1866, Potomac River, at Washington, D. C. Menidia beryllina JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 408, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penua. 100, 1S93; 52d Ann. Kept. N. Y. State Mus. 102, 1900. Menidia gracilis beryllina JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 797, 1896, pi. CXXIV, fig. 338, 1900. The body is shorter than usual among the silversides. The spinons dorsal is well separated from the soft dorsal, and its posterior margin extends almost to the vertical from the first anal raj. The ventral reaches to below the first ray of the dorsal. The length of the head is contained four and one fourth times in the total length without caudal. The eye large, orbit one third as long as the head; mouth small; the mandible slightly longer than the maxilla and slightly curved; greatest depth of body one sixth of total length without caudal. Scales in lateral line 36, transverse series 10. The lateral line is repre- sented by a pore on the anterior part of the exposed portion of each scale, except on the caudal peduncle, where it runs through a groove. D. V-1, 11; A. 1, 18; Y. I, 5; P. 15. The caudal is deeply forked. Pale olivaceous in color with a silvery lateral band, on two and one half rows of scales, with a lead colored margin. The anal base is lead colored; sides of the head silvery. FISHES OF NEW YORK 357 This species corresponds in many particulars with M e n i d i a peninsulae of Goode & Bean, but in that species the silvery streak covers only one and one half rows of scales. The soft dorsal in M. peninsulae appears to show considerable vari- ation in the number of rays. The fresh-water silversides was first described from the Potomac river, where it has recently been rediscovered in abun- dance, both in fresh and brackish water. It is very common at Water Mill L. I. and in fresh- water tributaries of Great South bay. Several examples were seined in 1898 in salt water at Clam Pond cove. In some of the Water Mill specimens the following characters were noted: D. V, 1, 10; A. I, 16-17. Scales 8-40. Its associates in fresh water at Water Mill were: Fundulus diaphanus, Lucania parva, Eupoinotis gib- bo s u s , and Lucius reticulatus. In 1898 it was obtained also in Shinnecock bay, Scallop pond (Peconic bay) and Mecox bay. The localities in Great South bay were: Swan river, south side of Great South bay, Horsefoot creek and Bell- port Lifesaving station. 180 Menidia notata (Mitchill) Silversides; Friar; Whitebait AtJierina notata MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc.'N. Y. I. 446, pi. IV, fig. 6, 1815, New York; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 141, pi. 28, fig. 88, 1842, New York; STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 87, pi. XVI, fig. 1, 1867. AtJierina iiridcsccHs MITCHILL, op. cit. 447, 1815, New York. Chirostonin notutnvi GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 21, 1879, and of many other authors. AtJierina, menidia DE KAY, op. cit. 142, pi. 74, fig. 236, 1842, New York; not of LINNAEUS. Atheriniclitliys men id hi and notata GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. Ill, 406, 1861. AtJierinopsis notatus BAIRD, Ninth Ann. Rept. Smith, Inst. 338, 1855. Menidia notata JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 407, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 146, 1888; 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y. 271, 1890; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 800, 1896; EUGENE SMITH. Free. Linn. Soc. N. Y. No. 9, 32. 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 102, 1900. Body elongate, compressed, its greatest depth contained six and one third times in total length without caudal, and equaling 358 NEW YORK STATE MUSEtUM three fourths of length of head; the caudal peduncle long and slender, its least depth about one third the length of head ; width of body about one half the length of head; head short, pointed, its length one fifth of the total without caudal; snout slightly shorter than eye, about three and one fourth in length of head; margin of upper jaw formed chiefly by the curved preniaxillary, which is nearly as long as the eye; eye equal to interorbital space, and one third as long as the head; two rows of scales under the eye; exposed part of maxilla two fifths as long as the eye; dorsal origin nearly midway between tip of snout and base of middle caudal rays, base of dorsal about as long as eye, longest dorsal spine one third as long as the head, fifth dorsal spine one fifth as long as head, interspace between the two dorsals contained 1O| times in total length without caudal, second dorsal base one half as long as head, longest dorsal ray equal to eye and snout combined, last dorsal ray equal in length to snout; anal origin under end of spinous dorsal, also under 25th scale of lateral line, anal base three elevenths of total length without caudal, corresponding with 15 rows of scales, longest anal ray equal to snout and eye combined, last anal ray one fourth as long a,s head. The vent is under the last spine of the dorsal. The ventrals are distant from the end of the head a space equal to length of head, length of ventral equal to snout and eye com- bined, 15 rows of scales between ventral origin and throat. Middle caudal rays about one half as long as head, external rays five sixths as long as head, the fin deeply forked. The silvery band nowhere covering more than the width of one scale, though not limited to one row. Translucent green; lateral band silvery, mostly on the level of the eye, its width less than one half the diameter of eye. Scales of upper parts with dark dots along their edges; chin speckled. The common silversides 'grows to a length of 6 inches. The silversides was first made known by Dr Mitchill under the name of small silverside, Atherina notata, and he des- cribed the young of the same species as the green-sided silver- side, Atherina viridescens. Dr De Kay states that the FISHES OF NEW YORK 359 silversides was known in the harbor of New York as the anchovy and the sand smelt. Friar is a New England name for the species; capelin is in use about Boston, and merit fish in the vicinity of Watch Hill. Sperling is a name recently applied to this species by some fishermen, and we have known persons to offer the silversides as whitebait. In Great South bay it is known as shiner. The silversides is known to occur on the coast from Maine to Virginia. It is one of the most abundant of the small fishes in our waters, swimming in immense schools made up of fish of different sizes, and it forms a considerable part of the food of more valuable species, such as the mackerel, bluefish, weakfish and flounders, and is very much in demand as a bait for hook and line fishing. We seined the silversides in all parts of Great South bay, and found it to be one of the most abundant and characteristic species. The common silversides, or spearing, lives in Gravesend bay almost all the year, hibernating in spring holes in winter. It is well suited for a captive life and can endure a temperature of 7H-0 in the salt water. In 1898 the species was found for the state museum at all Long Island localities visited, Peconic bay, Mecox bay, the ocean at Southampton, and throughout Great South bay. Small individuals are sold in the markets as whitebait. In the time of De Kay the fish was called anchovy and sand smelt and was esteemed a savory food. 20 years before he wrote of the fishes of New York, it wras caught from the wharves and sold for bait. Genus KIRTLAXDIA Jordan & Evermann This genus is close to M e u i d i a , but differs from it in hav- ing the scales laciniate and the dorsal and anal fins scaly. Three species known from the United States and Martinique. 181 Kirtlandia vagrans (Goode & Bean) Rough Silversid-es CMrostoma mgrans GOODE & BEAN, Proc. TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 148, 1S79, Florida. Mcnldln nii/rans JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 267, 1882, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 407, 1883. 360 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Men id in vagrans laciniata SWAIN MS in JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 908, 9G9, 1883, Beaufort, N. C.; JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. IT. S. Nat Mus. 589. 1883. Menldia laciuicita SWAIN in JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 969, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 146, 1883, Great Eprg Harbor Bay, N. J.; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 795, Ii96; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 102, 1900. Kirtlandia vagraiis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 794, 1896. pi. CXXIV, fig. 336, 1900. Kirtlandia laciniata JORDAN & EVERMANN, op. cit. 795, 1896; BEAN, 52J Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 102, 1900. Hight of the body contained five and one half to six times in length without caudal, and six and two thirds times in total length, considerably less than length of head and length of pec- toral; origin of spiuous dorsal fin situated behind a point mid- way between origins of ventral and anal fins and opposite the middle of the interspace between anal fin and vent; eye longer than snout, one third as long as the head, and less than width of interorbital space; mouth slightly protractile, lower jaw equal to length of eye; length of head contained four and three fourths times in total length without caudal, and equal to length of pectoral; pectoral reaching only a very little beyond origin of ventral when extended; ventral not reaching to vent, its length one half the length of head; anal base about as long as the head; caudal slightly forked, the lobes equal; vertical fins excessively scaly; scales of body large, laciniate, some of the exposed edges with 12 points. I). IV to V-l, 7; A. I, 18 to 19; V. I, 7; P. 14. Scales 7-48 to 50. Lateral silvery stripe covering the lower two thirds of the third series of scales and the upper one third of the fourth series. Light greenish above; sides and belly silvery; tip of snout and of lower jaw yellow mingled with blackish; scales on the back with several to many dark spots on the free edges, these usually forming streaks; caudal yellow with dark points, its margin dusky; dorsal and pectorals dusky; lower fins pale, the anal with dark points at its base. As here described, the species includes M. laciniata (Swain) which has been recorded from New Jersey and North Carolina. The only difference discoverable between them is in FISHES OF NEW YORK 361 the number of the dorsal spines, which is generally four in faeiniata, but sometimes five, as observed in examples from Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J., no. 45158 U. S. National Museum. The rough silversides grows to the length of 4 inches; it is not important for food, but serves as food for the larger fishes. It was found abundant at Somers Point N. J. in August 1887, where it had previously been unknown. The largest individual taken in Great Egg Harbor bay, 4^ inches long, was secured at Long-port N. J. The only example so' far known in New York waters was caught in Mecox bay, L. I. Aug. 1, 1898. Though the bay was seined repeatedly afterward in search of the fish, no other speci- mens were seen. The following notes were obtained: D. V, I, 7; A. I, 20; P. 14; V. I, 5. Scales 7-47. Genus LABIDESTHES Cope This genus differs from Menidia chiefly in the prolongation of the jaws, both of which are produced into a short depressed beak. The scales are small as in Leuresthes and Basil i c h t h y s , their edges entire. 182 Labidesthes sicculus (Cope) Brook Silvcrsidcs; Skipjack; Glassfish CUrostoma sicculum COPE, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila, 81, 1865, Crcsse Isle, Detroit River. Labidestlies sicculus COPE, Proc. Aru. Phil. Soc. Phila. 40, 1870; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 406, 1883; MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 312, 1888. Monteznma. N. Y.; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 100, 1893; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 357, 1897; Chautauqua Lake; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 805, 1896. The body is slender and elongate, its depth one sixth or one seventh of the total without caudal. Length of head about two ninths of total; eye two sevenths of length of head, two thirds of length of snout. I). IV, I, 11; A. I, 23. Scales 14-75. Caudal deeply forked. Color olivaceous, the fish in life translucent, the upper parts with small black dots, the silvery lateral band edged above with lead color and covering one row and two half rows of scales; cheeks silvery. 362 NEW YORK STATE MUSEIUM The genus Labidestbes bas a verj^ oblique mouth, with the upper jaw flat above and concave beneath, the inter- maxillaries forming a rooflike beak. The mandible is convex. The brook silversides, or skipjack, is found in streams and ponds in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys. It has also been dis- covered recently in some of the southern states, from South Carolina to Florida. In New York it is recorded from near Montezurna, from Chautauqua lake, where it is called silver skipjack and glassfish, and from Lake Ontario. Dr Meek says it is not found near Ithaca. The TJ. S. Fish Commission col- lectors obtained it at the following places in New York: Stony Island July 2 and 3 Great Sodus bay Aug. 6 Long pond, Charlotte Aug. 17 Sandy creek, North Hamlin Aug. 20 The fish grows to the length of 4 inches and is important only as food for larger species. It has been kept in the aquarium, but does not endure transportation or captivity. The brook silversides is a surface swimmer, and the name skipjack is derived from its habit of skipping out of and along the surface of the water. It abounds in " clear pools left in summer by the fall of the waters in the streams, which has filled them." Family MUGILIDAE Mullets Genus MTJGIL, (Artedi) Linnaeus Body oblong, somewhat compressed, covered with large scales, head large, convex, scaled above and on sides; mouth small, subinferior, the lower jaw angulated; jaws with one or a few series of short, flexible, ciliiform teeth, no teeth on vorner or palatines; eye large, with a large adipose eyelid, which is little developed in the young; stomach muscular, like the gizzard of a fowl. Species very numerous, living on mud and running in great schools along the shores and in brackish lagoons of all warm regions. We here exclude from M u g i 1 the old world group, Liza (type M u g i 1 c a p i t o) similar in habit FISHES OF NEW YORK 363 to M u g i 1 , but lacking the adipose eyelid. (After Jordan & Everinann) 183 Mugil cephalus Linnaeus Striped Mullet Mngll cepltalus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 316, 1758, Europe; JORDAN & SWAIN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 263, 18S4; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 811, 1896, pi. CXXVI, fig. 343, 1900; BEAN, 52d Ann. Kept. N. Y. State Mus. 103, 1900. albula LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 520, 1766, Charleston, S. C.; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 403, 18S3; BEAN, 19th Kept. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 272, pi. XXI, fig. 26, 1890. Uncut us MITCHILL, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES. Hist. Nat. Poiss. XI, 96, 1836, New York; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 144, pi. 15, fig. 42, 1842, New York; STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 39, pi. XVI, fig. 4, 1867. Body fusiform, elongate, stout, its greatest width contained one and three fourths times in length of head and equal to length of ventral fin, greatest depth of body one fourth of total length without caudal; snout narrow and somewhat pointed, its length about one fifth of length of head, its profile scarcely more convex than profile of lower jaw; interorbital space little convex, its width one half length of head; thickness of upper lip scarcely more than one third of length of premaxillary; space between the mandibles oblanceolate, its greatest width about one fifth of its length; eyes covered by an adipose membrane leaving a free space only about as wide as the pupil; length of head contained three and one half to four times in total length without caudal; eye about two sevenths as long as the head; teeth in upper jaw in a rather broad band, the outer row slightly enlarged, teeth in lower jaw similar but much smaller; scales smaller than in M. c u r e m a , about 24 or 25 rows of scales between tip of snout and origin of spinous dorsal, some scales on top of head slightly enlarged, soft dorsal and anal fins almost scaleless; origin of spinous dorsal midway between tip of snout and base of middle caudal rays, about over the middle of the ventral, base of spinous dorsal one third as long as the head, first spine longest, one half as long as the head, last spine one half as long as the first, interspace between dorsals about one half length of head, upper margin of soft dorsal deeply concave, base of the fin a little more than one third of 364 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM length of head, longest ray one half the length of head, last ray one fourth the length of head; caudal deeply forked, its middle rays one half as long as the head, its ex- ternal rays nearly as long as the head; pectoral reaches to the llth row of scales from its axil, about as far back as the end of the ventral appendage, its, length two thirds of length of head; ventral origin midway between tip of snout and fifth ray of anal, its length four sevenths of length of head, the fin extending to below the end of the base of spinous dorsal, the tip distant from the anal origin a space about equal to the length of the fin. D. IV-I, 8; A. Ill, 8. Scales 14-42. Color, dark bluish above; the sides silvery; exposed part of scales, specially of eight or 10 upper series, darker than body color, causing a striped appearance; belly and lower part of sides yellowish; ventral fins yellowish; soft dorsal, anal and ventrals dusky; tip and base of pectoral dusky. The striped mullet grows to the length of 2 feet, but the average size in New York waters is much less. The fish is known in Great South bay as mullet and jumping mullet; the name mullet is applied to it also in the Gulf of Mexico, and is in general use along the east coast; it is known in the Chesapeake as mullet or fatback. The latter name is probably applied to more than one species. The striped mullet is known on our coast from Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico. The young are much more abundant than the adults. In Great South bay we found the species not un- common; two examples were taken at the mouth of Swan creek, September 12. Several schools were present. We were informed that they appear occasionally, and one gentleman of Patchogue was very successful in taking this and its allied species with • hook and line. De Kay states that the striped mullet was first observed in New York waters by Dr Mitchill. He found them in the markets in the beginning of September. This species is one of our choice food fishes. It is not uncommon in September in Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J., but we were informed that large specimens are never taken in that body of water. FISHES OF NEW YORK 365 In 1898 the striped mullet was not abundant in the waters seined till fall; the great schools were absent till October. Several individuals were obtained in Mecox bay August 2 and a larger number in Clam Pond cove, Great South bay, August 22. The young of this species are abundant in Gravesend bay in midsummer; larger ones appear in September and October. One winter, some years ago, mullet hibernated in the mud in Sheepshead bay and were taken with eel spears. The mullets feed and thrive most of the year in captivity, but will not sur- vive the intense heat of summer. In the aquarium their food includes hard clam and shrimp. In 1883 Jordan and Gilbert established a genus Q u e r i m a n a for " little mullets with but two spines in the anal fin and with the teeth in the jaws less ciliiforui than in Mugil. Adipose eyelid wanting; preorbital serrate." The genus was based on Myxus harengus of Giinther. Querirnana is nothing more than the young of Mugil. The only good character by which it was distinguished is the presence of two anal spines instead of three; in all other respects Queri- rnana and Mugil agree perfectly. As a matter of fact, all young M u g i 1 s pass through a Querirnana stage in which only two of the three anal spines are developed, the adipose eye- lid is rudimentary and the teeth are comparatively stouter than in the adult. The third anal spine of Mugil is really a simple articulated ray till the fish reaches a length varying from about 40 mm to 50 mm. The first simple ray of the anal becomes a spine by the breaking off at an articulation, the subsequent sharpening of the point, and the deposit of hard material in the articulations, thus forming a somewhat slender, but perfect, spine. This fact of development was carefully studied in large series of specimens in the U. S. National Museum, and it is both inter- esting and important from the fish cultural as well as the sys- tematic standpoint. In Mugil c e p h a 1 u s one example, 41 nun long, shows the third anal spine very plainly; it is well developed and has a sharp point, but several articulations still 366 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM remain. Other examples of equal length have the first simple anal ray scarcely developed into a spine, and in still others this ray does not take on the character of a spine at all. Q u e r i - mana h a r e n g u s, the type of the genus, is the young of M u g i 1 c u r e m a, and Q. g y r a n s is the immature M u g i I t r i c h o d o n. A reexamination of the types ofQueriinana g y r a n s shows the presence of 33 rows of scales in some ex- amples instead of 29, as originally recorded. 184 Mugil curema Cuv. & Val. White Mullet Mugil curema, OUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XI, 87, 1836, Brazil; Martinique; Cuba; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 145, 1888; 19th Kept Comrn. Fish. N. Y. 272, pi. XXI, fig. 26, 1890; JORDAN & EVER- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 813, 1896, pi. CXXVI, fig. 344, 1900; BEAN, 52ti Ann. Eept. N. Y. State Mus. 103, 1900. Mugil petrosus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. 88, 1836, Brazil to New York; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 147, 1842. Mugil brasiliensis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. Ill, 431, 1861; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 403, 1883. Body shaped like that of the striped mullet, its width equaling two thirds of length of head, its greatest depth contained three and one half to three and five sixths times in total length with- out caudal; least depth of caudal peduncle equal to one half the length of head; snout nearly as in M. c e p h a 1 u s, sometimes with its outline more declivous, its length one fifth of length of head; interorbital space slightly convex, its width nearly one half .the length of head; thickness of upper lip scarcely one third of length of upper jaw, space between the mandibles nearly lanceolate, its width one sixth of its length; eyes covered with an adipose membrane leaving only a space about as wide as the pupil exposed, eye about two sevenths as long as the head; head one fourth, or nearly one fourth, of total length without caudal; teeth in outer row on premaxilla somewhat enlarged, distant; scales rather large, about 22 rows between tip of snout and origin of first dorsal; soft dorsal and anal densely scaled, origin of spinous dorsal midway between tip of snout and base of external caudal rays, directly over the 10th row of scales, counting from the axil of the pectoral, the first spine nearly two thirds as long as the head, the last spine less than one half FISHES OF NEW YORK 367 as long as the first, interspace between the dorsals equal to three fifths of length of head, upper margin of soft dorsal deeply concave, base of fin equal to length of postorbital part of head, the longest ray three fifths of head, the last ray one fourth the length of head; caudal deeply forked, its middle rays one half as long as the head, its external rays equal to the head; pectoral reaches the eighth row of scales, its length equal to head with- out snout; ventral origin midway between tip of snout and third ray of anal, its distance from vent equal to its own length, which is two thirds of length of head; about 24 rows of scales between the head and the anal origin, base of anal three fifths as long as the head, longest anal ray equal to length of post- orbital part of head, last anal ray two sevenths of length of head. D. IV-I, 8; A. Ill, 9. Scales 12-38. Color silvery, bluish above; no dusky streaks along the sides in life, but faint streaks are evident after preservation in spirits; a small dark blotch at base of pectoral; caudal pale, yellowish at base, dusky at tip; anal and ventrals yellowish; two yellow blotches on side of head. The white mullet reaches the length of 1 foot. On the Atlantic coast it ranges from Cape Cod to Brazil; in the Pacific it is recorded from California to Chile. It is a very important food fish. The white mullet appears with the striped species, but is less abundant in Gravesend bay and is smaller in size. The young- were taken in Great South bay in August 1898, and half grown individuals were abundant in September and October. Adults were scarce. Dr Mitchill calls this the summer mullet. He records a speci- men that weighed 2| pounds, the heaviest coming under his observation. DeKay found the species in New York markets in July and August. 185 Mugil trichodon Poey Whirligig Mullet (young); Fantail Mullet Mnyil trichodon POEY, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y. XI, 66, pi. 8, figs. 4 to 8, 1875, Cuba; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 816, 1896. Mugil brasiliensis JORDAN & SWAIN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 270, 1884; not of Agassiz fide JORDAN & EVERMANN. 308 NEW YORK STATE MUSEIUM Qiicrinunui "."> Nyse in Gravesend bar and sent to the aquarium dead, as they would not endure captivity. The fish agrees in coloration and in every other respect with P. o c t o f i 1 i s Gill, and is be- lieved to be the adult form of P. o c t o n e m u s Girard. This is probably the first record of its occurrence in New York waters for more than 30 years. MEASUREMENTS Inches Length, including caudal .................................. 8% Length to end of middle caudal rays ....................... 7V2 Length to origin of middle caudal rays ..................... 6% Greatest depth of body .................................... 2 Least depth of caudal peduncle ............................ Length of head ........................................... 1% Length of snout ......................................... -fa Diameter of eye .......................................... IB Length of upper jaw ...................................... % Length of mandible ....................................... % Length of longest pectoral filament ....................... 2% Length of upper and lower caudal lobes .................... 2% Length of pectoral ........................................ 1% Length of longest (third) dorsal spine ....................... Length of second dorsal ray ................................ Length of ventral ......................................... it Length of longest anal ray ................................ 1 Length of anal base ...................................... 1A Length of base of first dorsal .............................. % •Length of base of second dorsal ............................ The longest pectoral filament reaches to below the inter- space between the two dorsals and slightly past the vent. The diameter of the eye equals the length of the snout and one fifth the length of the head. Group AMMODYTOIDEI Family ^XMXIODYTIDAE Sand Lances Genus AM.MOIJYTKS (Artedi) Linnaeus Body elongate, lanceolate, the skin with many transverse folds running obliquely downward and backward, the small cycloid scales mostly placed in cross series between them; lat- eral line concurrent with the back; a fold of the skin along each side of the belly; vomer not armed with a bicuspid tooth; color silvery; vertebrae 62 or 63; one pyloric caecum. Carnivorous 376 NEW YORK STATE MUSE1UM fishes inhabiting sanely shores in cold regions, living in large schools, burying themselves in the sand near the tide mark. Valued as bait and useful as food for salmon and other larger fishes. 189 Ammodytes americanus De Kay Sand Lance; Sand Eel Ammodyles americanus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 317, pi. 52. fig. 167, 1842, Queens County, New York, and Stratford, Conn.; STOKER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 216, pi. XXXIII, fig. 2, 1867; GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 20, 1879; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 414, 1883; JORDAN & EVEKMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 833, 1896, pi. CXXIX, fig. 351, 1900; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 359, 1897. Ammodytes vittatus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 318, pi. 60, fig. 197, 1842, New York, apparently based upon a mutilated specimen, fide JORDAN & EVEKMANN. Argyrotaenia vittaia JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 415, 1888. Body long, slender, subterete, its greatest depth one tenth to one twelfth of total length without caudal, its width two fifths of length of head; head moderately long, with acutely pointed snout, length of head one fifth of total without caudal; snout nearly one third as long as the head; eye small, one sixth as long as the head, and equal to width of interorbital space; lower jaw somewhat projecting, the mandible nearly one half as long as the head, the maxilla reaching back to front of orbit; dorsal origin in advance of tip of pectoral; length of pectoral about one half the length of head ; length of anal base nearly one third of total without caudal; dorsal and anal rays about equal in length and not much longer than the eye; intermaxillary pro- tractile; voiner not armed with a bicuspid toothlike prominence, D. 55 to 63; A. 27 to 31. Lateral folds 127 to 141. The specimens examined are from 4f to 7 inches long, from Nantucket, Woods Hole and Bass Kocks, Mass. Colors as given by Dr Storer: of a dirty greenish brown on the back, the sides and abdomen silvery, the top of the head flesh-colored, the preopercles silvery, operculum cupreous and silvery, pupils black, iris silvery. The sand lance occurs on sandy shores from Newfoundland to Cape Hatteras. In certain harbors of Cape Cod and Marthas Vineyard it often schools in myriads, so that the entire bottom FISHES OF NEW YORK 377 is covered from 1 to 2 inches deep and appears like an immense sheet of silver. These little fish are a very important source of food for the cod, salmon and other valuable fishes and are excellent for bait. De Kay found the young frequently washed on shore after heavy northerly gales. The sand lance appears in Gravesend bay in July, but is more plentiful in winter. The fish buries itself in sand and some- times, when alarmed, will leap 4 inches above the sand. In captivity it swims continually and soon dies. It will not thrive for want of sand and proper food. Group BERYCOIDEl Family MULLIDAIS Surmullets Genus MULLIS Linnaeus Villiform teeth in the lower jaw and on the vonier and pala- tines, none in the upper jaw, the bone forming a hook over the maxillary well developed; opercle without spines; interorbital space flat and wide. Otherwise as in Upeneus, the head rather shorter. One species known. 190 Mullus auratus Jordan & Gilbert Red Mullet; Goatfish Mullns barbatns auratus JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 280, 18S2, Pensacola, Florida; Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 981, 1883. MuHus auratus JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 39, 1S84; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 359, 1897; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 856, 1896, pi. CXXXII, fig. 360, 1900. Body moderately deep and compressed, its width equal to postorbital length of head, its greatest depth nearly equal to length of head and contained three and one half times in total length without caudal; least depth of caudal peduncle equal to postorbital part of head; head two sevenths of total length without caudal; anterior profile rather steep; intermaxilla protractile; mouth small, terminal, the upper jaw one third as long as the head and about equal to length of mandible; eye placed high, interorbital space nearly flat, its width greater 378 NEW YORK STATE MUSEIUM than long diameter of the eve, and about two sevenths of length of head, eye about three elevenths of length of head; barbels one fifth of total length to end of scales, and equal to length of pectoral. The spinous dorsal begins over the fifth scale of the lateral line, its base one half as long as the head, its longest spine two thirds as long as the head, its last spine scarcely as long as the eye, interspace between dorsals equal to one third the length of head, base of second dorsal one half as long as the head, longest ray slightly more than one half the length of head, last raj as long as the eye. The ventral origin is under the axil of the pectoral, also under the third scale of the lateral line; the length of the ventral is one fifth of total length to end of scales; the ventral fin reaches a little farther back than the pectoral, to a point below the twelfth scale of the lateral line. The anal origin is under about the third ray of second dorsal; the base is as long as postorbital part of head; the long- est ray one half, and the last ray two sevenths of length of head. Caudal deeply forked, the middle rays, from end of scales, two fifths as long as the outer rays, which are three fourths as long as the head. Pectoral fin three fourths as long as the head, reaching to below the 12th scale of the lateral line, and end of spinous dorsal base. D. VII-I, 8; A. II, 6; V: I. 5 ; P. l(i. Scales 3^-35-6. Color scarlet; side with two yellow longitudinal stripes; snout and caudal fin scarlet, the latter with about five narrow dusky bands after preservation in spirits; first dorsal fin with an orange band at base and a yellow band higher up, the rest of the fin pale; second dorsal fin with about three narrow bands of scarlet; anal and ventrals pale; pectoral reddish; iris violet or golden; sides of head silvery, iridescent. The red mullet ranges from Cape Cod to Florida; it is found at Woods Hole Mass., occasionally in summer; on the red snap- per banks off Pensacola Fla. it is moderately abundant. The fish grows to the length of 8 inches. It has no economic value, but furnishes food for the red snapper, groupers and other food fishes. FISHES OF NEW YORK o79 Three individuals of M u. 1 1 u s were captured in a seine at Sandy Hook N. J. Oct. 8, 1897, and brought alive to the New York aquarium, where they are now (Nov. 30, 1897) in good con- dition and feed freely on shrimp. As the fish are living, it is uncertain whether or not they are M. a u r a t u s ; but they agree in the main wilh the description of that species. Their endurance of water at a temperature of 50° F. is unexpected. Fishermen at Sandy Hook reported that large numbers were seen there in September and October 1897. Recent examination of one of the specimens above referred to (No. 48796, U. S. National Museum) shows its entire agreement with the type of M u 1 1 u s a u r a t u s . Group KCOMBROIDEI Family SCOMBRIDAE Mackerels Genus SCOMBER (Artedi) Linnaeus Body fusiform, rather elongate, somewhat compressed; caudal peduncle slender, without median keel, but with two small keels on each side; mouth wide, with a single row of rather small, slender teeth in each jaw and on the vomer and palatines; maxillary slipping under the broad preorbital, a fleshy lobe on each side of lower jaw near its junction with maxillary; scales very small, not forming a corselet; first dorsal of nine to 12 feeble spines, separated from the second by an interspace greater than the base of the fin, second dorsal small, followed by five to nine detached finlets; anal similar to second dorsal, with similar finlets; pectorals and ventrals small, the former placed high, on the level of the eyes; caudal fin small, widely forked; pyloric appendages exceedingly numerous; air bladder small or wanting; vertebrae normally formed, 14+17 =31; gill rakers long and slender. Subgenus SCOMBER 191 Scomber scombrus Linnaeus Common Mackerel Scomber scombrus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 297, 1758, Atlantic; GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 14,1879; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 424, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 865, 1896, pi. CXXXIII, fig. 363, 1900. 380 NEW YORK STATE MUSEIUM Scomber vernalis MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 423, 1815, Sandy Hook, New Jersey; DE KAY, name omitted from chapter head- ing, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 101, pi. 12, fig. 34, 1842, New York coast; STOKER, Hist. Fish. Mass, 54, pi. XI, fig. 2, 1867. f Scomber scomber LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 492, 1766; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit Mus. II, 357, 1860. Body moderately long, subterete, fusiform, the snout acute and the caudal peduncle much tapering- posteriorly, the great- est hight two ninths of total length without the caudal, the least depth of caudal peduncle equal to the short diameter of the eye, the width of body one half the length of head; head conical, pointed, its length one fourth of total without caudal, its width one half its length, the width of the interorbital space one half postorbital length of head; snout rather long, one third as long as the head; lower jaw slightly projecting, the mandible extend- ing behind orbit, its length more than one half the length of head, the maxilla reaching to below front of pupil. The eye is one fifth as long as the head. The spinous dorsal originates over the middle of the pectoral; its base is a little longer than the mandible; the second, and longest, spine is two fifths as long as the head; the last spine is very short, about one third of length of eye; the interspace between the dorsals is about equal to depth of body; the second dorsal base is nearly opposite anal base, slightly in advance, its length two fifths of length of the head ; the longest ray is one fourth as long as the head, the last ray two thirds as long as the eye; the second dorsal is followed by five finlets, each as long as the last ray. The anal origin is under the fourth or fifth ray of the second dorsal; the base of the fin is one third as long as the head; the longest ray is one half of postorbital length of head; the last ray is two thirds as long as the eye; the fin is followed by five finlets which are immediately opposite the dorsal finlets and of about the same size. The middle caudal rays, from end of scales, are equal to one half the greatest depth of body; the external rays are nearly twice as long as the middle rays. The ventral origin is very slightly in advance of the origin of spinous dorsal, its distance from tip of snout equaling the distance from origin of second dorsal to root of caudal fin; the length of the ventral equals three PISHES OF NEW 1'OUK 381 eighths of length of head. The pectoral is one half as long as the head; the fin reaches to below the sixth spine of the dorsal. No air bladder. D. XI-I, 11- V; A. I, 11-V; V. I, 5; P. I, 16. Color dark blue, or greenish blue, above, the upper parts with 30 or more wavy transverse bands of a darker hue, these extend- ing below the lateral line and nearly to the median line of the body; beneath the ends of these lines and slightly separated from them is a narrow, longitudinal, dark streak running almost the entire distance from the pectoral to the caudal; top of the head very dark; a dark blotch in the axil of the pectoral; gill covers and jaws silvery; sides white with cupreous reflections; belly white. The mackerel is one of the best known food fishes of the north Atlantic, ranging from Norway to Spain in Europe and from Labrador to Cape Hatteras in North America. It reaches the length of 18 inches. The fish is migratory and frequently dis- appears for a short or long period of time from its accustomed localities. On the New York coast the mackerel appears in May and June in great schools, but the number varies greatly in different years. Two young, 3] to 5| inches long, were taken in Gravesend bay, L. I., May 23, 1896, in John B. De Nyse's shad fyke. No more were seen, and these were the first for the year. They come about the time of the appearance of anchovy and weakfish. They are often seen swimming at the surface of the bay in small bunches of 18 or 20. occasionally 100, in the latter part of May or early in June. They are always split up into small bunches, probably by the attacks of weakfish and other predaceous spe- cies which are present at the time. Flukes attack them also in shallow water. Subgenus P\EI MATOPHOUUS Jordan & Gilbert 192 Scomber colias Gmelin Chub Mackerel; Tliimbleeye Hackeral Scomber colias GMELIN, L. Syst. Nat. 1329, 1788, Sardinia; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna. Fishes, 104, pi. 11, fig. 33, 1842; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 866, 1896, pi. CXXXIII, fig. 364, 1900; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 360, 1897. 382 NEW YORK STATE MUSEOJM Scomber itiictntiatopJtonis DE LA ROCHE, Ann. Mus. Nat. Hist. XIII, 315, 334, 1809, Balearic Islands. Scomber (jrcx MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 422, 1815; STOKER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 90, 1846. Scomber dekayi STOKER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 52, pi. XI, fig. 1. 1867; GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 15, 1879. Body fusiform, subterete, moderately elongate, its greatest depth two ninths of total length to base of caudal fin; least depth of caudal peduncle two thirds of the short diameter of the eye, its width more than one half the length of head and equal to snout and eye combined; head conical, pointed, com- pressed, its length contained three and three fourths times in total to base of caudal, its width equal to one half its length, width of interorbital space three fifths of length of postorbital part of head; snout long, pointed, two sevenths as long as the head; lower jaw slightly projecting, the mandible extending to below hind edge of pupil, its length less than one half the length of head; the maxilla reaching nearly to front of pupil. The eye is large, covered in front and behind by an adipose mem- brane, its length three elevenths of length of head or two thirds of length of postorbital part of head. The spinous dorsal origi- nates over the middle of the pectoral, a little behind the inser- tion of the ventral; the base is as long as the head without the snout and is much longer than the mandible; the second spine longest, one half as long as the head, the last spine minute, about one fifth as long as the eye. The interspace between the dorsals is only two thirds of depth of body. The second dorsal base is chiefly opposite anal base, but more in advance than in Scomber s c o m b r u s , its length equal to postorbital part of head; the longest ray is one fourth as long as the head, the last ray one half as long as the eye; the second dorsal is fol- lowed by five finlets, which increase in size posteriorly, the last one larger than last ray of dorsal, and two thirds as long as the eye. The anal origin is under the fifth or sixth ray of the second dorsal; the base of the fin is as long as the postorbital part of the head; the longest ray equals the longest of the dor- sal; the last ray is one half as long as the eye; the fin is fol- lowed bv five finlets of the same size as the dorsal finlets and KISI1KS OK NKW YOKK 383 placed nearly opposite to them. The middle caudal rays are very short; the external rays are as long as the snout and eye combined. The ventral origin is equally distant from tip of snout and vent; the fin is two fifths as long as the head. The pectoral is one half as long as the head and reaches to below the fifth spine of the first dorsal. Air bladder present. D. IX to X-I, 11 to 12-V; A. I-I, 11-V or VI; V. I, 5; P. I, 19. Scales nearly 200. Colors essentially the same as in S c o m b e r s c o m b r u s, the wavy transverse bands about 30 in number; sides mottled with small dusky blotches below the median line; about 20 black specks on base of preopercle, usually arranged in more than one series; bell}' and sides silvery; a black blotch in axil of pectoral. The chub mackerel is found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, north to England and Maine and to San Francisco; very com- mon in the Mediterranean and in southern California; some- times abundant on our eastern coast and frequently absent for long periods. It reaches the length of 14 inches and is an im- portant food fish. July 25, 1887, the schooner Peter Cooper caught 6000 thimble- eye mackerel off Manasquan N. J. About 50,000 mackerel were taken by the menhaden steamer, A. Morris, near Ocean City, July 19, 188T. Some of these were preserved in brine by TV. B. Steel- man, and I found them to be S. c o 1 i a s. The thimbleeyes usually arrive in August. In 1886 they were often caught. This species was not found in large numbers in Gravesend bay in 1897, but in 189G it abounded in all the little creeks, and in some instances the fish could be dipped up by the boat load with scoop nets. The fish reached 10 inches in length before the end of the summer. Genus A VMS Cuvier Body oblong, plump, mostly naked posteriorly, anteriorly cov- ered with small scales, those of the pectoral region enlarged, forming a corselet; snout very short, conical, scarcely com- pressed; mouth rather small, the jaws equal; teeth very small, mostly in a single series, on the jaws only; tail very slender. 384 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM depressed, with a rather large keel on each side; first dorsal short, separated from the second by a considerable interspace, second dorsal and anal small, each with seven or eight finlets; pectorals and ventrals small; no air bladder; branchiostegals seven; pyloric caeca dendritical; gill rakers very long and slen- der, numerous; vertebrae 39 in number, peculiarly modified, essentially as in G y m n o s a r d a. 193 Auxis thazard (Lacepede) Frigate Mackerel Scomber titazard LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. Ill, 9, 1802, Coast of New Guinea. Auxis milgaris CTJVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 139, 1831, Mediterranean. Auxis rocJiei GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 369, 1860; JORDAN & GIL- BERT, Bull. 16. TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 425, 1883. Auxis thazard JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 911, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 867, 1896, pi. CXXXIII, fig. 365, 1900. Body stout, subterete, fusiform, tapering to a very low caudal peduncle, the greatest depth one fourth of total length without caudal, the width nearly two thirds of the depth; the least depth of caudal peduncle about two fifths of length of ids; head short, conical, pointed, its length one fourth of the total to end of mid- dle caudal rays, its width two thirds of its length, the width of the interorbital space one half postorbital length of head; snout short, as long as the eye, one fifth as long as the head; the lower jaw not projecting when the moiuth is closed, the maxilla reach- ing to below middle of pupil, the mandible two fifths as long as the head and reaching nearly to below hind margin of orbit. The eye is as long as the snout and one fifth as long as the head. The spinous dorsal originates a little behind the origin of pectoral and ventral, at a distance from tip of snout nearly equal to one third of total length to caudal base; its base is nearly one half as long as the head; the second spine longest, two fifths as long as the head, the last spine minute, about one sixth as long as the eye. The interspace between the dorsals equals the length of the head without the snout. The second dorsal is in advance of the anal; its base is about one fourth as long as the head; its longest ray equals snout, and its last ray is less than FISHES OF NEW YORK 385 one half the snout; the fin is followed by eight finlets, which de- crease in size posteriorly. The anal origin is below the inter- space between the end of the second dorsal and its first finlet; the anal base is as long as the second dorsal base; its first ray is as long as the snout, its last ray is one half the short diameter of the eye; it is followed by seven finlets, decreasing in size poster- iorly. The middle caudal rays, from end of keel, are one fourth as long as the outer rays, which are one half as long as the head; the caudal lobes form a very obtuse angle with the caudal peduncle. The ventral origin is directly under the root of the pectoral; the fin is as long as the snout and eye combined, the ventral sheath about as long as the fin. The pectoral is falcate, many-rayed, its length four ninths of length of head; the fin reaches to below the last spine of the first dorsal. D. X-12- VIII; A. 13- VII; V. I, 5; P. 22; B. VII. Color dark blue above with reticulated markings on the back, chiefly in the second half of the length and all above the lateral line; sides, lower parts and head silvery; ventral dark. The frigate mackerel is found in all warm seas and ranges northward occasionally to Cape Cod; it is a rare visitor in our waters, but sometimes appears in immense schools. It has little value as food. It reaches the length of 16 inches. The species was unknown on our shores till 1880, when it arrived in almost countless numbers. Its food is the same as that of the common mackerel. Genus GYMXOSARDA Gill This genus according to Liitken differs from Thunnus l)in the absence of teeth on vomer; 2) by the complete absence of scales outside of the corselet (for in Thunnus of the same size the skin is covered with small scales; and the limits of the corselet in the tunny and albicore are obscure, so that it can not properly be said that they have distinct corselets), and 3) by an important osteologic character, namely the peculiar develop- ment, in the form of a network or trellis, of a portion of the abdominal part of the backbone, between the vertebrae proper and the hemapophyses. Vertebrae 38. Species of smaller size than the tunnies, also pelagic, and of little value as food. 386 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 194 Gymnosarda pelamys (Linnaeus) Ooeanic Bonito Scomber pelamis LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 297, 1758, tropical seas. Thymnts pelamys CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 113, 1831. Orcymis pelamys POEY, Syn. Pise. Cubeus. 3G2, 1868; GOODE & BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. I, 24, 1878; Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 15. 1879. Euthynnus pelamys JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 430, 1883. Gymnosarda pelamis DRESSLAR & FESLER, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 436. 1889; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus, 868, 1896. Body oblong, abruptly tapering at both ends, stout, short, its greatest hight one fourth of total length to end of middle caudal rays, its width a little more than one half the length of head, equal to postorbital part of head; least hight of caudal peduncle one half the length of eye; keel one fourth as long as the head; head rather long, somewhat compressed, acute in front, conical, its length two sevenths of the total without caudal, its width over the opercles one half its length ; snout not long, acute at tip, somewhat compressed, its length two sevenths of length of head; the mandible heavy and prominent, scarcely projecting; the maxilla with rounded extremity extends to below middle of pupil; the mandible extends to below hind margin of eye, its length nearly one half the length of head. The eye is obliquely oblong, its length about one fifth of length of head. The spinoue dorsal orginates immediately over the origins of the pectoral and ventral; the base of the fin is four fifths as long as the head; the first and longest spine one half as long as the head, the last spine one fourth as long as the snout. The interspace between the dorsals equals two thirds of length of snout. The second dorsal is equidistant from the upper angle of the gill opening and the base of the caudal fin; the base of the fin is as long as the snout and equal to base of anal; the longest ray is a very little longer than the base of the fin, the last ray is one fourth as long as the snout; the fin is followed by eight finlets, the largest in front, two fifths as long as the snout. The middle caudal rays, measured from keel, one third as long as the outer rays, which are nearly two thirds as long as the head (equal to postorbital part of head). The anal origin is nearly under the end of the second dorsal; the base of the fin is two sevenths as long as the FISHES OF XBW YORK 387 head; th-e longest ray is as lomg as the base of the fin, the last ray one this^d of length of snout; the fin is followed by Severn finlets, which are rather broader than those of the dorsal. The ventral origin is directly under the origin of spinous dorsal ; the- length of the fin is two fifths of length of head; the ventral sheath is bifurcate and less than one half as long as the fin. The pectoral is scarcely falcate, its length one half the length of head, the fin reaching to below the llth spine of the dorsal. D. XIV to XV, II, 12-VIII; A. II, 12-VII; P. 28; V. I, 5. The cocselet is very prominent. Its contour is defined by lines' at the edge of the branchial cleft, about midway between the axil of the pectoral and the median line of the belly, extending below, beyond, and around the extremity of the pectoral (which, when normally placed, touches with its tip the outer margin of the corselet), then extending beyond its tip for a distance nearly equal to its length, around up into the lateral line, down which a narrow tract of scales continues to its extremity, though nar- rowed to a single row after passing its curve; passing the lateral line, the contour of the corselet curves forward and inward, then, ascending to a point distant from the median line of the back about the diameter of the orbit, it follows backward in a direc- tion parallel to this line, to a point opposite the posterior extrem- ity of the second dorsal, where it curves upward to the median line of the body, and completes its circuit. • When viewed from above, the rows of scales appear to be arranged concentrically about the origin of the first dorsal fin. The 'scales are largest along the edges of the pectoral arch and the dorsal fin, decreasing rapidly in size as they recede from these regions. There are about 30 rows between the dorsal and the upper margin of the pectoral, normally placed. The upper parts deep bluish in life; the belly and flanks below lateral line, the opercles and throat pearly opalescent white; the lower part of the pectoral arch and tracts at the base of the ventrals and anal, as well as those parts of the opercles where the bone is close to the outer skin, chalky white. The corselet is bronzed brown in the alcoholic specimen. There are four dis- 388 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM tinct bluish lines on the sides, which are nearly parallel with the lateral line, and constitute the most prominent specific character. The first of these begins directly under the tip of the pectoral, the second at the margin of the corselet, at a point in the line from the upper to the lower axillary angles of the pectoral. The third and fourth are rather indistinct anteriorly, but very dis- tinct in the posterior half of the body, and are about as far dis- tant from each other as are the first two, the interval between the two pairs being slightly greater than that between the mem- bers of each pair, and equal to the diameter of the orbit. The first or uppermost line is nearly straight, the others, following the lower contour of the body, curve upward over the anal fin, and all four become lost in the darker color of the caudal peduncle. If the Japanese fish, which has been referred to this species, be really the oceanic bonito, we must add the following notes on colors; three shorter dark stripes on the middle of the body, be- tween the lateral line and the uppermost of the four long stripes; dark blotches on the membrane connecting the dorsal spines, be- ginning between the sixth and seventh spines and continuing to the end of the fin. It is not at all certain, in my estimation, that the Japanese form, is the same as ours, since it appears to have a more compressed body, the spinous dorsal more poster- iorly placed, and the color differences above mentioned. The oceanic bonito is said to inhabit the warmer parts of the Atlantic and Indian oceans and the seas of China and Japan. It is a rare visitor in our waters and has no importance for food. Persons who have eaten it say the flesh is dry and, sometimes, disagreeable. It feeds on flying fish, skipjacks, small cuttle- fish, mollusks, and marine plants. The maximum length re- corded is 30 inches. 195 Gymnosarda alleterata (Eafinesque) Little Tunny Scomber allcteratus RAFINESQUE, Caratteri Ale. Gen. 46, 1810, Palermo. Thynnus thwniina CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 104, 1831, Mediterranean; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 304, I860. Thynnus bra-siUensis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. 110, Mediterranean. Thynnus brevipinnis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit 112, Mediterranean. FISHES OF NEW YORK 389 Orcymts allitcrtitus GILL, Kept. U. S. Fish. Comm. 802, 1873; GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 15, 1879. Eutliyitniis aUitcratus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 430, 1S83. Tlii/ninifi a flint* GUNTHER, op. cit. II, 363, 1860. Tliiinniis brcrirostris GUNTHER, op. cit. II, 365, 1860. •Gymnosarda aUcterata JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 869, 1896, pi. CXXXIY, fig. 366, 1900. Body fusiform, much tapered at both ends, moderately com- pressed, its greatest hight one fourth of total length without caudal, its width one half the length of the head; least depth of caudal peduncle one third of length of snout; keel well devel- oped, three eighths as long as the head; head moderate, pointed in front, its length one fourth of the total to end of middle caudal rays, its width over the opercles equal to eye and snout combined ; snout not long, acute at tip, its length two sevenths of length of head; the interorbital space equal to snout; the mandible heavy, not projecting, the maxilla expanded poster- iorly, extending to below middle of pupil; the mandible extends to below hind margin of orbit, its length nearly one half the length of head. The eye is one fifth as long as the head, and two thirds of width of interorbital space. The spinous dorsal originates directly above the insertion of the ventral and slightly behind that of the pectoral; the base of the fin is nearly as long as the head; the longest spine is one half as long as the head, the last spine about one half as long as the eye; the interspace between the dorsals extremely short. The sec- ond dorsal is preceded by a short, stiff spine, which is about one third as long as the eye; the base of second dorsal is one fourth as long as the head; the longest ray is two ninths as long as the head, the last ray one half as long as the eye; the fin is followed by eight finlets, of which the fourth is longest, two thirds as long as the eye. The middle caudal rays, measured from the root of the fin, are two fifths as long as the outer rays, which are two thirds as long as the head. The anal origin is under the first detached finlet; the base of the fin is as long as the snout; the longest ray two ninths as long as the head, the last ray two thirds as long as the eye; the fin is followed by seven finlets, which are similar to the dorsal finlets. The 390 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ventral origin is at a distance from tip of snout equal to one third of total length to caudal base; the fin is two fifths as long as the head, extending as far back as the pectoral, to a point below the ninth spine of the dorsal. The ventral sheath is little bifurcate at its tip, its length little more than one half the length of ventral fin. The pectoral is somewhat falcate,, its length equal to postorbital part of head. D. XV-I, 12- VIII; A. ii, 12- VII; V. I, 5; P. I, 26. Color bluish above, sides and lower parts silvery; several wavy, more or less interrupted, dark streaks above lateral line, beginning under the middle of the spinous dorsal; five or six roundish brown spots, about as large as the pupil, between the pectoral and ventral fins; tip of spinous dorsal and inner sur- face of ventral dusky. The little tunny is common in the Mediterranean and the West Indies and ranges northward occasionally to Cape Cod. It is said to reach the length of 4 feet, but no individuals of that size are recorded from our waters. Prof. S. F. Baird collected an example about 2 feet long at Woods Hole Mass, in 1871. A spe- cimen 13 inches long was taken at Pensacola Fla. by Silas Stearns in 1878. Though eaten in Mediterranean countries, the flesh is not much esteemed. Genus THUNNUS South Body oblong, robust, with very slender caudal peduncle; head conical; mouth wide, with one series of small, conical teeth in the jaws and bands of minute villiforin or sandlike teeth on the vomer and palatines; scales present, those of the pectoral region forming an obscure corselet; first dorsal of 12 to 15 spines, which grow gradually shorter backward, the interval between last spine and second dorsal slight; second dorsal and anal short and rather high, each with eight to 10 finlets; ven- trals moderate, pectorals moderate, inserted rather below the level of the eye; vertebrae normal, 'SO to 41 in number, the lower foramina very small. Open seas; the single species widely dis- tributed. Size very large. FISHES OF NEW YORK 391 190 Thunnus thynnns (Linnaeus) Tunny; Horse Mackerel •Scomber (Jii/innts LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 297, 1758, Europe. Thi/Hiuis -rulyaris CTJVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 58, pi. 210, 1831, European Seas; DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 105, pi. 10, fig-. 28. 1842, after STOKER. Thynnns bracJiii]>1u-ux CITVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. 98, pi. 211, 1831, Mediterranean. Thy units secundidorsalis STOKER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 65, pi. XII, fig. 4, 1867. •Orcynns tJnjnints GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 15, 1879; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 429, 1883. Thunnus tnynnus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 870, 1806. Body oblong, tapering greatly at both ends, very robust, its greatest depth nearly one fourth of the total length to end of middle caudal rays, its greatest width one sixth of the same length. The least depth of caudal peduncle equals the length of the eye. The head is two sevenths of total length without the caudal; the snout is rather short, acute, its length contained three and one third times in length of head; the maxilla does not quite reach to below front of eye; eye small, two fifths as long as the snout, one seventh as long as the head. The spinous dorsal originates above the insertion of the pectoral; the fin is very long, reaching almost to second dorsal, high in front and rapidly and regularly diminishing in hight posteriorly, its first spine longest, four ninths as long as the head, the last spine about as long as the pupil. The second dorsal base is as long as the anal base and two fifths as long as the head; the fin is deeply concave and very low behind, its longest ray one half as long as the head; the fin is followed by nine finlets which are about two thirds as long as the eye. The anal origin is under the end of the second dorsal; the base of the fin is two fifths as long as the head; the longest ray is nearly one half as long as the head; the fin is deeply concave like the second dorsal, and is followed by eight finlets of about the same size as the dorsal finlets. The caudal fin is very deeply forked, almost lunate in shape, the middle rays, measured from caudal base, contained two and one third times in the outer; the caudal keel is enor- mously developed, its length equal to length of snout. The ventral origin is under the second spine of the dorsal; the fin is 392 NEW YORK STATE MUSEIUM one half as long as the head; when extended it reaches to below the llth spine of the dorsal. The pectoral reaches to below the 12th spine; it is falcate, its length equal to length of head with- out the snout. The corselet is not so well defined as in some other related species, because the entire body is scaly.' The lateral line curves downward from a point under the origin of the second dorsal. D. XIV, i, 13-IX; A. i, 12-VIII; V. I, 5. Color dark blue above; grayish below with silvery spots; pupil black, iris golden with greenish reflections; rays of spinous dor- sal dusky, the connecting membrane nearly black, second dor- sal reddish brown; pectorals silvery gray; ventrals black above, white beneath; dorsal and anal finlets bright yellow, dark at base and on anterior edge; gill covers silvery gray. The tunny is the largest fish of the mackerel family, reaching a length of 10 feet or more. It is pelagic, but comes to all warm coasts, northward to England, Newfoundland, San Fran- cisco, and Japan. In our waters it appears usually in summer and is often taken in rather large numbers off Block Island, and on Cape Cod and Cape Ann. On account of its enormous size • and great strength, it is often destructive to the fishermen's fixed nets. Dr Storer says it comes into Massachusetts bay about the middle of June and remains till early in October. It was not uncommon to observe 50 or more in a day at Provincetown. It feeds on menhaden, mackerel, whiting, dogfish and other small fishes. The usual implement of capture at first was the har- poon, but, now that its flesh has become valuable for canning and when marketed fresh, it is taken in pound nets and by line fishing. The fish arrives on the coast in poor condition and without value; but becomes very fat during the summer months, and is then utilized for the oil, which is obtained from the head and belly by boiling, and for its flesh, which is favorably regarded, either fresh, salted or preserved in cans. The tunny is said to spawn in June, and the recently hatched young, according to Yarrell, weigh l-£ ounces, growing to 4 ounces by August and 30 ounces in October. Adults often; FISHES OF NEW YORK 393 weigh 1000 pounds. The killer whale is the most dreaded enemy of the tunny. In southern California this fish is highly prized by anglers who are fond of big game and hard play. In the Bay of Chaleur and off Caraquette, in the Gulf of St Lawrence region, 100 tunny were captured by means of baited lines, and the fishing was considered exciting because the fish pulled with such vio- lence as to endanger the lives of the fishermen by dragging them overboard. This kind of exercise might be had near Rockport Mass, or off the New Jersey coast annually in summer. Genus SARDA Cuvier Body rather elongate, covered with small scales, those of the pectoral region forming a corselet; caudal peduncle slender, strongly keeled; head large, pointed, compressed; mouth large; teeth in the jaws rather strong, conical, slightly compressed, similar teeth on the palatines, but none on the vomer; maxillary not concealed by preorbital; gill rakers long and strong; first dorsal long and rather low, of 18 to 22 rather stout spines, which are gradually shortened behind; interval between the last spine and the second dorsal short; second dorsal small, fol- lowed by 8-9 finlets; anal fin similar, usually with one less fin- let; paired fins small; pectorals placed below the level of the pupil; no air bladder; pyloric caeca very numerous, treelike; vertebrae normally formed, 50 to 54 in number. Fishes of rather large size, of metallic coloration. (After Jordan and Evermann) 197 Sarda sarda (Bloch) Bonito Scomber sarda BLOCH, Ichth. X, 35, pi. 334, 1793, Europe. Pelamys sarda DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 106, pi. 9, fig. 27, 1842; GUN- THER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II. 367, 1860; STOKER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 63, pi. XI, fig. 5, 1867. Sarda pelamys GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 15, 1879. Sarda mcditerranca JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, T. S. Nat. Mus. 427, 1883. Sarda sarda BEAN. Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 138, 1888; DRESSLAR & FESLER, JBull. U. S. F. C. VII, 440, pi. VIII, 1889; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 872, 1896; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 360, 1897, Gravesend Bay. 394 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Body fusiform, much tapered at both ends, moderately elon- gate, robust, its greatest bight nearly equal to length of bead and nearly one fourth of total length without caudal, its great- est width two thirds of its bight; least depth of caudal peduncle one third of length of snout; head four fifteenths to one fourth of total length to caudal base, its width over the opercles equal to length of its postorbital part; interorbital space strongly convex, one third of length of head, greater than snout, twice diameter of orbit; snout rather long, one third as long as the head, acute, the jaws equal in front; maxilla much expanded behind, reaching slightly behind orbit, the upper jaw one half the length of head; mandible equal to width of body, reaching considerably behind eye; eye small, vertically oblong, its verti- cal diameter about one half the length of snout. The spinous dorsal begins directly over the insertion of pectoral; the fin is very long, high in front, tapering rapidly and almost regularly to the last spine, which is only about one sixth as long as the second, and longest, this being two fifths as long as the head. The interspace between the dorsals is one half as long as the eye. The second dorsal base is as long as the snout and eye combined; the longest ray is four times as long as the last ray and one third as long as the head; the upper margin of the fin is deeply concave; the fin is followed by eight small finlets, the longest as long as the eye. The anal origin is under the last dorsal ray or the first dorsal finlet; the base of the fin is as long as the snout; the longest ray is nearly five times as long as the last ray and three eighths as long as the head; the fin is followed by seven or eight finlets (usually seven) the long- est equal to length of eye; the anal is deeply concave, like the second dorsal. The caudal fin is crescentic, the external rays three times as long as the middle rays and the lobes narrow and tapering, their width at base about one third of their length and one fourth the length of bead. The ventral origin is under the second or third spine of the dorsal; the fin is three tenths as long as the head; its sheath is small and raylike, less than one half as long as the fin. The pectoral is falcate, broad at base, short, reaching to FISHES OF NEW YORK 395 toelow the eleventh spine of the dorsal, its length one half the length of head. The lateral line very wavy but with no great curves; the caudal keel nearly as long as the eye and snout com- bined. The corselet is developed only as a narrow stripe ex- tending from the nape to a point a little behind the tip of pec- toral, its width about one fifth of its length, and about equal to .•ye. D. XX to XXI, 13 to 14-YIII; A. 14-VI or VII; V. I, 5; P. I, 24. Color steel blue above, the sides silvery, the abdomen and under surface of head silvery white; from 10 to 20 dark bluish, narrow bands obliquely downward and forward from the back, some of them almost reaching the belly; iris yellowish; first dor- sal fin sometimes pale, sometimes nearly black; pectoral dark above, light beneath. The bonito inhabits the Atlantic ocean on both coasts and is common in the Mediterranean. On our coast it ranges habitu- ally north to Cape Ann. It reaches the length of 30 inches and the weight of 10 or 12 pounds. Though not generally esteemed as a food fish, it meets with a steady sale either fresh or salted, like the mackerel. The fish is believed to live in the open sea, coming to the shores only to feed or to deposit its eggs. It is predaceous and active, feeding insatiably on mackerel and men- haden; it takes trolling bait as freely as the bluefish, to which it is not inferior in quality of flesh. The fish is generally scarce in Gravesend bay. Five were taken in one day in a pound net in October 1897, an unusual number for that species. The bonito will not live in captivity. Genus SCOMBEROMOHUS Lacepede Body elongate, wholly covered with rudimentary scales, which do not form a distinct corselet; head pointed, comparatively short and small; mouth wide, the strong teeth in the jaws more or less compressed or knife-shaped; villiform or sandlike teeth on the vomer and palatines; maxillary not concealed by preor- bital; gill rakers few; caudal peduncle with a single keel; spin- ous dorsal low, of 14 to 18 feeble spines; soft dorsal and anal short, similar, somewhat elevated and falcate, each followed by 396 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM seven to 10 finlets; ventrals small; pectorals moderate, near the- level of the eye; air bladder present; vertebrae normally formed, 45 in number. Fishes of the high seas; graceful in form and beautiful in color; among the best of food fishes. (After Jordan and Everinann) 198 Scomberomorus maculatus (Mitchill) Spanish Mackerel Scomber -macultihis MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 420, pi. VI, fig. S, 1815, New York. CyUum maculatum DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 108, pi. 73, fig. 232. 1842, New York; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 372, 1860; STOKER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 68, pi. XIII, fig. 1, 1867; GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 15, 1879. Sco-mlicromorus maculatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 426, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 138, 1888; 19th Rep. Comin. Fish. N. Y. 254, pi. VII, fig. 9. 1890; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 874, 1S96, pi. CXXXIV, fig. 368, 1900. Body elongate, much compressed, fusiform, its greatest depth from one fourth to two ninths of total length without caudal, its width two fifths of its depth and equal to postorbital part of head; least depth of caudal peduncle one half the postorbital part of head; head rather short, compressed, the lower jaw heavy, but not projecting, length of head one fifth of total with- out caudal; maxilla somewhat expanded posteriorly, extending to hind margin of orbit, the upper jaw equal to snout and eye combined; 16 strong conical teeth on each side in upper jaw, and 13 in the lower, vomer with a broad, short patch of minute, villi- forrn teeth, palatine teeth similar, in club-shaped patches; man- dible equal to head without snout; snout one third as long as head, very acute; posterior nostril twice as large as anterior; eye one fifth as long as head; interorbital space very convex, its width nearly equal to snout; gill rakers short, 2 above and 11 below the angle of the first arch. The spinous dorsal origi- nates over the insertion of the pectoral and considerably in ad- vance of the ventral origin; the base of the fin is long, as long as the head plus the length of the snout; the second and longest spine is three sevenths as long as the head and four times as long as the last spine, the fin decreasing in hight regularly from FISHES OF NEW YORK 397 the second to the last spine. The interspace between the dor- sals is about one half the length of the eye. The second dorsal base is three fourths as long as the head; the longest ray nearly four times as long as the last ray, and one half as long as the head; the fin is followed by eight finlets, none of which are longer than the eye. The anal originates under the middle of the soft dorsal; its base is two thirds as long as the head, its- longest ray three and one half times as long as its last ray, and one half as long as the head; the fin, like the second dorsal, is deeply concave; it is followed by eight finlets equal in size to the dorsal finlets. The caudal is very deeply forked, its outer rays as long as the head. The ventral originates under the fourth spine of the dorsal, its length three elevenths of length of head, the fin reaching to below the ninth spine of dorsal; there is no ventral covering, the inner rays of the two sides being slightly united at the base. The pectoral is broad, falcate, extending to below the 10th dorsal spine, its length equal to head without snout. D. XVII to XVIII-16 to 1S-VIII to IX; A. ii, 16 to 17; V. I, 5; P. i, 21. Lateral line strongly developed, with a moder- ate curve under the second dorsal, its course from there to caudal somewhat wavy. Color silvery; upper parts bluish; sides with numerous oblong spots of a dull orange, none of them more than one third as long as the snout, these spots fully as numerous above the lateral line as below it; the membrane connecting the first eight spines of the dorsal black, the rest of the fin white; soft dorsal with a yellowish tinge, its margin dark; anal and ventral white; pec- toral black inside, yellowish with dark borders outside and covered with dusky points; caudal dusky except at base. The Spanish mackerel inhabits the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America, on our coast ranging north to Maine and south to Brazil. It is one of the choicest of our food fishes and grows to the length of 3 feet and the weight of 10 pounds. The species spawns on the Long Island coast in August or earlier. The eggs are very small, about --rs inch in diameter, and they float in salt water. The rate of growth is unknown, as the 398 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM young are seldom or never seen by persons who know the fish. The Spanish mackerel is caught chiefly in pound nets. It is recorded that the species has been obtained off the coast of Maine by Capt. Atwood. Mitchill describes the species with- out making any remark on its abundance or scarcity, and states that it comes in July. In 1854 the species had very little im- portance in the New York market, but at the present time it is one of the most highly prized fishes and is obtained in large numbers. Spanish mackerel have been sparingly caught by trolling off Fire island inlet. We did not obtain the species in Great South bay, but Erastus Gordon of Patchogue informed us that it is obtained in moderate numbers. In 1884 the fish was not plentiful and the average price was about $1 each. They appear in New York waters in July and usually leave in September. The spawning season at Long Island begins late in August and continues about a month. The Spanish mackerel congregate in enormous schools. Mr Earll records the appear- ance of a school off Long Island which was estimated to contain several million individuals. The fish are taken principally in traps ; a few are caught by trolling, but this is an unsatisfactory method of capture. 199 Scomberomorus regalis (Bloch) Cero Scomber regaUs BLOCK, Ichth. pi. 333, 1795, Martinique. Cifbium regale GUNTHER, Cat Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 372, 1860. Scomberomorus regulis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 426, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 875, 1896, pi. CXXXV. fig. 369, 1900. Very similar in shape and general appearance to S. m a c u - 1 a t u s ; the greatest depth of body one fifth of total length without caudal, the greatest width two fifths of length of head; the least depth of caudal peduncle one half the length of snout; head longer than in S. macula t us, two ninths of total without caudal; the snout long and very acute, three eighths as long as the head; the interorbital space scarcely con- vex, its width two sevenths of length of head; jaws equal in FISHES OF NEW YORK 399^ front, maxilla not reaching to hind margin of orbit, the upper jaw equal to snout and eye combined and much more than one half the length of head; the mandible equal to head without snout, reaching to below hind margin of orbit; 15 or 16 large, compressed, conical teeth in each side of upper jaw, and about the same number of similar teeth in lower; eye large, more than one fifth of length of head, nearly equal to interorbital space; gill rakers 3-t-12, the longest one half as long as the eye. The spinous dorsal originates a little farther back than the pec- toral and nearly over the insertion of the ventral; the base of the fin equals its distance from tip of snout; the second spine- is the longest, one half as long as snout and eye combined; the fin is shaped as in S. maculatus, the last spine being very short. The interspace between the dorsals is about one third the diameter of the eye. The second dorsal base is one half as long as the head and equal to its longest ray; the last ray is one half as long as the eye; the fin is followed by eight or nine finlets; its upper margin, like that of the anal, is deeply convex. The anal origin is under the middle of the second dor- sal; the longest ray a little exceeds longest of dorsal; the last ray one half the length of eye; the fin is followed by eight fin- lets. The caudal keel is one third as long as the head; the caudal fin is very deeply forked, the outer rays as long as the head and the lobes narrow- at the base. The ventral origin is midway between tip of snout and vent; the fin is two thirds as long as the snout and extends to below the seventh spine of the dorsal. The pectoral is broad at the base, falcate, its length equal to snout and eye combined, the fin extending to below the 10th spine of the dorsal. D. XVII-i, 15-VIII; A. ii, 14-VIII; V. I. 5; P. i, 24. Lateral line curved downward below the second dorsal and the second half of it more or less undulat- ing; pectoral scaly. Color silvery; a narrow longitudinal stripe of brownish or bronze beginning behind the pectoral and running to base of caudal; numerous oblong brownish spots mostly below this stripe, none of them more than one half the diameter of eye; 400 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM upper anterior part of spinous dorsal black, the rest of the fin white. The spotted cero is found from Cape Cod to Brazil, but is not common northward; it is abundant in the West Indies. The species grows to the length of 5 feet and the weight of 20 pounds ; it is a fish of the same good qualities as the Spanish mackerel and is readily caught by trolling. 200 Scomberomorus cavalla (Cuvier) Sierra CyUum cavalla CUVIER, Regne Anim., ed. 2, II. 200, 1829, Brazil. Cybium cuMlla CUVIER & VALENCIENNES. Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 1ST, 1831, Caribbean Sea; STOKER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 93. 1846; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 373, 1860. Scoml>