Oass. S/f^ Book. Jt lO THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES or NEW YORK BY TARLETON H. BEAN CKlef, Department FisK end Came, "World's Fair, St. Louis ALBANY J. B. LYON COMPANY, PRINTERS 190a atate of New qoii^ Forest, Fisl) and (ianie Commission Tf)e Pood and (iame Ptsl)es of Nev Uorl^: Notes on tl)eir Common Names, Distribation, Habits and Aode of Capture [WitI) 9 Plates and 132 Text rigores] BY Tarteton M. :^ean, A. 3., A. D. Chief, Department of Fisl) and (iame, World's Fair, 3t. Loois -/ ALBANY J. B. LYON COMPANY, PRINTERS 1903 97. THE CRAl'l'lE, DEC 28 1903 D.ofD. Common Names of Fishes. Num- ber. Page. Num- ber. Page. 49. Anchovy, ^litchill's, 311 148. Dab, sand. 459 48. Anchovy, striped. 310 128. Drum, ... 433 98, Bass, calico, . . . . 384 129. Drum, fresh-water, 436 106. Bass, large mouth black, 396 124. Drum, red. 428 99. Bass, rock, 386 36. Eel, .... 292 1 14 Bass, sea. 411 28. Fallfish, 285 105. Bass, small mouth black. 394 115- Flasher, 414 112. Bass, striped. 406 147. Flounder, four-spotted. 458 III. Bass, white. 405 146. Flounder, southern, 457 130. Bergall, 437 145' Flounder, summer. 456 131. Blackfish, 439 149. Flounder, winter, 460 93. Bluefish, 377 34- Goldfish, 289 103. Blue-gill, 39° 138. Haddock, 448 85. Benito, .... 368 140. Hake, .... 451 17. Bullhead, black. 276 141. Hake, squirrel. 452 139. Burbot, 449 143- Halibut, 454 96. Butter Fish, . 381 95- Harvest Fish, 381 35. Carp, .... 290 44- Herring, branch. 302 19. Carp, lake. 277 45- Herring, glut. 3°4 10. Catfish, channel. 270 53- Herring, lake. 317 1 1. Catfish, lake. 271 41. Herring, sea. 298 13. Catfish, long-jawed. 273 32- Horned Chub, 288 16 Catfish, marbled, . 276 29. Horned Dace, 286 18. Catfish, stone. 277 15- Horned Pout, 274 14. Catfish, white. 273 127. Kingfish, 432 12. Catfish, yellow. 272 88. Kingfish, Sierra, 371 87. Cero, 37° I. Lamprey, great sea, 261 137. Cod, 447 55- Long Jaw, 319 37. Conger, 294 83. Mackerel, chub, 366 94, Crab-eater, 379 82. Mackerel, common, 365 97. Crappie, 382 86. Mackerel, Spanish, 369 91. Crevalle, 374 90. Mackerel, yellow. 373 126. Croaker, 431 76. Mascalonge, 359 142. Cusk, 453 78. Mascalonge, barred. 360 Si Cutlips, 288 77 Mascalonge, northern, . 360 144. Dab, rough. 455 47 Menhaden, 309 COMMON NAMKS OF MSIIES. 31. iVIinnow, lake, 288 71- 38. Moon- Eye, . . . . 296 132. 54. Moon-Eye, Cisco, 318 125- 39. Moon-Eye, northern, 297 61. 80. Mullet, striped. 363 7- 81. Mullet, white. 36s 8. 6. Paddle-fish, ,. . . 265 9- no. Perch, yellow. 403 21. 113. Perch, white. 409 22. 72. Pickerel, banded, . 353 20. 74. Pickerel, chain. 355 24. 73. Pickerel, little. 354 23- 117. Pig Fish, 417 25' 75. Pike, common. 356 26. 109. Pike, gray. 402 104. 107. Pikeperch 398 lOI. 135. Pollack, 444 102. 92. Pompano, common, 376 89. 27. Red Horse, 284 3°' 116. Red Snapper, 415 136. 133. Rosefish, 442 68. 69. Saibling, 347 62. 119. Sailor's Choice, 421 63 58. Salmon, Atlantic, 324 67. 59. Salmon, landlocked. 327 60, 57. Salmon, king, 323 64. 108, Sauger, 401 65. 118. Scup, .... 419 70. 46. Shad, .... 305 66. 40. Shad, gizzard. 297 56 84 43. Shad, hickory. 301 120. Sheepshead, 422 79. Silversides, 362 100 5. Skate, barn door, . 264 121 4. Skate, clear-nosed, 264 122 2. Skate, common. 262 5' 3. Skate, spotted. 263 5° 42. Skipjack, 300 134 52. Smelt, .... . 316 123 Smelt 351 Spade Fish, 440 Spot, .... 429 Steelhead, 330 Sturgeon, common, 266 Sturgeon, lake. 267 Sturgeon, short-nosed. 269 Sucker, common. 278 Sucker, hog, 280 Sucker, long-nosed. 277 Sucker, northern chub, 281 Sucker, southern chub, 281 Sucker, striped. 282 Sucker, white-nosed, 283 Sunfish, 392 Sunfish, green. 388 Sunfish, long-eared, 389 Sword Fish, . 372 Tench, .... 287 Tomcod, 445 Trout, brook. 344 Trout, brown^ 332 Trout, hybrid, 335 Trout, lake, . 342 Trout, Lake Tahoe, 329 Trout, Lochleven, ■ 336 Trout, rainbow. 338 Trout, Sunapee, . 349 Trout, Swiss lake. 340 Tullibee, 321 Tunny 367 Warmouth, 388 Weakfish, 424 Weakfish, spotted. 426 Whitefish, common. 313 Whitefish, round. 311 Whiting. 443 Yellowlail, 427 Pood and (iame Pfe{)e5 of Rev ^orl^. By TARLETON H. BEAN, CHIEF, DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME, WORLD'S FAIR, ST. LOUIS. Introdactor^g Chapter. THE most recent catalogue of New York fishes includes 375 species, but this is to some extent a compilation, and the number is liable to change after systematic investigations of the inland waters have been made. The food and game fishes mentioned in this article number 149 species. These belong to 36 families, of which the most important in the number of species repre- sented are the Catfish, the Sucker, the Minnow, the Herring, the Salmon, the Pike, the Mackerel, the Sunfish, the Weakfish, the Cod, and Flatfish families. The State is greatly diversified in contour and has an extensive water area. Its drainage systems are the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, the St. Lawrence, the Ohio Basin, the Susquehanna, the Delaware, the Hudson, with such adjacent small streams as the Passaic, rfackensack, Walkill and Bronx, and the great inland lakes, nearly all of which communicate vvith Lake Ontario. Long Island is richer in fishes than the rest of the State, but its species are chiefly marine ; its fresh waters contain few kinds and of those about one-half are recent introductions. The only extended systematic series of observations upon the occurrence of the fishes in any part of the State appears to be recorded by the writer in the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, volume IX, 1897, pages 374 to 375. This is the record of Mr. W. I. DeNyse at Gravesend Beach, Long Island, for 1895 to 1897. The following table is copied from the publication referred to as far as it relates to the food and game fishes of the present article : ~5^ SKVENTII RKI'ORT Ol' THE F( )RKSr, KISH AND f;AME COMMISSION. W. I, DkNvsk's Recorii nr Shipments of Fish from Gravesend Bay to the N. Y, Aquarium, 1895-97, Showing the Months when the Species were Caught. >• p! < oi n M b 33 u 1: 5 CL. < < w z D > D D < u a c £- u u w u Sea Lamprey, . . . X X X Common Skate, eggs X X Ham Door Skate, - X Common Sturgeon, - X X X X Short-nosed Sturgeon, - X Eel, X X X X Conger, . . - - X Sea Herring, X X X X X X Alewife, . - - - X X X X X X X Shad, - - - - X X Menhaden, - - - - X X X X Smelt, ... - -^ X X Silversides, - - - - X X X Striped Mullet, - X Mackerel, . . - - X Benito, - - - - X Yellow Mackerel, - X X Crevall(f, - - - - X X Common Pom]>ano, X X X Bluefish, - - - - X X Butter Fish, . . - - X X X Striped Bass, X X X X X White Perch, X X X X X Sea Bass, - - - - X X X X X X X X X Scup, . . - - - X X X X X X X Sheepshead, . . - X Weakfish, ... - X X X X \'ellowtail. X X X Spot, X X X X X THE FOOD ANH GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. VV. I. DeNyse's Record — Continued. 253 < < < ta a, < < p OS w m w H W a; w m H u a: w m Ui a a a Kingfish, - - - - X X X Drum, X X X X Bergall, - - - - X X Blackfish, . - - - X X X X X X NVhiting, - - - - X Tomcod, . - - - X X X X X X X Cod, - - - - - X X Common Hake, X X X X X Squirrel Hake, - X Flatfish, ; - - - X X X X X X The above record is not intended to show the full period during which the species are present in Gravcsend Bay, as a glance at its contents will indicate. Any one familiar with the habits of the migratory and resident fishes will observe this fact. It is important, however, in the respect that it marks the duration of the stay of many valuable fishes in that body of water. It is interesting to note how many of them are present in the early winter months. Mr. Eugene Smith of Hoboken has given me a list of fishes observed by him in Wawayanda Creek, small streams at Warwick, Greenwood Lake, Ramapo River, head streams of Saddle River and Hackensack streams. The food and game fishes obtained in these waters by Mr. Smith are : Horned Pout, Common Sucker, Chub Sucker, Brook Trout, Chain Pickerel, Eel, Rock Bass (introduced). Long-eared Sun- fish, Common Sunfish, Small-mouth Black Bass, Large-mouth Black Bass and Yellow Perch. The o-eneral distribution of the food and game fishes of New York is shown m the following table, which is based chiefly upon recent investigations, but partly upon records which have not lately been verified : 254 SEVENTH RErOKT Ol- THE FOREST, l-TSII A\D GAME COMMISSION. Recorded Distrihttion of the Food and (Jame Fishes of New York. 1. Great Sea Lamprey, 2. Common Skate, 3. Spotted Skate, 4. Clear-nosed Skate, 5. Barn Door Skate, - 6. Paddle-fish, 7. Common Sturgeon, 8. Lake Sturgeon, - 9. Short-nosed Sturgeon, - 10. Channel Cat, 11. Lake Catfish, 12. Yellow Cat, 13. Long-jawed Catfish, 14. White Cat, 15. Horned Pout, 16. Marbled Cat, - 17. Black Bullhead, - 18. Stone Cat, 19. Lake Carp, - 20. Long-nosed Sucker, - 21. Common Sucker,* - 22. Hog Sucker, 23. Southern Chub Sucker,t 24. Northern Chub Sucker, 25. Striped Sucker, - m •s. < Cd 2; a. z m w <: m < z ir. ^ z c .J Q z u c Q X A X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X * Recorded also from the Walkill, f Recorded also from the I'ass.iic : saic and Ilackensack. Hackunsack. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 255 Recorded Distribution of the P'ood and Game Fishes of New York — Coiitiniii-d. w < J H 105. Small-mouth Black Bass,f X X 106. Large-mouth Black Bass.J X X 107. Pike Perch, - X X 108. Sauger, X X 109. Gray Pike, X X no. Yellow l'erch,§ - X X III. White Bass.ll X 112. Striped Bass, y 113. White Perch, 114. Sea Bass, - 115. Flasher, I 16. Red Snapper, 117. Pig Fish, 118. Scup, 119. Sailor's Choice, 120. Sheepshead, 121. Weakfish, 122. Spotted Weakfish, 123. Yellowtail, 124. Red Drum, 125. Spot, . - - - 126. Croaker, - 127. Kingfish, tn z s pa X m < z «j Z 35 Q s a: < < X < < z < z < Q X o?,c in Lacepede, Hist. Nat. I'oiss., II, 104, 109, 1800; Jordan & EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Miis., I, 71, 1896. Raja diaphanes Mitchii.l, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., 478, 1815. The Clear-nosed Skate, sometimes called Briar Ray, reaches a length of 2 feet or more. It inhabits the Eastern Coast of the United States from Cape Cod to Florida ; it has been found moderately common in Great South Bay in and near Fire Island Inlet. Early in September both males and females were caught at Fire Island Inlet and W'igo Inlet, but in October the species appeared to be scarce. It has no commercial value in the bay and is usually thrown away. At Woods Hole, Mass., it is not common. A few are taken every year in traps at Menemsha, Martha's Vineyard. "S. BARN DOOR SKATE. 5. Barn Door Skate ^Raja lnyzon concolor Kirt.) which attaches itself to the skin presumably for the purpose of feeding on the mucus which is exuded from the pores in great abundance, and remains fi.xed 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 condition 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 caviare is produced. " The caviare is made by pressing the ova through sieves, leaving the membranes 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. II. 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." THE FOOD AN'I) GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 269 9. Short-nosed Sturgeon (Aiipciiscr brcvirostriiin LeSueur). Acipeuso- hrn'irostnim Jordan & Evermann, Hull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I. 106, 1896. This little sturgeon has not been positively 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 Bay. Prof. Ryder collected five examples at Dela- ware City in the spring of 1888, and has published a description of the species in the Bulletin of the U. S. Fish Commission for that year. The largest specimen known was 33 inches long; individuals 20 inches long are capable of reproducing the species. At the present time the Short-nosed Sturgeon probably 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. Spawning takes place in the Delaware during May. The eggs are deposited in depths of I to 5 fathoms on hard bottom in brackish or nearly fresh water. Prof. SH0RT-X(.1SEP SrURCEON. Ryder states that the eggs are extruded by rubbing the belly either against hard places on the river bed or against the rough bodies of the males, two or more of which accompany each female. The gravid 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 mucus covering is soluble in water. The period of hatching varies from four to six days. Up to the third month of its life the young sturgeon has minute conical teeth in its jaws, and at this age it is believed to subsist on " rhizopods, unicellular alga:, 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 I inch to ly'z inches, has minute teeth on the floor of the pharynx and feeds on small water fleas, and probably algx, worms, embryo fishes, insects and fresh-water copepods. Later in life the fish seeks larger crustaceans, and the adults occasionally contain fragments 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. 2"0 SEVKXl'lI RKI'OIM >>]■ IIIK KORKST, FISH AM) CAME COMMISSION'. A single small example of this sturgeon was brought to the New York Aquarium from Gravescnd Bay, May 13, 1896, and was alive and in good condition in November, i8g8. 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. 10. Channel Cat (Ictalurus piDictatiis Rafinesque). Ictalurus punctatiis Jordan, Bull. Huffalo Soc. Nat. Hist., 95, 1876 ; Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 108, 1883 ; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mas., I, 134, 1896, 1)1. XXV, fig. 58, 1900. This species is variously styled the Channel Cat, White Cat, Silver Cat, Blue Cat and Spotted Cat. It is found over a vast extent of country, including the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys and the Great Lakes region. In the Eastern States it is absent from streams tributary to the Atlantic, but nccurs from Vermont south to Georgia, westward to Montana, antl southwestward to Me.xico. In Pennsylvania it is limited to the Ohio and its affluents. The adults of this species are bluish silvery, and the young are spotted with olive. It is one of the handsomest of the family of catfishes and an excellent food fish. The .Spotted Cat grows to a length of 3 feet and a weight of 25 pounds. It is extremely variable in color and in number of fin ra\-s, and has consequently been described under more than 20 different names. It is most abundant in large clear streams. The species is less harih' than most of the other catfishes. THE FOOD AND GAME FISIIF.S OF NEW YORK. 2'J I II. Lake Catfish (Auiciunis /< cents a pound. Erie receives its supply of Catfish from fisher- men who operate in the lake from Erie to Elk Creek with set lines during the summer months. DeKay had the species from Buffalo, where he saw specimens weighing from 25 to 30 pounds, and heard of individvials weighing 80 pounds. He states that it is usually captured by the spear. 12. Yellow Cat {Ameiiinis iialalis LeSueur). PimeloJus cuprciis nF.KAv. X. V. Fauna, Fishes, 187, 1842 (Name only). Amciiinis natalis Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 139, 1896, The Yellow Cat, or Chubby Cat, is found from the Great Lakes to Virginia and Te.xas. 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 Alle- ghanies. 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. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 273 13. Long-jawed Catfish [Ann'iiinis vn/gnris Thompson). Amiiints dckayi ]!ean, Fishes Penna., 15, pi. 18, fig. 24, 1893. Ai/h'ii/ri/s vit/gan's Jordan it Evkkmanx, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., T, 140, 1S96. Tlic Long-jawed Catfish is found in tlic Great Lakes region and westward to Manitoba. It is believed to be very nearly related to the common catfish, A. nebulosiis, 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 & Evermann state its range to be from Vermont to Minnesota and Illinois, chiefly northward. The L^^. 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, wlio described the fish, had specimens from Lake Champlain. The Long-jawed Catfish is similar LONG-JAWED CATFISH. in all respects except its projecting lower jaw to the common catfish, A. ncluilosus, and may be found identical with it. 14. White Cat {Anieinrus cat us Linnaeus). Pimelodus atrariiis DeKay, N. Y. Fishes. 185, pi. 36, fig. 116, 1842. Amiurus albidus Jordan, Hull. 10, U. S. Nat. Mus. 84, 1877, figs. 15 & 16, 1877; Bean, Fishes Penna., 14, pi. 18, fig. 2t„ 1893. This is the White Cat or Channel Cat, in Philadelphia distinguished 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 18 ?74 SEVICNTII REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION'. Cat of Cope is now considered to Ije the old form of the \Vliite Cat. The liabits of tliis species at^ree with tiiose of other species ah'eady mentioned. The name Channel Cat suitloxns LeSueur). I'innii'diis catiis DeK.ay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 182, pi. 37, fig. irp, 1842. .Iniiinin iichiilosiis IjE.an", Fishes Penna., 16, jil. 19, fig. 25, 1893. This is known as the Common Catfish, Bullhead, Horned Pout, and Minister. This species has a wider distribution than the Wliite 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 Sacra- mento and .San Joatpiin Ri\-ers, 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 cat- fish in Lake Erie and its tributaries. The species reaches a maximum length of 18 inches and a weight of 4 pounds, biit the average size of market specimens is much smaller. In the lower waters of the Susc|uehanna color varieties of this species are not uiieommon. One h.^,'S,\\\\. 12, U. S. Nat. Mus. 175, 1878; Jordan & Gil- bert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 126, 1883. Catostoiiius catostoiiius, Bean, Fishes Penna., 25, pi. 20, fig. 30, 1893. 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 verv common in Lake Erie. It grows to a length of 2 feet and is 2/8 SEVEXI'll KKi'OKr rilE FOREST, FISH AND (;A.\1K COMMISSION. 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 usctl 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 Ri\er, Alaska, Dr. Dall found the fish filled with spawn in April. The eggs are of moderate size and \'cll()w in color. Nelson has seen this species seined by Eskimo in brackish estuaries of streams flowing into Kotzebue Sound. \\'. J. Fisher has collecteil specimens on the jieninsula of Alaska. This was not founil in Cayuga Lake basin by Dr. Meek, but it occurs in the Adirondack region, ami Dr. Meek believes it is a member of the Cayuga Lake fauna. Dr. Evermann obtained fi\e specimens at Grenadier Island, N. Y., June 28, 1894. The small race found by I'^red Mather in the Adirondacks is the ordinary dwarf form characteristic of mountain regions. He discovered four individuals, only 4^ LONG-NOSED SUCKER. inches long, " but mature and breeding" in a little mountain brook emptying into Big Moose nearly north of tlie Big Moose Club House, b\- a bark shanty known as " Pancake Hall." The fish were spawning, and he discovered manj- eggs under the stones. Tlie females were brown with white on belly, the male with red stripe on the side. 21. Common Sucker (C(itostoi/nS93 ; Joruax & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 222, 1896 ; pi. XF, rig. 100, 1900. The Common- Chub, Creek Club, smaller Fallfish or Horned Dace has a wider distribution than JJ. bulhiris, but it does not grow quite so large, seldom exceeding I foot in length. Its range extends from New England to Missouri, southward to Georgia and Alabama. It is extremely common and ascends the small streams. HOKXKD HACK. The U. -S. l'"ish Commission collectors in 1894 took numerous specimens at the following localities: Sacket's Harbor, July 2; Center\'ille, July 24; Watertown, July 5; Oswego, July 25; Webster, August 9; Charlotte, August 17; Belleville, July 12; Henderson Bay, July 4; Henderson Harbor, July 3; and Salt Brook, 1^ miles abo\-e Nine Mile Point, June 10 and 11, 1S93. Dr. Meek reported it as abundant throughout the Cayuga Lake basin. Large examples are found in Canandaigua Lake. One of them measured 14 inches in July. 1897. The fish is killed !))■ warm water. The food in capti\'ity includes hai'd clams, earthworms, ami, occasionally, live killifish. A. N. Cheney refers to this species on page 245 of the Third iVnnual Report of the Commissioners of I'"isherics, Game and Forest of the State of New York. In Pennsylvania it is the commonest minnow in the Alleghany and Susquehanna basins and is sufficiently common in llic Delaware. According to Prof. Cope it reached 4 poumls in weight and is a fair food fish. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. iSj This species is more characteristic of the small streams ami clear ponds and it takes the hook very freely ; but its proper mission is to serve as bait for the larger and choicer fishes. 30. Tench {Tinea tinea Linnaeus). Tinea viil^^aris Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss, XVI, 322, ])1. 484, 1842 ; Hel'kel & Kner, Siissw. Fische, 75, fig. 34, 1858. Tlie Tencli has been introduced into the United States. An individual taken in the Potomac River near W^ashington, D. 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 r3m»""J"-''""V!«^_ 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, larva.-, worms and vegetable substances. Spawning takes place in June and July. The eggs are small and adhesive. The rate of growth is rather rapid under favorable circumstances, the young having attained to a weight of i pound in their first year. Individuals oT the weight of 10 or 1 1 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. 280 si:\i;.Nrii kki'oki' dk tiik i'okkst, fish axo game commissiox. 31. Lake Minnow {ffj'bopsis stortriaiius Kirtlandi. Ccratichthys liiccns Jortian & Gilbert, Hull. 16, U. S. Nat. iMus., 213. 1S83. Lciiiisiiis itoreridiiiis Kirtl.\n'd, Host. |our. Nat. Hist., V, 30, ])1. 9, fig. 2, 1847. Kirtland found the Lake Minnow only in Lake Eric, where it was frequently taken with seines in fishintj for other species. The U. S. Fish Commission recently adiled it to the fauna of the Lake Ontario basin, three specimens having been collected in Long Pond, Charlotte, ^August 17, 1894. 32. Horned Chub (//j'/w/.f/.f Xv7//«tX-/c«j-M Rafinesque.) Lfitcisiiis /lii^iiflatiis l)i:K.\v, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 214 (extra-limital), 1842. JJyhcpsis kciitiiikiciisis Heax, Fishes Penna., 49, pi. 24, fig. 40, 1893. Rafinesque states that the fish is known as Indian Chub, Redtail and Shiner. Other names in eastern localities are Nigger Chub, River Ciiub, Jerker, Horned Dace and Horny-head. The species ranges from Pennsylvania westward to Dakota and south to Ala- bama. \w Pennsylvania it is common in the Susquehanna and the Ohio basin, but absent from the Delaware. Dr. Meek collected a few specimens at Montezuma, N. Y., and found none in an)- 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, because of its endurance on a hook, it cannot be excelled. 33. Cut-lips {lixoi^lossniii inaxilli)igua LeSucur). Exoglossiim maxillingua Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 160, 1883 ; Bean, Fishes Penna., 36, pi. 22, fig. 36, 1893 ; Jordan & Everma.nn, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 327, 1896, pi. LIV, fig. 14a, 1900, head below. 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. Tile Cut-lip is known as Chub, Butter Chub, Nigger Chub and Day Cliub. It is a very common species in the Susquehanna and its tributaries. Its range is not extensive, reaching onl\- from Western New \'ork to Virginia. In New ^'ork it occurs in Lake Ontaiio, the St. Lawrence, Lake Champlain, Cayuga Lake and the TIIK FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK 289 Hudson River. The U. S. F"ish 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 Creek, Henderson Ba\- ; Big Stony Creek, Henderson Harbor; Spring Brook, Pulaski; IMack River, Huntingtonville. All of these were obtained in July, 1894. Evermann and Bean collected it also in the St. Lawrence, 3 miles below Ogdensburg, July 17. 1894, and Scioto Creek, Coopersville and Saranac Ri\-er, Plattsburg, Jul)- 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 ^. *^, >^ T^*<^'' VirW^ GOLDFISH. singular structure of the mouth enables the fish to scrape mollusks from their hold on rocks, as its stomach usually contains small shellfish. It takes the hook readily. 34. Goldfish (Carassiiis anratiis Linnceus). Cvpn'inis aiiratiis DeK.w, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 190, 1842. Carassiiis auratiis Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 253, 1883; Bean, Fishes Penna., 54, pi. 25, fig. 43, 1893. 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 Pennsyl- vania it abounds in the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. 19 290 SKVF.NTII REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND OAME COMMISSION'. DcKiiy mailc the followiiiLj remarks about the (ioldfish, or Golden Carp, as he styled it : " The (iolden 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. The}' are of no use as an article of food, but are kept in glass vases as an ornament to the parlor or drawing room. They are said to display an attachment to their owners and a limited obedience to their commands." The)- are introduced into lakes, pontls, fountains and reservoirs generally. .-\n imlivitliial 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 Cold Spring Harbor Hatchery, L. L, several varieties were hatched from the same lot of eggs. These included the normal form, the typical fan-tail, and one which was so deep bodied that it could scarceU' balance itself in swimming. The Goldfish in the New York Aquarium were never troubled by fungus parasites. " In man)- 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." liiigciic Sniitli. The Goldfish is e.Ktremely variable in color and form. It is usually orange, or mottled with black and orange, yet in some streams and even in pond culture, silver)- indivitluals are often more common than an)- of the mottled varieties. The species grows to the length of \2 inches. It spawns early in the spring and is subject to mail)- dangers and is attacked by man)- enemies. The fish, however, is e.vtremely hard)-, prolific, and tenacious of life. 35. Carp \Cxprinus carpio Linn;T;us). Cyprinus aupio DkKav, X. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 188, 1842 ; Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 254, 1883 ; Bean, Fishes Penna,, 55, pi. i, colored, 1893. The Carp is a native of Asia and has been introilucctl into Europe and America as a food fish, cliiefl)- for pond culture. It thrives in all warm and temperate parts of the United States, and reaches its best condition in open waters. In Te.xas it has grown to a length of 23 inches in 1 i 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, antl it will live in stag- nant [jools, though its flesh will be decidedl)- inferior in such waters. The Carp THE l-OOl) AND GAME FISHES OF :\E\V YORK. 291 liibernatcs in winter exccjjt in warm latitudes, takes no food and does not ""row ; its increase in size in temi)erate latitudes occurs only from May to y\ugust. The spawning season begins in May and continues 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 varieties. During the spawning the fish frequently rise to the surface, 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. According to Hessel the average weight of a Carp at 3 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 thirty-fifth year, and in the southern parts of Europe Mr. Hessel has seen individuals weighing 40 pounds and measuring *•»..,', ' ' ' ' ' ' ■ ' 1 ' I 1 1 1 I i 1 r 1 ( 1 I f I ,',', , ' ' ' ' ' ' I < 1 1 I 1 1 n 1 1 1 n < < • < * I . . • . . ""^5^^^ 3^ feet in length and 2?:j^ feet in circumference. A carp weighing 67 pounds and with scales 2j/ inches in diameter was killed in the Danube in 1853. There is a record of a giant specimen of 90 pounds from Lake Zug, in Switzerland. Examples weighing 24 pounds have been caught recently in the Potomac River at Washington, D. C. The Carp lives principally on vegetable food, preferably 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 larva;, worms and meats of various kinds. It can readily be caught with dough, grains of barley or wheat, worms, maggots, wasp larva; 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 species was introduced. The food of the fish in captivity includes hard clams, earthworms, 292 SEVENTH REPORT OF THE I'OREST. EISII AM) (lAME TOM MISSION'. wlieat, corn, lettuce ami cabbai^e. Its growth is remarkable. A Leather Carp has fully doubled its weight in one year. Linn?eus says the Carp was introduced into England about the year 1600. DeKay places the first introduction into New York waters in the year i83i,and publishes a letter of Henry Robinson, Ncwburgh, Orange Co., who brought them from France, reared and bred them successfully in his ponds, and planted from one dozen to two dozen at a time in the Huilson during the four j-ears preceding his letter. Mr. Robinson stated that they increased greatly and were frequently taken by fishermen in their nets. 36. Eel {^Aiigiiilld citrysypa Rafinesque). Angiiillii chrisypa R.vfinesque, Amer. Month. Mag., II, 120, Dec, 1817. Anguilla /e////irosf r/s DkK.w, ^. \'. Fauna, Fishes, 310, pi. 53, fig. 173, 1842; Bean, Fishes Penna., 95, pi. 30, fig. 58, 1893. Anguilla (hrysypa Jokd.-w & Everm.\n.\, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 348 1896, pi. LV, fig- 143- i9°o- The Eel api)ears to ha\-c only one common name. It is one of the best known and most singular of our fishes, yet its breeding habits hax'e onl\- recently been observed. The species ascends the rivers of Eastern North America from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Mexico, the former being the northern limit of the species on our coast. In the (3hiii and Mississippi \alleys it is extremely common and its range has been much extenilctl by the opening of canals and b_\- artificial introduc- tion. It has been transferred to the Pacific coast. The Eel Ikls been known to exceed a length of 4 feet. The average length of individuals, iun\e\er, is about 2 feet. The female is larger than the male, paler in col(M-, and is different in certain other ])articulars, which are mentioned in the descri[)tions of the species. This is a verj- important food fish. It is caught chiefly when descending the rivers in the fall. In KS69 about a ton of eels were caught in a single fish basket THK FOUl.) AND GAME FISHES OV MOW YORK. 2Q3 above Harrisburi^. i\t tlie present time this method of capture is illegal. Both adults and \-oung 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 eggs which are developed outside of the bod)'. E\en now the breeding habits are scarcely known, but it is supposed that spawning takes place late in the fall or during the winter near the mouths of rivers, on niudd)' bottoms. Dr. Jordan has expressed the belief that the eel sijmetimes 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 estimated that a large eel contains about 9,000,000 eggs. The eggs are very small, measuring about 80 to an 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 important bearing on their introduction intcj places from which they cannot 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 \'oung 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 iSyi pounds. He records the use of eelpots and the practice of bobbing, and also the winter fishing by spearing. Dr. Mitchill states distinctly th.it the o\aries of eels may be seen like those of other fish, but they are often mis- taken 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 characterizes it as " silvery gray above, with clear, satiny white abdomen, sepa- rated from the color above by the lateral line." In captivity eels live many years. They delight to lie buried in the mud or sand with onl}' their heads out, ready for an\-thing edible to come within reach. Mussels and snails are picked out of the shells by them. (After Eugene Smith, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. No. 9, p. 29, 1897.) The eel in captivity is particularly liable to attacks of fungus, which do not always yield to treatment with salt or brackish water; but the parasite can be over- come by placing the eel in a poorly lighted tank. 294 SFA'EXTII KKroRT OF TIIK I'OKKST, FISH AXI) GAMK COMMISSION. In Cayuga Lake. N. V., according to Dr. Meek, the eel is not common, but is occasionally taken at the end of tlie lake. W. H. Ballou makes the following remarks about the feeding habits: "They are among the most voracious and carnivorous fishes. They eat most inland fishes e.xcept the gar and the chub. The\- 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 tliey are e.xceedingly iond. 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." 37. Conger [Lcptoccphalns Linnaeus). Miirceim conifer LiNN.iiUS, Syst. Nat., ed. X, I, 245, 1758. Conger occidcntalis DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 314, \)\. 53, fig. 172, 1842, very poor. Leptocephaliis conger Goode, Fish it Fish. Ind. U. S., I, pi. 240, 1884; Jordan & Ever- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 354, 1896, jil. VII, fig. 148, 1900. CONl.KR. The Conger Kel occurs on both coasts of the Atlantic, on our coast extending from Cape Cod to l^razil, but often coming into shallow bays. An e.xception is noted in Great Egg Harbor Bay, where the fish is not rare in summer. It is some- times caught in Gravesend Bay also in summer, and occasional Indixiiluals are cap- tured on hand lines off .Soutliampton, L. I., by men fishing for sea bass and scup. The fishermen dislike to handle the sjjecies on account of its pugnacity and strength ; it snaps viciously at everything near it when capturetl 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 capti\-it\- in the aquarium the sea eel suffers severely from fungus attacks, THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 295 which arc not relieved by changing the fisli from salt water to fresh. Perhaps the salinity of the water in some 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, band-like 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., August 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. Fisher- men as a rule do not distinguish it from the common eel. A few arc taken in traps and with lines, but many large ones, weighing from 8 pounds upwards, are caught in lobster pots. A specimen in the collection weighs 10 pounds. One caught on a line at Falmouth, August 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. Refer- ence is made to them by Goode in Fish and Fishery Industries of United States, I, 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 this is often the cause of the death of the eel. In a Conger which died in the Berlin Aquarium the ovaries protruded very extensively, and a specimen in the Frankfort Aquarium burst on account o.f the extraordinary development of the ovaries. The ovaries of this eel, which weighed 22 Jj pounds, themselves weighed 8 pounds, and the number of eggs was about 3,300,000. The want of a natural opening for the escape of the eggs was evidently in this case the cause of death. In the fall 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 allv, the Common Eel. 296 si:vi;ntii Ri;roKT oi-- the kori;st, fish and game commission. 38. Moon-eye ^ffiodoii tirffisiis LcSueur). Hyodon tergisus Df.Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 265, pi. 41, fig, 130 ; Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 260, 1883. Hiodon tcrgisiis Bkan, Fishes Penna., 57, pi. 25, fig. 44 (named :i/osoiJcs), 1893 ; Jordan & EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 413, 1896, 1)1. LXVIII, fig. i8o, 1900. This .species is called Moon-eye, Toothed Herrint;-, and Silver Bass. It is found in Canaila, the (ireat Lakes region and the upper part of the Mississippi Valle_\-, being wvy common in large streams and lakes. It abt)unds in Lake Erie and the Ohio and is seined in large numbers. DeKay observed the fish in the AUegliany River, N. Y. He recorded it also from Buffalo and Barcelona, on Lake Erie, at which i)laces it is known as Moon-e\-e, Shiner and Lake Herring. He says it is very indifferent food. MOON-EYE. This species grows to a length of I foot and, like the other, though a beauti- ful fish and possessed of excellent game qualities, its flesh is full of small bones. It is a good fish for the aquarium ; it will take a minnow or the artificial fly ver\- readily, and the utmost skill is required in its capture. Its food consists of insects, small fishes and crustaceans. Dr. Richarilson describes this fish as a member of the minnow family, which , he says, is known to the Canadians under the name La Quesche. The fish is de-scribed as having the back brilliant green, sides and abdomen with a silvery luster. The specimens which were taken in the Richelieu, where it falls into the St. Lawrence, were about 9 or 10 inches long. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 2g7 39. Northern Moon-eye (Hiodoii trlosoidis Rafinesque). Hyodflii alosoides Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Afiis., 259, 1883. Hiodon alosoiJcs Bean, Fishes Penna., 57, 1893 (not figure) ; Jordan & Evf.rmann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1, 413, 1S96. HyoJon dodalis DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, pi. 51, fig. 164, not description, 1842. The Northern Moon-eye is found from the Oliio River throughout the Great Lakes region to the Saskatchewan. It is very common in Manitoba and other parts of British America. In Penn.sylvania it is limited to the western region. DeKay must have had tlie Northern Moon-eye for study, though his description seems to apply to another species. The figure of his ilyodon clodalis represents a fish with a short dorsal fin, quite unlike his account in the text. The Northern Moon-eye is very readily distinguished from the other species of the genus by its short dorsal fin, which contains only nine rays, and by its carinated belly. It grows to the length of i foot. The flesh is not greatly esteemed as a rule, but the fish is beautiful and has excellent game qualities. Richardson says the fish inhabits lakes which communicate with the Saskatche- wan, in the 53d and 54th parallels of latitude, but does not approach nearer to Hudson's Bay than Lake Winnipeg. This we know to be a mistake. He says further that it is taken during the summer months only, and in small numbers, in gill nets set for other fish. It bites eagerly at an artificial fly or worm. Its flesh is white, resembling that of the perch in flavor, and excelling it in richness. 40. Gizzard Shad [Dorosoina ccpcdianiuii LeSueur). Dorosoma cepcdiaiiKDi Jordan lS; CIilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 271, 1883; Goode, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S., I, 610, pi. 217 A, 1884; Bean, Fishes Penna,, 63, 1893; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 416, 1896, pi. LXIX, fig. 183, 1900. 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. DeKay mentions it only as an extralimital fish, but in his time the fish fauna of Lake Erie was very little known. 298 .SEVKNTIl RKI'UKT UK TlIK I'UKKSl', MSIl ANU (lAMK COMMISSION'. Tliis fish grows to a IciiLjtli of 15 inches and a weight of 2 pounds. It spawns in .summer, and its food consists of algie, conferxa-, dcsmids and diatoms. With its food it takes large quantities of mud, from which it separates tlie organic substances after swaUowing. This is a beautiful species, somewhat resembling the shad in gen- eral 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, taste- less and seklom eaten when any better can be obtained. In most regions fishermen consider it cr THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OK NEW YORK. 43. Hickory Shad d'omolol'iis incdiocris Mitchill). Clupca mcdiocris Jordan & Cilbekt, lUill. .6, U. S. Nat. Mus., 266, 1S83 ; Bean, 19th Rt-pt. N. V. Conim. Fish., separate, 43, pi. XXV, fig. 34, 1S90. Alosa mattowaca DeKay, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 260, pL 40, fig. 127, 1842. This species is referred to by Dr. Mitchill as the Staten Island Herring, Clupca mediocrh, \vhich, he says, gro^vs very large for a herring, being frequently 18 inches long and almost as big as a small shad. It has '• six or eight brown spots, longi- tudinally, belou- the lateral line," as reported by an inhabitant of that part of the bay of NcNY York which borders on Staten Island. Mitchill also has the same species under the name of Long Island Herring, Clupca mattoi.^aca. This, he says, is also called the Autumnal or Fall Herring, as well as Shad Herring and Fall Shad. Mitchill recognized it as probably the full grown fish of the C. mcdi- ocris. He was not able to distinguish it from that species. The length of the HICKORY SHAD. Green Back, according to this writer, frequently reaches 2 feet, with a depth of from 4^ to 6 inches. At the time of this writing the fish was taken in October and November in seines on the surf side of the beaches fronting Long Island. Dr. DeKay mentions examples in the market early in Jul)-, which are brought from the Connecticut River, where they are called Weesick. He states that the specific name bestowed on it by ^litchill was derived from the aboriginal name of the island, Mattowaca or Mattowax. In Great South Bay the name Green Back is well estab- lished for the species. A single example was seined, September 29, at Fire Island. October I, 1890, considerable numbers of large Green Backs were caught in a trap at Islip. The Hickory Shad is caught in Gravesend Bay during September. October and November, but is less plentiful than it was formerly. Large Hickory Shad weighing from V. pound to 2^ pounds were shipped from waters near New York Citv to Fulton Market October 30. 1896. Each of them had iu its stomach from 302 SEVENTH REPORT OK THE EUREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 15 to 20 Sand Launce from 3^ to 5 inches long. A few specimens were seined at Blue Point Cove, Great South Bay, and at Howell's Point, in the same bay, August 31, 1898. At Woods Hole, Mass., it comes in the spring, but is most numerous late in Sep- tember and till trap fishing ends. In October, 1895, a trap near Tarpaulin Cove caught 3,500 at one lift. These brought 10 cents each in New York. In spring and summer the fish has no market value, but it sells in the fall. The name Hickory Shad is applied to this species from the Chesapeake Bay region southward, and in some Georgia rivers this is abbreviated to Hicks. In the Potomac and some other rivers tributary to the Chesapeake, the name Tailor Shad is applied to this fish. The Hickory Shad occurs from Maine to Florida, entering rivers except in New England. The species is much less valuable than the shad, for which it is often sold by dealers. Nothing definite is known about its habits, but P.RANCH HERRING. Marshall McDonald was of the opinion that it spawns in the rivers at a little earlier period than the shad, which it always precedes in the ascent of the streams in spring. 44. Branch Herring {Pomolohns pscudoliaroigus Wilson). C/iipea vcnni/is ]ov.'D\^ & CiiLUERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 267, 1883; Bean, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S., I, 588 ; Fishes Penna., 58, pi. 25, fig. 45, 1S93. A/osa tyrauinii Df.Kav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 258, \)\. 13, fig. 38, 1842. The Branch Herring, River Herring, or Alewifc 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-eyed Herring of Albemarle, the Sawbelly of Maine, the Gray- back of Mas.sachusetts, the Gaspereau of Canada, Little Shad of certain localities, and the Cayuga Lake Shad of New York. The recordctl range of the Branch Herring is from the Neuse River, N. C, to the Miramichi River, in New Brunswick, ascending THE FOOD AND (lAME FTSIIES OF NEW YORK. 3^3 streams to their headwaters for the purpose of spawning. Tlie fish is found abun- dant in Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, N. Y., where it has probably made its way natu- rally. 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 periodical mor- tality is a serious menace to the health of the people living in the vicinity. The belief is that the fish were unintentionally introduced with the shad. In Pennsyl- vania the Branch Alewife occurs in the Delaware and the .Susquehanna in great numbers in early spring. The U. S. Fish Commission, in 1894, obtained specimens at the following locali- ties of the Lake Ontario region: Cape Vincent, June 21 ; Grenadier Island, June 27 ; mouth Salem River, Selkirk, July 25 ; Long Pond, Charlotte, N. Y., August 17 ; Lake Shore, mouth Long Pond, August 17; Sandy Creek, North Hamlin, August 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.) DeKay 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 Graves- end Bay; it comes with the shad. It endures captivity well. November 30, 1897, individuals above 7 inches in length were caught in Gravesend Bay, which were prob- ably the young of the year. The Alewife seldom exceeds i foot in length, the average market examples being about 10 inches. The weight of the largest is about yi pound, and the average weight is about 5 or 6 ounces. The fish enter the rivers earlier than the shad and return to the sea, or to estu- aries adjacent to the river mouths at some undetermined date in the fall. During the summer months enormous schools of full-grown, but sexually immature ale- wives migrate along the coast, feeding on small crustaceans and themselves furnish- ing food for bluefish, sharks, porpoises and other predaceous animals ; but none of them are known to enter fresh water. In the rivers the alewives appear to eat noth- ing, but they can be captured with small artificial flies of various colors. Their eggs are somewhat adhesive and number from 60,000 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 and 3 inches; 304 SEVKXriI KKPORT OF THE KOREST, EISII AND GAME COMMISSION". after their departure from the streams nothing is known of their progress, but it is believed tliat the_\- rcacli 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 over- supply of these fish in Lake Ontario has become a serious economic ])roblem. .\lewives are caught in seines, gillnets, traps and pounds, and they are often taken by anglers with artificial flies. GLUT HERRING — MALE. 45. Glut Herring 1 Pouiolobus cyanonotpn Storer). Pomolflhiis (vstivalis Goode & Bean, I'.ull. Essex Inst., 24, 1.879 : Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 246, 1896. Cltipea ces/ivalis ] OKI). \y cS: (iiLi'.Ki-tr, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 267, 1883. Mitchill's name, (cstivalis, cannot be applied with any certainty to the "Glut Herring;" it appears to be a synonym of nicdiocris and mattozcirca of the same author. Its relation to iiiattonHica was long since pointed out by Dr. Gill. The description herewith appended appears to make this conclusion inevitable. (Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. .Soc. N. V. p. 456, pi- 5. fig- ^^ '-'^'4-) Summer Herring of New York. {C/iipca (cstivd/is.) Has a row of spots to the number of seven or eight, extending in the direction of the lateral line. Tail forked. Iklly serrate ; and, in most respects, resembling the C. hali\\ herein already described. Rays: Br. 6; P. 15: V. 9; D. 16; A. 19; C. 19. The figure shows a row of eight spots on the side extending as far back as the THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 505 end of the dorsal fin on the level of the eye. This resembles the hickory shad, Poiiiolobus incdiocris, 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 fresli-water branches. In Gravcsend Ray the Glut Herring is called Shad Herring. November 30, 1S97, 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 September 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 GLUT HERRING — FEMALE. 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. 46. Shad (Alosa sapidissiuia Wilson). Cltipea sapidiuiiiia Bea.v, Fishes Penna., 60, pi, 2, 1S93 ; Cheney, 4th Ann. Rep. N. Y. Com. Fish, colored pi. facing p. 8, 1899. Alosa praestabilis DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 255, pi. 15, fig. 41, 1S42, Alosa sapidissima Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 427, 1896, pi. LXXII, fig. 191, 1900. 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 Whitefish. It is found natu- rally along the Atlantic Coast of North America from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to 20 306 SEVENTH KKl'OKT OK THE FOREST, KISII AXli CAME COMMISSION". the Gulf pounds in weight, anil founil there were 23,700, closely resembling whitefish eggs in appear- ance, but somewhat smaller. After spawning the fish are \-ery 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 mc that he had tried almost every kind of bait, and had used the very finest gut and the smallest hooks baited with 6"(?;;/w^?r«J (fresh- water shrimp) and other kinds of natural food — that is, he sup- posed 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 November 18, 1895, and another of the same sex November 25, 1896. The following notes relate to the female obtained November 18, 1895 : INCHES. Length to end of caudal, . . - 18)^ Lengtli of upper caudal lobe, - - .... - 2^ Length of middle caudal rays, -------- i Least depth of caudal peduncle, ...-.-- i|/^ Depth of body at dorsal origin, ..------ 4^^ Length of head, 3/4^ Length of maxilla, . - - . - ^ , Diameter of eye, -....-.--- yz Length of longest gill raker, - Vif> THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. ^23 The mandible projects slightly. B. 8 ; D. 1 1 ; A. 1 1 ; V. 1 1. Scales 8-75-8 ; gill rakers, 17-I-27. The female received November 25, 1896, is 15 inches long. 57. King Salmon ; Quinnat Salmon (Oiiior/iynchiis tshaiuytsiha Walbaum). (Introduced.) 0,n-or/iy„c/ii,s clwuicha Jordan & Gilhert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 306, 1883 ; Stone in Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S., I, 479, y\. 186, lower fig., 1884 ; Be.an, Bull. U. S. F. C, IX, 190, pi. XLVI, fig. I, 1891 ; Fishes Tenna., 72, 1893. Oiuorhynchus tschauytscha Jori).\n & Everm.\nn, r.ull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 479, 1896, pi. LXXVII, fig. 206, 1900. The Ouinnat 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 Lake, Idaho, Septembe 1,500 miles or further 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 experi- mental stocking. This is the largest fish of the Salmon family, individuals weighing lOO pounds and measuring upward of 5 f^ot 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 first to arrive near the shores in the spring, and the time of The Quinnat is 324 SKVENTII Rlil'OKr OK Till-; FUREST, KISII AND GAME COMMISSION. the run ilcpciuls on llu- hititudc, bccominLj later and later till, in Norton Sound, the present known northern limit of its niii;ration, it ap[)ears early in June. Unless the spawniny^ period be close at hand, it iloes 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 ninnth till the exigencies of repnuluctiuii compel a faster rate of travel. In the sea this Salmon feeds on herring, capelin and crustaceans. A male of about 35 pounds, taken at Karluk August 4, had in its stomach 45 capelin. 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 ca\'ities in the gra\cl 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 en\ironment, 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 observed. 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 sliarks. After spawning nearly all the parent fish die, especially 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 foi'm the basis of new and important industries. The practicability of rearing this species in fresh waters without access to the sea has been satisfactorily demonstrated in France by Dr. Jousset de Hellesme, director of the aquarium of the Trocadero, in Paris. The results of the experiment of introducing this Salmon into New York waters are as j'et 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. 58. Atlantic Salmon {Sn/iuo su/iir Linn;eus\ Sahiifl sa/ar Mirrnii.i,, Trans. Lit. eV Phil. Sor. N. V., I, 435, 1815; Df.K.w, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 241, pi. 58, fig. 122, 1842; Jokdan & CliLUERr, 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 \A. 4, 1893 ; Iord.vn & Evermaxx, Bull. 47, U. S- Nat. Mus., 486, i8y6 ; Bean, Bull. .Vmer. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 344, 1897. .The Salmoii in /\merica has but a single common name. When the young have reached a length of 2 inches and taken on the \'ermilion spots and dark cross bands they are called parr, and retain this name while lhe_\- remain in fresh water. Before TlIK FOOD AM) CAMF, FISIIKS OF NEW YORK. 325 descending to the sea in the second or third spring the parr assumes a bright silvery lolt. After a sojourn in salt water lasting from four coat and is then known as a s 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 reproduong its species is sexually mature. The, landlocked variety of the Atlantic linated Fresh-water Salmon, Schoodic Trout, though the ma Salmon has been variously denom n and Winninish, the last in use in the Saginaw region, snomer. Grayling, is applied to the Landlocked Sebago Trout, Dwarf Salmoi In some Nova Scotian rivers a misr Salmon. This species inhabits the North Atlantic, ascending rivers of Lurope and Amer- ica 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 nver basins mentioned its presence is .Ml. ANTIC S.M.MON. ,he re,„lt of artificial i,u,od„c.io„. I. .. n„. b>Hul,ncc »„.l, or .l,c Me„.i,»cl. and in ri.c, „. Nc" F.,„„ a-u. Canada in w„ic„ ^ -"■;•"-;; '" „,ai,„a,„cd a.nu,st ..clusivcly by artificial c„l,u,c Us occnacncc ,n Lake U an. „,„„ ,fic. S.. Lawrence River, anci .ribntarie, o( Lalce On.ar.c, „ d.,e .al.o Ldern fisi, cultnre. The nsnal .-eighl ot tlre Atlantic Salnron range, trc.n , to ,0 ponnd. bnt rndrvidnaU weisbing 6„ pound, baee been recorded. T « grow 1, o^ 1. Salmon i. acconrpltshed chiefly in the oce.an. A. a r.de the adnlt, enter the rivers on ,a -i,ing temperature when ready to deposit therr eggs, the spawnrng occnr- „g on the railing temperature in water no, warmer than 50'. The t,me o en.erm e'Delarvare a„d Hudson ,s .M.rtl. the Connect.cut a little later, the Merrnnac. still later; to the Penobscot the Salmon come most abundantly ,n June and Jul, d to t, e Mrramich, Irom the mrddle o, June to October. The Salmon ,s not Ich aflected by changes in temperature or the water, end ,g a range ot mUy r; The e.., a!e deposited ,u shoal water on sandy or gravelly bottom, the paren fi h ma.ing"eep depressions by means o, their noses or by floppiug mot.ons ot 326 SKVENTIl KEI'OKT OK I'lIE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. tlic tail. The i)criod 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 ri\ers the season continues till l'"ebruary. The eggs are about one-fourth of an inch in diameter, and the female is estimated to have about i,ooo for each pound of her weight. In the i'enobscot, according to the observations of Mr. Atkins, an eight-pound female yields from 5,000 to 6,000 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 sac 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 i}4 inches and begins to show crossbars and red spots, gradually coming into the parr stage. In the sea the .Salmon feeds on herring, capelin, sand lance, smelt and other small fishes, besides crustaceans ; but during its stay in fresh water it takes no food. Among tlie worst enemies of salmon eggs arc trout, eels, suckers and frogs. Numerous species of birds destroy the fry, among 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 tlie bulk of them are taken at or near the mouths of tlie streams which they are about to enter for the purpose of spawning. Many are captured in the upper reaches of streams by the spear. Mitchill, in the first volume of the Transactions of the Literary and Philo- sophical Society of New York, says that the Salmon "has been taken, since tlie di.scovery, a few times in the Hudson. But here he is a straggling fish, and not in his regular home. There is no stead)- migration of Salmon to this river. Though pains have been taken to cherish the breed, the 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, 1S40, when a Salmon weighing eight 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 borders, ascending the St. Lawrence fi'om 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 communicateil with Lake Ontario; but the artificial impediments thrown in their way have greatly decreased their THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF N'EW VOKK. 32/ numbers, and in many cases caused their total destruction. I have seen some from Oneida Lake weighing ID 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 presume 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. 59. Landlocked Salmon {Sa/mo schago Girard). (Litroduced.) Sii/mo sclmgo Girard, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 380, 1853, Sebago Lake, Maine. .Sa///n> sa/nr var. sebago Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 312, 1883. Sa/mo sa/ar sf/>ago Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 487, 1S96 ; Bean, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 344, 1897. 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 particulars : they are smaller, their eggs are larger, they retain the parr marks much longer, they are more subject to disease attending the egg-pro- ducing season, and the young grow more rapidl}-. The Oua]ianichc of the Saguenay River country is the farthest removed from the typical Sea Salmon by its very mucli 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 introduced into the Adirondack lakes and other New York waters. Spawning begins late in October, but is at its height 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 tempera- ture above 80° F., but they refuse to take food when the water reaches 75°. This Salmon has been introduced into New York waters from Maine, and appears to have become established in several localities. Caspian Lake is one of the lakes that have been stocked. A very fine example was obtained from the South Side Sportsmen's Club of Long Island, but it was injured in transportation 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 328 SEVENTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. ^'ork aquarium for 19 months, and was tlicn 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 f^sh. INCHES. Length, ----....--.. 24 Middle caudal rays from end of scales, ------ i^ Depth, - - - - 4 Least depth of caudal peduncle, -------- i^ Head, ------------ 4^ Snout, ------------,- ii^ Eye, - - - - Li Orbit, ^ Snout to dorsal, --.. gi^ Dorsal base, -- 2^/^ Longest dorsal ray, -- 2|^ Last dorsal ray, ----..-.--- 1% Snout to ventral, --...,--.- ni^ Length of ventral, ----- 2^ Snout to anal, ----- \(>Yi Anal base, ------ ij^ Longest anal ray, ---------- i^ Last anal ray, ----------- ji^ Snout to adipose dorsal, 17^ Width of adipose dorsal, - - j4 Length of adipose dorsal, - - - y^ I^ength of pectoral, - - 3^ Upper jaw, .--.-.-.-.- 2^ Maxilla, ------- 2 The head has about 28 dark spots, the largest on the gill cover, oblong, 5-8 inch long. Body with many large and small black spots, a few with a pale ring around them, and some as large as the largest on the gill cover; one on the caudal peduncle of one side distinctly X-^li'iP'-'<-i- General color dark bluish gra)' ; belly and lower parts iridescent silvery; fins all dusky: the dorsal with many black spots; eye pale lemon, the upper part dusky. Gill rakers, 9+ 1 1, the longest /.o inch. B. 11 ; D. 10. Scales, 21-123-20. THE FOOD AM) GAMK FISHES OF NEW YORK. 129 60. Lake Tahoe Trout; Red-throat Trout {Sa//uo /w/is/iatai Gill ik ]ovdan). (Introduced.) Si!/'/it> lu'iisluj'a'i Gii.L &r Jordan, Man. Vert. ed. 2, 358, 1S78, Lake Tahoe ; Rept. Chief Eng., part 3, 1878, .\pp. NN, 1619, pi. IV. Saliiio piirpiiratiis var. lunshawi ]oK\)Kfi & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. .S. Nat. Mus., 316, 1883. Sabno mykiss ('heney, Third Ann. Rept. N. Y. Comm. Fi.sh, 239, color pi. facing p. 238, 1898. Salmo mykiss hens/iawi ]ov.XiAt>i, Bull. U. S. F. C, IX, 14, pi. II, fig. 5, 1891 ; Jord.\n & EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 493, 1896. Salmo clarkli hcnsJuuc'i 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 hang, conical, slender, its length contained about four times in the total to caudal base ; a slight keel on the top of the head ; lake tahoe trout. snout obtusely pointed ; maxilla not extending far behind the eye, about equal to pectoral, which is three-fifths of length of head; gill rakers short and stout, about 18 on the first arch, of which 13 are below the angle; vomerine 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 ii ; A. 12; B. 10. Scales 27 to 37-160 to 200-27 to 40; pyloric c^ca 50 to 60. Color dark green in life, varying to pale green ; the sides silvery 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, Web- ber Lake, Donner Lake, Independence Lake, Truckee River, Humboldt River, Carson River, and most streams of the east slope of the Sierra Nevada ; it occurs 330 SEVEXTIl KEl'ORT UF TIIK FOKKST, KISII AND CAME COMMISSION. also in the head waters of F"eather Ri\-er. west of the Sierra Nevada, proljably 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 Tahoc, Cal., Trout were obtained by James Annin, Jr., at Caledonia, N. V., and young fish reared at his establishment were sent to the aciua- rium in November, 1896. They throve till the latter [Kirt of June, 1S97, when the)- were overcome by the warm water. The_\- 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 go'/'c to g$%, 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 hatcheries, estimates the total loss between impregna- tion of the eggs and feeding of the fr\- as about 40','. After the fry begin to feed they are not more difficult to rear than Hrook Trout. 61. Steelhead ; Gairdner's Trout ; Salmon Trout {Sa/tno gain/iiiri Richardson). I Inti-oduced.i Sa/iim i^ainhieri Jordan & GiLHEur, ISull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 313, 1883; IJe.an, Bull. U. S. F. C, IX, 198, pi. XI, IX, fig. 9, 1891, not fig. 10, which is young niykiss; JoRU.^^N & EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. .S. Xat. iMus., 498, 1896, ]j1. LXXXI, fig. 215, 1900; Cheney, Third .\nn. Rept. N. V. Comni. Fish, 241, color pi., 1898. Form of .V. salar. Body elongate, little compressed, its greatest depth two- ninths of the total length without caudal ; caudal ])eduncle short, its least depth three-sevenths of length of head ; head rather short, one-fifth of total length without caudal, ma.xilla 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 narrow, over the beginning of the anal; caudal fin moderately forked in the \iuing; ventral origin mitlway between tip of snout and base of caudal, ventnd fin one-half the depth of body; anal base one-half as long as the head, longest anal r.iy eijual to postorbital part of THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 331 head; pectoral fin r>ne-ei_L:;hth of total length without caudal. B. 11 or 12; D. 1 1 ; A. 12. Scales from 137 to 177, usually about 150-28; pyloric caeca 42; vertebrae 38-1-20=58. Color olive green above, sides silvery, head, back, dorsal and caudal fins profusely covered with small black spots, no red between the rami of the lower jaw. The Steelhcad 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, STEELHEAD. Cal., as Rainbows, really included 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 contains a small-scaled form of the Rainbow, known to the Indians as the iios/n-r, 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 November, 1896, from the U. 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 ^Vi inches. After one year they were 10 inches long on 33- SEVKNTH REl'ORr UK Tin-: I'ORKST, MSII AM) GAME COMMISSION. 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 b_\- tlic presence of white tips on the ventral and .inal fins; the dorsal also has a small white lij). They have been kept almost from their arrival in salt water, and could not ha\e been kept in the warm Croton water in June. The saltwater never rose above 71 ij° F. and continued at this high tem- perature only 10 daj's. 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 Wirk. 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°. BROWN TROUT. 62. Brown Trout {Sa/iito fario Linn;eus). (Introduced.) Salmo fario Beak, Fishes Penna,, 78, color pi. 6, 1893; Jordan & P:vermann, Check- List Fish. N. \., 512, 1896. Salar ausoiiii C.\i\\v.v. & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. I'oiss., XXI, 319, pi. 618, 1848. The Brown Trout of Europe was introduced into the L^nited 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, andless 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 distance from the THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 333 eye to the end of the opcrcle. The ventral is under the posterior part of the dorsal ; its length is about one-half that of the head. The adipose dorsal is placed over the end of the anal base; it is long and expanded at the end. The caudal is emarginate in young examples, but nearly truncate in specimens lo inches long. The pectoral is nearly one-sixth of the length without the caudal. In the male the jaws are pro- duced, and very old ones have a hook. The maxilla extends to the hind margin of the eye. The triangular head of the vomer 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. lO-ii; P. 13; V. 9. Scales 25-20-30; pyloric ca;ca 38-51; vertebrae 57-58- On the head, body and dorsal fin usually numerous red and black spots, the latter circular or X-^^haped and some of them with a pale border ; 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. Nanus. 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 bach- fcrcllc ; in Italy, trota ; in France, tniitc. 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 Deutscher Fischerie Verein, who has been very active in the acclimation of the fish in America. Distribution. The Brown Trout is widely distributed in Continental Europe and inhabits lakes as well as streams, especially in Norway and Sweden. Tributaries of the White Sea, the Baltic, 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 perfec- tion ; in Germany and Austria, howiever, the Trout is a characteristic fish, and our supply has been drawn principally from the former country. Moreau found it at an elevation of 7,000 feet in the Pyrenees, and a color variety is native to Northern Algeria in about if 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 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 334 SEVENTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AM) CAME COMMISSION. was introduced with unusual success, it now approximates equal size; but in most localities lO pounds is about the limit of weight and 5 or 6 pounds is a good average, while in some regions the length seldom exceeds i foot, and the weight ranges from yi pound to I 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 meas- ured only about I foot in length. These illustrations will serve to show how much the growth of a Hrown 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 movements it is swift, and it leaps over obstructions like the Salmon. It feeds usually' in the morning and evening, is more active during 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 larva;, worms, moliusks 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 most rapidly when fed on insects. Reprodiictioii. Spawning begins in October and continues through December and sometimes into January. The eggs are from one-sixth to one-fifth 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 parents cover the eggs to some extent with gravel. The hatching 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 number of eggs has reached 1,500 to 2,000. 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 fislies 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 FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 335 63. Hybrid Trout (Brown and Brook). A very beautiful and interesting h)'brid is produced by crossing the Brown Trout and the Brook Trout. The following is a description of this hybrid : Salmo (hybrid = fario-)-fontinalis) Hybrid Trout. In a paper published some years ago the writer stated, as a result of his studies, that when a large-scaled trout is crossed witli a small-scaled one, the hybrid will be large-scaled whichever 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 New York aquarium has had this h)-brid from the South Side Sportsmen's Club and from the New York hatcheries at Coldspring Harbor, L. I., and Caledonia. It is always a strikingly 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 natural!)'. Two specimens studied gave the following measurements in inches : MEASUREMENTS. CALEDONIA, N.Y. OAKDALE, N. Y. JUNE 10. 1896. .MARCH 23, 1897. JAMES ANNIN, Jr. G. P. SLADE. Extreme length, ------- gj/( 141^ Length of middle caudal rays from end of scales, ^ Depth of body, ------- i^ 3^ Least depth of caudal peduncle, . - - i/^ Length of head, ------- 2 2>% Length of snout, ------ i^ i^ Length of upper jaw, ------ \y^ Length of lower jaw, ----- i^ Diameter of eye, ------- s/js 7/,5 Distance from snout to dorsal origin, - - 3^ Length of dorsal base, ------ i3/,6 Length of longest dorsal ray, - - - - \^/ib Length of last dorsal ray, ----- ^ Distance from snout to ventral origin, - - 4^ Length of ventral, - - - - - - i^ Distance from snout to anal origin, - - - 6 Length of anal base, - . . ^ - . "/^ Length of longest anal ray, ... - ij^ Length of last anal ray, - - . - - J^ 336 SKVHN'Tir RErOR'l" OF THK FOREST, FISH AM) CAME COMMISSION. Tlie Caledonian specimen has no hyoitl teetli ; tlic vomerincs are in a very small patch on the head of tiie 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. Hranchiostegals, 10. The following color notes were taken from the fresh fish: Dorsal fin with numerous ilark blotches resembling those of young rainbow; adipose long anil slender, amber color with two obscure dusky blotches, one of these very indis- tinct ; lower half of sides pink ; ventral, anal and caudal pink; ventral and anal with a milk 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 witli 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 \n foiitina/ls, but continued behind by several teeth in a single row, the entire length of the \omerine series being seven-sixteenths of an inch. LOCH LEVEN TROUT. 64. Loch Leven Trout [Sa/iiio Irulta Icvcncnsis Walker). (Introduced.) ..Vrf/wc /('?r//c/;.f/V Walker, \\'ern. ^[em., 1,541, 1811 ; Warrei.i., lirit. Fish., ed. 2, II, 117, 1841 ; ed. 3, I, 257, fig. 1859; CiUNTHKK, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., VI, loi, 1866; Day, Fish. Great I'.rit. \: Ireland, II, 92, pi. CXVI, fig. 2 & 2a, 1884; Baird, Kept. U.S. ]•■. C., Xil, 1,\ III, 1SS6. Salino tnitta /nriifiisis Jordan iS; Evermann, Check-List Fish. N. \., 512, 1896. The Loch Le\'en Trout of Great Britain was introduced into the United States from .Scotland in iSS, and subsequent }-eai-s. It is somewhat closely related to the European Brown Trout, Saliiio fario, and has been artificially crossed with that species in the United .States, .so that it is sometimes difficult to find the pure bred I.och Levens in fishcultural 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 i)eduncle slender, its least depth THE FOOD AND GAMK FISHES OF NEW YORK. 337 three-eighths of the greatest depth of the body, and equal to length of snout and eye combined. The head is rather short and conical, 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 con- vex, its width equal to three-fifths of the length of postorbital part of head. The eye is of moderate size, its long diameter contained five and one-half to si.K times in the length of the head, and equaling about twice the greatest width of the maxilla. The maxilla reaches to or slightly beyond the hind margin of the eye. Teeth rather strong, those in the intermaxillary and man- dible 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 fin 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 len-nh 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 emarginate unless fully extended, when it becomes truncate, the outer rays about one-seventh of total length, including caudal. D. i3(=-iv, 9): A. i2(=iii, 9); P. 14; V. 9. Scales 24 to 28—118 to 130 — 26 to 30; pyloric ca;ca 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 adijDose 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 blackish ; anal and caudal fins unspotted, but the caudal sometimes has an orange margin and the anal a white edge with black at its base ; a similar edge may sometimes be observed on the ventral. The Loch Leven Trout is a non-migratory species, inhabiting Loch Leven and other lakes of Southern Scotland and of the North of England. Its range in Great Britain and on the Continent of Europe has been greatly extended by fishcultural operations, and the fish is now fairly well known in the United States, though mixed to some extent with the Brown Trout, as remarked above. ^3^ SF.VKXTH KKPOKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. The Loch Lcvcn Trout has been recorded of the weight of i8 pounds, but the average weight at 6 years of age is about " pounds, tliough some individuals of that age may reacli lO jjounds. The natural food of this species includes fresh-water mollnsks (snails, Ihicciniiiu. etc.), crustaceans, worms and small fish. In captivity it is reared on li\cr, horse flesh, chopped clams and \arious other meats. As a fooil fish the Loch Lcven is highly esteemetl 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 corresponds with that of the Brook Trout. The c^z varies from about one-fifth to one-fourth of an inch in diameter. A Trout weighing 2 pounds contained 1,944 eggs, the weight of wdiich was one-half 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. R.^lNliOW TROUT — AnUI.T M.ALE. 65. Rainbow Trout (.SVr/wc /r/V/cwi Gibbons). (Introduced.) Salmo iridcus Clmiioxs, Proc. Cal. .\c. Nat. Sci., 36, 1855, .San Leandro Creek, Alameda County, Cal.; Jord.-\n & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. €. Nat. Mus., 312, in part, 1883; Bean, Bull. U. S. F. C, XII, 36, pi. V, figs. 2 & 3, 1894 ; Fishes Penna., 77, color pi. V, 1893 ; .\nn. Rciu. N. \ . Comm. Fish, etc., I; Jordan & Ever.mann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., pi. LXXXl, fig. 216, 1900. Salmo irideus shaita Jordan & Evermann, liull. 47, V . ^. Nai. Mus., 502, 1S96. Body short and deep, its greatest de[)th equaling two-sevenths of the total length without cautlal. 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, 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 ; )iia\illa not cpiite reaching THE FOOD AM) CAMK FISllF.S OF NFW VOKK. 339 to below hind margin of eye; vomcrines in two in-egular 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 longest. Ventral origin is under middle of dorsal base; the fin is as long as the longest dorsal ray ; the \entral 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. 1 1 ; D. 1 1 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 RAINBOW TROUT — YOUNG. 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 arc not much distorted, 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 Nevadas. It rarely descends into the lower stretches of the rivers, but occasionally does so and passes out to sea. The Rainbow has been extensively introduced into many Eastern States, but not with uniform success. In Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri and North Carolina it has been well acclimatized, and it is also fairly established in New York. 340 SEVKNTH KKPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. The average iinli\i(.luals of this species are less tlian i foot in length, but speci- mens measuring niori- than 2 feet and weighing 13 ])ounds have been recorded. At Neosho, Mo., the young have been artificially grown to a length of nearly i foot in a year. The Rainbow feeds on worms, insect larv;v 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, \arying with temperature and locality. The bulk of the eggs are usually taken in January, l-'ebruary 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 one-fifth to two-ninths of an inch in diameter; it has a rich cream color when first taken, chang- ing 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 Loner 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 tlie fish are scarcely infeiior to those of the Brook Trout. Large Rainbow Trout do not stand transportation well A\hen 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 hereto- fore, they will not endure high temperatures as well as the Brook Trout, at least in the aquarium. 66. Swiss Lake Trout (Sa/ino Icinaniis Cuvicr). (Introduced.) Sii/mo Icmaniis Cuvikr, Regne Anim. fulc Gunther; (Iuxther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., \'l. Si, 1866. Salmo tnitta Jurink, Mem. Soc. Phys. Geneve, III, i, 158, pi. 4, 1825. Fario U-iiuimis Cuviek & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., XXI, 300, jjI. 617 (male), 1848. Swiss Lake Trout Atkins, Rept. U. .S. F. C, XVII, XVIII, XIX, 1893 and 1894. Head well proportioned in its shape, of moderate size, boil)- rather stout ; preoperculum with a distinct lower limb, operculum rather broad and high ; snout of moderate length, rather produced in the male sex, in which a mandibular hook is de\-elopud in the spawning season ; maxillary longer than the snout, and at least as THE FOOD AM) GAME l-ISHES OK NEW YORK. 341 strong and broad as in .S". fario ; in specimens 12 inclics loni^ it extends somewhat behind the vertical from the hind margin of the orbit. Teeth moderately strong, those on the vomer in a single series, alternately bent toward the right and left, persistent throughout life. I'ectoral fin rounded, its length being less, and in young individuals more than, one-half of its distance from the ventral. The caudal becomes truncate with age; in specimens of from 12 to 15 inches in length it is emarginate, the mitldlc rays being half as long as the outer ones. The hind part of the body of motlerate 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-sliaped black spots on the sides; opercles and dorsal fin \\ith numerous black dots; the other fins greenish. D. 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 Glinther.) 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. \\\ New York, the Adirondack League Club obtained 1,000 of the young of this species in 1896 and deposited them in Green Lake, in Herkimer County. The specimen described below is probably one of the results of that experiment. Swiss Lake Trout were furnished also to the New York Fish Commission for planting in Lake George, and 100 vear- lings were presented to the New York Aquarium. A specimen taken in Green Lake, Adirondack League Club preserve, Herkimer County, July 29, 1899, was forwarded to the U. -S. Fish Commission, Washington, D. C, and there described by Dr. \V. C. Kendall, from whose notes the following account is drawn. The total length of the specimen is ii.'s inches. When first taken it was reported to measure iiA^ 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, 44-11 on right side, 5+10 on left side. Height of longest dorsal ray t\\-o-thirds of length of head. Pectoral five-eighths as long as the head. B. 11-12 ; D. 9 ; A. 8. Scales in lateral line 115. 342 SEVKNTII RKPOKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AM) CAME COMMISSION. General appearance of Saliiio salar scba}:;o, from which it would probably not be distinguished by the casual observer if cauc^ht where the Landlocked Salmon occurs; but the Icnwiniis is distinguishable by the hea\ier appearance forward of the dorsal fm. Color in spirits, brownish on back, top of head and sides of head ; sides and belly very silvery ; large roundish black spots abo\'e lateral line forward and on cheeks and opercles ; perpendicularly 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 \'ariously crescentic, double or triple crescentic, X or double X-s'i-ipcd ; fins pale with slightly dusky tinge; dorsal with 5 trans- verse rows of black spots. Mr. De Witt, who sent the specimen, furnished the following notes on Green Lake, from whence it was forwarded : " ALa.ximum depth 42 feet, with temperature at bottom at that dc])th, as far as I have been able to ascertain, about 40°. Has no 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." ^^^n^'^S^ L.\KE TROUT. 67. Lake Trout; Salmon Trout [Cristivonicr //rrwrtirw.^V/ Walbaum). Salmo amctliystiniis Mitchii.i., Jour. .\c. Nat. Sci. Phiia., I, 410, iSiS. Salmo confiiiis DeKav, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 238, pi. 38, fig. i.;^, 1S42. Salmo amethystiis Df.K.w, op. cit. 240, pi. 76, fg. 241. Salvcliiius namayciish Jordan & Gilisert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 317, 18S3; Goode, Fish. & I'isli. Ind. U. S., I, 485, pi. lyill, 1884; Bkax, Fishes Penna., 82, color pi. 8, 1893. Cristivomer iiaiinnnisk Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, V . .S. Nat. Mus., 504, 1S96, ])1. LXXXII, fig. 217, 1900; Be.\n. Bull. .\nKT. .Mus. Nat. Hist., L\, 348, 1897. I he Lake Trout or Namaycush has a stout and moderately elongate body. The caudal peduncle is slender; its height little more than onc-thirtl of the greatest height of the fish. The eVe is large, placed near the top of the head, two-thirds as THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 343 long as the snout, and contained four and a lialf to five and a lialf times in lengtli 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 appendage 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 without 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 two-thirds as long as the head. B. 1 1 to 12 ; D. 9 to lo, 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, sometimes with a reddish tinge. On the back and top of head there are fine vermiculations resembling those of the ]5rook 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, Namaycush, Togue, Tuladi and Salmon Trout. Additional names of the species are Lunge, Red Trout, Gray Trout, and Black Salmon. Togue and Tuladi are names applied in Maine, New Brunswick and Canada, Mackinaw and Salmon Trout in the Great Lakes region, the latter used also in New York. Namay- cush 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 abo\'e the Arctic Circle in Alaska. This is one of the largest species of the Salmon family resident in fresh waters. It reaches a length of 3 feet, and specimens Vvcighing 40 pounds are not uncommon. It is said that an example of 90 pounds and 6 feet in length has been taken. The species is found in its best condition in Lakes Huron, Michigan 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 17 344 SEVKN'TII REPORT OF THE FOREST, FIS1[ AND GAME COMMISSION. 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, leav'es 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 principally captured are set in deep water. The spawning of the Lake Trout usually begins in October and continues into November. \'\>v this jjurpose tlic\- come up on rocky shoals and reefs in depths of from 70 to 90 feet, and spawn near the eilges of rock caverns, into which the eggs settle. The young are hatched late in the winter or early in spring. In some locali- ties the depth of the spawning areas ranges from 15 fathoms to only 7 feet. Mr. Milner found 14,943 eggs in a Lake Trout weighing 24 pounds. In the hatchery, with a water temperature 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 Novem- ber, 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 few large trout of this species, weighing from 25 to 40 pounds, are taken off the city of Erie. In 1S85, according to the statistics of the U. S. Fisli Commission, 100,000 pounds of Lake Trout were taken in Erie County, Pa. Hon. II. \V. -Sage is authority for the information that the Lake Trout was form- erly common in the lake near Ithaca. About 1830 a large individual was found stranded in Cayuga Lake Inlet, about i "/j miles from the lake. 68. Brook Trout iS,r/:r/i/t//s fo/i/i/tn/is Mitchill). S(i/iiu> fontinalis Mitchill, Trans. Lit. \; I'liil. Soc. N. \ ., I, 435, 1815, near New York; Richardson, Fauna Bor,-.\nier., Ill, 176,1)!. 83, fig. i, 1836; UeK.w, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 235, pi. 38, fig. 120, 1842. Saliiw erythrogaster DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 236, pi. 39, fig. 136, 1842. Baioiic fontinalis UeKav, op. cit. 244, jil. 20, fig, 58, 1842. Salveliniis fontinalis Goode, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U. S., I, 497, pi. 192, 1884; Bean, F""ishes Penna., 80, color pi. 7, 1893; lUill. .Viiier. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 350, 1897; Bowers, Manual Fish Cult., ed. 2, color pi. frontispiece, 1900; Jordan & Ever- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S, Nat. Mus., 506, pi. LXXXII, fig. 218, 1900. Tiie Hrook Trout varies greatly in the shape of tiie body, which is sometimes short and tleep and again elongate and moderately thin. The depth is usually about one-fourth or two-ninths of total length witiiout cauiial. and about equal to THE FOOD AND GAME ELSIIES OF NEW YORK. 345 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-sixth of length of head. The dorsal fin is about midway between tip of snout and root of tail. The 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 the 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. lo; A. g. Scales in lateral line 225 to 235; six gill rakers above the angle of the first arch, 1 1 below. BROOK TROUT. 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 cream}' white anterior 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, extending from North Carolina on the south to Labrador on the north. The distribution of this Trout has been wonderfully 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 California. It has also been sent to Mexico and to European countries. The average Brook Trout seldom exceeds 7 or 8 inches in length, and smaller indi\'iduals are much 34^ SKVFATII RKl'OKT OK THE KOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. more abundant and rc. 12; D. 12; A. II ; V. 9. Scales, 24-110. Tlic maxilla reaches to below the middle of the pupil. The mandible project.s '/,6 of an inch A\hen the mouth is closed. The diameter of the c\-c is contained five and two-thirds times in length of head. The stomach was empty, but insect remains were voided from the vent. 73. Little Pickerel [Lucius vcriniculatus LcSueur). Eso.x vcr>iuiiildtiis ili'.AN, Fishes I'enna., 90, ])I. 28, fig. 54, 1893. Lucius vcriniculatus Jordan & Evkr.manx, Hull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 627. 1S96. This Pickerel inhabits the valleys of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and streams flowing into the Great Lakes from the southward. In ponds formed in the spring by the overflow of river banks it is one of the characteristic fishes and is often destroyed in great numbers by the drj-ing up of such bodies of water. In Pennsyl- THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 355 vania the Little Pickerel, or Trout Pickerel, is comnifni in the Ohio and its tribu- taries. Prof. Cope 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 miles west of Oswego, July 17 ; Wart Creek, July 24; Great Sodus Bay, August 16; Outlet Long Pond, 4 miles west of Charlotte, August 7; Marsh Creek, near Point Bree/.e, August 21. This fish grows to the length of i foot and is, therefore, too small to have much importance for food. 74. Chain Pickerel ; Green Pike {Lucius reticnlatus LeSueur). Esox reticnlatus Jordan iS: GiLiiKKT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 353, 1883. Esox reticnlatus Bean, Fishes Penna., .90, pi. 29, fig. 55, 1893. Esox tridecemlineatus Mitchill, Mirror, 361, 1825, Oneida, N. Y. CHAIN PICKF.RKL. 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 I\Laine to Florida and Alabama cast of this range of mountains. It lives in ponds, lakes and streams and occurs within the same territory as L. aiiicri- cauus, but farther away from the coast. (After Eugene Smith, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y., No. 9, p. 29, 1897.) 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 individual variation. In many respects the specimens from Cayuga Lake appear to be intermediate between reticnlatus and vcriniculaius. It is not very common. The Pickerel is common in ponds and streams of the Hudson Highlands, accord- 356 SKVKNTII KF.rORT OF TIIF. FOKFST, FISH A.Mi (i.V.ME COMMISSIOX. ing to Dr. Mearns, and is taken in winter as well as summer. A specimen weighing 3 ;-j pounds was caught in Poplopcn's Pond in 1882. It is abundant also in Kaaters- kiU Lake, of the Catskill Mountains. The U. S. l-'ish Commission obtained it in Hlack River, Iluntingtonville, N. Y., July 5. Examples were sent from Canan- daigua Lake, and young were obtained in Bronx River. The Pickerel is the largest of its group, reaching a length of 2 feet and a weight, occasionally, of J> pounds, though this is much abo\-e the average. Like the Pike, this is one of the t\-rants among fishes, a fierce and hungry marauder ; ;ind \-et it has been introduced b\' fishermen into man\- waters in which it is not native and has greatly multiplied. In the Potomac, the Connecticut, the Delaware and 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 enormons numbers, or some unlucky insect, frog or snake which attracts its voracious appetite. Spawning takes place in the 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, 1S97, and the ymmg were naturally hatched, but they died when about tlirce-fourths of an inch hmg for want i)f acceptable food. As a f()t)d fish ni>t much can be said in praise of the Chain Pickerel, though it is eaten and tloubtless liked by a good many people. The flesh is often coarse and watery and it is al\\a\-s full of small bones. This fish, however, furnishes consider- able 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 fish- ing with live shiners, ])ickerel 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 capti\'ity, because of its liability to fungus attacks. The salt water treatment, however, keeps the fungus in check. 75. Common Pike \ Lucius hniiis Linnaeus). Eso.x liiciiis Jordan & ("iII.heki, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 353, 1883. Esox luciits Bean, Fishes Penna., 91, pi. 29, fig. 56, 1893. Esox estor DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 222, 1842. 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, THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 557 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 witli 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 resemblance in shape of the snout to the pike or spear, while others believe it to refer to the darting motion of the fish when speeding 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. Brocliet is the French name, Hccht the German and Luccio the Italian designation of the species. In Prof. Cope's paper in earlier reports of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission the names Lake Pike and Grass Pike are used for the fish. COMMON PIKE. Disti-ibutiou. 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 higli northern latitudes. In Alaska Townsend and others found it in abundance in the Yukon. P^'om 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 compared specimens from Lake Huron with European examples, and Richardson with the Englisli 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 tribu- taries. In the Lake Ontario region the \} . S. P"ish 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, N. Y., August 17. Dr. Meek found the species in Ca\-uga Lake, where, he says, he was unable to find any other fish of the genus except the Pickerel. James Annin, Jr., obtained 35^ SKVKNPH UKI'ORT OF TIIK FOREST, FISH AM) OAME COMMISSION. the Pike in Silver Lake, Wyoming County, X. \'.. Jul\- i. 1896. He reports that it docs not occur in Canandaigua Lake. On the continent of Europe the largest recorded specimen was taken at Bregenty in 1862; this was said to weigh 145 pounds. In Scotland a Pike measur- ing 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 (leorgc, N. Y., is famous for its large Pike. Dr. P'rank Prcsbrey of Washington, U. C, caught one there in iSS(; 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 Washington party in the same waters. Some of the largest Pike were upward of 4 feet long. The average length of adults is about 2 feet. The fishing season generally begins June i and ends December i, but many of the States have no close season. Li Pennsylvania the close time lasts from Decem- ber I to June I. The Pike is a \'oracious fish and destroys evcr\'thing within its reach in the form of animal life; other fish, water birds and mammals are consumed in enormous numbers, h'rom its concealment, like a beast of pre\', it darts out sudden!}' on its \'ictims antl sekiom 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 earl\- spring on shallows and frequent!}- on o\'erflowed meadows. The eggs are about one-eighth inch in diameter, and a female weighing 32 pounds was estimated by Buckland to contain 595,000. The }oung Pike has a very large yolk sac. The period of hatching \'aries. 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 supplieti 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 Lrie fisheries. As a game fish the species is wide!\- 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. > o z z < '/) u o z O < (P. < THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OE NEW YORK. )59 76. Mascalonge ; Spotted Mascalonge {Lucius inasqiiinongy Mitchill). Esox masqiiiiwih^y Miilhii.l, AIirrit/a Be.an, 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y., 272, pi. XXI, fig. 26, 1890. Afi/gi/ UiH-atiis DkK.w, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 144, pi. 15, fig. 42, 1842, New York. Color, darkish blue above; the sides silvery: exposed part of scales, especially of eight or ten upper series, darker than body color, causing a striped appearance SI RIPED MULLET. 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 \\a\ 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 uncommon ; 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. DeKay states that the Striped Mullet 364 SKVKXTII REI'OKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AM) GAME COMMISSION. was first ohscr\cil in New York waters by Dr. Mitciiiil. He found them in tlie market in the beginning of September. This species is one of our clioice food fishes. It is not uncommon in September in Great Egg Harbor Bay, N. J., but we arc informed that large specimens are never taken in that body of water. In 1898 the Striped Mullet was not abundant in the waters seined till fall ; the great schools were absent till October. Several indi\iduals were obtained in Meco.v 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 hiber- nated in the mutl in Sheepshead Bay and were taken with eel spears. The Mullets feed and thrive most of the year in capti\-ity, but will not survive the intense heat of summer. In the aquarium their food includes hard clam and shrimp. In 1S83 Jorilan & Gilbert established a genus QiicriuuDia for "little mullets with but two spines in the anal fin and with the teeth in the jaws less ciliiform than in jSliigil ; adipose eyelid wanting; preorbital serrate."' The genus was based on Myxns harctigiis of (ilinther. Oucrintaiia is nothing more than the \-oung of MugiL The only good character by which it was distinguishetl is the presence of two anal spines instead of three; in all other respects Qitcriinana and Mugil agree perfectly. As a matter of fact, all _\'oung Miigi/s pass through a Oncriinaiia stage in which only two of the three anal spines are developed, the adipose eyelid 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 ra)- 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 carefulh- studicil in large scries of specimens in the U. S. National Museum, and it is both interesting and important from the fish cul- tural as well as the systematic standpoint. In Mugil ccpltalus one example, 41 mm. long, shows the third anal spine very plainly ; it is well developed and has a sharp point, but several articulations still remain. Otlier e.xamples 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. Qiicriiuaua liarcugus, the type of the genus, is the young of Mugil curriiin, and 0. gyrciiis is the immature Mugil iricliodon. A re-examination of the types of Oucriinana gyraiis shows the presence of 33 rows of scales in some e.xamples instead of 29. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 365 81. White Mullet Ufiigil cnrciua Cuv. & Val.). yl/z/i,--// ciircma P,f.ax, liull, U. S. F. C, VII, 145, 1S88 ; 19th Kept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y., 272, pi. XXI, fig. 26, 1890. Mti^il curciiia Be.a.n, S2d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 103, 1900. Miiiril pi-trosiis Df.K.^v. N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 147, 1842. 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 blotciies on side of head. The White Mullet reaches the length of i foot. On the Atlantic coast it ranges from Cape Cod to Brazil ; in the Pacific it is recorded from California to Chili. It is a very important food fish. >'■ WHITE MULLET. The White Mullet appears with tlic 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 specimen that weighed zYi pounds, the heaviest coming under his observation. DeKay found the species in New York markets in July and August. 82. Common Mackerel {Scomber stombrus Linnaeus). Scomber scoinbnis Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. .S. Nat. Mus., 424, 1883. Scomber scombnis Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 865, i8g6, pi. CXXXIII, fig. 363, 1900. Color dark blue, or greenish blue above, the upper parts with 30 or more wavy transverse bands of a darker hue, these extending below the lateral line and nearly to the median line of the body ; beneath the ends of these lines and slightly sepa- 366 SEVENTH KEIHJRT OF THE FORES I, ITSll ANH (lAME COMMISSION'. rated from tlicm is a narrow, longitudinal, dark streak running almost the entire dis- tance 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 wiiite. The Mackerel is one of the best known food fishes of the North Atlantic, ranging from Norway to S]iain in Europe and from Labrador to Cape Hatteras in North America. It reaches the length of i8 inches. The fish is migratory and frequently disappears 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 Gravescnd Bay, L. I., May 23, 1896, in John H. DeNyse's shad f\-ke. No more were seen, and tliese were the first of the year. They come about the time of the aj^pcarance of Anchovy and Weak- COMMON MACKEREL. fish. 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 Ma}- or early in June. They are always split up into small bunches, probably by the attacks of W'eakfish and other predaceous species which are present at the time. Flukes attack them also in shallow water. 83. Chub Mackerel ; Thimble-Eye Mackerel [Scomlu-r colias Gmelin). Scomber colias DkKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 104, ]ii. 11, fig. n, 1842. Scomber colias Jordan & Evermanx, Bull. 47, U. .'^. Nat. Mus., I, 866, 1896, pi. CXXXIII, fig. 364, 1900. Scomber colias Bean, lUili. .\ni. Mus. Nat. Hist.. I.X, 360, 1897. Colors essentially the same as in Scomber scoDibriis. the wa\'y transverse bands about 30 in number; sides mottled with small dusk\- blotches below the median line ; about 20 black specks on base of prcopercle, usually arranged in more than one series ; belly and sides silvery : a black blotch in axil of pectoral. THE FOOD AND CAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. ^67 The Chub Mackerel is found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, north to Eng- land and Maine and to San Francisco ; very common in the Mediterranean and in Southern Cahfornia; sometimes abundant on our eastern coast and frequently absent for long periods. It reaches the length of 14 inches, and is an important food fish. • July 25, 1887, the schooner Peter Cooper caught 6,000 Thimble-eye Mackerel off Manasquan, N. J. About 50,000 Mackerel were taken by the Menhaden steamer A. Morris near Ocean City, Jidy 19, 18S7. Some of these were preserved in brine by W. B. Steelman, and I found them to be J), co/ias. The Thimble-ej-es usually arrive in August. In 1886 they were often caught. This species was not fount! in large numbers in Gravesend Ba_\- in 1897, but in 1896 it abounded in all the little creeks, and in some instances the fish could be dipped up by boat loads with scoop nets. The fish reached 10 inches in length before the end of the summer. ^,^<^^^nW^7^^PTr*r^ CHUB MACKERPIL. 84. Tunny; Horse Mackerel {17iiiiniiis thyinius Linncieus). Thyiiniis riih^aiis DeKav, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 105, pi. 10, fig. 28, i842,-after Storer. Orcyiuis thyiiiiiis Jordan & (Iilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 429, 1883. ThtiiiiiKs thyiiiiiis JoRD.AN & EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 870, 1896. Color dark blue above; grayish below with silvery spots ; pupil black, iris golden with greenish reflections ; rays of spinous dorsal dusky, the connecting membrane nearly black, second dorsal reddish brown ; pectorals silver 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 lo feet or more. It is pelagic, but comes to all warm coasts, northward to England, Newfoundland, San Francisco, and Japan. In our waters it appears usually in summer and is often taken in rather large numbers off Block Island, and on Cape 368 SEVENTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. Cod and Cape Ann. On account of its enormous size and great strength, it is often destructive to tlie fishermen's nets. Dr. Storcr 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 harpoon, 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 \'aliie, but becomes very fat during tlie 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 i^j ounces, growing to 4 ounces by August and 30 ounces in October. Adults often weigh 1,000 pounds. The Killer Whale is the most dreaded enemy of the Tunn}-. A. 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 violence as to endanger the lives of the fishermen by dragging them overboard. This kind of exercise miglit be had near Rockport, Mass., or off the New Jersey coast annually in summer. 85. Bonito I Stirt/ij sarda Bloch). Pchiiiiys sarJii Df.Kav, X. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 106, pi. 9, fig. 27, 1S42. Sarda sarda Bean, Bull. U. S. F. C, VII, 138, 1888 ; Jord.vx i^e FZvkr.manx, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 872, 1896 ; Beax, Bull. Am. Mus. \at. Hist., IX, 360, 1897, Graves- end Bay. 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 for- THE FOOD AM) GAMK FISIIKS OF NEW YORK. 569 ward from the back, some of them ahiiost reachintj the bell)- ; iris yellowish ; first dorsal fin sometimes pale, sometimes nearly black ; pectoral dark above, li|^ht beneath. The Bonito inhabits the Atlantic Ocean on both coasts and is common in the Mediterranean. On mir coast it ranges habitually north to Cape Ann. It reaches the length of 30 inches anti the weigiit of 10 or 12 pounds. Though not generally esteemed as a fo(_>d 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 sliores only to feed or to deposit its eggs. It is predaceous and active, feeding insatiably on Mackerel and Menhaden ; it takes trolling bait as freely as the Bluefish, to which it is not inferior in quality of flesh. The fisli is generally scarce in Gravesend Bay. Five were taken in one day in a pound net in October, iHg", an unusual number for that species. The Bonito will not live in captivity. 86. Spanish Mackerel [Sroiulhroi/ionis inacnlatits Mitchill). Cyhitiin iiiaciilatiiin DkKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, loS, pi. 73, lljj;. 232, 1S42, N. Y. Sconibcroinonix niaciilatiis Jordan i\: (".ilbert, T.idl. 16, U. .S. Nat. Mus., 426, 1S83 , Bean, Bull. U. S. F. C, YII, 13S ; 19th Kept. N. Y. Comm. Fish., 254, \)\. YII, fig. 9, 1890 ; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 874, 1896, pi. CXXXIY, fig. 368, 1900. 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 yellow- ish tinge, its margin dark ; anal and ventral white; pectoral 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, 24 370 SKVKNTII RKPORT OF TlIK FORKST, KISII AM) CAMK ( (IM M ISSIOX. on our coast rans^inj^ north to Maine and soiitli to Brazil. It is one of tlic choicest of our food fishes anil ^rows to the length of 3 feet and the \\-eiL;ht of 10 jjounds. The species spawns on the I-ont; Island coast in August or earlier. The eggs arc ver\- small, about one tweiUN'-hfth of an inch in di.mieter, and the\- float in salt water. The rate of growth is unknown, as the young are seldom or never seen by persons who know the fish. The .SiJanish Mackerel is caught chiefl)- in pound nets. It is recorded that the species lias been obtained off the coast of Maine b\- Capt. 7\twood. Mitchill describes the species without making an_\- remark on its abun- dance or scarcit}-, and states that it conies in July. In 1S34 the species had very little importance 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 M.ickerel have been sparingl}- caught by trolling off Fire Island Inlet. We diil not obtain the species in SPANISH MACKKREL. Great South Baj-, but Erastus (lordon, of Tatchogue, informed us that it is obtained in moderate numbers. In 18S4 the fish was not plentiful and the a\'erage price was about $1 each. They appear in New York waters in July antl usualh- leave in September. The spawning season at Long Island begins late in August and con- tinues about a month. The .Spanish Mackerel congregate in enormous schools. Mr. Karll records the appearance of a school off Long Island w hich was cstimateil to contain several million intlividuals. The fish are taken princi[)all)' in traps- a few are caught by trolling, but this is an unsatisfactory method of capture. 87. Cero iSioiiibcroiiioriis r7o Young Swordfish liave tlie skin covered with small, rougli excrescences, the jaws much more nearly equal, and the dorsal and anal fins not divided into two separate parts. 90. Yellow Mackerel {Cdrnux hippos Linneeus). Scombi-r Iiippos LiXN-t;us, Syst. Nat. ed., XII, 1, 494, 1766, Charleston, South Carolina. Caraiix cara/igus Cuvikr & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., IX, 91, 1S33 ; GiJNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., II, 448, i860. Caraiix defensor DkK.w, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 120, pi. 24, fig. 72, 1842 ; Holbrook, Ichth. S. C., 87, 111. 12, fig. I, i860. Caraiii^^iis Iiif'pos (_;ii,i., I'roc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 433, 1862 ; Goode & Bean, Bull. Essex Inst., XI, 16, 1879. Caraiix hippiis Jorijan & Gilbek r, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 437, 1883 ; Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 200, 1883. Caranx hippos Bean, Bull. U.S. F. C.,VII, 139, t888; B\dl. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 362, 1897 ; 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 103, 1900 ; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 920, 1896, pi. CXLI, fig. 387, 1900 ; Mearns, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., X, 318, 1898 ; Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C, XVII, 98, 1898. YELLOW mackerel. Body oblong, the anterior profile very strongly arched. The depth is contained two and one-half times in the length. Head large and deep, its length being contained three and one-half times in that of the body; mouth large, low ; lower jaw prominent, maxillary extending to nearly opposite posterior border of eye, two and one-third in head ; teeth in upper jaw in a broad villiform band, an outer series of large, wide-set, conical teeth, teeth of lower jaw in one row, a distinct canine on each side of symphysis; villiform teeth on vomer, palatines, pterygoids, and tongue ; lateral line with a wide arch, its length one and one-third in straight part, the angle under fifth dorsal ray, plates not covering all of the straight part, 374 SEVENTH REPOKr OK IIIK KORKST, I-'ISII AND GAME COMMISSION, lateral line (scutes) about 30; dorsal spines short, rather stout; gill rakers stout, rather loni,', 15 below angle; occipital keel sharp; eye not very large; pectoral falcate, one-fifth longer than head; breast naked or with only a small triangular patch of scales in front of ventrals; caudal lobes equal, nearly as long as head. D.VIII-I, 20; A. II-I, 17. Olivaceous above, sides and below golden ; a large, distinct black blotch on opercle, bordered behind with pale ; a large fair.t black spot on lower rays of pec- torals, the latter sometimes wanting in young ; axil of pectoral with a black blotch ; edge of soft dorsal black; upper edge of cauilal peduncle dusky. The Yellow Alackercl is a widely distributed fish in warni seas; it is recorded from the East Indies, both coasts of tropical America, and northward to Cape Ann and the Gulf of California. The young are common at Woods Hole, Mass., where they appear in July and become most abundant in October. Individuals i inch long have been obtained there about July i ; larger fish occur in the fall. In August, 1898, only a few young ones were secured in Great South Bay and at South- ampton, L. I. The fish probably spawns in West Florida in May in the salt water bayous, as the young fish are seen coming out of such places in schools in the fall on their way to the sea. Fish weighing about a pound or two are considered equal to Pompano for the table, but large fish are not esteemed, the flesh being dark and almost taste- less. The species reaches the weight of 20 pounds. The Yellow Mackerel resembles the Big-eyed Scad in its endurance of captivity and its feeding habits. At the end of November it has been known to thrive in a pool containing about 50,000 gallons of water in company with the Crevalle, the Big- eyed Scad and other species. 91. Crevall^ iCunn/.v rn'sus Mitchilh. Scomber crysos Mitchili., Trans. Lit. & Phil. .Soc. N. Y., I, 424, 1S15, New York. Caranx chrysiis ]o\!.\^\-!i & ('.n.REr75 anal yellow ; checks and lower half of sides also yellow : a black opercular spot, but none on pectoral; several narrow pale bars on sides; tip of elevated part of soft dorsal dusky ; membrane between dorsal spines dusky ; iris copper color. The Crevalle is found on the east coast from Nova Scotia southward, ranging to the West Indies and Brazil. The young are very common along the coast of Southern New England in summer. DeKay calls it the Yellow Caranx, and Mitchill mentions it as the Yellow Mackerel. The specimens seen by both these authors came from the Bay of New York. At Woods Hole, Mass., the young arrive in July and leave in October. In Great Egg Harbor Bay, N. J., young individuals were taken sparingly in August. DeKay records the species as abundant in New York Bay in September and October. The writer saw several examples from a fish trap at Islip, L. I., October I, 1890. Young Crevalle make a croaking sound when captured in a net or held in the hand. On the Gulf coast of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi the fish is migratory, just as it is here ; it makes its appearance in April, spawns in July or August, and then disappears and is replaced by the young. It feeds on small fish, which it pursues eagerly, and is preyed on by sharks and porpoises. It grows to the length of 15 inches and is highly prized for food. The Crevalle can be successfully kept in captivity in large pools with a tempera- ture above 50° in winter. The fish occasionally school together under a large shark and follow it about. 3/6 SKVEXTII KEl'OKT OK THt: FORKST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 92. Common Pompano i 'Jriu/iiiio/iis iaro/nnts LinnKus). Lidiia caipliiia Dk.Kav, X. Y. Fauna, Fislics, 114, j)!. 10, fig. 30, 1842, off Sandy Hook. 7'iac/iyiiotiis caro/iiiiis ]0'R\3\y. & flii.r.i-.KT, Hull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 442, 1883. Trachyiiotiis carolinus Bean, Bull. U. S. F. C, VII, 140, 1888 ; 19th Rept. N. Y. Comm. Fish., 254, pi. VIII, fig. II, 1890. Trachinotus carolinus Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 363, 1897, 52d Ann. Rept. N. V. State IMus., 104, 1900. Uniform bluisli above, sides silver)-, ^roklen in the adult, without bands, fins plain silvery or dusk}'. This fish lias no other name on our cast coast except the southern variation of I'ompeynose. In (ireat .South Ba\- the name Butter fish is applied to it because it is confounded with the Poronotus Iriacanthtis, to which the name properly COMMON I'OMPANO. belonr^s. Mitchill described it under the name Thornbacked Grunt, a name not now in use. The I'ompano rant^es on our coast from Cape Cod to Florida, the adults rarely or never coming into northern waters, but the n'ouiil; are taken in variable numbers every year. At Woods Hole they sometimes occur in considerable numbers, and they have been taken in great abundance in Great Egg Harbor Bay, but not recently. In Great .South Bay, in 1890, only a single young individual was secured at Oak Island Beach on tlie last da_\- of September. It occurs occasionally also on the Pacific coast. Dr. DeKaj-, in 1842, mentioned it as an exceedingly rare species on the New York coast. His description was based on a specimen taken off Sandy Hook more than 20 years before. In 1 S9S young specimens were found in moderate numbers at Oak Island Beach, Great South Bay, .September 14, and on the east side THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 3/7 of Fire Island Beach September i6. The young are summer and fall visitors in Gravesend Bay. Twenty-two individuals were placed in a tank in August, 1897, and grew rapidly till the temperature of the water fell below 60° F. in November. Dur- ing this month all of them died. The species reaches the length of 20 inches. It is one of the finest of our food fishes. 93. Bluefish ; Snap Mackerel ; Snapper {Poinatoinus saltatrix Linna;us). Scomber pliimheus Mitchili., Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 424, pi. IV, fig. i, 1815. Temnodon saltator DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 130, pi. 26, fig. 81, 1842. Poniatoiiiiis saltatrix Jordan & Gilbkki', Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 914, 1883. PomatoiiiKS saltatrix Be ax, Bull. U. .S. F, C, VH, 1888 ; 19th Rept. N. Y. Comm. Fish., 269, pi. XX, fig. 24, 1890 ; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 363, 1897 ; 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 104, 1900. BIA'KFISH. Bluish or greenish, silvery below, a black blotch at the base of the pectoral. Some of the man\- names applied to this widely distributed fish are the follow- ing: Mackerel (New Jersey), Horse Mackerel (New York and Rhode Island), Snap- ping Mackerel (New England and New Jersey), Skip Mackerel (New York"), Snapper and Blue Snapper (New England), Green Fish (Maryland, Virginia and North Caro- lina), Salt-water Jack (Southern States), Tailor (Chesapeake Bay), Whitefish (Hud- son River). Bluefish is the name most extensively used on the coast and in the Gulf of Me.xico. The Bluefish ranges on our coast from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico, and is believed to frequent warm seas of both continents. It ranged farther to the north- ward in 18S7 than for many years before. We heard of its capture in the vicinity of Mount Desert, Me. On our coast and elsewhere its movements are erratic, and its abundance fluctuates greatly within certain periods ; it disappears sometimes altogether for a term of years. The young, under about i inch in length, seem to be unknown. The spawning habits and localities have not been recorded. The 3/0 SEVKXTIl KKI'lJRT OK TIIK FORKST, FISH AM) (lAME COM MISSION*. smallest known examples were obtained at the surface off shore by the U. S. Fish Commission. The writer has seined individuals a little more than an inch long at Ocean City, N. J., the last of August. The young ascend rivers into fresh water. This is one of the most destructive of all fishes. It feeds ravenously, and, when gorged with food, continues to destroy its victims for the sake of gratifying its kill- ing propensit)-. If follows the great schools of Alewives, W'eakfish, Mullets and other valuable food fishes along our coast in summer, and the young may be dis- covered in shallow bays and sounds, pursuing the .Silversides, young Herring, Anchovies antl other fishes smaller than themselves. According to DeKay Bluefish were unknown on the New York coast till about 1810, when a few appeared. In 1815 Dr. Mitchill wrote : " Young ones are taken plentifully with the hook at our wharves by the boys in August." The largest mentioned by iVIitchill was 13 inches long, 3 inches deep and weighed about 14 ounces. The name Bluefish was in use at the time of MitchiU's report. DeKay noticed the gradual disappearance of the Weakfish with the increasing abundance of Bluefish. The best known methods of taking Bluefish are b\' trolling at the surface with a squid of metal or bone and by heaving and hauling in the surf near the mouths of streams into which Alewives are running. Artificial minnows are also used with a light rod, when young Bluefish are seen feeding near the surface. The most recent method in use by anglers is that of chumming in the manner usually employed in Striped Bass fishing. This method, which in\-olves the use of rod and reel, was in use near the inlet at Fire Island early in October, 189O. During the summer, in this ba_\', it was not an uncommon thing for anglers to catch 150 or 200 small Bluefish with hook and line in a single day. The species is to be found in all parts of the bay visited by us. It was taken at the following localities : Blue Point Cove, Oak Island and F'ire Island. Large numbers of Bluefish were caught late in September by means of gill nets set in the ocean near Blue Point life-sa\'ing station. A fisherman caught 450 at one time and 250 at another, the dates being September 23 and 24, 1890. In August of that year Bluefish drove immense schools of Round Herring (/rVr/cwiv/j' teres) on the ocean beach, near the Life-saving station. Septem- ber 24, while walking along the beach of Fast Island, not far from the Blue Point station, in a distance of half a mile, I saw 51 Round Herring l\'ing on the beach, liaving been cliased in a short time previously by Bluefish. When tlie fishermen find tlie Round Herring on the sluire, they know that Bluefish are present. .Small Bluefish were caught in a trap at Islip, October i, 1S90. In the summer of 1898 THK FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 379 young Bluefish were abundant in all the waters visited in Peconic Bay and Great South Bay and were taken as late as October i6. During the warm season they often run up the rivers, the young, called Snappers, frequently into nearly fresh waters. (After Eugene Smith.) The Bluefish is so active in its movements that it is difificult to keep it in captivity. As with the species of Caranx and Scrio/a, however, its longevity depends on range and temperature ; in a large body of water, not colder than 60° in winter, it can be maintained easily. 94. Crab-eater; Cobia [Rin/iycciitroii caiiaihis Linnaeus). Centronotus spiiiosus Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 490, pi. Ill, fig. 9, 1815, New York. it/rtCfz/f (?//!. 51, 166, 1842. Lepomis gibhosus Meek, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci., IV, 313, 1888; Bean, Fishes Penna., 115, pi. 32, fig. 65, 1S93. Eiipomotis aiiii-us Maiher, -■Vpp. 12th Rept. .Vdirondack Surv. N. Y., 7, 1886. Eupomotis giblwsiis Jordan & Ever.maxn, Hull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1009, 1896, pi. ri.XI, fig, 429, 1900; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 364. 1897; Mearns, Bull. .\m. Mus. Nat. Hist., X, 320, 1S98; Eugene S.mith, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 35, 1898; Bean, 52d .\nn. Rcjit. N. V. State Mus., 104, 1900. The Common .Sunfish. or .Sunny. I'umpkin Scetl, Hrcam, Tobacco Bo.x, and Pond l-'ish is one of the best known fishes of the United States. It is found from Maine westward through the (ireat Lakes region to Minnesota and in the Eastern States south to South Carolina. In western rivers, however, it is seldom found south of the latitude of Chicago. In New York the Sunfish abounds almost everywhere, in the lowlands as well as the highlands and in brackish as well as fresh waters ; it has even been taken occasionally in salt water on Long Island. Large indi\-iduals ha\e been receixed from Canandaigua Lake and from lakes in the Adirondacks. Dr. Meek found it very common throughout the Cayuga Lake basin. THP: FUOI) AM) GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 393 The collectors of the U. S. Fish Commission obtained it in almost all the waters visited by them (21 localities) in the Lake Ontario region. Dr. Evermann has recorded it from Chautauqua Lake. It occurs in Lake Champlain and in the basin of the St. Lawrence. Eugene Smith reports it from most of the moraine ponds of Long Island and Staten Island, and in quarry ponds of the Palisades, wherein it is frequently placed by boys. Ponds and lakes in the parks of New York City are well stocked with this species. Mearns reported it as abundant in the Hudson and in all the ponds and slow streams of the Hudson Highlands. Mather recorded it as a common fish in most of the Adirondack waters, the exceptions being Piseco Lake, G Lake, Coald Lake, Seats' Lake. T Lake, Willis Pond, Murphy, Warner and Bug Lakes. In spirits the color is pale brownish, the opercular flap black with a narrow whitish margin behind and beneath, and the dorsal fin with faint dusky blotches. In life this is one of the most brilliant of Sunfishes, the upper parts being greenish olive with a bluish tinge, the sides profusely spotted with orange, the belly and lower fins orange and the dorsal and caudal fins bluish with orange spots. The cheeks are orange with undulating blue stripes ; the opercular flap is black emargi- nated behind and underneath with bright scarlet. The Common Sunfish grows to a length of 8 inches and a weight of about y^, pound. Its food is similar to that of the Long-eared Sunfish ; and it is one of the readiest biters known to the angler. The habits of this fish have been described by Dr. Theodore Gill and W. P. Seal. The latter states that the male in the breeding season is readily identified by his brighter coloration, conspicuous ear flaps and a luminous border around the fins while in the water. The nest is a depression in the mud, sand or gravel, hollowed out by means of the fins. In the Potomac he found a number of nests which were located from a few inches to several feet apart. The male watches the nest and drives away all intruders. The eggs are only about '/,_, of an inch in diameter and not very numerous. They are attached to stones and aquatic plants. Mr. Seal has reason to believe that the male alone is concerned in building the nest and in the care of the eggs and young. The species is usually hardy in captivity, but is subject to fungus attacks which yield readily to treatment with brackish water. In the aquarium, according to Eugene Smith, the Common Sunfish by incessant attacks often kills associates of many kinds. It is a very gamy fish, common everywhere and is usually found in the company of Shiners, Minnows and Killies. In quarry ponds, of the Palisades, says the same author, the fish will thrive and multiply as freely as the Goldfish, provided there is water enough throughout the year. 394 SlCVENTll UETORT OF THE EOkEST, EISII AND GAME COMMISSION. 105. Small-mouthed Black Bass \Microptcnis dolomicu Lacepede). Microptcnis Jolomieu Mathkk, Ap]). 12th Re])t. Adirondack Surv. N. Y., 5, 1886; Meek, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci., IV, 313, 1888; Kean, Fishes Penna., 116, color pi. r i, 1893; JoKDAN & EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 101 1, 1896, pi. CLXII, figs. 430, 430;?, 1900; Bean, Bid!. .\ni. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 364, 1897; Mearns, id., X, 320, 1898; EuoENE Smith, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 35, 1898. Cfiitrardnis ohsciinis DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 30, ]il. 17, fg. 48, 1842, Onondaga Creek, N. Y. One of the early names for the Small-moutheil Black Bass is that of Growler, which ajjpears in tlic writings of Cuvier, who was under the impression that the name was applied because of a noise sometimes produced by this bass. At the time of his writing the name Growler was pretty generally identified with the Black Bass. Among the names applied to this fish by Rafinesquc are 1-ake Bass, Big Bass, SMALL-MOUTHED BLACK BASS. Spotted Bass, and Achigan. He also mentions it under the names Painted Tail, Bridge Perch. Yellow Bass, (Sold Bass, Brown Bass, Dark Bass, Minny Bass, Little Bass, Hog Bass, Yellow Perch, Black Perch, Trout Perch, Black Pearch, Streaked Head, White Trout and Brown Trout. In the Southern States the Small Mouth is known as the Trout, Perch ami Jumper. In Alabama it is called Mountain Trout. Some persons style it the Bronze Backer. The most appropriate name and the one by which it is best known is that of Black Bass or Small-mouthed Black Bass. This species is indigenous to the upper parts of the St. Lawrence basin, the Great Lakes region and the basin of the Mississippi. East of the Alleghanies it is native to the headwaters of the Ocmulgee and Chattahoochee Rivers, bvit north of these streams, though not originally an inhabitant of the waters, it has been widely dis- tributetl by artifici.d introduction. In the St. Lawrence River Evermann and Bean obtained the fish 5 miles below THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 395 Ogdensburg, N. Y., July 17, 1S94, evidently the young of the year, as the specimen is i^ inches long. In Scioto Creek at Coopersville, N. Y., they secured an example iS4 inches long July 19, 1894. Field assistants of the U. S. Fish Commission, col- lecting in the Lake Ontario region of New York in 1894 and preceding years, took specimens in many localities. The species is abundant in Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River basin; it is found also in Chautauqua Lake. Meek did not find this species in the vicinity of Ithaca ; near Cayuga and Monte- zuma it is less common than the Large-mouthed Black Bass. Mather reported the species in Racquette, Forked, White, Fourth, Bisby and Sucker Lakes, Black and Moose Rivers, and in Partlo Pond, St. Lawrence County, in all of which it has been introduced. The fish is not uncommon in Lake Champlain ; it is abundant in the vicinity of Caledonia, N. Y. Eugene Smith records it from the Passaic River. The writer has found it abundant in the Bronx. Mcarns mentions it from Long Pond, in the Hudson Highlands, where it reaches the weight of 5 or 6 pounds. This Bass does not grow so large as the Large-mouthed, seldom exceeding 8 pounds in weight and averaging but lyi pounds. A fish of the latter weight will measure 15 inches in length, while one of 8 pounds will measure 2 feet. The Small-mouthed Bass differs most markedly from the Large-mouthed in the size of its jaws, the shallower notch in the dorsal fin and the smaller scales. There are about 1 1 rows of scales above the lateral line and 7 below it ; 72-74 scales in the lateral line. The young are dull yellowish green, the sides mottled with darker spots, which sometimes form short vertical bars. Three dark stripes on the head ; caudal yellowish at the base ; a broad black band near middle of tail and a broad whitish margin behind. The dark lateral band characteristic of the Large-mouthed species is not found in the Small-mouth. In the adult the prevailing color is olive green, the stripes on the head remaining more or less distinct. The food' of the Black Bass consists of Crawfish, frogs, insects and their larvae. Minnows, and other aquatic animals of suitable size. The young can be fed on small fresh-water crustaceans, such as Daphnia and Cyclops. Among the successful baits for this species are Stone Catfish, Hellgramites and crickets. The Black Bass prefers rapid water, is extremely active, and frequents clear, pure, swiftly-flowing streams, and thrives at greater elevations than those preferred by the Large-mouthed species. It hibernates in the winter and spawns in the shallows on gravelly bottoms in spring. It follows its prey into shallow water and frequently leaps far out of the water in its efforts to escape from the hook or when frightened 396 SF.VEXTII REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. by tlie sudden approacli of an enemy. It swims in schools and is often found in the .shelter of sunken logs and in the N'icinit}' of lart^e rocks. The spawning season begins in March and ends in July. The period of incuba- tion lasts from 7 to 14 days. The eggs are bound together in bands or ribbons by an adhesi\-e substance. They adhere t(j stones on which they are deposited. The parent fish build nests and protect the eggs and young. In the Delaware the current is more rapid and the temperature lower than in the .Susquehanna ; hence the Bass spawn earlier in the latter than in the former. The spawning fish have nearly all left their spawning beds in the Sus([uehanna early in July, but at this time most of the nests in tlie Delaware are still full of eggs. By some writers it is believed that the female prepares the nest before the male joins her. The males fight for the possession of the female and are said to help the process of ejecting the eggs by biting or pressing the belly of the female. After the eggs are deposited, the female guards the nest from the attacks of the Crawfish and some other fishes. The young are consumed by many birds and by frogs and snakes. Yet, notwith- standing the numerous enemies of the Black Bass, its multiplication has been rapid and enormous. The Small-mouthed Black Bass ceases to take food on the approach of cold weather and remains nearly dormant through the winter, except in artificially heated water. A number of the young of the year, received from James Annin, Jr., of Caledonia, N. V., October 6, 1896, scarcely fed at all in the following winter, but when the spring was advanced they fed eagerly and grew rapidly. 106. Large-mouthed Black Bass (Miiroptcriis su/iiioif/cs Lacepede). Jliiro iiii^n'i-iTns DeKay, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 15, ])1. 69, fig. 224, 1842. J//(Vv/A7-«j- i(//;/W(/cj- Meek, Ann. N. Y. .\c. Sci., IV, 313, 18SS; Bean, Fishes Penna., 118, pi. 32, fig. 66, 1893; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 364, 1897; Jordan & EvERMANN, I'.ull. 47, IT. S. N:it. Mus., I, IOI2, 1896, pi. CLXIII, fig. 431, 1900; Mearns, Bull. ,\ni. Mus. Nat. Hist., .\, 320, 1898; Eugene Smith, Proc. Linn. .Soc. N. Y. 1897, 36, 1898; Be.an, 52d .Vnn. Kept. N. Y. State Mus., 105, 1900. This species may best be distinguished from the Small-mouthed Black Bass by the size of its nimith ami the number of rows of scales abo\-e the lateral line. The young of the Small-mouthed species, also, never have a dark, lateral band. Common names for this species are: Oswego Bass, Ri\er l^ass. Green Bass, Moss Bass, Bayou Bass, Trout, Jumper, Chub and Welshman. Throughout the north it is generally known as Bass, in Virginia and North Carolina as Chub and in h'lorida and west to Texas as Trout. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 397 The Large-mouthed Bass has a wide distribution, being indigenous to the eastern United States, from Manitoba to Florida and Texas, except New England and the Middle Atlantic States east of the AUeghanies, where it has been extensively intro- duced. It inhabits the fresh-water ponds, lakes and sluggish streams. It is found also at the mouths of rivers emptying into the Gulf of Mexico, where the water is brackish. Dr. Meek found the Large-mouthed species scarce near Ithaca and more common near Montezuma and Cayuga. James Aniiin, Jr., collected the young at Caledonia. The U. S. Fish Commission had it from numerous places in the Lake Ontario region. Dr. Mearns first observed the species in the Hudson in the autumn of 1S82, where the fish were caught in fyke nets during October and November. Eugene Smith records it from all lakes and rivers adjacent to New York City. LARGE -MOUTHED BLACK BASS. Young individuals, from i 'i to 2 inches long, Avere seined in Bronx River in August, 1897. The average weight of the Large-mouthed Bass in southern waters is less than 5 pounds, and still less in northern waters. In Florida it attains a large size, as much as 3 feet in length, and a weight of 25 pounds. Its growth and size depend on the waters where it is found, ami the natural food supply of small fish. Crawfish and frogs. It is a very active fish ; its movements are affected by seasonal changes and the search for food and places for spawning. In polluted streams the Bass are often compelled by the impurities to seek new haunts in pure water. The young Bass feed on animal food at an early age. The Large-mouthed Bass is said to be more cannibalistic than the Small-mouthed. Small fishes (Minnows) of all kinds. Crawfish, frogs, insects and their larvje, and aquatic animals of all kinds, suitable in size, make up the diet of this fish. It feeds both at the surface and on the bottom, pursuing its prey with great activity. When surrounded by seines or caught on hooks this 39^ SEVENTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. species will often leap 5 or 6 feet out of the water, and its habit of jumping over the cork lines of seines has given it the name of " Jumper." In cold weather the I?ass seeks deep places, often hibernating under rocks, sunken logs and in the mud. Favorite localities are under overhanging and brush- covered banks, in the summer, and among aquatic plants, where th(; fish lies in wait for its prey. The spawning season of the Large-mouthed Bass is about the same as that of the Small-mouthed species, beginning in v\pril and lasting till July. Its eggs are adhesive, sticking to stones during the incubation period, which last from one to two weeks according to the temperature of the water. The young Bass remain in the nest a week or 10 days, and at the age of two weeks will measure about -)^ of an inch in length. In suitable waters it is estimated that the Large-mouthed Bass will weigh at the age of three years from 2 pounds to 4 pounds. The Oswego Bass is even more destructive to fish than J/, doloinicu. It will eat any fish which it can manage to get into its mouth and will lie on the bottom for days so gorged that it cannot stir. In voracity it is only equaled, but hardly excelled by the Pike. This Bass bears captivity well. (After Eugene Smith.*) The young above referred to as coming from Caledonia, N. Y., hibernated and took scarcely any food during the winter, but fed ravenously in spring, summer, and fall. They proved very hardy in captivity. 107. Pike Perch ; Pike; Wall-eyed Pike {Sti.zoslcdion vitrcum Mitchill). Pcrca vitrca Mitchill, Am. Month. .Mag., II, 247, Feb. 1818, Cayuga Lake, N. Y. Liicioperca americaiia DeK.-\v, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 17, pi. 50, fig. 163, 1842. Liuioperca vitrea Eugene Smith, Proc. Linn. See. N. Y. 1897, 38, 1898. Stizostedion vitretim Meek, Ann. N. Y. .\v.. .Sci., IV, 314, 1888; Bean, Fishes Penna., 127, color ]5l. 13, 1893; Jordan & Ever.m.\nn, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1021, 1896, ])1. CLXIV, fig. 433, 1900; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. N.Tt. Mist., IX, 364, 1S97. The Pike Perch belongs to the genus Stizostedion, which has been distinguished from the Saugers by the structure of its pyloric ca;ca, which are three in number, nearly equal in size, and about as long as the stomach, and also by the presence of 21 soft rays in the second dorsal, while the Saugers have 18. It may be remarked that all of these characters are more or less variable. The Pike Perch has received a great many common names. One of the most unsuitable is " Susquehanna Salmon," which is used in Pennsylvania. In the Eastern * Proc. Linn. Soc. N. V. No. 9, p. 36, 1897. THE FOOD AXn CAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 399 States the species is styled the Perch Pike or the Pike Percli, Glasseye and Wall-eyed Pike. In the (ireat Lakes region it is known as Blue Pike, Yellow Pike, Green Pike and Grass Pike. In the Ohio Valley and Western North Carolina it is the Jack ; in Lake Erie and Canada, the Pickerel : in some parts of the (.)hi(3 Valley, the White Salmon or Jack Salmon. The Cree Indians call it the okiK^' and the French Cana- dians do)-c or picarcl. Among the fur traders of British America it is called the Hornfish. The Pike' Perch or Wall-eyed Pike inhabits the Great Lakes region and extends northward into British America, where it has been recorded as far as 58° north by Dr. Richardson. It ranges south in the Mississippi Valley to Arkansas, and in Atlantic streams to Georgia. According to Dr. Meek the species is found in Cayuga Lake, but is not common. In Lake Champlain it is one of the principal game fishes. James Annin, Jr., of Caledonia, obtained specimens in the Canandaigua Lake region. It has been introduced into numer(jus lakes by the Fisheries, Game and Forest Com- PIKF, PF,RCH. mission of New York. The U. S. Fish Commission secured examples in the Oswego River at Oswego and at Point Breeze in August, 1894. This species is said to reach a weight of 50 pounds, but the average weight of the market specimens is less than 5 pounds. In the Susquehanna it occasionally reaches 10 pounds or upward in weight. The Pike Perch feeds on the bottom on other fishes, and has been charged even with destroying its own young. It prefers clear and rapid waters, and lurks under submerged logs and rocks, from \\liich it can readily dart on its prey. Spawning takes place in April and May, and in Pennsyl- vania continues till June. Favorite spawning localities are on sandy bars in shallow water. The period of hatching varies from about 14 to 30 days, depending on the temperature of the water. The eggs vary from about 17 to 25 to the inch, and a single female has been estimated to contain from 200,000 to 300,000. In a state of nature only a small percentage of the eggs are hatched out ; the greater proportion 400 SEVEXTII REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. arc driven on the lake sliores by storms or devoured by fishes on the spawning beds. The number of Pike Perch annually hatched b_\- artificial methods is enormous. This ad\-ance is due to improvements in the treatment of adhesive eggs. Formerly these were hatched b\^ placing them on glass plates, to which they readily adhere. Recently it has been found that the sticky substance can be washed off the eggs, after which they are placetl in jars and hatched like eggs of the Shad and Whitefish. "Dexter," in /-'ori'sf and Strcdiii, .August 14, iSgo, makes the following statement about the habits of this species in the lakes. These fish run up the rivers before or as soon as the ice is out, and after spawning lie off the rivers' mouth feeding on and off the sand flats, as the spring rains bring down plenty of worms, and probably other matter which the_\- feed on. As soon as the water gets warm, the_\- sag off and work along the shores in 10 to 30 feet of water, preferring cobbly bottom ; from here they go into very deep water, coming on the reefs to feed, and when the wind blows ver\- hard, or for a day or so after a big blow, yo\i will find them right on top of a reef. I think the winil changes the water o\'er the reefs, making a new current and cooler water, so they come up to feed. They are a bottom fish, and to fish for them successfully one must go to the bottom for them. They are nearly as particu- lar as Salmon Trout about tlie water they inhabit and conseciuently rank very high as a food fish, being white, solid and extremely free from bones. Color olivaceous, mingled with brassy; sides of the head vermiculated ; the dor- sals, caudal and pectoral with bands ; those of the dorsals and caudal not continuous; sides with about seven oblique dark bands, differing in direction : a jet black blotch on the membrane behind the last spine of the dorsal. The colors of the Pike Perch change remarkably with age. The young have oblique dark bands much like those of tlie Kiiigfish of our east coast, and bear little resemblance in the pattern of coloration to the jjarent. The e_\'e of the li\'ing fish is like a glowing emerald. The rate of growth must be rapid. In July, 1888, we took examples from 4 to C inches long, some of which seemed to be the young of the year. This is one of the finest food and game fishes of the United States. Its flesh is firm and white, flaky and well flavored. Commercially the species ranks high in the Great Lakes region, being next in importance to the W^hitefish. In angling for the Pike Perch live Minnows are used in preference to all other baits, particularly such as are more or less transparent anil with silvery sides, as the Fallfish or Dace, the Corporal Roach, the Redfin and the Gudgeon. On some parts of the Susquehanna, between Columbia and llarrisburg, the favorite mode of capture is by trolling with the spoon with tiie same kind of tackle as is used for the Black Bass. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW VOKK. 4OI In November of 1896 and 1897, Mr. Annin shipped adult individuals from Canan- daigua Lake by express without an attendant, and there was scarcely any loss of fish in transportation, though the journey lasts 12 hours. The Blue Pike of Lake Erie, or White Salmon of the Ohio River, was formerly distinguished byname from the common Pike Perch, but is now considered unworthy of a separate name. This is a very small variety seldom exceeding 15 inches in length and a weight of 2 pounds. The dorsal has 14 spines and 20 rays. The spines are rather lower than in the Pike Perch, the coloration similar, but the adult is bluish or greenish and has no brassy mottling. The fins are darker, and there is a trace of a band along the dorsal, besides the black blotcii on the hind portion. Jordan. & Evermann say of this variety: " The name saliiunicuui has been applied to the so-called ' Blue Pike ' originally described from the Ohio River, but more common in the Great Lakes, particularly Ontario and Erie. It is smaller and deeper in body than the ordinary vitrcum and different in color, but it is not likely that any permanent distinctions exist, this species, as usual among fresh-water fishes, varying largely with the environment and with age." 108. Sauger ; Sand-Pike {Stizostcdioit caiiadciisc Smith). Liiciopcrca canaJciisis DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 19, pi. 68, fig, 221, 1842 (e.\tra- limitdl). Stizostt'dioii canadcjise Meek, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci., IV, 314, 1888 ; Bean, Fishes Penna., 130, pi. 34, fig. 70, 1893 ; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1022, 1896, pi. CLXIV, fig. 434, 1900. Color olivaceous above ; sides brassy or pale orange, mottled with black in the form of irregular dark blotches, which are best defined under the soft dorsal. The spinous dorsal has several rows of round black spots on the membrane between the spines ; no black blotch on the hind part of the spinous dorsal. Pectorals with a large dark blotch at base : soft dorsal with several rows of dark spots irregularly placed ; caudal yellowish with dark spots forming interrupted bars. The Sauger is known also as Sand Pike, Gray Pike and Green Pike, Pickering, Pickerel and Horse P'ish. It is found in the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes region, the upper Mississippi and Missouri Ri\'ers and in the Ohio, where it is said to liave been introduced from the lakes through canals. This is a small fish, seldom exceeding 18 inches in length, and embraces several varieties. It is very common in the Great Lakes and is abundant in the Ohio River. It is doubtful whether it is native to Ohio or introduced. It is also found rarely in Cayuga Lake. 26 402 SKVENTII REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. Rev. Zadock Thompson, in his History of \'criHont, says it is mucli less common in Lake Champlain than the Pike I'eich, but is frequently taken in company with it. It usuall)' swims very near the bottom of the water, and hence it has received tlie name of Ground Pike (Pike Perch). As an article of food this species is locally held in the same high esteem as the common Pike Perch. John W. Titcomb of St. Johnsbury, Vt., informed Evermann and Kendall that the Sanger, or Rock Pike, as it is locally called, is caught in seines while fishing for the Pike Perch. It does not grow as large as the latter, and is not much valued as a food fish. The authors mentioned received two examples of the fish from .\. L. Collins, of .Swanton, Vt., one of them a nearly ripe female 14'i inches long, weighing three-fourths of a pound, the other an unripe male 15 inches long, weighing three-fourths of a pound. These specimens were believed to indicate that the Sauger spawns earlier than the Pike Perch. The stomach of the male contained a three-inch Minnow, too badly digested for identification, and a number of small insects. It is very e.xtensively used for food, but is not generalh" considered equal to the Pike Perch. 109 Gray Pike ; Sauger ; Sand Pike iStizostcdiou caiiadotsc grisciiiu DeKay). Liiiioperca gr/sea DeKav, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 19, 1842, Cireat Lakes; streams and inland lakes of Western New York. Stizostedion (anadensf griseiiiii Jordan \' Ever.m.\nn, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1022, 1896. This is the common Sand Pike or .Sanger of the Great Lakes region and south- westward. It differs from the typical caiiadcnsc chiefly in the smoother opercles and head bones, the fewer opercular spines, and the less complete scaling of the head. The two need fuller comparison and may prove to be distinct species, but this is unlikel\-. Len<.fth, 10 to iS inches. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 403 iio. Yellow Perch ; Ring Perch {Pcna flavcsccns Mitchill). Moronc fiavescfiis Mitchill, Report in I'art, 18, 1814. Bodianiis flavescens Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N, Y., 1, 421, 1815. Perca serrato-graniilata DeK.w, N. \ . Fauna, Fishes, 5, pi. 22, tig. 64, 1842 Perca granulata DeKay, op. cit. 5, \^\. 68, fig. 220, 1842. Pcna acuta DeKay, op. cit. 6, pi. 68, fig. 222, 1842. J'crca i^raci/is DeKay, op. cit. 6, 1842. Perca Jfavcscciis DeKav, op. cit. 3, pi. i, fig. i, 1842; Meek, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci., IV, 314, 1888; Bean, Fishes Penna., 126, color pi. 12, 1893; Evermann & Kendall, Rept. U. S. F. C for 1894, 602, 1896; Jordan & Ever.mann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1023, 1896, pi. CLXV, fig. 435, 1900; Bean, Bull. Am. Mas. Nat. Hist., IX, 365, 1897; Mearns, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., X, 320, 1898; Eugene Smith, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 37, i8g8. \ I LlOW PERCH. The Yellow Perch, Ringed Perch, or Striped Pcrcli is found throughout the Great Lakes region, rivers and ponds of New England and northwestward, and in streams east of the AUcghanies soutli to Georgia. It does not occur in the Ohio Valley or southwest, though, after the construction of the Oliio Canal, Kirtland recorded it from the Ohio Ri\-er. In 1790 Dr. Mitciiill transferred some of them from Ronkonkoma to Success Pond, a distance of 40 miles, where they soon multi- plied. In 1825 Yellow Perch were transported from Skaneateles to Otisco Lake and Onondaga Lake ; in the latter they increased remarkably. In Otsego Lake DeKay caught some weighing nearly 3 pounds. Meek states that the species is common throughout the Cayuga Lake basin. Evermann and Bean took it in the St. Law- rence River, 3 miles below Ogdensburg; also in Scioto Creek, Coopersville, N. Y., July 19, 1894, young specimens i^ to 1^4 inches long. 404 sKVH.Ni'ii ki:i'i)Rr ui' riii: fokkst, fish and came commission. The Yellow Perch is one of the most abundant fishes of Lake Champlain and in the mouths of rivers falling into that lake. The fish abounds in the parks of New York and Brooklyn. In the Hudson Highlands Dr. Mearns reported it as abundant in the Hudson as well as in all of the larger mountain lakes and ponds. It habitually frequents Poplopen's Creek from its source to its mouth. In the Hudson, he was informed, it is unusual to take specimens weigliing more than i pound ; but in Poplopen's Pond he has taken a number that weighed about 2 pounds each. In the same pond Jerome Deuna caught two which weighed 2^ to 3 pounds each ; and a fisherman named Samuel Runnels assured Dr. Mearns that he had taken a Yellow Perch there which weighed 4'4. pounds. The fish continue to feed in that region throughout the winter. Eugene Smith obtained the fish in Greenwood Lake, Orange County, and in Hack- ensack streams, in Rockland County. The species reaches a length of i foot and weight of 2 pounds. It is one of the best known of our food fishes and has excellent game qualities. Its flesh, how- ever, is rather soft and coarse and is far inferior to that of the Black Bass and other members of the Sunfish family. It is a voracious feeder, its food consisting of small fishes, crustaceans and other animal matter. The Yellow Perch spawns early in the spring. The eggs are adhesive and enclosed in thin translucent strips of adhesive mucus. The spawning of this species was described by William P. Seal in Forrs/ and Strc-aiii of April 17, 1890. The spawning season extends from December to y\pril. Mr. Seal describes the egg mass as having the shape of a long tube, closetl at the ends and arranged in folds like the bellows of an accordion. Wlien fcjlded the mass was about 8 to 12 inches long, but was capable of being drawn out to a length of 3 or 4 feet. Spawning in the aquarium took place at night and was observed b_\- William Maynard, who describes it as follows: "The female remained quiet in one spot on the bottom of one of the hatching aquaria tanks, one or more of the males hovering over and about lier with pectoral fins vibrating with intense acti\it\-. The males would at times lie close alongside of her and at other times endeavor to force themselves under her with the evident intention of assisting in the extrusion of the eggs." Mr. Seal remarks that " the roe when taken from the dead fish not \-et ripe is in a single compact mass, covered by a thin membrane ; but in spawning the mass separates, one side being spawned before the other." This was noticed in a specimen which had spawned one side and appeared to be unable to get rid of the other. It was stripped from her and arti- ficially fertilized successfully. Mr. Seal believes that the Yellow Perch spawns at the age of one year. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 405 The Yellow Perch thrives moderately in captivity, though susceptible to attacks of fungus, which are easily overcome by the use of brackish water. III. White Bass {Rocr/ts c/irysops Rafinesque). Labrax alhiJiis DeKw, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 13, pi. 51, fig. 165, 1843, Buffalo. Rocciis chrysops Bean, Fishes Penna., 132, pi. 34, fig. 71, 1893; KuU. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 365, 1897; JoRD.^N & EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1132, 1896, pi. CLXXX, fig. 477, 1900; Eugene Smith, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y., 1897, 38, 1898. General color silvery, tinged with golden on sides; eight or more blackish longitudinal streaks on sides, those below more or less interrupted. WHITE BASS. The following measurements were taken from a specimen obtained by Mr. James Annin, Jr., in Oneida Lake, September 4, 1896: INCHES. E.Ktreme length, - . _ . \2\i Length to end of middle caudal rays, ------- ui^ Length to end of scales, - 10 Depth of body, - . . , ^ Least depth of caudal peduncle, -----... ji^ Length of head, -------.... / Length of snout, - - - . y^ Diameter of eye, ------..... 9/^^ Length of fourth dorsal spine, iS^ Length of second dorsal ray, ii/ Length of second anal ray, ----..... js/ Weight, 16^ ounces. 406 SKVKXTII KErORT OK I'llK FOREST, FISH AM) GAME COMMISSION. The White Bass is sometimes called Striped liass, and is jirobably the Silver Bass of Canada. Its center of abundance is the Great Lakes region, but it is also widely distributed over the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys. In Pennsylvania the species is found in Lake I'^rie and in the tributaries of the Ohio Ri\-er. The L^ S. l^'ish Commission secured three specimens at Horse Island, Sackett's Harbor, N. v., June 30. The New Jersey Fish Commission has introduced the fish into Greenwood Lake. The Wiiite Bass weighs from l to 3 pounds, and its flesli is considered almost if not equally as good as that of the ]51ack Bass. It prefers the deeper parts of rivers and thrives best in lakes and ponds, hi April and Ma_\' tlie_\' leave the deeper waters and go in near shore or to the mouths of rivers where they spawn. The spawning period is in May and June. The White Bass feeds upon Minnows, Crawfish and other fresh-water crustaceans, also minute moUusks or shellfish, and it is said to devour many young Whitefish upon the spawning grounds of that species. It is a game fish and affords good sport to the angler. 112. Striped Bass; Rock fish iKoii/is liin-atus Bloch). Jiocriis striatiis Mitchii.i,, Rept. Fish. N, V. 25, 1814. Prrui mitchilli .Mrrciiii.i,, Trans. Lit. cV Phil. .Sof. X. Y.. I, 413, pi. Ill, fig. 4, 1815. Pfiiit iiiitihilli altcniata .MrrcHti.i., Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I. 415, 1815. Perca mitchilli intcrnipta MrrcHii.i., Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 415, 1815. Labrax lineatiis DeKay, N. \". Fauna, Fishes, 7, pi. i, fig. 3, 1842. Roccus lineatus Bf,.\n', 19th Kept. Conim. Fish, X. ^■., 267, pi. XYIII, fig. 22, 1890; Fishes Penna., 131, color pi, 14, 1893; jSull, Am, Mus, Nat. Hist., IX, 365, 1897; Joru.\n & EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. .S. Nat. Mus,, 1132, 1S96, pi, CLXXX, fig, 478, 1900; Eugene Smith, I'roc, Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1S97, 38, 1898; Me.\kxs, P.ull. Am, Mus, Nat. Hist., X, 321, T898; H. M. S.mith, Hull. V . S. F. C, for 1897, 99, 1898; Bean, 52d ,\nn. Rept, N, \", State Mus., 105, 1900. Sides greenish above, silvery below, sometimes \\\\.\\ a brassy lustre and marked by seven or eight longitudinal streaks none of which are lialf as wide as the eye, one of them ])assing along the lateral line ; the lowermost stripe is somewhat below the miildle of the depth. In tile southern United .States from New Jersey to Florida the Striped Bass is known as the Rock or Rockfish. In the Northern States the name .Striped Bass is more generally used than the other, especially .ilong the coast. In the Delaware, Susquehanna and Potomac Ri\-ers it is called Rockfish. Green Head and Sepiid THE FOOD AND GAiVIK FISIIKS OF NEW YORK. 407 Hound are names applied to large individuals found in the sea in New England waters. One of the old names of the fish is Streaked Bass. Rock fish and Striped Bass, according to Schoepff (1787), are among the early New York names for this highly prized species. Dr. Mitchill (1814) calls it MitchilTs Perch, Striped Basse and Rock fish. DeKay describes it as the Striped Sea Bass. Streaked Bass is another name in use in 1815, and a very interesting account of the fish under this name is published by Dr. James Mease in the first volume of the Transactions of the Literary and Pliilosopliical Society of Nczu York. Dr. Mease in this article states that Rock fish weighing from 25 pounds to 60 pounds are called Green- heads. At the time of his writing, the fishing ground for the Philadelphia and New York markets was between Long. Branch and Cranberry Inlet, an extent of about thirty miles, and the great places of winter resort were Motetecunk, 30 miles from Long Branch, and the rivers of Elk and Egg Harbor. STRIPF.D BASS. The range of the Striped Bass or Rockfish includes the entire Atlantic coast from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico, the fish entering rivers and ascending them long distances. In the Alabama River this fish is known to be taken every year and some large individuals have been obtained from that stream. It-has been captured also in the lower Mississippi. It is very abundant in the great bays and sounds from North Carolina to Cape Cod. In Albermarle Sound many large individuals are said to occur. In the St. John's River, Florida, according to Dr. Goode, the fish is rather rare. In the vicinity of Pensacola the late Silas Stearns occasionally obtained a specimen of the fish. The Striped Bass has been introduced into California and has now become fairly acclimated there. In the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers this is one of the com- mon fishes and it is one of the most highly esteemed. This is a permanent resident of Gravesend Bay, but the height of the fishery occurs from Oct(iber 10 to Nox-ember 10. Large fish, up to 45 pounds, are caught 408 SKVEXTII KKTOKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. ill May, but tlic fall fish range from 9 inches to 24 inches in length. In Great South Bay the writer has obtained specimens at Blue Point Cove, Great River, Nichols's Point, and off Widow's Creek. A great haul was made on Lone Hill Middleground about the midtlle of October, 1901. The fish remains in some of the tributaries of Great South Ba_\- throughout the year. y\ccordingto Dr. Mcarns the species is taken in great numbers in nets set through the ice of the Hudson in winter, and in drift nets by shad fishermen in spring. Large individuals of 60 i^ounds and upward are sometimes caught in the winter and early spring. He once took a specimen a little above the estuary of Poplopen's Creek, in fresh water. At the time of Dr. Mitchill's report the greatest run occurred late in the fall, and the great hauls were made during the coldest season, including some very large fish. He saw, however, a dozen at a time weighing 50 pounds each in New York market during very mild weather, in early October. This fish lives in the sea or in brackish or fresh water indifferently and it has been successfully kept in artificial ponds. In cold, northern waters it becomes ice bound occasionally and is said to hibernate. It prefers cold water, is carnivorous and pre- daceous, feeding upon small fislies in the streams, consuming especially large quanti- ties of the Alewife or River Herring and the young of the .Shad. In the shallow bays along the coasts its food consists of Killitish, .Silversitles, Anciiovies, Lant and other small fishes, besides crabs, squid, clams, mussels and other marine inverte- brates. Its movements while feeding depend greatly upon the tides. It is to be found frequently at the mouths of small creeks and in tideways, where it lies in wait for the large schools of small fishes, which constitute its food. The largest Striped Bass recorded was said to weigh 112 pounds. At Avoca, North Carolina, Dr. Capehart took a Striped Bass weighing 95 pounds. It reaches a length of 4}4 or 5 feet. Spawning takes place from April to June, either in the rivers or in the brackish waters of bays and sounds. Eggs have been hatched artificially in May on Albermarle Sound. Dr. Capehart took a 58-pound spawning fish April 22, 1891. The eggs are smaller than those of the .Shad, and after fertilization the)- increase greatly in size and become light green in color. This 58-pound fish probabh' contained more than one-half million eggs. Dr. Abbott has found the young an inch long in the Delaware the second week in June, and by the middle of October some of these had grown to a length of 4'i inches. The Striped Bass has been kept in a small pool of fresh water and fed upon crabs and oysters, increasing in about eleven months from 6 inches in length to 20 inches. In the aquarium the species is hardy and grows rapidly; it can be ke[)t in good condition almost indefinitely. In a Rhode Island THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 4O9 pond it is stated that Bass weighing ■< pound to i pound in June had reached a weight of 6 pounds in the following October. In fre!-h water, salted eel tail is a favorite bait for taking Striped Bass, and the spoon or spinner is also a good lure, but live Minnows are preferred to all other baits. For surf fishing shedder crab well fastened to the hook is a very killing bait. 113. White Perch [Moi-ohl- ai/tcricattn Gmelin). Moronc rufa Mitchill, Rept. Fish. N. Y., 18, 1814, New York. Morone pallida Mitchill, Rept. Fish. N. Y., 18, 1814, New York. Bodianus rufiis Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 420, 1815. Labrax riifiis DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 9, pi. 3, fig. 7, 1842. Labrax pallidus DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 11, pi. i, fig. 2, 1842. Labrax nigricans DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 12, pi. 50, fig. 160, 1842. Roccus americanus Beax, 19th Rept. Comm. F'ish. N. Y., 268, pi. XIX, fig. 23, 1890. Morone americana Bean, Fishes Penna., 133, pi. 15, 1893; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1 134, 1896, pi. CLXXXI, fig. 479, 1900; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 366, 1897; Mearns, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., X, 321, 1898; Eugene Smith, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y., 1897, 39, 1S98; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C, 1897, 99, 189S; Bean, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 105, 1900. This is the Perch or River Perch of Schoepff, which he records as an inhabitant of the coasts of New York and Long Island, in and at the mouths of fresh-water streams. Dr. Mitchill (181 5) gives it the name of Red Perch, and states that when not in the breeding season it is called Black Perch because its colors are browner and darker. DeKay describes it, in the Fislics of Nciv York, as the Ruddy Bass. In Great Egg Harbor Bay individuals taken from salt water are sometimes called Yellow Perch or Peerch. The species is found from Nova Scotia to South Carolina, and inhabits both salt and fresh water. Mitchill saw specimens 14 inches long and nearly 5 inches deep, from Quag, Long Island. There is an important winter fishery for the White Perch at Bellport. It is taken in seines and gill nets. The writer has occasionally found this species in \'arious parts of Great South Bay, for example, at Smith's Point, Whale House Hole, Swan River, also in the east end of Shinnecock Bay, in the fresh water of Head of Creek, near Southampton. The fishermen affirm that when its feeding grounds are disturbed by seining the fish suddenly leave the locality. The White Perch is never plentiful in Gravesend Bay ; it is abundant in fresh-water lakes of Central Park, New York, and Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Near Montauk, Long Island, the species is abundant and reaches a large size. Eugene Smith has 410 .sK\'K.\iii KKi'oRT OK riip; i()Ki:si', Kisii ANM) c;amk commission. fouiui it common in braci^isii \v;Ulm's near New York, where it occurs all the year; he had it also from fresh water. iMearns states that it remains in the Hudson throughout the )-ear and is taken in abundance in winter in nets set throu^di the ice. In Oscawana Lake, Putnam Count}-, individual:; \\'eighiny; 2 or 3 pounds were reported to him. In the vicinity of Woods Hole, Mass., the fish is abundant in fresh-water ponds connected with salt water. It is said that the White Perch formerly extended south to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, but this is discredited by competent observers. The Perch of Lake I'onchartrain is very likely the species now known in many portions of the Western States as the I'resh-wateT Drum, Aplodi)iotus i^rhiiiiicns. The averajje length of the White Perch is about 9 inches and its weight 'i pound or less, but numerous specimens measuring 14 inches and weighing 2 pounds or more have been taken, especially in New England waters. WMIIK PERCH. At the time of Dr. Mitchill's writing the species was a favorite in New York markets, and it is now one of the best known species although probably not ranking among the choicest kinds. Thad. Norris was one of tiie most earnest supporters of the White Perch, and has publisheil interesting observations concerning its habits. Comparatively little, however, is known about its life. It is an associate of the Striped Bass, and, accord- ing to Dr. Abbott, resembles this species in its feetling habits. It differs from the Striped H.iss in its teiulenc)- to seek warm waters. The White Perch is a lover of l)rackisli water, and may be found in tidal creeks in wist numbers associated with Mummichogs, .SiKersides and Kels, feeding ii[)on Shrimp antl .Minnows. Spawning takes place in May antl June. According to Pro- THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 41 1 fessor John A. Ryder, the egg of the White Perch is very adhesive, and on this account is troublesome to hatch artificially. In the experiments made by him the eggs were taken upon cotton yarn, which was drawn up through a funnel into which the eggs and milt had been squeezed from the spawning fish. The cord, covered with the adhering eggs, was then wrapped upon a wooden reel and sent under cover of damp cloths to the central station, where they arrived in fine condition, almost every egg being impregnated. This system was devised and carried out under the superintendence of Col. M. McDonald. After reaching the central station the cotton cord with the adhering eggs was cut into lengths of 10 or 12 inches and suspended in the glass hatching jars. The development was soon interfered with by the growth of fungus. When the wooden reel with the adhering eggs was introduced into a wide aquarium fungus also attacked the eggs as before but the results were some- what more favorable. With the water at 58° to 60° F. the eggs hatched out in 6 days. The White Perch congregates in large schools and is one of the freest biters among fishes. The shrimp is one of the best baits, though worms, sturgeon eggs, Minnows and strips of cut fish with silvery skin are equally effective. Dr. Abbott has known as many as 20 dozen to be taken with a line in a few hours, and Spangler mentions catches of six or seven hundred in a day by two rods, the fish ranging in weight from ^ to i ^ pounds. Eugene Smith, on several occasions, found a long, green, brackish-water alga {jEnteroinorplia) in stomachs of White Perch, indicating that they sometimes eat vegetable matter, though perhaps only for the minute organisms found upon it. In captivity the fish is very susceptible to fungus attacks, but the parasite is readily killed by changing the water supply from salt to fresh, or vice versa. 114. Sea Bass ; Black Fish {Ccntropristcs stnatus Linnceus). Perca varia Mitchill, Rept. Fish. N. Y., 11, 1814 ; Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 415, pi. 3, fig. 6, 1 815, New York. Centropristes nigricans Y)Y.Y^k\\ N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 24, pi. 2, fig. 6, 1842; Bean, 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y., 266, pi. XVII, fig. 21, 1S90. Ccntropristcs striata^ Joru.an & Eigenm.\nn, Bull. U. S. F. C, VIII, 391, pi. 64, 1890; J0RD.\N & EvERM.\X-\, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1199, 1S96, pi. CXC, fig. 500, 1900; Bean, Bull. .\m. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 366, 1897; H. M. S.mith, Bull. U. S. F. C, 1897, 100, 1898; Bean, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 105, 1900. Dusky brown or black, adults often bluish, more or less mottled, with traces of pale longitudinal streaks along the rows of scales; young greenish, often with a dark 412 SliVENTH REl'OKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. lateral band, sometimes broken up forming cross-bars; dorsal fin with several series of elongate, whitish spots, forming interrujited lines ; other fins dusky, mottled. The Sea Bass is the Pcrca varia of Mitchill, Fish. N. Y. p. 4.15. Common names given by this autlior arc Sea Basse, Black-Harry, Hanna Hills and Blue fish. Schoepff (1787) gives the New York name as Black fish ; DeKay has it as the Black Sea Bass, also Black Bass and Black fish. Dr. Storer records the Massachusetts name of Black Perch. Other common names on the coast are Black Will (Middle States) and Rock Bass (New Bedford). The Sea Bass is found from Vineyard Sound southward, its southern limit not being accurately determined, but probabh- not extending below Cape Hatteras. The southern form, which was described by Linnaeus from South Carolina, may be distinct from the northern, and if so it should be designated by the Linnasn name atraria. ''■^^^^^g^ -m The northern form has been found occasionally north of Cape Cod, at Nahant, Salem, and Beverly Bar. Dr. Smith reported it as very common at Woods Hole in 1898, where it arrives in May and departs from the inshore waters about October i, being most abundant fmrn July to September. It spawns there in June. The young are first seen about y\ugust i. The maximum weight is 6 pounds. In 1900 the Sea Bass was said to be remarkably scarce at Woods Hole. According to the observers of the Fish Commission this fish is decreasing rapidly in numbers. Hand- lining, even on the spawning grounds ofT Hyannis was remarkably poor and young fish were less numerous than usual. As a rule the first adults appear in their sea- sonal migration during the first or second week in May, when the water has reached a temperature of 48^ to 50° F. However, in spite of the cold of 1900, they appeared at Cuttyhunk and Menemsha Bight on April 28 — with one exception the earliest THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 413 arrival recorded in 25 years. Formerly the young were abundant everywhere, but at present they are restricted to a few localities — Katama Bay, Quisset Harbor and VVareham River. The first fry were seined July 31 and measured X^ of an inch in length. On October 20, young fish 2 to 3 inches long were very plentiful in Katama 15ay. In 1S84 the writer obtained young examples only, and these in moderate numbers, at Fire Lsland near the end of September. In 1890 a few individuals were observed in a net at Islip. In 1898, adults were taken in abundance off shore at Southampton in August and half-grown specimens were secured from a pound at Islip. Young Sea Bass were rather common at Point of Woods, Great South Bay, Clam Pond Cove, Fire Island Inlet, Oak Island Beach, and Nichols's Point. In the summer of 1901, early July to the middle of October, only a few young individuals were taken, and these were secured in eel pots off Widow's Creek, Great South Bay. The Sea Bass makes its appearance in Gravesend Bay in May. It is not abundant. The )'oung in October are found in the eel grass, measuring from i jX to 2 inches in length. The species is well adapted to life in aquarium tanks during all but the coldest months. The Sea Bass is distinguished for its voracity and its persistent biting. The young are found in the channels of shallow bays and about wharves and landings. Large fish frequent the off-shore banks where the bottom is rocky. A famous locality is Five Fathom Bank, off the coast of New Jersey. In the shallow waters of Great Egg Harbor Bay, hundreds of small-sized Sea Bass may be taken in a day, and it is difficult to find a locality which is free from them, Their food consists of shrimps, crabs, sea worms, squid, small fishes and all other animals of suitable size. The species is sluggish in its habits and resembles the Tautog in its tendency to hide in rock crevices. The Sea Bass breeds in the summer months and the young grow rapidly. The eggs ha\'e been hatched artifically, and when it becomes desirable the fry can be produced in vast quantities. The eggs are /Ca of an inch in diameter and hatch in 5 days in water at the temperature of 59° or 60° 1'. At Woods Hole, Mass., they are deposited in June. This is a valuable food fish, reaching a length of 18 inches and the weight of 6 pounds. 414 SKVKXTII REPORT OK TIIK l-ORKST, ITSH AM) OAMK COMMISSION. 115. Flasher; Triple-tail (Lobotcs sKrinaiuciisis Bloch). Holocentrus SKriiiaiiiciisis Bloch, Ichth., pi. 243, 1790, Surinam. Bodianiis triiinis .MircHiLl., Tran.s. Lit. X: Pliil. Soc, I, 418, jil. Ill, fig. 10, 1815, Powles Hook, N. J. Lohotes auctorum GUnther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., I, 338, 1859. Lobotes surinamensis Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., V, 319, 1830; DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 88, pi. 18, fig. 49, 1S42, Now York; Holbrook, Ichth. S. C, ed. I, 159, \)\. 23, fig. 2, 1856; Jordan & C'.ilbekt, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 555, 1883; Jordan & Ever.mann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1235, 1896, pi. CXCIV, fig. 510, 1900; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 100, 1898; Sherwood & Edwards, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1901, 28, 1901, Narragansett Bay. ■yfvy^. Sl?:5'#'^^f ;C.^. . \-^^<^ Blackish above, silvery gray on the sides, often blotched and tinged with yellow; fins dusky gray, sometimes mingled with yellow. The Flasher is a large species, found in all warm seas, ranging on our coast from Cape Cod to Panama ; it reaches the length of 3 feet and is used for food. At Woods Hole, according to Dr. .Smitlr, it is vcr\- rarely taken. Specimens were secured, however, in August, 1873, December, 1875, September 20, 1886, and in August, i8go. The individual obtained in 1886 was caught in a trap at Menemsha, Martha's Vineyard. The Rhode Island Fish Commission has a specimen weighing 6 pounds and measuring 22 inches, which was taken September 10, 1900, in a trap off Prudence Island, Narragansett Bay. Tlie example described and figured by Mitchill was taken at Powles Hook, N. J. According to Mitchill specimens weighing 4 or 5 pounds were occasional!)^ secured, and the fish was sometimes called Black Grunt. DcKay knew the fish only from the accounts of it given bv Mitchill and Holbrook. 'Hi THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 4'5 Il6. Red Snapper (NcoiiKenis black f or di Goode & Bean). LiitjaiiKS /ihu-kjiin/ii(',<.-)in)v.isi Dean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mui., I, 176, 1878 (full description of adult); II, IJ7, 138, 1879, characters and measurements of young; GooDE, (lame Fishes N. .\., 16, 1878, with colored plate. Li(tjaiiii$ blackfordi Jord.'\n' & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 549, 1SS3; ]5ean, 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y., 263, pi. XVI, fig. 20, 1890. Neomcenis nya Jordan & Evermaxx, F.idl. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1264, 1898, pi. CXCVII, fig. 516, 1900 (not Bodiaiiiis aya Bloch, Ichth., 227, 1790); H. M. Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 100, 1898. Color uniform .scarlet. Center of scales lighter, also the belly, which is silvery ; inside of axil of pectoral darker maroon. red sxappkr. On October 26, 1887, Mr. E. G. Blackford, P'ish Commissioner of the State of New York, forwarded to the National Museum a young Red .Snapper, four and one half inches long, which was caught in Great South Bay, at Bay Shore, Long Island. This is the smallest Red Snapper that we have obtained, and it is the first record of the occurrence of the species so far north. The specimen has been catalogued as 39,213 of the National Museum Fish Register. As in other young fishes the size of the eye, the length of the head and the colors are different from these characters in the adult. A description of the colors of the fresh fish follows : A dark band nearly as wide as the diameter of the eye is placed immediately in front of the spinous dorsal ; it fades out about the median line of the body. Three similar bands, and of like size, under the dorsal, separated by narrow interspaces and fading out below. The fourth band contains a blotch as large as the eye, which passes slightly beneath the latend line. A fifth band is under the last third of the 4l6 SKVKNTll RKl'ORT OK TIIK KORKST, FISH AM) GAME COMMISSION. soft dorsal ami c-d///i(j. Elsewhere in the descrip- tion the general color is said to be red, the back dark red, and the belly silvery. This is all the information to be derived from Bloch's account of the species, and if the data mentioned are to be relied upon, the fish is certainly not our Red Snapper. \Vc have no other knowledge concerning the irytr of Brazil. It iias n(jt been shown that our species ranges so far south and several red forms resembling L. blackfordi are associated with it. Various interpretations of the aya have appeared in ichthyo- logical works. Dr. Giinther, in his Catalogue of Fishes in the British Museiiiii, vol. I, page 198, adopts the name for a small-scaled Lii/Jaiius, which has 65 scales in the lateral line and 32 in a transverse scries. Of this he has a fine specimen from South America. A very curious translation of the earlier descriptions of the aya is to be found in Lacepede's account of the species, which is given below. The diagnostic characters are stated as follows : Nine spines and 18 articulated rays in the dorsal; I spine and 8 divided rays in the anal ; the caudal crescent-shaped ; each operclc terminating in a long and flat spine; the general color red; the back blood color; the belly silvery. The author, in another part of his Natural History of Fishes, writes : A figure of the aya has been published by Marcgrave, Piso, Willughby, Johnston, Ruysch, the prince of Nassau [Maurice] and Bloch, who has copied the drawing of Prince Maurice. It is found in lakes of Brazil. It frequently reaches a length of i meter, and it is so plentiful that large numbers of this species are salted or sun-dried for export. It may be very desirable and, perhaps, sufificiently easy to acclimatize this large and beautiful bodianus, the flesh of which is very agreeable to the taste, in the fresh waters of Europe, and particularly in lakes and ponds of France. 117. Pig Fish; Hog Fish {Orthopristis ehrysopterus Linna;us). Labriis ful-eoniaculatus Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Pliil. Soc. N. Y., I, 406, 1S15, New York. Haemidoii fiilvoiiiaculatiiiii IJeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Pishes, 84, pi. 7, fig. 21, 1842, New York. Orthopristis ehrysopterus Bean, Bull. U: S. F. C, VII, 142, pi. Ill, fig. 11, 1888; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 366, 1897; Jordan & Evermann, Bull, 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1338, 1898, pi. CCX, fig. 541, 1900. Light brown, silvery below; siiles with numerous orange colored and yellow spots; those above the lateral line in oblique series, those below in horizontal; vertical fins with similar spots; head bluish with yellow spots; angle of mouth and gill membranes with orange. The Pig Fish ranges along the Atlantic coast from New York southward ; adult 27 41 8 SEVENTH RETORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AXP GAME COMMISSION. individuals arc rarely seen even as far north as New Jersey, but the young are common. At Hecsley's Point, N. J., August lo, 1887, many young individuals were taken in tile seine. D. XII, 16; A. Ill, 13; scales, 75. .'\ dark stripe beginning on nape and dividing sends one branch along the back on each side not far from dorsal outline : a dark stripe from eye to root of cautial ; cheeks and opercles with several narrow orange stripes; a narrow orange stripe between the two dark body stripes and another below the lower dark stripe; below the second orange stripe are numerous orange spots, not continuous. These specimens are from less than i inch to more than 2 inches long. ,A?^:k^.^ ^^:S£^^ Young examples were seined at .Somers Point, August 13, and abundantly at Ocean City, August 16. The croaking sound made by these little fishes is quite noticeable. September 5, Mr. W. S. Keates brought in two examples which had been caught on a hook with clam bait; these are i,-H "iches long, and much larger than the average size. Specimens from 4!^ to 5 inches long were caught at Beesley's Point August 23 ; in these there is only a trace of the black lateral stripe along the median line, and the sides have several broad, dark bands. September 9 an indivitlual 5'-, inches long was taken at Beesley's Point. This species is unknown to the fishermen. (3ne angler described its croaking as resembling the quacking of a duck. Several examples were taken in (iravesend Bay, October 24, 1894. DeKay mentions it as a rare fish, but occasionally appearing, he was informed, in New York Harbor in considerable numbers. He states that it is a very savory food. b. c o q: I o (/) D u b z u I- (f) /6 o d CI O 01 THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 419 118. Scup ; Porgy ; Sand Porgee {Stciiotoinus c/in'so/^s Liniiiuus). Labnis versicolor Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 404, pi. Ill, fig. 7, 1815, New York. Sargiis areiiosiis DeK.w, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 91, pi. 22, fig. 67, 1S42, Long Island; young. Fagn/s argvrops DeKav, op. cit. 95, pi. IX, fig. 25, 1842; adult. Diplodiis argyrops JORU.\N & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mas., 557, 1883. Stcnotomin chrysops Bean, Bull. U. S. F. C, VII, 142, tSSS; 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y., 261, pi. XIV, fig. 18, 1890; Jordan & Fesler, Rept. U. S. F. C. 1889 to 1891, 507, 1893; Bean, Bull. .Vm. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 366, 1897; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 100, 1898; Jordan cV- Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1346, 1898, pi. CCXI, fig. 544, 1900; Bean, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. .State Mus., 106, 1900; Sherwood & Edwards, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1901, 28, 1901. v*^. Color silvery, with bright reflections, dusky above, upper part of head deep brown ; dorsal horn color, the last rays with a yellowish tinge ; axil of pectoral dusky; young with five or six dusky bars; iris golden, mottled with silvery and brownish. Length, about i foot. The Scup is one of our best known fishes. In many places it is better known under the name Po-rgee. Mitchill and DeKay described it as the Big Porgee. Another spelling for the same name is Pogy. Scup is an abbreviation of Scuppaug, which in turn is a shorter form for the Narragan.sett name, Mishcuppauog. The name Fairmaid, which is said to be given to the Scup on the Virginia coast, does not rightfully belong to this species, but rather to the Sailor's Choice {Lagodon). The 420 SEVENTH REPORT {>V THE EOREST, EISII AM) CAME COMMISSION. name I'ainnaid is rcc^ularly applied to the latter species at Cape Charles, Va., accordiiii; to B. A. Bean. In Norfolk, Va., Mr. Bean heard the name Maiden for the young of the common Sciip. The Scup seldom migrates north of Cape Cod, although it has been taken occa- sionall)' off Cape Ann. Attempts to introduce it into Massachusetts Bay have been unsuccessful. The .Scuj) comes into our northern waters in great schools, the large spawning fish coming first, making their appearence in New York waters in May. The species feeds upon small crustaceans, moUusks and annelids, and is one of the readiest biters along the coast. The fishery fluctuates greatly ; in certain years the fish is comparatively scarce, and in others it is extremely abundant. It is caught in pounds and traps, and remains in Great South l^ay until cold w-eather sets in. It has been taken on Cape Cod as late as December lo. Sometimes a sudden cold spell kills the fish in large numbers. In 1890 we found only a few specimens at Fire Island and at East Island, late in September, and on October 1 a few examples were taken in a trap at Islip. In 1898 adults were taken in moderate numbers off Southampton August 3. Half-grown specimens were obtained at Islip August 18. A single young individual was seined at Nichols's Point September i, and a moderate number of young, about 2 inches long, were secured at the east side of Fire Island Inlet September 16. In 1901 small Scup, about 6 inches long, were obtained in a gill net August 13, and In Watt's Pound, July 31, in Clam Pond Cove. The Scup arrives in Gravesend Bay in May, and is taken as late as November. In captivit)- it lives until December, and in properly heated water it can be kept indefinitely. It is thrifty, and is seldom in bad condition. At Woods Hole, Mass., according to Dr. Smith, the fish appears about May i and leaves about October 15 or 20, being most abundant in June and July. Spawning occurs during first part of June, and young '.. inch to 3^ inch long are observed by the middle of July. The eggs are '/-.r, inch in diameter and liatch in 4 days at a mean temperature of 62° F. In 1900 the Scup arri\-ed off Newport April 21, at Cutty Hunk April 26, and at Woods Hole May i. Hundreds of young are killed there annually by a sudden fall of temperature. The growth of the young is recorded by Sherwood & Edwards as follows: July 3, length y, to ly, inches August 2, I ^ to 2 inches; September 6. 2 to 3 inches; September 29, 3 to 4 inches; November !, 4 inches. The largest individuals observed weighed 3 pounds. The young are devoured in large numbers by Cod, Weakfish, Bluefish and other predaceous species. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 421 119. Sailor's Choice (J^agodon rhoinboidcs Linnneus). Sarins rlwmboides DeKav, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 93, pi. 71, fig. 228, 1842, copied from CuviF.R & Valenciennes. Lagodon rlwmboides Holbrook, Ichth. S. C, ed. i, 56, pi. 8, .fig. i, 1856; ed. 2, 59, i860; Bean, 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y., 263, 1890; Bull. Am. Mas. Nat. Hist., IX, 366, 1897; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. .S. F. C. 1897, loi, 1898; Jordan & Ever- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1358, 1898, pi. CCXV, fig. 552, 1900. The Sailor's Choice feeds upon small invertebrates and Minnows. It is caught ith the hook and in cast nets and seines. Brownish, white below : sides of head and body with horizontal stripes of light SAILOR'S CHOICE blue and golden ; six or seven very faint darker vertical bands, disappearing with age; vertical fins yellowish, 'with bluish stripes; a dark axillary spot. This is called the Salt Water Bream by Schcepff and the Rhomboidal Forgee by DeKay. In Chesapeake Bay it is the Fairmaid. It is also called Pin fish. Squirrel fish, Porgee, Yellow Tail and Shiner. In Great South Bay the name of the fish was unknown to the fishermen, and this is true in Great Egg Harbor Bay, where the young are not uncommon in summer. In Gravesend Bay it is not a common fish, but is found occasionally in summer. A single individual was obtained at Fire Island October i. Tiie Sailor's Choice occurs as far north as Cape Cod, but it is not present in sufficient numbers to be considered among the important food fishes ; south of Cape Hatteras, where it is 422 SEVKNTIl KKI'OKT OK TIIK KOKKST, FISH AMI CAMI', COMMISSION. abundant, it is valuable for food, and in many places is considered superior to Sheepshead ; this is especially so in the St. John's River. The eggs are described as j)ale blue in color and as large as mustard seed. Spawning takes place in the Gulf of Mexico in winter or spring. The colors of the fish are very beautiful, the sides being ornamented with golden stripes on a pearly white ground and having numerous dark \-crtical bands. 120. Sheepshead {Arrf/osur^i^/ts probatoccplialus Walbaum). Spams oris Mrrcuii.!., Trans, l^it. & Phil. Soc. N. V., I, 392, pi. 2, fig. 5, 1815, New York. Sargtis oris DkKav, N. \'. Fauna, Fishes, 89, pi. 8, fig. 23, 1842. Archosargiis probatoccplialus Bean, Bull. U. S. F. C, VII, 142, ]il. Ill, fig. 10,1888, Somers Point, N. J., young; 19th Ropt. Comm. Fish. N. V,, 262, pi. XV, fig. 19, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 366, 1897; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, loi, 189S; Jordan & Ever.mann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1361, 1898, pi. CCXVI, fig. 554, 1900. SHKKI'SIIKAI Grayish, with about eight vertical black bands, which are about as broad as the interspaces; dorsal dusky ; ventral and anal black : base of pectoral dusky ; the dark bands arc most distinct in the }-oung. The Sheepshead ranges along the coast from Cape Cod to Texas ; it is very rare as far north as Woods Hole, Mass., but in southern waters it is still abundant. The species reaches a length of 30 inches and the weight of 20 pounds; it is one of the most valuable of our food fishes and is highly prized for its game ipialities. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 423 In August, 18S7, tlic Sheepsliead was known to have bred in Great Egg Harbor Bay, N. J., where about 20 young individuals, measuring from i inch to i '^' inches, were seined between August 10 and September g. Adults at that time were present in the bay, but they were scarce. The bottom was covered with algae and conven- ient hiding places were found under the sod banks. The fish is very unusual in Gravesend Bay, Long Island. A large individual, weighing 13 pounds, was caught September 16, 1897, at Coney Island. That exam- ple proved hardy in captivit}-, and the Shecpshead generally can be easily kept if the water temperature be properly maintained. The Shecpshead was at one time common in Great South Bay. For this state- ment we have the authority of Mr. Erastus Gordon, of Patchogue, and the following account from Dr. Mitchill's Fishes of New York will substantiate the fact: "The Shecpshead swims in shoals and is sometimes surrounded in great numbers by the seine. Several hundreds have often been taken at a single haul with the long sweeping nets in use at Raynortown, Babylon and Fire Island. They even tell of a thousand brought to land at a draught. . . . This fish is sometimes speared by torchlight in the wide and shallow bays of Queens County and Suffolk. His term of continuance is only during the warmest season ; that is, from the beginning of June to the middle of September. ... I have, however, known him to stay later; for one of the most numerous collections of Shecpshead I ever saw in the New York market was on October 4, 1814; I have seen them as late as the 17th." Scott, in 1875, referred to Fire Island as a good locality for Sheepshead fishing, and also mentions superior feeding places in the South Bay and about the wreck of the Black IWirrior, near the Narrows. We did not obtain the Sheepshead in Great South Bay, and believe it occurs there very rarely at the present time, although fishermen still seek them in a few localities, and, I am informed, occasionally catch one. Dr. Smith says not one has been seen or heard of in Vineyard Sound or Buzzards Bay since 1894; but formerly it was quite common and was often caught while line fishing for Tautog and Scup. 424 SEVENTH RKrOKT OI' THE EUREST, EISIl AM) GAME COMMISSION. 121. Weak Fish ; Squeteague (Cynoscion rcgalis Bloch & Schneider.) Roans comes .MiTcmi.i., Kept. Fish. N. V., 26, 1814, Xew York. Labriis squeteague Mitchill, Trans, Lit. \- i'hil. Soc X. Y., I, 396, \A. 2, fig. 6, 1815, New York. OtoUthus rcgalis DkKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 71, ])1. 8, fig. 24, 1842. Cynoscion regale Uf..\x, ISull. U. S. F. C, YII, 140. pi. II, fig. 6, 1888; 19th Rept. Coram. Fish. N. Y., 257, pi. XIII, fig. 15, 1890. ^ Cynoscion rcgalis Be.an, Bull. .\m. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 367, 1897; Jordan & Ever- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1407, 1898, pi. CCXX, fig. 562, 1900; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, loi, 1898 ; Bf.ax. 5211 .\nn. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 106, 1900 ; Shf.rwoou & Edwards, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1901, 29, 1901. Silvery, darker above and marked with many small, irregular dark blotches, some of which form undulating lines running downward and forward ; back and head with /^/■A. WEAK FISH. bright reflections; dorsal and caudal fins dusky: ventrals, anal, and lower edge of caudal yellowish, sometimes speckled. The young show traces of a few dusky bands on the sides, one under the spinous dorsal being most plainly marked, and extending to below the median line. The \Yeak fish, so called in Dr. Mitchill's Fislics of X civ York, appears also in his report as the .Squeteague and Chccouts, the former being a Narragansett Indian name and the latter derived from the Mohegans. The Narragansett name is some- times spelled Scuteeg. Chickwick is the Connecticut name for the species: on Cape Cod, because of the souiul produced by the fish, it is called the Drummer; large Weak fish in Buzzards Hay are termed Yellow fins. In Great Egg Harbor Bay the name Blue fish is applied to it, notwithstanding the presence of the real Blue fish {Poiiiatoiiuis). On our southern coast we hear the name Trout, with its variations, Grey Trout, Sea Trout, Shad Trout, Sun Trout and Salt-water Trout. The latter name is used to distinguish it from the Fresh-water Trout of the Southern States, THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 425 which is the Black Bass. Dr. Mitchill thus accounts for the name Weak fish : " He is called Weak fish, as some say, because he does not pull very hard after he is hooked ; or, as others allege, because laboring men who are fed upon him are weak by reason of the deficient nourishment in that kind of food." DcKay explains the name from the feeble resistance the fish makes on the hook and the facility with which it breaks away from it by reason of its delicate" structure. At the time of DeKay's writing in 1842, and for some years previously, the Weak fish were present on our coast in diminished numbers. The Blue fish were then present in abundance and the disappearance of the Weak fish was supposed to be connected with the reappearance of the Blue fish. A similar observation was made by Dr. Storer on the Massachusetts coast. Again, at Woods Hole, Mass., in 1900, the Weak fish were remarkably abundant, the traps at Menemsha having taken [0,000 in a single day; the Blue fish, on the other hand, were unusually scarce during the entire season, not over so having been recorded from the adjacent bay and sound. The Weak fish ranges from the Bay of Fundy to the east coast of Florida. It fluctuates in abundance from year to year. The late Capt. N. E. Atwood is author- ity for the statement that in 184S the weekly supply in the New York markets was not above 1,000 pounds. The earliest arrival in New York in 18S9 was on May 12, at Great Hills, Gifford, Staten Island. During the latter part of August, 1889, the west channel of Great South Bay furnished great numbers of Weak fish. The young were found in Blue Point Cove late in September; also some half-grown individuals. The fish are in their finest condition during the fall migration in September and October. In 1901 young Weak fish were seldom taken in Great South Bay, and only two localities — Duncan's Creek and Smith's Point — furnished them in very small num- bers. Adult fish, however, were remarkably abundant, and were caught in many parts of the bay. The species feeds in the channels upon Shrimp, Crabs and small fish. In Great South Bay we found them eating large quantities of Anchovies, and the same observation was made in one of the inlets of Great Egg Harbor Bay, N. J. The fish enters the mouths of rivers and migrates freely with the tide. The species swims in large schools near the surface and is very voracious, destroying the young even of its own kind. A specimen of about 4 pounds, taken at Islip, October i, 1890, had in its stomach a Weak fish weighing about 6 ounces. Fish of 4 pounds and a little larger were moderately abundant at this date. Weak fish spawn in New York waters in May, and at Cape Cod about the first of June. The egg is ; '^s inch in diameter and hatches in two days at an average tern- 426 -SEVEXTII KKI'URl" OV THE FOREST, FISH AXIJ GAME COMMISSION. perature of 60^ I". It is buoyant, and. under natural conditions, is subject to the influence of wind and current. The spawnint^ season is evidently prolonged in some localities; in Cjreat Egg Harbor l^ay, for example, young Weak fish only I '4 inches long were taken in .August, that is, several months after spawning begun. The most favorable tide for catching this species is generally considered the latter half of the flood and first half of the ebb. At night tlie Weak fish runs up the creeks to feed in the salt meatiows, and will take the hook freely. Some of the best baits for the Weak fish are the common Shrimp, Soft or Shed- der Crabs, pieces of Clam and common Mussel, the white skin of the throat of Weak fish, and sometimes the eye of this species; other good baits are .SiKersides and Anchovies. In (jreat .South Ba_\' the fish are taken extensively in pountl nets and in gill nets. The gill nets are set in the shape of a horseshoe, and the attending sloop sails back and forth across the o[)en end of the horseshoe, one of the crew meanwhile beating the deck with his heels to frighten the fish into the nets. This method, called drumming, is in great disfavor among those who follow other modes of fishing. The We.d< fish entlures captivit)- very well and can be kept during winter in water of the proper temperature. The species is said to reach the weight of 30 pounds. 122. Spotted Weak Fish ; Sea Trout (Cynoscion ncbitlosus Cuv. & Val.). Labriis sqnet(agvc- var. iinu'ii/atiis Mncmi.i,, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. V'., 1,396, 1815 New York ; not Lahnis iiiLicuIatns lii.ocH. Otolithus carolinensis D^ Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fislies, 72, 1S42, extra liniital ; Holbrook, Ichth. S. C, ed. i, 133, pi. 19, fig. 2, 1856. Cynoscion ncbiihniis Jordan & Evkrmann, IJull. 47, U. S. Nat. Miis., 1409, 1898, pi. CCXXI, fig. 563, 1900. Body silvery with bright reflections ; numerous black spots on back, beginning under the spinous ilorsal ; soft dorsal and caudal similarly spotted, the largest spots smaller than pupil ; anal fin dusky. The Spotted Weak fish is a better food fish than the common northern species; it ranges from New York to Te.xas, but is rare north of Virginia. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 42; 123. Yellow Tail ; Silver Perch (Bairdiclla chrysura Lacepede). Bodiaiius argyrolcuiiis 2\Iitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. V., I, 417, pi. 6, fig. 9, 1815, New York. Corvina iVi^yro/t'iicas DeK-W, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 74, pi. iS, fig. 51, 1S42, New York. Ho/noprioii xaiithiirus Holbrodk, Ichtli. S. C, ed. i, 170, \\\. 24, 1856 (not Leiostoiiius xaiifhiirns F.ACEPi^DE). Bairiiiclla chrysura Goode, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U. S., I, 375, pi. 126, 1884 : Be.an, Bull. U. S. F. C, YII, 141, pi. I, fig. 9, 1888 ; 19th Kept. Comm. Fish. N. Y., 259, 1890 ; Bull. Am. Mas. Nat. Hist., IX, 367, 1897 ; Juruan & Everm.ann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1433, 1888, pi. CCXXII, fig. 566, 1900; Bean, 52d Ann. Kept. N. Y. State Mus., 106, 1900, SPOTTED WEAK FISH. Greenisli above, silvery below, each scale with serie,s of dark punctulations through the center, usually very conspicuous, sometimes obscure, tliese forming narrow somewhat irregular streaks along the sides ; fins plain, the caudal yellowish. Dr. Mitchill describes this fish as the Silver Perch, and DeKay explains the ori- gin of this name from the resemblance which the Yellow Tail bears in its appear- ance and habits to the common White Perch. At Pensacola, Fla., the name Mademoiselle is ap[5lied to the species. In Great South Bay we heard the name Lafayette given it, but this belongs more properly to the Spot, Liostoiiiiis xaiithurns. The Yellow Tail occurs on our coast from Cape Cod to Florida. It was a com- mon fish in Great South Bay in September, 1890, and during the early part of October, occurring at Blue Point Cove, at the Blue Point Life Saving Station, Great River Beach and Fire Island. It is frequently taken in the pounds. In 1898 the young were found in abundance at Nichols's Point, Great South Bay, September I. In 1901 the species was not observed at all during a season extending from the middle of July to the middle of October, The breeding season must continue into early summer, as many young fish from 428 SKVKNTIl KF.POKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSIOX. I incli to 2lj iiiclics loni; were obtained in (jrcat Egj^ Harbor Bay, X. J., early in August. The young of the Silver Perch are found every summer in Gravesend Bay, and adults are to be seen occasionally. (^n September 8, 1896, Mr. DeNyse took an example l '4 inches long \v\ih a shrimji net, in eel grass back of the flats at extreme low tide. Tools containing 2 feet of water are comnioii here, and many species of fish become imprisoned in them. In August Mr. \V. I. DeN\-se has captured a half dozen adult IIil^potaiiif>iis in such localities. On October 5, 1896, and again in the fall of 1897, the Silver I'erch was obtained in the bay. 'iTi^" VEI.I.OW TAIL. The species seldom exceeds 10 inches in length, but is regarded as an excellent pan fish, and is secured in enormous numbers. 124. Red Drum ; Channel Bass (Sciieuops occllatus Linn?eus). Sdiciia imberbis AFitchili,, Trans. Lit. &: Phil. Soc. N. \'., I, 411, 1S15, New York. Cotviiia occllata DkKav, N. ^'. Fauna. Fishes, 75, ]il. 21, fig. 61, 1842, New York ; Hol- BROOK, lelith. S. C, ed. i, 149, jil. 21, fig. 2, 185O. Si-i(cin>ps occllatKS 1!kan, Hull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 367, 1897, New Jersey ; H. M. S.MiTH, Bull. LI. S. !•'. C. 1897, Toi. 1.S9S ; Jokdan & Evermaxn, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1453, 1898, [)1. CCX.XXll, fig. 567, 1900. The Red Drum is one of the largest of the food fishes of the southern waters, reaching the length of 5 feet and the weight of 75 pounds. It inhabits the Atlantic coast from New York to Texas, and has once been taken near Cape Cod. A Red Drum, or .Sjxitted Bass, weighing 14 pounds, was obtained b_\- Mr. E. G. Blackford from New Jersey, and was purchased alive for the New York Aquarium. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 429 When last observed by me (December 11, 1897) it was in the central pool, and apparently, in perfect health. It swam sometimes immediately under the Sand Shark. Its food consists of large pieces of Herring, which it takes readily. The only specimen known to have been taken at Cape Cod was caught in a trap in Buzzards Bay at the breakwater in 1894. The example is 34 inches long and weighs about 14 pounds. On account of the ocellated markings at the base of the caudal fin it has sometimes been called the Branded Drum. /^.. RED DRUM. 125. Spot ; Lafayette 1 /.riostoiuns xauthurus Lacepede). Leiostomiis xantluinis Df.Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 70, 1842, extra limital. Leiostoiiiiis xanthuriis Jordan & Gii.ufcrt, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mas., 574, 1883. Lfiostoiniis xant/iunis I5kan, 19th Kept. Comui. Fish. N. Y., 260, 1890; Bull. km. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 367, 1897. Leiostoinus xanthuriis Eugene SMiT?r. Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y., 1S97, 39, 1898. Leiostomus xanthuriis Mearns, Bull. \\\\. Mus. Nat. Hist., X, 321, 1898. Mugil ohli()uus Mitchill, Rept. Fish. N. Y., 16, 1814, New York. Leiostomus obliijuiis DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 69, pi. 60, fig. 195, 1842. Color bluish above, silvery below; about 13 to 15 narrow dark lines extending from the dorsal fins downward and forward to below the lateral line ; a roundish black humeral spot about two-thirds as long as the eye; fins plain olivaceous. This little fish was formerly known on the New York coast as Lafayette. Mitchill calls it the Little Porgee. According to DeKay its appearance on the New York coast in the summer of 18:34 happened to coincide with the arrival of General Lafayette, and his name was bestowed upon the species. The name Spot is derived from the presence of a dark blotch about as big as the eye near the root of the pec- toral fin. Other names for the species are Goody, Oldwife, Roach and Chub. 430 SKVKXTII REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME rOMMISSIOX. Tlie Spot is found from Cape Cod to Florida and is sometimes abundant as far north as New York. In Great South Bay several specimens were taken early in October in Great River. A single example was seen among some fishes taken in a ])ountl net at Islip, October I, 1890. In 1898 the species was not obtained by the writer, and in 1901 only a few specimens, mostly adults, were secured at Quantic Hay, Duncan's Creek and Widow's Creek. Rather common in Gravesend Hay from July to as late as December, and is well adapted to captive life. It is mostly abundant usually in September. Dr. Mearns states that the fish, locally known as the Sand Porgee, is of frequent occurrence in summer in the Hudson River and its estuaries. H. M. Smith records it as common in the fall in the vicinity of Wood's Hole, Mass., leaving in October or November, when the water temperature reaches 45° F. All the specimens observed there were about 6 inches long. It is a small fish, seldom exceeding 10 inches in length, but is one of the favor- ites among the pan fishes. The Spot feeds upon the bottom on small invertebrates, and can be taken readil)- with hook and line. In Great South Bay it is caught in seines and pound nets. It ascends creeks into brackish water and is a common associate of the White I'erch. In Great ligg Harbor Bay it is extremely common in summer and is sometimes known as Porsjee. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 431 126. Croaker (Micropogon unihdatus Linnajus). Bodianus costatns Mitchill, Trans. Lit, & Phil. Soc. N. Y., 1, 417, 1815, New York. Micropogon costatns DeK.ay, N. Y. P^iuna, Fishes, 83, pi. 72, fig. 230, 1842. Micropogon uiiditlatus DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 84, 1842, extra-Iiniitai. Micropogon undidatiis Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16. U. S. Nat. Mus., 575, 1883. Micropogon inidulatus Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 368, 1897. Micropogon undiilatns ]o\^\^\n & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1461, 1898, pi CCXXIV, fig. 570, 1900. Color grayish silvery, with bright reflections ; sides and back \vith narrow, irregu- lar, undulating lines of dots ; dorsal fins with three lines of dots along base. The Croaker inhabits the east coa.st of the United States, ranging from Cape Cod to Texas ; it is not very common north of the Chesapeake. It grows to the /A v^ length of 15 inches and is an important food fish. The fish was described by Mitchill but was unknown to DeKay from personal observation. Although known in Gravesend Bay, the species is a very uncommon one there. Mr. W. I. DeNyse informs me that several individuals were taken there in September, 1902. The only specimen recorded at Woods Hole, Mass., is 15 inches long; it was taken in a trap at the breakwater in Buzzards Bay on September 9, 1893. 432 SEVENTH RErORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 127. King Fish; Whiting; Sea Mink {Mciilicirrkus saxatilis Bloch & SchnciderV Siicna iifbiiUmi Mnciiii.L, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. X. Y., I, 408, pi. ;„ fig. 5, 1815. Umhiina alhiiniiis DkK.w, N. V. Fauna, Kishcs. 78, pi. 7, fig, 20, 1842. Mcntiarrhus nebulosiis Jokd.w & (Iii.iikkt, I'.ull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 577, 1883. Menticinhiis saxatilis V>Y..K^, 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. V., 259, pi. XII, fig. 16, 1S90. Mcnticirrhus saxatilis Jord.\n & Everm.\nn, JUill. 47, U. S. Xat. Mus., I, 1475, 1898. ^^t■llticirrIllls saxatilis Rk.an, 5 2d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 106, 1900. Color diLsky gray above, .sometimes blackish, the back and sides with distinct dark oblicjue cross-bands running downward and forward, the anterior one at the nape extending downward, meeting the second and thus forming a v-shapetl blotch on each side ; a dark lateral streak bounding the pale color of the belly, most dis- ~~-»^:..^.Tii' KINO FISH. tinct posteriorly, and extending on lower lobe of caudal ; inside of gill cavity scarcely dusky ; pectorals dark. The King f^sh, according to DeKay, was so named by the early English colonists because of its excellent flavor. The name Hake is given to it in New Jersey and Delaware; in the Chesapeake it is sometimes called Black Mullet: in North Caro- lina, the Sea Mink ; in tlie South it is the Whiting or Bermuda Whiting: on the Connecticut coast it is known as the Tomcod. The King f^.sh occurs northward to Cape Ann and south to the Gulf of Mexico. Large individuals are not common as far north as Cape Cod, but the young may be seen in moderate numbers in the summer months. They occur in abundance throughout Great South Ba>-, and near the inlet their number is increased. We have collected them at the mouth of Swan Creek, in Blue Point Cove, at the Blue Point Life Saving Station, Oak Island and Fire Island. An individual was obtained October 7th in the bay, and others were found during September. Adult King fish THK FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 433 used to be common in Great South Bay, but in 1884 they were rare, according to Mr. Erastus Gordon, of Patchogue. In i8g8 only one adult was taken by tlie writer, and that was found in Clam Pond Cove, August 26. Young were seined at Fire Island Inlet, Nichols's Point, Howell's Point, Blue Point Cove, and in Peconic Bay. In 1901 large King fish were not uncommon in Great South Bay, but the young were unusually rare, only two specimens, measuring from 3^4 to 4 inches, having been obtained ; these were seined at Duncan's Creek September 14. The King fish was formerly abundant in Gravesend Ba\', but it seldom occurs there now. The species evidently breeds at Woods Hole, Mass. Dr. .Smith says that adults full of spawn are comnK^n there in June, and uncommon after July 15. The young, about an inch long, appe■ In 1899 young examples were taken at Water Island ocean beach, June 6. In 1901 young of a yellow color and only ifs inches long, were seined in a creek near Fire Island Inlet August 15. Half-grown and adults were caught at a wreck on Tobey's Flat August 14, and at Smith's Point August 23. At Woods Hole, Mass., the Cunner is very abundant and remains during the entire year. Thousands perish from cold every winter. The fish spawns in June. The egg is about ' ^g inch in diameter, buoyant, and has been hatched in the tidal cod-jar in five days in water of a mean temperature of 56° F. By August i the young an inch long are observed. Outside of Gayhead and Cuttyhunk the fish reaches a weight of zy^ pounds, but the usual weight is from J^ to }^ pound. In February, 1901, thousands of Gunners were killed by extreme cold at Wood's Hole. The Cunner endures captivity very well, individuals having been kept three years or longer. The species is usually associated with the Tautog or Black fish ; in many places it proves a great annoyance to fishermen. In some parts of New 438 SlCVKXTll KKI'OKT OF TIIK l-UKKST, KISIl AND (lAME COMMISSION. Knglaiul the fish is hij^hly cstccnictl, but farther soutli it is not in liigli repute, the hartl scales and stiff, siiarp spines niakin;^ it inconvenient to prepare for cooking. Dr. Mitchiil describes a yellow variety of the Gunner, and DeKay has consid- ered the young, which has a black spot on the e.xterior portion of the dorsal fin, as a distinct species, named b)- him the Spotted Bcrgall. The )-oung var\' greatly in color. We have seen some dull brown, others that were yellowish, and still others of a bright green. Dusky bands are characteristic, also, of the young stages. Examples were taken at Blue Point Cove, and at Fire Island. The Gunner is a permanent resident, and does not retreat into deep water except in very cold weather. Its spawning takes place in June and July. The species is fished for with the hook, and is taken in nets, which are baited and set among tiic rocks. Tiie catch of the Irish Gunner boats of Boston has been esti- mated at about 300,000 pounds annuall)-. ,-,>r'>i-5^^*v3^3Et^— ^''- itm^'^K^'. -si7 ■?? 131. Black Fish; Tautog (Taiitoga on it is Linnxus). Taiitog;a iiiger Mit(.:hii.i,, kept. l'"ish. N. Y., 23, 1814, New York. Lahrus taiitoga Mitchili,. Trans. Lit. i!v: Phil. See. N. Y., I, 399, 1815, Long Island. Taiitoga americana DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 175, pi. 14, fig. 39, 1842. Tautoga onitis ]nKn.\y: ^ Gii.her r. Pull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 600, 1883 ; Bean, 19th Rept. Comni. Fish. N. Y., 252, pi. Y, fig. 7, 1890; Pull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 368, 1897 : 52d .\nn. Rept. N. Y. State Mas., 107, 1900; Jordan & Evermann, Pull. 47, U. S. Nat. -Mus., II, 1578, 1S96, 1)1. CCXXXYII, fig. 596, 1900. Color blackish, greenish, frequently pale bluish or bluish black, with metallic reflections. Often with irregular bands of a deeper hue. Lips, lower jaw and abdo- men lighter, sometimes pale, sjirinkled with black points, and sometimes of the same color as the rest of the bod>-. E\e greenish. THE FOOD AND GAMK FISIIKS OF NEW YORK. 439 This is better known in New York as the IMack fisli ; farther south it is styled Chub or Salt-water Chub, Moll, Will, George and Oyster fish. Mitchill gives the name Tautog as of Mohcgan origin. He publishes for the species the names Toad, Black fish and Runner. The Mohegan name Tautog, according to DeKay, is said to mean black. The fish is found from Nova Scotia to Virginia. It occurs in all parts of Great South Bay visited byus. Some of the localities at which it was taken are the following : Blue Point Cove and Life Saving Station, Great River Beach and Fire Island. The name used at Patchogue is Black fish. We saw a few Tautog among the fishes caught in a trap at Islip, October i, 1890. In 1898 speci- mens were obtained in Peconic Bay, at Blue Point Cove, Islip, Nichols's Point and Fire Island Inlet; young individuals were taken July 29, August 25, September i and 16. Following is a list of localities in which the Tautog was sparingly taken in Great South Bay in 1901 : Clam Pond Cove, July 19; Fire Island Inlet, August 15; Cherry Grove, August 17; Smith's Point, August 23; Mouth Swan River, September 25 ; Off Widow's Creek (young), September 28 ; Off Swan River (young), October 8 and October 11. Dr. Mitchill gives a most entertaining account of the habits and mode of capture of this well-known species. At the time of his writing, in 1814, the price varied from 8 to 12 cents a pound. 132. Spade Fish; Triple Tail; Angel Fish (C/Kctodi/'tiriis fabcr ^roxxssonet). Chatodon oriformis Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 247, pi. V, fig. 4, 1815, New York. Ephippus gigas DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 99, pi. 23, fig. 71, 1842, New York. Ephippiis faher DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 97, pi. 23, fig. 68, 1842. C/iieiodiptenis faber Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 613, 1883; Bean, 19th Rept. Comm..Fish. N. Y. 253, pi. VI, fig. 8, 1890; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., II, 1668, 1896; IV, pi. CCXLVII, fig. 619, 1900. Grayish ; a dusky band across the eye to the throat ; a second similar band, broader, beginning in front of the dorsal and extending across the base of the pectoral to the belly; a third band narrower, extending to the middle of the sides from the base of the fourth and fifth dorsal spines; a fourth broader band from the last dorsal spines to anal spines, the remaining bands alternately short and long; all of these bands growing obscure and disappearing with age; ventrals black. The Moon fish is the Sheepshead Cha;todon of Mitchill, and the Banded Ephippus of DeKay. Dr. Mitchill records it as taken at the east end of Long Island, July 27, 1815. DeKay, in his Aric )or/S- />7?^«(7, has the following concern- 440 SKVKNlll KKl'DUT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. inf.K.av, op. cit. 288, pi. 45, fig. 146, Long Island. PoUachius vircns '&'E.\^, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 371, 1897; Jordan & Ever- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2534, 1S98; IV, pi. CCCLIX, fig. 886, 1900. Greenish brown above; sides and below somewhat silvery; lateral line pale ; fins mostly pale, sometimes a black spot on the axil. The Pollack is a native of the North Atlantic. It is common northward on both coasts, and extends south to France and New Jersey. Mitchili described the fish under the name of the New York Pollack. DeKay mentions it under several 444 SKVKNTIl KKI'DKl' UK IIIK KOKKST, 1 ISll AM) CA.MK (OMMISSIOX. names, the New York Pollack, the Coalfish, and the Green Pollack. DeKay says the fish is taken w ith the common Cod, but is by no means common on the coast of New York. He saw a specimen weighing 17 pounds, and measuring 38 inches in length. In another description he states that the Coalfish is often taken off the harbor of New York in company with the Cotl, and is known as Pollack and ]51ack Pollack. The thirtl form under which the fish was known to DeKay was described by him from a specimen captured b\- hook out of a large school in Long Island Sound. The Pollack enters (iravesencl Hay in the fall. In captivity it is a ravenous feeiler. It requires cold water and will not endure high temperatures. DeKay states that the fish flipped in the same manner as the Menhaden, and was at first supposed to be of that species. The school seemed to be very timid, for, on a very slight noise in the boat, they all disappeared. Dr. Smith states that adult Pollack appear in Vineyard Sound, Great Harbor, Woods Hole, Mass., in May, following the run of Cod. They depart when the tem- perature of the water reaches 60° or 65°. In April there is a run of Pollack measur- ing from I to I ^j inches long. By June, when these fish leave, they have reached a length of 4 inches. In fall there is a small run of Pollack 7 or 8 inches long. The average weight of adults in that locality is about io pounds, the largest one seined having weighed 14 pounds. In Massachusetts Bay this is an extremely abundant species, and constitutes an important food resource. 136. Tomcod ; Frostfish [Miin\<^a(/iis toiucod Walbaum). Gadus tomcodiis Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Sor. N. Y., I, 368, 1815. Cadiis pruinosus Mitchill, Rept. Fish. N. Y., 4, 1814. Morrhiia pniinosa DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fish., 278, ])1. 44, fig. 142, 1S42. Alicrogadus tomcodiis PjEAN, 19th Rept. Comni. Fish. N. Y,, 248, \>\. in, fig. 3, 1890. Microgadus tomcod V.v.\^, Bull. Am. Mas. Nat. Hist., IX, 371,1897; Me.^rns, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., X, 322, 1898 ; Imicenf, Smith, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y., 1897, 40, 1898; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. S. I'. C, 1897, 107, 1898; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2540, 1898; IV, pi. CCCLX, fig. 890, 1900; Bean, 5 2(1 .\nn. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 109, 1900. Color olive brown with reticulations antl blotches of darker; sides and back pro- fusely covered with d.irk i)unctulations ; umler parts lighter; dorsal, caudal and anal fins with dark blotches; pectorals ami \entrals dusky. This fish is very general!)- known in New York waters under the name of Frost- fish. It ranges from Nova Scotia to Virginia, and is excessively common in shallow bays in cold weatlier. Tiie name Frostfish is derived from the fact that it appears THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 445 after frosts have set in. The species ascends fresh-water rivers far above the limits of tide, and may be transferred suddenly from salt water to fresh without incon- venience. It spawns in the early part of winter, and is present at this time in such large numbers as to make its capture with dip nets comparatively easy. The Frost- fish is the commonest member of the Cod family in New York waters. Its size is small, but, from the fact that it occurs in such abundance, it is an important market species. It is subject to great variations in color; Dr. Mitchill enumerates among its varieties five forms: the Brown, Yellow, Yellowish White, Mixed Tomcod and the Frostfish. DeKay has published the statement that he has known the Frostfish to be taken out of the water along the shores of Long Island in great numbers with a common garden hoe. He was informed that the species occasionally ascends the Hudson as far as Albany. In Great South Bay we found large numbers of Tomcod, TOMCOD. which were covered with a lernrean parasite. The same thing has been observed frequently at Woods Hole, Mass., and other northern localities. We found the species in nearly all parts of the bay late in September in moderate numbers, and more plentiful at Fire Island October i. July 29, 1898, a few young Tomcod were seined in Peconic Bay, near South- ampton. In Gravesend Bay the fish is a fall and winter visitor. It does not live in captivity in summer. Dr. Mearns has found this fish in the Hudson River, where it is usually called Frostfi.sh by the fishermen, who catch many of them in their fyke and ice nets during fall and winter. It bites readily and is esteemed as an article of food. Dr. Mearns has found it during the entire year, and in August has found young Tomcod fully an inch or two in length. He states that this fish is very often found in eel grass along shore, half dead, floating on the surface, but able to swim a little. Mr. Eugene Smith says that the Tomcod runs up stream into nearly pure fresh water in the vicinity of New York City. At Woods Hole, Mass., it is abundant in winter, coming about October i and remaining till May i. It 446 SKVK.NTII RETORT OK TIIK FORKSl', KISII AND (iAME COMMISSION. spawns in December. In Massachusetts it is a resident species, enterint;- brackish waters ; it is common about the wharves and bridges in summer and is taken with nets and hooks in winter, in company with tlie Smelt. Tlie Tomcod reaches the length of about lo inches. It is an important food fish and its eggs have been hatched artificially by the New York Forest, Fish and Game Commission in large numbers. 137. Cod {(Jadiis )iiorrhua Linnaeus). Gadus callarias Mitchili,, Rept. Fish. \. V., 5, T.S14 ; Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. V., L 367, 1815 ; Jordan & Ever.manx, liull. 47, U. S. Nat. Rhis., Ill, 2541, 1898 : I\', pi. CCCLXI, fig. 891, 1900. Gadus (J re If OS IIS and ri/f\. 45, fig. 145, 1842, Hudson River. Lota compressa DeKay, op. cit. 285, pi. 78, figs. 244, 245, 1842. Lota maculosa DeKay, op. cit. 284, pi. 52, fig. 168, 1842; Jord.an & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., , 1883; Meek, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci., IV, 315, 1888, Cayuga Lake; Bean, Fishes I'enna., 138, pi. 35, fig. 75, 1893; Evermanx & Kendall, Rept. U. S. I'". C, 1894, 603, 1896; Bean, Bull. .\vc\. Mus. Nat. Hist., L\, 372, 1897, Canandaigua Lake; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 7550, 1898; IV, pi. CCCLXIV, fig. 897, 1900. The color is dark olivaceous, reticulated with blackish ; the lower parts yellowish or dusky ; the dorsal, anal and caudal fins with a narrow dark edge. The American Burbot was first described by LeSueur from Lake Erie in 1817, and also from Northampton, Conn., under a different name. This commom fish has received a great many names, including the following: Marthy, Methy, Losh, Eelpout, Dogfish. Chub Eel, Ling, Lawyer, Lake Cusk, Fresh-water Cod, Aleby Trout and Mothcr-of-Flels. The southern limit of this fish appears to be Kansas City, Mo. ; according to Prof. Cope, it has been once taken in the Susquehanna near Muncy, Lycoming County; it is extreme!)- common in the Great Lakes; westward it ranges to Mon- tana and northward throughout British Columbia and Alaska to the Arctic Ocean ; it is iiKist abundant in the Great Lakes and lakes of New York, New England and New Brunswick; it abounds also in rivers and lakes of .Alaska. The Burbot was sent from Canandaigua Lake by .Mr. James .Annin, Jr., in November, 1897. It is hard to transport and still harder to keep alive in capti\ity. being especially liable to attacks of fungus. Dr. W. M. Beauchamp, writing fnun Baldwinsville, N. Y., April 9, 1879, said that the Burbot is found in .Seneca River and is abundant in Oneida Lake; that it is THE FOOD AND flAME FISHES OF NEW N'OKK. 449 caught with a hook and is seldom eaten, though there is a way of making it palatable. According to Dr. Meek it is found rarely in Cayuga Lake. The average length of this species in the Great Lakes region is about 2 feet ; in Alaska, according to Dr. Dall, it reaches a length of 5 feet and occasionally weighs 60 pounds; the size of the fish depends chiefly on the amount of food accessible to it. It is stated that the Burbot is usually found in deep water on mud bottom, except during the spawning season in March, when it frequents hard or rocky bot- toms. The eggs are small and numerous, and are believed to be deposited in deep water; Dr. Dall estimates that some individuals contain several millions of eggs; in Alaska the eggs are of a creamy yellow color, and the fish are found full of spawn from November to January. From the observations mentioned it will be seen that the spawning period extends at least from November to March ; according to Dr. Dall the males are usually much smaller than the females and have a smaller liver; in some males he found two or three gallbladders opening into a common duct, but he never observed this phenomenon in the female ; the eggs are laid sepa- rate or loose on the bottom of the ri/er. According to Baron Cederstrom, a medium-sized female of the European Burbot, which is a near relative of the Ameri- can species, contained about 160,000 eggs; in the European Burbot some eggs are clear, some yellowish and others almost colorless ; the period of incubation occupies from three to four weeks ; the eyes appear in 15 or 16 days ; the embryos swim by quick movements of the pectorals, usually toward the surface of the water, whence they fall passively to the bottom. The Burbot is extremely voracious, and feeds on bottom fishes and crustaceans. It destroys the Pike and such spiny fishes as the Yellow Perch and Sunfish. In Alaskan rivers it feeds on Whitefish, Lampreys and other species ; large stones have sometimes been found in its stomach. Mr. Graham took a stone weighing a pound from the stomach of a Burbot. In the Great_ Lakes region the Burbot is considered worthless for food; occasion- ally the livers are eaten ; in Lake Winnepesaukee, when caught through the ice in winter, the fish is highly esteemed ; in the fur countries- the roe is an article of food ; on the Yukon River the liver is eaten and the flesh is liked by some persons ; in Montana the Burbot is in great demand for food; the quality of the flesh appears to depend chiefly on the nature of the habitat of the fish. This is the only member of the Cod family permanently resident in the fresh waters of America. 29 450 SEVENTH kEl'OKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AM) GAME COMMISSION. 140. Hake; White Hake {Urophycis tenuis Mitchill). Gadiis tenuis iMiichili., Rept. Fish. N. \'., 5, 1814; I'rans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 372, 1815, New York. Phycis tenuis DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fish. 293, 1842; Bean, 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y., 248, pi. Ill, fig. 4. 1890; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 372, 1897; Jor- dan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2555, 1898; IV, pi. CCCLXV, fig. 901, 1900; Bean, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 109, 1900; Brownish, lighter ;iiul yellowish below ; fins very dark. Distinguished from P. c/iiiss ciiiefly by the smaller scales. DeKay calls the Hake the American Codling, adopting Mitchill's common name for the species. He says it appears to feed chiefly on smaller Crustacea; that it is very abundant at some seasons, but most abundant in the early part of autumn ; and varies in weight from 3 pounds to 30 pounds. He states that it is called indis- criminatel)- Hake and Codling by New York fishermen. Small individuals were seined in Meco.x 15av August 2, 1898, and a very young example was received from Southampton September 11. This was caught in the Atlantic. In Great South Ray small examples \\crc found sparingly at Blue Point Cove and Fire Island late in September. The Hake, according to Dr. Smith, is known also as W'liite Hake and Squirrel Hake in the vicinity of Woods Hole, Mass. P'ish weighing 1 to 1 yi pounds are abundant there in November, when a great many of them enter Eel Pond. Young fish I inch long and u])ward associate with Pollack in spring and are also found throughout the sunimer in consiilerable numbers. They are also obtained in sum- mer at the surface, under gulf weed and eel grass. As a rule the Common Hake will not live in water of a temperature above 60° F., but one indi\'idual sur\i\-etl the summer temperature in 189", and became plump and sleek after the arrival of cold weather. In summer it was much emaciated, and suf. fered greatly from fungus attacks. THE FOOD AM) CiAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 451 It is abundant on our shores from Labrador to Virginia, and its young arc among the commonest of tlie surface fishes in our bays and sounds, during the summer months. The Hake reaches a weight of 40 pounds, but in the markets the average weight is only about 10 pounds. The species frequents muddy bottoms and is local in its habits. Its food consists of crabs and other crustaceans, besides small fishes. The chief fishery for Hake takes place in the fall and winter months, and they will take the hook at night as well as during the day. Trawl lines arc the usual implements of capture. SQUIRREL HAKE. 141. Squirrel Hake {Europliycis cliitss WalbaunV). Gadns hn^ipcs MrrcHii.L, Kept. Fish. N. Y., 5, 1S14 ; Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 372, pi. I, fig. 4, 1815, New York. Phycis chiiss Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 372, 1897. Urophycis chins Jordan &: Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2555, 1898 ; IV, pi. CCCLXV, fig. 902, 1900. Brownish above, sides lighter and tinged with yellowish ; thickly punctulate with darker; below pale; inside of mouth white; vertical fins somewhat dusky; anal fin margined with pale ; lateral line not dark. According to Jordan and Evermann, this fish is sometimes called Codling. It inhabits the Atlantic coast from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Virginia, being very common northward. It is sometimes found in waters as deep as 300 fathoms. The Squirrel Hake occurs occasionally in Gravesend Bay ; it lives usually in the deep water off shore. At Woods Hole, Mass., according to Dr. Smith, it is abundant in May and June, and in October and November. It fills the traps and causes the fishermen much annoyance, as they cannot sell the fish. Its weight there is from 2 to 5 pounds. In Massachusetts Bay it is less abundant than the Common Hake. It was described and figured by Storer in 1867, under the name Phycis filamcntosiis. 45: SEVENTH REl'URT OE THE EOREST, EISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 142. Cusk {/>rosiin- brosinc Miiller). Brosmiiis Tiili^aris I UlKav, N. V. Fauna, I'ish. 289, pi. 44, fig. 143, 1842. Brosmiits brosme Goode & Bean, Oceanic Ichth., 385, fig. 329, 1896. Brosmc brosinc Jordan it Evurmann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2561, 1898. Color, brownish above, the .sides yellowi.sh, sometimes mottled with brown ; young uniform dark slate, or with transverse yellow bands ; vertical fins bordered with blackish, and with a while edge. The Cusk is described and figured by DeKay, but he did not see the fish and copied his information from Storer and others. Storer mentions a specimen weigh- ing 20 pounds, but the fish grows even larger. It inhabits the North Atlantic, ranging southward to New Jersey and Denmark. It is an important food fish. According to Dr. Smith, it was formerly not uncommon in Vine\'ard Sound, and was caught with Cod in April and May. It has been very rare for more than 20 years, though a few are still taken in April. The average weight of individuals in those waters is 5 jjounds, and the ma.Kimum weight from 12 to 13 pounds. It is known also as Ling. In Massachusetts Bay and vicinity the Cusk is a common resi- dent on the inshore fishing grounds, where it occurs in great abundance, lurking among the stones, but it is soon caught up by the fishermen after the discovery of a new bank. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 453 143. Halibut [flippDg/osshs /lippog/ossus Liiin.tus). P/euronectcs /lif^/^oglossiis Mitchill, Rept. Fish. N. Y., 10, 1814 ; Trans. Lit. cS:. Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 386, 1815. Hippog/ossiis vulgaris Dt.¥.\\,'^.\. Fauna, Fish., 294, pi. 49, fifi. 157, 1842; Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass., 192, pi. XXX, fig. i, 1867; Goode, Fish. lV Fish. Ind. U. S., I, 189, pi. 54, 1884. mppoglossus kippoglossiis ]'.mx).\ii & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 261 1, 1898; IV, pi. CCCLXXI, fig. 918, 1900. Color, nearly uniform dark brown : blind side white. The Halibut lives in all northern seas, ranging southward to Sandy Hook, or beyond, and occasionally to the Farallones off San Francisco. The Halibut was described by both Mitchill and DeKay under its present name. DeKay says that the capture of the Halibut on the shores of Nantucket at one time ^\] afforded employment to 80 vessels of from 60 to 80 tons each. He says the fish is very voracious, swimming near the ground and devouring other flat fishes, as well as shells and crustaceans. It occurs on both shores of the Atlantic as also in the North Pacific, migrating south on the approach of spring and returning in June or July. An individual was found some years ago near Colonial Beach, in the Potomac River. The fish grows to the length of 8 feet or more, and the weight of several hundred pounds. It is a very valuable food fish. In the Pacific, according to Jordan and Evermann, it extends its range southward to the Farallones, off San Francisco. The Halibut was formerly not very uncommon in Vineyard Sound, where it is now very rare. In 1872 and 1S73 V. N. Edwards caught a number weighing 235 or 240 pounds while fishing for Cod. April 16, 1900, a Halibut weighing lOO pounds was caught off Block Island by Cod fishermen, and was taken to Newport. The fish 454 SKVK.N 111 KKrokr ok TIIK l-C^KIiSX, I'lSIl AMI CA.ME COMMISSION. was very abundant at one time in Massachusetts Hay, but is now found chiefly in depths of lOO to 250 fathoms in the slopes of the outer banks. In August, 1878, a Halibut weighing over 200 pounds was caught in Gloucester Harbor. 144. Rough Dab {ffi/'pi\i[/ossoiih-s />/a/fs.<:oidcs Fabricus). r/atessa dcntata DeKav, X. \'. Fauna, Fisli., 29S, 1842, New York markets. Hippoglossoides platessoiilis (.'tooiw., Fish cJc Fish. Iml. L'. S., I, 197, ])l. 55, 1884; Iordan & EvKRMANN, Bull. 47, U. .S. Nat. .Mus., Ill, 2614, 189S; IV, ]il. CCCLXXII, fig. 919, 1900. Reddish brown, nearly plain. North Atlantic ; abundant northward on both coasts. .,# # ^».^i \ ROUGH DAB. DeKay describes this Flounder under the name of the Toothed Flatfish. He said it was extremely common in New York markets, where it is called the Summer Flounder, and that it grows to the length of 25 inches. It is a rather common food fish of tile deep waters northward on both sides of the North Atlantic, ranging habitually south to Cape Cod and the coasts of Kngland and Scandinavia. At Woods Hole it is sometimes called Sand Dab and Rusty I'lounder. Dr. Smith says it is not common there, but is fouiul some years in winter in inshore waters adjacent to Woods Hole ; specimens have been taken in I'ebr^iary on lines. One year some were caught in a fyke net in Great Harbor. In Massachusetts Bay it is a common species in the deep waters, approaching the shores in winter. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 455 145. Summer Flounder (Paralichthys dcntatus Linnteus). Pleuroncctcs dcntatus Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 390, 1815. Pleuronectcs melaiiogaster Mitchill, oj). cit. 390, 1815, New York. Platessa ocellaris DeK.\y, N. Y. Fauna, Fish., 300, ])1. 47, fig. 152, 1842. Paralichthys dcntatus Goode, Fish & Fish. Iiid. U. S., I, 178, 18S4 (part); Bean, 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y., 246, pi. II, fig. 2, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 372, 1897; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2629, 1898; IV, pi. CCCLXXIII, fig. 922, 1900; Bean, S2d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., no, 1900. Blackish olive, mottled and blotched with darker; in life light brown; adults with numerous small white spots oil body and vertical fins; sometimes a series of larger white spots along bases of dorsal and anal ; about 14 ocellated dark spots on sides, these sometimes inconspicuous, but always present ; a series of four or five along dorsal base, and three or four along anal base, those of the two series opposite, and forming pairs; two pairs of smaller, less distinct spots midway between these basal series and lateral line anteriorly, with a small one on lateral line in the center between them ; a large distinct spot on lateral line behind middle of straight por- tion ; fins without the round dark blotches. Is styled Flounder, or Summer Flounder, Turbot Flounder, Toothed Flatfish, Fluke, and, in Great South Bay, it shares the name Flatfish with the Pscudoplcnro- ncctcs aiiicricaiiiis. Brail and Puckermouth are names applied to it in Rhode Island. The name Fluke is the one most frequently used on Long Island. The Fluke is a very abundant fish and is found on the eastern coast from about Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico. Centers of abundance are found on the Connecti- cut coast and on Long Island. It is a summer visitor in Gravcsend Bay, arriving in May or June and leaving when cold weather begins. It frequents the sandy flats for the purpose of feeding on little fishes, which it destroys in large numbers. A Fluke will often be found with eight or 10 little Blackfish in its stomach, and young Mackerel suffer greatly from its depredations. In Great South Bay this fish was found at Blue Point Cove and at Fire Island late in September, and was caught in traps at Islip, October i, 1890. Small Fluke were collected in Mecox Bay, Blue Point Cove and at Islip in Aug- ust, 1898. Adults were obtained at Fire Island Inlet September 16 of that year, when they were abundant. In 1901 the fish were taken at Fire Island Inlet, Blue Point, and Smith's Point. August i they were feeding on small Menhaden. The next day they were seen in Wigo Inlet, and again chasing young Menhaden. On 456 SKVEXTIl KKI'OKT OV TlIK KOKKST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. tliat date more than half a barrel were caught in the inlet near buoy No. 2, with young Menhaden for bait. One of the Fluke disgorged a Sand Lance. It feeds on small fishes, crustaceans, moUusks and occasionally on sand dollars, and one of its favorite foods is said to be the .Squid. This fish is found generally in .salt water, but frequently ascends fresh streams. Unlike the Flatfish, it moves off into deep water in winter, and may be found in summer near the shore.s. The Fluke has the same habit as the Flatfish, of burying itself in the sand when alarmed, or secreting itself from its prey. It is often found feeding about wharves, whose supports furnish it a suitable hiding place from \\ hich to dart on small fishes when they are congregated in schools. I have seen large individuals cautiously wriggling their way upward in the concealment of a wharf pile till within easy reach of a shoal of Silversidcs, when a sudden dart into the midst of the school would result in the capture of a fish, and the Flounder would leisurely sink to digest its victim and prepare for another onslaught. It has been known to reach a weight of 26 pounds. Dr. Goode has seen individuals measuring 3 feet in length. The fish is caught largely in weirs and traps. It is probable that more of them are taken in Vineyard Sound and in Rhode Island waters than on any other parts of our coast. The fishing season extends from May to October. The)- are carried alive in well- smacks to the markets. Menhaden is the bait principally used for the capture of the Fluke by hook and line. 146. Southern Flounder [Paralichtliys Ictliostigmiis Jordan & Gilbert). Platcssa oblonga DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fish., 299, pi. 48, fig. 156, 1842, New York, not Pleuroncctcs ohlongus Mitchill. Paralichthys dentatus Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 822, 1883. Paralichthys ktlwstigmus Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2630, 1898. Color dusky olive, with a few darker mottlings and spots. This is the fish which was described by Jordan and Gilbert under the name of the Southern Flounder. It inhabits the South Atlantic and Gulf coast of the United States, ranging north to New York. DeKay described and figured it as the Oblong Flounder, which he sa\-s grows to the length of i 5 to 20 inches and occasion- ally larger. He states that it is common along the sandy shores of New York, and is procured abundantly in the months of September and October ; that it is excellent eating, and usually sells at from 6 cents to 8 cents a pound ; that it is tenacious of life and can be preserved in good condition for a long period. THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 457 The Southern Flounder is very closely related to the Fluke or Summer Flounder. It is, however, always darker in color and almost uniform, while the Fluke is usually profusely spotted. The character by which it is best distinguished from the l'"luke is tlie number of gill rakers. The Southern Flounder has only 12, of which 10 are below the angle of the first arch, while the Summer Flounder has from 20 to 24, of which from 15 to 18 are below the angle of the first arch. 147. Four-spotted Flounder (Paralichthys ob/ougns Mitchill). Pleuroiicctes oblongus Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 391, 1815. Platessa quadrocellata Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass., 203, pi. XXXI, fig. 3, 1867. Paraliclithys oblongus Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2632, i{ IV, pi. CCCLXXIV, fig. 924, 1900. ,#■ ,^ri^[ 5^^^v^j^'^ FOUR-SPOTTKD FLOUNDER, Grayish, thickly mottled with darker and somewhat translucent ; four large, hori- zontal oblong, black ocelli, each surrounded by a pinkish area, one just behind mid- dle of body below the dorsal, one opposite this above anal ; two similar smaller spots below last rays of dorsal and above last of anal. Atlantic coast, northward ; not abundant. The Four-spotted Flounder inhabits the coast of New England and New York. It is very common on the coast of New York and the neighboring islands. Mitchill described the fish in 181 5. It grows to the length of about 14 inches. Its common name relates to the four large horizontal, oblong black ocelli. At Woods Hole, Mass., according to Dr. Smith, it is common in May and June, scarce at other times. It is most abundant about June, during the run of Scup. Young fish are rarely observed, but in the fall of 1885 ^"d '8^6 large numbers two or three inches long were seen. The average length of adults there is 12 458 SEVENTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AXO GAME COMMISSION'. inclics. The fisli spawns in May, and its eggs liavc been experimentally liatched at Woods Hole. They are buoyant, '/.(, of an inch in diameter, and liatch in eight ilaj-s in water having a mean temperature of 51' to 54^ 1"". In 1S77 a single example was taken at the mouth of .Salem Harbor by the U. .S. Fish Commission. 148. Sand Dab (Limam/a frrnigiiirci Storer). P/atissii fcrntginia DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fish., 297, jil. 48, fig. 155, 1842. LimanJa fcrriiginea Goode, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. .S., I, jil. 49, 1S84; Jordan & Ever- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2644, 1898; IV, pi. CCCLXXVII, fig. 929, 1900. Brownish olive, with numerous, irregular reddish spots; fins similarly marked; left side with caudal fin, caudal peduncle, and margins of dorsal and anal fins lemon yellow. Atlantic coast, chiefly northward. K^.: > '897; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C, 1897, loS, 1898; Jordan & Kver- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., HI, 2647, 1898; IV, pi. CCCLXXIX, fig. 933, 1900; Bean, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., no, 1900; Sherwood & Edwards, Bull. U. S. F. C, 1901, 31, 1901. //740''' '^ Dark rusty brown, spotted or nearly plain ; young olive brown, more or less spotted and blotched with reddish. The Common Flatfish is equally well known as Flounder or Winter Flounder. It ranges from the Chesapeake Bay to Labrador and appears to be alike abundant in both limits of its distribution. The Flatfish was found in Blue Point Cove, at Blue Point Life-saving Station, and on Fire Island Beach. It was moderately common in all of these localities. The species is a permanent resident of Great South Bay, but undergoes a partial hibernation in the mud in winter, and the adults in summer migrate into deeper and cooler water. A few individuals were observed by me in a fish pound at Islip, October i, 1890. Dr. Mitchill describes two color varieties of the Flatfish. One of these had a yellow margin on the lower side, surrounding the white of that side. This border \vas three-fourths of an inch wide and in striking contrast with the pearl of the con- 460 SKVKNTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. tiguous parts within it and the brown of the adjacent fins. The other variety, obtained April 9, 1815, has "a whiteness of the upper side nearly as clear as that of the nether surface over rather more than half its extent. The anterior part is blanched in this manner. The dorsal fin very sensibly partakes of the lighter hue ; but its dark brown is tinctured with yellow, especially on the rays. Something of the same kind, though less distinct, is observable on the ventral fins, and on about a dozen rays of the anal." The length of this individual was 5 inches and the breadth 3. Dr. UeKay obtained a specimen in April which was reversed and double. " Its color on both sides was uniform bronze, with a white patch on its right side near the chin, almost entirely denuded of scales ; it had the singular pro- tuberance over the eye, noticed by Dr. Mitchill in his mclanogastcr." On the New Jersey coast young individuals are very common in summer, but the adults are rarely found except in the winter. At Woods Hole, Mass., this is a very abundant permanent resident, frequenting muddy or grassy bottoms. The average weight of those taken in the immediate vicinity of the Fish Commission Station was only i pound, but larger fish are found in the deeper water of the sound and bay. In October fish averaging 2 pounds, and apparently migrating, arc taken with lines in Vineyard Sound on sandy bottom. In the markets this species is extremely common in the winter and spring months, and the flesh is delicious even when the eggs are nearly mature. It feeds on small shells, crabs and other invertebrates living in the mud. When at rest it partly submerges itself in the sand or mud, and changes its color to suit its surroundings. In Long Island bays the Flatfish spawns from February to the end of March, and in July the young have attained to the length of half an inch. At Woods Hole, Mass., according to Dr. Smith, it spawns from h'ebruary to April. On being transferred to tanks containing running water, many deposit their eggs during the night. The eggs are \,\r, of an inch in diameter and very glutinous, sticking together in masses of various sizes. The average number to a fish is 500,000. March 6, 1897, a fish that weighed 3^ pounds after spawning furnished 30 fluid ounces of eggs, numbering 1,462,000. The eggs hatch in 17 or 18 days, when the mean water tem- perature is 37° or 38° F. IE "07