326 NATURAL HISTORY OF AQUATIC ANIMALS. 



A closely related species, Decapterus macarellus, is found also in the West Indies and along 

 the eastern coast of the United States. According to Stearns, individuals of this species are rather 

 rare in the northern part of the Gulf, but more common along the South Florida coast. They live 

 in shallow water and in harbors, usually moving about in small schools. At Key West they are 

 caught in seines, aud are eaten. 



THE SCADS TRACHURUS SAURUS, ETC. 



The Scads, known in England as the " Horse-Mackerels," appear to occur in all temperate 

 and tropical waters. The distribution is given by Giinther as follows : "From the coasts of the 

 temperate parts of Europe, along the coasts of Africa, round the Cape of Good Hope into the 

 East Indian seas, to the coasts of New Zealand and West America." As has been shown by 

 Liitken, Steindachner, and Jordan and Gilbert, three distinct species are confounded by Giinther 

 under the name Trachurus trachurus. 



In Europe our Scad ranges north to the Trondhjem Fjord, latitude 65, and is said to occur 

 as far south as Portugal. On the coast of Holland it is known as the " Marse Banker," or "Hors." 

 It is interesting to American ichthyologists, since the similarity of its habits to those of the men- 

 haden, so important in our waters, caused the latter fish to be called among the early Dutch colon- 

 ists of New York by the same name. European writers describe the Scads as occurring upon those 

 coasts in schools of immense numbers, and it would seem that although their manner of swimming 

 resembles that of the menhaden, in their other habits they more closely resemble our owu blueflsh. 

 'They are considered to be food-fishes of fair quality, and attain the length of about twelve inches. 

 'They are supposed to spawn about the same time as the mackerel. Only three specimens of this 

 species have ever been taken in the United States, one by the Fish Commission in Southern New 

 England in 1878, and subsequently two others by Jordan and Stearns, at Peusacola. In Califor- 

 nia, according to Jordan, the allied species T. picturatus occurs and is known as the " Horse- 

 Mackerel." He continues : "It reaches a length of about a foot and a weight of less than a pound. 

 It ranges from Monterey southward to Chili, appearing in California, in the summer^ remaining in 

 the spawning season, and disappearing before December. It arrives at Santa Barbara in July, and 

 at Monterey in August. In late summer it, is exceedingly abundant. It forms part of the food of 

 larger fishes, and great numbers are salted for bait. As a food-fish it is held in low esteem, but 

 whether this is due entirely to its small size we do not know. It is identical with the well-known 

 Mediterranean species." 



THE THREAD-FISH BLEPHARIS CRINITUS. 



This fish, also known as the "Shoemaker-fish," is found along our coast from Cape Cod to the 

 Caribbean Sea, as also on the Pacific coast of tropical America. It possesses no importance in 

 our Atlantic waters, but on account of its strange shape and the long thread-like appendages to 

 its fins, which float behind it to the distance of five or six times its own length, it is often brought 

 to the markets as a curiosity. "It is not found in California," writes Jordan, "but in Western 

 Mexico it attains the length of two or three feet, and is brought to the markets for food." 



104. THE POMPANOS TRACHYNOTUS CAROLINUS, ETC. 



There are four species of Pompano in the Western Atlantic, very similar to each other in 

 general appearance, but easily distinguished by differences in proportion and in the number of 

 fin -rays. 



The commonest aud by far the most important species, the Carolina Pompano, Trachynotus 

 carolinus, has the height of the body contained two to two and two-thirds times in the total length; 

 the length of the head five to five aud one-third times; one of the caudal lobes four times. It has 



