724 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



This is the plaice according to Mitchill; it is known also as 

 the watery flounder. De Kay calls it the spotted turbot and 

 sand flounder. In Great Egg Harbor bay it is the window light. 

 Windowpane and daylight are other names applied to the 

 species. De Kay saw specimens 18 inches long. He says it is a 

 delicate article of food. 



The windowpane is found on the east coast from Maine to 

 North Carolina. Though abundant and well flavored and some- 

 times reaching a length of a foot or more, it is not an important 

 food fish. In Gravesend bay the fish delights in cold water. It 

 is not adapted to captive life. In Great South bay we took it at 

 Fire Island beach at the end of September 1890. In 1898 an 

 individual was taken at Islip August 18. Young examples were 

 obtained at Fire Island inlet and Oak Island beach in September. 

 In 1901 young individuals were obtained July 31 and Aug. 15 in 

 Fire Island inlet. At Woods Hole Mass, according to Dr Smith, 

 it is found from April to late in the autumn. There is quite a 

 large run about June 1, when the fish is full of spawn. The 

 average size there is 10 to 12 inches. In experimental hatching 

 of the eggs at Woods Hole, it was found that the eggs were buoy- 

 ant, nonadhesive, - of an inch in diameter, and that they hatch 

 in eight days when the average water temperature is 51 

 to 56 F. 



Genus ETROPUS Jordan & Gilbert 



Eyes and color on left side; body regularly oval, deep and 

 compressed; head small; mouth very small, the teeth close set, 

 slender, and pointed, somewhat incurved, mostly on the blind 

 side, no teeth on vomer; eyes small, separated by a narrow, 

 scaleless ridge; margin of preopercle free; ventrals free from 

 anal, that of colored side inserted on ridge of abdomen, its base 

 rather long; dorsal fin beginning above eye; caudal double 

 truncate; anal without spine; scales thin, deciduous, ctenoid on 

 left side, cycloid on blind side; lateral line simple, nearly 

 straight. Size small. This genus is very close to C i t h a r - 

 i c h t h y s , from which it differs only in the very small size of 

 the mouth and in the correspondingly weak dentition. The three 



