FISHES OF NEW YORK 623 



toward the base of the caudal. Head one third of total length 

 without caudal; eye small, its length nearly one fourth length 

 of snout and nearly one seventh that of head; interorbital 

 width two fifths length of head; nostrils one diameter of the 

 eye in advance of eye. Gill opening one fourth length of head. 

 Origin of dorsal fin twice as far from front of eye as from root 

 of middle caudal rays. Dorsal base one fifth as long as the 

 head, two fifths as long as longest dorsal ray. Anal origin 

 slightly behind dorsal origin, the anal fin a little smaller than 

 the dorsal, and mostly opposite to it. Caudal slightly concavo- 

 convex, the lower lobe a little the longer, the middle rays two 

 thirds as long as the head. Pectoral very deep but short, its 

 longest ray two fifths as long as the head. Lateral line begin- 

 ning behind the nostril, extending under the nostril to the mid- 

 dle of the snout, thence curving back on the cheek, ascending 

 below and behind eye in a broad curve, its highest point on the 

 level of the eye, to the middle of the caudal peduncle and thence 

 nearly straight to the base of the caudal. Small, sparsely set 

 prickles on back from nape to about middle of total length; 

 larger, closely set prickles on belly from throat to vent, extend- 

 ing up to lower edge of pectoral fin; these prickles rarely 

 obscure or absent; sides sometimes with cirri. 



Back dark brownish or grayish and with whitish narrow 

 curved lines and streaks, one of these usually a rhomb in the 

 middle of the back surrounded by a long ellipse which often 

 contains also a short crescentic streak. Two half ellipses on 

 posterior part of back between dorsal and caudal fins. Two 

 pale streaks across the interorbital space. Entire body and 

 head, except back and belly, profusely covered with roundish 

 black spots, the largest smaller than the pupil. A dark bar at 

 base of pectoral. Caudal dusky at base, then pale, the posterior 

 half blackish. D. 8; A. 7; C. 10; P. 15. 



The globefish abounds in the West Indies, occasionally 

 ascending rivers, and sometimes ranging northward in the Gulf 

 Stream as far as Newport R I. No specimens have yet been 

 recorded from New York waters, but its occurrence is to be 



