FISHES OF NEW YORK 79 



Body tapering, elongate, terete, its depth at dorsal origin one 

 fifth of length to base of middle caudal rays; caudal peduncle 

 short, its least depth two fifths of greatest depth of body; head 

 rather elongate, pointed, its length contained three and two 

 thirds times in total to base of middle caudal rays; occipital 

 process with a median keel, about one third of length of head, 

 its tip convex; fontanel forming a narrow groove; top of head 

 comparatively smooth; maxillary barbel three fourths as long 

 as the head; longest mental barbel little more than one half of 

 length of head; eye oblong, placed high, its length one half the 

 length of snout, which is one third the length of head; dorsal 

 origin somewhat behind middle of pectoral fin; dorsal base about 

 equal to snout, highest ray slightly exceeds greatest depth of 

 body; pectoral fin reaches about to below end of dorsal base; 

 ventral origin midway between tip of snout and end of middle 

 caudal rays, length of fin two and one third times in head. Dis- 

 tance from vent to anal origin equals longest anal ray. Length 

 of anal base equals one half the length of head. Caudal lobes 

 unequal, the upper one fourth longer than lower. D. I, 7; P. I, 6; 

 A. 16 (13 developed) ; V. I, 5. 



Color steel blue, sides and belly silvery, lower parts pale. 

 Cape Cod to Texas; common southward along the sandy coast. 



Cuvier and Valenciennes received a specimen from New York, 

 forwarded by Milbert. Of its occurrence at Woods Hole Mass. 

 Dr Smith made the following record: "Reported to have been 

 common in spring in Vineyard sound many years ago, being 

 often taken with cod; now (1898) very rare, and only occasionally 

 observed since the fish commission station at Woods Hole was 

 established. A specimen was taken in 1887, since which time 

 none has been reported." 



Genus ICTALURUS Rafinesque 



Body slender, elongate, compressed posteriorly; head slender, 

 conical; superoccipital bone or process prolonged backward, its 

 emarginated apex receiving the acuminate anterior point of the 

 second interspinal, thus forming a continuous bony bridge from 



