774 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



Lophius piscatorus Continued. 



Nantucket, about 50 at one time. Sharp and 

 Fowler. 



Spawns in May and June. Edwards. Spawn 

 laid in clusters, which are often found attached 

 to fish traps or floating in the Sound. 



Food: Six coots found by Capt. Leonard West, 

 of Chilmark, in the stomach of one goosefish. 

 Storer. A local specimen in June contained 

 Cancer irroratus and Loligo pealii. Verrill and 

 Smith. Mollusks, annelids, small Crustacea, 

 winter flounder. Linton. In order of fre- 

 quency: Squid (Loligo), skates (Raja erina- 

 cea), flounders (Paralichthys, Lophopsetta, Pseu- 

 dopleuronectes), lady crabs, Ammodytes, sque- 

 teague, sea robin, butterfish, Anguilla chry- 

 sypa. I. A. Field. 



Parasites: Acanthocephala (Linton) Echino- 

 rhynchus acus, E. lateralis, E. pristis, E. sp. 

 Nematodes (Linton) Ascaris increscens, A. 

 rigida, Heterakisfoveolata. Cestodes (Linton)- 

 Dibothritim sp. (larvae), Rhynchobothrium im- 

 parispine (cysts), R. speciosum (cysts), R. sp. 

 (cysts), Scolex polymorphus (larvae), Tetra- 

 rhynchus bisulcatus (cysts), T. sp. (cysts). 

 Trematodes (Linton) Distomum nigrescent. 

 Copepods (C. B. Wilson) A rgulus megalops, 

 Lepeophtheirns thorn psoni. 



Family ANTENNARIID^. 



Pterophryne histrio (Linnaeus). Sargassum-fish, 

 mousefish (a senseless name!), marbled angler. 



Storer, 1867, p. 105 (Chironectes Icevigatus); H. 

 M. Smith, 1898, p. 109; Jordan and Evermann. 

 1898, p. 2716; Kendall, 1908, p. 152. 



Vineyard Sound, among floating Sargassum, 

 which it apparently seldom leaves; occasion- 

 ally straying into harbors such as Vineyard 

 Haven and Quisset Harbor. This straggler 

 from southern waters was first recorded locally 

 by Storer in 1867. During many seasons it is 

 not observed at all. An especially large num- 

 ber were taken in 1897 (see Smith, 1898) ; a few 

 in 1906 and 1907 ; none since the last date \ 1911 

 note). It does not appear till July, but speci- 

 mens have been taken as late as November. 

 They are collected by means of dip nets along 

 with the gulf weed. 



The sargassum fish has deposited unfertilized 

 spawn on several occasions in laboratory aqua- 

 ria. This is laid in jelly masses, similar to 

 those of Lophius. 



Parasites: Distomum sp. Linton. 



The marvelous and undoubtedly protective 

 coloration and configuration of this fish render 

 it one of the most striking objects which appear 

 on our coast. 



Class REPTILIA. 



Family DERMOCHELID^. 



Dermochelyscoriacea (Linnaeus). Leather-jacket. 



Henshaw, 1904, p. i. 



Buzzards Bay, near Woods Hole. Mr. Edwards 

 states that a specimen was taken in a fish trap 

 about 20 years ago, by Mr. I. S. Spindell, 

 which weighed 1,400 pounds. Very few have 

 been seen in neighborhood of Woods Hole in 

 recent years, however. Near Newport. 

 Henshaw. 



Family CHELONIID/E. 



Caretta caretta (Linnaeus). Loggerhead turtle. 



Henshaw, 1904, p. 4 (Thallassochelys caretta. No 

 local records). 



Menemsha Bight in traps; a number of speci- 

 mens, usually about 2 feet in length, taken 

 every year. V. N. Edwards. Howard Ayers 

 records (Marine Biological Laboratory card 

 catalogue) the taking of one specimen in a fish 

 trap on Uncatena Island in July, 1892. Two 

 individuals (one weighing 35 pounds) were 

 brought to the Woods Hole station during the 

 summer of 1908. 



Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus). Hawks-bill 

 turtle. 



Sumner, 1909, p. 984. 



Menemsha Bight in traps; a number of speci- 

 mens, usually about 18 inches in length, taken 

 every year. V. N. Edwards. This species, 

 according to Mr. Edwards, is more common 

 locally than the preceding. A specimen, un- 

 der 6 inches long, in the local museum, bears 

 the label "Woods Hole, August 20, 1903"; 

 another small example was taken among gulf- 

 weed during the summer of 1908. (Both iden- 

 tified by F. B. Sumner from descriptions 

 and figures furnished by Dr. L. Stejneger). 

 Mr. Edwards likewise reports having seen 

 "hawk-bill" turtles in Long Island Sound as 

 late as Thanksgiving Day. The) r were then 

 exhausted by the cold. 



Family CHELYDRID^. 



Chelydra serpentina (Linnaeus). Snapping turtle. 

 Henshaw, 1904, p. i (no local records). 

 Sometimes found in salt marshes connected with 

 Great Pond. V. N. Edwards. 



