1911.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 



THE FISHES OF DELAWAEE. 

 BY HENRY W. FOWLER. 



The waters of the State of Delaware may well be included in the 

 marine fauna known as the Virginian, which is not essentially different 

 from that of New Jersey. The extent of sea-coast is comparatively 

 short, about 23 miles, and from this little positive information has yet 

 been obtained. Several years ago the deep-sea pound established 

 off Dewey Beach was abandoned, so that no important fish industry 

 is carried on at present. Many of the off-shore fishes are said to have 

 been taken in the pound, and some of them quite frequently. 



The surf fauna along the beaches, which are usually moderately 

 inclined and easily seined in many places, furnishes schools of smaller 

 fishes, such as Mugil, Trachinotus and Menticirrhus. Crustacea, such 

 as Ocypode albicans, Callinectes sapidus, Ovalipes ocellatus and Emerita 

 talpoida, are abundant and often constitute the food of many fishes. 



The bays present peculiarities in their tides. The greatly larger 

 area of Delaware Bay has a broad outlet to the sea with the usual 

 tidal, allowing a great influx of marine forms, most of which ascend 

 to Ship John Light or Bombay Hook Point. On the other hand, 

 though both Indian River and Rehoboth Bays are salt water, they 

 have little or no tides, as the only channel of egress to the sea is the 

 Indian River Inlet, which being very narrow allows only a compara- 

 tively small escape and inflow of water. However, marine fishes 

 enter these bays by this passage, and sometimes in numbers. Uca 

 ranges along the salt and brackish marshes as far north as Armstrong's 

 Creek in Newcastle County. Prawns, like Palcemonetes vulgaris, occur 

 almost everywhere. 



The fresh-water fauna may be divided into a tidal and an above- 

 tidal region, of which the latter may again be divided into a lowland 

 and an upland region. The first of these is largely homogeneous 

 throughout the drainage of both the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays. 

 Acipenser sturio, Lepisosteus, Pomolobus pseudoharengus, Alosa, 

 Osmerus, Ameiurus catus, Fundulus heteroclitus macrolepidotus 

 Tylosurus, Roccus and Morone are characteristic. Apeltes quadracus, 

 not yet taken in the State, may also occur, likewise Dorosoma cepedi- 

 anum. Pal&monetes vulgaris is the most abundant crustacean. 



