FAMILY CLVPWM CLUPEA. 253 



THE LITTLE HERRING. 



Clupea parvula. 

 The Little Herring, Clupea parvula. Mitchill, Lit. and Phil. Soc. Vol. 1, p. 452. 



Characteristics. Brownish above, and without spots or stripes. Almost transparent. Length 

 six inches. 



Description. "A delicate, and as it were, a semi-transparent appearance. Tail forked. 

 " Belly serrated. Branchial rays six. 



" Color. A little greenish about the head, gills and eyes ; but neither green nor blue on the 

 " back or sides. Back of an unmixed, though not deep brown, which passes through regular 

 " gradations of hue to a silvery whiteness on the sides and belly. 



"Length 6"0. 



" Fin rays, D. 14 ; P. 14 ; V. 9 ; A. 18 ; C. 21." 



I have copied this short note of a species, which figures in Mitchill's Memoir on the Fishes 

 of New-York. I have met with nothing like it. It does not appear, from the description, 

 whether it should be referred to this or the succeeding genus. Allied to it appears the Brit 

 of Dr. Storer, which is thus described : 



THE BRIT. 



Clupea minima. 



C. minima. Peck, Belknap's Hist. New-Hampshire, Vol. 3, p. 130. 



C. id., The Brit. Storer, Report on the Fishes of Massachusetts, p. 113. 



Characteristics. Black above ; dark green and silvery on the sides. Abdomen serrated. 

 Length one to four inches. 



Description. Length of the head one-fourth the length of the body, gradually sloping from 

 the occiput to the snout. Gill-covers large, silvery, seeming to form one large plate. Lower 

 jaw rather projecting beyond the upper. Diameter of the eye equal to one-sixth of the length 

 of the head. Tail forked. 



Color. Back nearly black ; upper part of the sides dark green. Sides silvery, with roseate 

 and golden reflections. In the younger specimens, the dorsal ridge is a black line, and the 

 distance between it and the lateral line, which is situated very high upon the sides, is of a 

 light green, sprinkled with darker points. The lateral line arises upon a line with the upper 

 angle of the opercle, and runs along very near the back, the length of the body. 



Length, l'O -4"0. 



Fin rays, D. 10 ; P. 15 ; V. 5 ; A. 12 ; C. 18. 



