430 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



August. 1 have also found in them Band eels. This is a small fish as 

 clear as a herring, but long and thin, and buries itself in a moment in 

 the sand whenever it hears or sees an enemy approaching. At times 

 it is caught lor bait for the white fishermen's lines with a very small 

 meshed net, and in large quantities. I have also found in them young 

 parr and trout, and frequently perch and minnows. 



Denham Gkeen, Trinity, Edinburgh^ December IS, 1882. 



87.— A NOTE ON THE ATLANTIC SPECIES OF THE GENES AINGIIILLA. 



By SETII E. WEEK. 



In the Synopsis of the Fishes of North America by Jordan & Gilbert, 

 two species of the genus Anguilla are recorded, Anguilla rostrata, the 

 American, and Anguilla vulgaris, the European, species. With a view- 

 to testing the value of the characters assumed to distinguish these two 

 species I have carefully compared several specimens from both sides of 

 the Atlantic. 



In the American specimens, the dorsal fin is proportionately farther 

 from the end of snout, making the distance between front of dorsal 

 and front of anal a little shorter than in the European specimens. Other- 

 wise no permanent difference seems to exist. We should not, therefore, 

 in my opinion, consider the two as distinct species, but rather as geo- 

 graphical varieties of the same species. Below is given a table of eleven 

 specimens, seven European and four American. The proportions are 

 given in hundredths of the length to the eud of last vertebra. All the 

 specimens mentioned are in the collection of Jordan and Gilbert. 



Dimensions. 



Length of head  



Distance from end of snout to front of 



llorSill . . 



Distance from end of snout to front of 

 anal 



Distance from front of dorsal to front 

 of anal 



Length of mandible 



Length of pectoral 



Depth of body at front of anal 



Dint moe from gills to vinl 



Length in indies 



LOCALITIES. 



ropean examples, Anguilla vul- Am enc,an examples 

 oari»/ShawV *" ll - s - rostrata (Le 



garin (Shaw). 



131 

 31 

 43 

 14 



271 

 165 



13J 

 304 

 43 



(i 

 31 



r> 



28J 



i«i 



12 i 



3D 



444 



144 

 .> 

 4 

 5j 



32 



•joi 



13 j 



31* 



43 



m 



4 

 5 



2!»i 

 lift 



a n 

 > > 



a 

 a 



"a 

 > 



s 

 be 



u 

 o 

 > 



121 12J 

 30 294 



313 



13. G 

 5.5 

 4.0 

 5. 2 



20. G 



41 

 fct 



« 



HI 13.2 13.8 



30.5 33.0 

 43. 8 43. 7 



10. G 



5. 3 

 4.0 



6. 5 

 30 



Sueur). 



:> 



e 

 K 



m 



o 



114 

 204 



414 



HI 



43 



4 



5J 



204 



i-'i 



"a ► 



H 5 



z 



o 



fc» = 



C 



— 

 - 



13 I 13 J 124 



331 354 

 444 46 



334 

 434 



104 104 9J 



5* G ! 5 



4" 4 44 



5 :•> 64 



32 30 A 30 



13| log l»g 



Indiana University, May 11, 1883. 



