BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 33 



Vol. V, 1V0. 3. Washington, D. C. Jaai. 19, B885. 



7.— NOTES IJPOiV \N EXPLORATION OiV B,0.\G ISEANU SOUIVW. 



By TARLETOAT H. BEAJV. 



[From a letter to Prof. S. F. Baird.*] 



"We have enjoyed a highly gratifying day of collecting, and onr list of 

 species now foots up 53. The Lookout has helped us to increase our 

 store by the addition of 14 species since it came in. The weather so far 

 has been propitious, and everybody seems satisfied. I am sorry that 

 we did not secure the aid of the steamer much earlier, as we hoped to 

 do. However, there are several accessions now of which I feel some- 

 what proud. We seined two examples of Fistularia to-day, besides a 

 species of Hcmirhombus (or Plaiophrys), and numerous examples of the 

 ovate pompano, Trachynotus ovatus. Baircliella is quite common; so, 

 also, is Symdus fastens. Two species of anchovy occur — one of them 

 very abundant — in the eastern portion of the bay, and the other not 

 moving so far from the ocean inlet; everywhere these little fishes at- 

 tract the blue-fish, squeteague, silver gar, and other predaceous species. 

 The silver sides (Menidla notata) are excessively abundant everywhere, 

 and serve as food for blue -fish. I have been someAvhat astonished to 

 find one of the hakes (Phycis tenuis) well distributed in the bay, asso- 

 ciated with the toiucod. The tomcod is much infested, in some places, 

 with a lernaeau parasite. Gobiosoma is very common. The tautog we 

 find in greater numbers as we approach the inlet, and the same is true 

 of the cunner. Young weak fish (squeteague) are universal except in 

 shoal water. Kingfish (Menticirrus nebulosus) are sufficiently numerous 

 wherever we seine, but the young, from an inch and a half to two inches 

 and a half or more in lengih, were taken in the surf to-day in larger num- 

 bers than I have seen before. The scup and the squeteague form the 

 principal catch of the 7 pounds near the Fire Island light. Young sea 

 bass are much more abundant at Wood's Holl than we find them here. 

 The white perch, a comparatively recent arrival in Great South Bay, is 

 becoming gradually distributed, but we have not yet caught a single 

 example in our seines. Synodus /ceteris is a very common species here, 

 reaching all parts of the bay visited by our nets. We do not find young 

 menhaden, and the only clupeoids secured are an occasional half-grown 

 menhaden, one hickory shad (Glupea mediocris), and one alewife (C. 

 vernalis, probably). The big-eyed eel is one of our treasures. 



Patchogue, N. Y., September 30, 1884. 



* More detailed and systematic accounts will probably appear in Proc. Nat. Mus., 1885. 

 Bull. U. S. F. C, 85 3 



