Gudger — Notes on Some Beaufort, N. C, Fishes. 171 



Coryphaena hippurus Linnaeus. 

 DOLPHIN. 



The dolphin is such an infrequent visitor al Beaufort thai the capture 

 of a specimen is something of an event. According to Smith ( L907) 4 

 specimens have been taken in the Beaufort region. For but one of these 

 do we have definite data. On August 1, L902, Mr. Charles S. Wallace, a 

 fish-dealer of Morehead City, sent to the laboratory a fine specimen. It 

 measured 28.5 inches from end of snout to tip of tail and had 56 dorsal 

 and 27 anal fin rays. Its forehead was of the abrupt type common to its 

 kind. 



On June 7, 1911, ('apt. .1. II. Potter, a fish-dealer of Beaufort, pre- 

 sented to the laboratory a line young specimen which had been taken at 

 ('ape Lookout. It measured 16 inches to the base of the caudal lin and 

 19 overall, and it> depth was : > . i 4 inches. Its dorsal fin had 60 and its 

 anal 27 rays. The profile of its head was not of the typically vertical 

 shape but more pointed, in this respect agreeing with the small dolphin, 

 Coryphaena equisetis, from which, however, it was excluded by the num- 

 ber of the lin rays. It was plainly a young hippurus, the adult of which 

 is known to reach a length of 6 feet. 



Coles reports that lie has taken the dolphin by trolling in the breakers 

 at Cape Lookout. Twice he has eaten of this fish and found it fairly 

 good. His fishermen, however, refused to touch it, declaring that it was 

 poisonous. 



Lobotes surinamensis (Bloch). 

 TRIPLE-TAIL. 

 In "Notes for 1909" the writer recorded the length of some large 

 triple-tails or Hashers as ]SL>, 21, 2:'., 25, and 25 inches. Unfortunately 



there was no means at hand for weighing these specimens. 



In 1910 the c litions were reversed, the two fine specimens caught 



being weighed but not measured.* One tipped the beam at 12 pounds, 

 the other at 17)^. The largest hitherto recorded for Beaufort weighed 11 

 pounds. The writer had no idea of the power of these fish until he at- 

 tempted to catch and lift into the boat the larger of the above specimens. 

 It not only spined him and broke away but deluged everybody in its 

 flurries. 



Coles relates that in 1909 he captured at Cape Lookout a "steamboat" 

 (so called from its splashing habits when taken in a net) which weighed 

 26 pounds. However, large and powerful as were these fish, especially 

 the last, they do not measure up to those found in the East Indies. Ten- 

 nison-Woods (1888) captured on the north coast of Borneo a specimen 

 nearly three feet long. 



Archosargus probatocephalus (Walbaum). 

 SHEEPSHEAD. 

 On June 20, 1911, some fishermen on the outer side of Bird Shoal took 

 a large specimen of this fish. It measured from tip of snout to tip 



•These fish were taken by Capt. J. E. I. '-wis. of Morehead City, to whom the writer 

 i> indebted for many other interesting specimens. 



