SCIENTIFIC SURVEY. gj 



Sub-class Teleostei. Gasterosteoid^. 



Genus Scomberesox, Guvier. 



Gen. Char. Snout greatly attenuated and elongated, as in the preceding. 

 Teeth in both jaws ; more on the palatines and tongue. Dorsal and anal fins di- 

 vided behind into numerous finlets. 



Scomberesox scutellatus, Les. 



Bill fish. 



The Bill fish is a very handsome species, with a body shaped 

 like that of a mackerel, and the head, or rather snout, elongated 

 much longer than that of a pickerel. Hence the common name of 

 Bill fish. It is found all the way from the shores of Newfoundland 

 to those of Cape Cod. At the latter place it is most abundant in 

 October. 



Its characteristics are, " dark green above. Lower jaw longest. 

 Body with a broad silvery band." — DeKay. 



The head is narrow and long ; eyes small ; gill covers large, 

 smooth ; lower jaw one quarter of an inch longer than the upper. 

 Minute teeth on the base of it. Nostrils are large. Body is 

 somewhat eel-formed ; scales small. The lateral line straight and 

 near the back. A furrow extends from the lower edge of the oper- 

 culum to the base of the caudal fin. Storer describes this as con- 

 sisting of two yellowish lines, which are a continued series of 

 scales.' When raised, they resemble serrations; when not erect, 

 they look like sinuses (furrows.) Between these rows are situate 

 the ventrals, the anal, and the anal finlets. 



Eay formula — 



D. 10, V. or vi ; P. U ; V. 6 ; A. 12, v. or vi ; C. 20. 



The caudal is deeply forked, the lower lobe slightly the longest. 



Synontmes. — Scomberesox Storeri, DeKay. 



Scomberesox equirostrum, Lesueur. 

 Esox lonyirostra, Mitch. 



Family Gasterosteoid.e, Bona. Sub-family Gasterostein^, Bona. 



Char. Body diminutive in size — no scales ; sometimes naked, 

 sometimes plated entirely or in part. 



Head. — Gills four in number on each side, composed of two 

 perfect branchial combs. Four branchiostegal rays ; gill openings 

 being separated beneath by an isthmus — the last gill opening situ- 

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