76 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Sub-class Teleostei. Scombroids. 



These scales are both cycloid and ctenoid. Many genera are 

 provided with a crest or ridge on the sides of the tail, often pro- 

 tected with a series of keeled, bony, scale-like shields. 



Head. — Sides of head smooth. Operculars have neither spines 

 nor sei'ratures. 



Fins. — Dorsal, caudal and anal fins scaleless and varied in struc- 

 ture, according to different genera. 



Stomach. — Numerous pyloric appendages to the intestines. 



Air-bladder wanting. 



Sub-Family ScoMBRiNiE, Bona. — Genus Scomber, Guv. 



Gen. Char. — Body fusiform, covered by scales which are uniformly small; sides 

 of the tail not connected but merely raised into two small cutaneous crests; dorsal 

 fins widely separated; some of the posterior rays of the second dorsal and anal 

 free, forming finlets. One row of small conical teeth in each jaw. 



Scomber vernalis, Mitch. 

 Spring Mackerel. 



The mackerel, or spring mackerel, is one of those migratory 

 fishes that everybody knows something of, because they form so 

 important a branch of our fisheries and enter so largely into the 

 commercial and dietetical uses of the community. 



They appear on our coast about the middle of May, and their 

 numbers gradually increase until into June. The first comers are 

 males, and are rather lean and do not rank so high in the inspec- 

 tion as those later comers, or those caught later, that have become 

 fatter. 



They are caught with the hook, in large quantities, but they are 

 subject to what the fishermen call " freaks " in this respect, some- 

 times taking the bait eagerly, and at other times pass along with- 

 out taking the least notice of the bait and rejecting all the allure- 

 ments which the fishermen can devise. To obviate this, many 

 have adopted the custom of catching them with seines and drift 

 nets by which great numbers are caught during the season of their 

 stay in our waters. I have gathered some statistics in regard 

 to the amounts taken in different years, from 1850 to 1860, but as 

 they are quite defective and unsatisfactory I omit them at present. 

 They give, however, some interesting facts showing the great im- 

 portance of this branch of our industry. 



