Notes on Common Names, Distribcttion, Habits and Captare 



of New ^.ovhf risl)es. 



I. Great Sea Lamprey {Pi-lroinycou inariuiis Linnjeus). 



Pctromyzon marinus Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 461, 1815 ; DeKay, 

 N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 379, pi. LXVI, fig. 216, 1842 ; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 

 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 10, 1896, pi. I, fig. 3, 1900. 



The Sea Lamprey, or Lamprey Eel, inhabits the North Atlantic, ascending 

 streams to spawn. The species ranges southward on our coast to Virginia. In the 

 Delaware, Susquehanna, and their tributaries, this is a common fish. Its larval 

 form, which is blind and toothless, is extremely abundant in muddy sandflats near 

 the mouths of small streams and is a very important bait for hook and line fishing. 



GREAT SEA LA^rPREY. 



The Sea Lamprey grows to a length of 3 feet. It is dark brown in color, 

 mottled with black and white. In the breeding season, in spring, the males have a 

 high fleshy ridge in front of the dorsal. The spawning is believed to take place in 

 May or June. The eels cling to the rocks by means of their suctorial mouths and 

 the eggs are deposited in shallow water on a rough bottom where the current is 

 swift. Some observers state that they, make nests by heaping up stones in a circle 

 and deposit the eggs under the stones. The ovaries are large, but the eggs are 

 very small. 



The food of the Lamprey is chiefly animal matter and the fish is somewhat of a 



parasite, burrowing into the side of shad, sturgeon and some other species. The 



teeth are adapted for this method of feeding. The tooth bearing bone of the upper 



side of the mouth contains two teeth which are placed close together. On the bone 



corresponding with the lower jaw there are seven or nine stout cusps. There are 



numerous teeth around the disk; tlie first row on the side of the mouth containing 



261 



