Fishes of Brookhaven^ L. I. 283 



thus found, floating in a vertical position, with the head bent 

 at a right angle to the body so as to remain horizontal near the 

 surface. Three of them were males ; in one the abdominal 

 pouch was filled with eggs ; in another, with the young just 

 ready to be set at liberty ; while in the other the pouch was 

 almost empty, only very few of the young remaining in it. 



These fish are sometimes caught in seines whose meshes 

 are more than an inch in diameter. This happens from their 

 habit of very frequently lying perfectly still when touched on 

 the side by any object which alarms them. The net strikes 

 them in this manner, and from the great length of their body, 

 reaching across many meshes, they are brought in by it, 

 though if they attempted to pass through, it would present to 

 them no obstacle whatever. When confined in a vessel of 

 water I have found them generally little inclined to move ; 

 but if aroused, their motions are exceedingly rapid. 



This species is subject to very great variations in color. I 

 have seen some, especially small specimens, which were almost 

 perfectly black both above and beneath ; others which were 

 very light brown without bands ; and others which were 

 banded with dark brown. In some the abdomen is bright 

 yellow ; in others it is very light, almost white. 



I have called this species peckianus ; I am perfectly confi- 

 dent that it is also the fasciatus and viridescens of Dekay. In 

 comparing the former with peckianus, Dr. Dekay says the 

 body of his species in front of the dorsal fin is heptangular ; 

 this is equally true of Dr. Storer's species ; '' head and ros- 

 trum proportionably longer ; " but this is by no means a con- 

 stant character, the head and rostrum vary very greatly in 

 length in fish of the same size. " The greatest depth of the 

 rostrum scarcely exceeding twice the greatest depth of the 

 head," evidently means nothing ; perhaps it is owing to an 

 error of the press. But not to confine ourselves to these few 

 points, the whole of Dr. Dekay's description is perfectly ap- 

 plicable to the species which I found on Long Island, and 

 which Dr. Storer says is his peckianus ; his figure also is a 

 very beautiful and perfect representation of the same fish. 



35* 



