292 Fishes of Brookhaven^ L. I. 



the South Bay, Lafayette, but which I should judge to be not 

 identical with the one nnentioned by Dr. Dekay under that 

 name, the Leiostomus ohliquus. Since I left the island also 

 one species has been added to the list. During the summer 

 of 1842, the Pelamys sarda appeared on the north shore of 

 Brookhaven, and quite a number of them were taken. They 

 were entirely new to the fishermen, who had never seen there 

 any species like them. While on a visit to the island in Au- 

 gust, 1842, I saw two specimens, of which I obtained one ; 

 they weighed about four pounds each. It appears to me, 

 therefore, not improbable that a residence of a few more years 

 would have enabled me to double the number of species here 

 recorded. 



In some instances my observations may seem to vary from 

 the assertions of others, or even to contradict them. In re- 

 gard to these I may be allowed to mention that what I have 

 stated has been what, in almost every case, has come under 

 my own notice, and that these apparent discrepancies may be 

 only local peculiarities of habit. Thus the Belone truncata I 

 found to move only or chiefly in the night. Several species 

 I have mentioned as very rare while on other parts of our 

 coast they are common, as the Scomber vernalis, Morrhua 

 pruinosa, and others. I have simply, however, recorded the 

 facts as I found them. In other cases I have named as com- 

 mon what Dr. Dekay calls very rare. A remarkable example 

 of this is the Prionotus caroUmis. There can be no question 

 that the fish to which we both refer is the same ; his descrip- 

 tion and figure agree perfectly with my specimens. And yet 

 he says, " This is a very rare species. In the course of twenty 

 years, I have not met with more than six or eight individuals." 

 While at Miller's Place scarcely any species is more common ; 

 1 have seen many hundreds taken in the course of a single 

 afternoon. 



In the last number of this Journal a Coitus was mentioned 

 by me, with the specific name variabilis, supposing that it was 

 undescribed. It is, I think, the one intended by Dr. Dekay 

 as the Coitus ceneus ; the name proposed by me must, of 

 course, be suppressed. 



