FISHES OP NEW YORK 79 



Body tapering, elongate, terete, its depth at dorsal origin one 

 fifth of length to base of middle caudal rays; caudal peduncle 

 short, its least depth two fifths of greatest depth of body; head 

 rather elongate, pointed, its length contained three and two 

 thirds times in total to base of middle caudal rays; occipital 

 process with a median keel, about one third of length of head, 

 its tip convex; fontanel forming a narrow groove; top of head 

 comparatively smooth; maxillary barbel three fourths as long 

 as the head; longest mental barbel little more than one half of 

 length of head; eye oblong, placed high, its length one half the 

 length of snout, which is one third the length of head; dorsal 

 origin somewhat behind middle of pectoral fin; dorsal base about 

 equal to snout, highest ray slightly exceeds greatest depth of 

 body; pectoral fin reaches about to below end of dorsal base; 

 ventral origin midway between tip of snout and end of middle 

 caudal rays, length of fin two and one third times in head. Dis- 

 tance from vent to anal origin equals longest anal ray. Length 

 of anal base equals one half the length of head. Caudal lobes 

 unequal^ the upper one fourth longer than lower. D. I, 7; P. I, 6; 

 A. 16 (13 developed) ; V. 1,5. 



Color steel blue, sides and belly silvery, lower parts pale. 

 Cape Cod to Texas; common southward along the sandy coast. 



Cuvier and Valenciennes received a specimen from New York, 

 forwarded by Milbert. Of its occurrence at Woods Hole Mass. 

 Dr Smith made the following record: "Reported to have been 

 common in spring in Vineyard sound many years ago, being 

 often taken with cod; now (1898) ver}^ rare, and only occasionally 

 observed since the fish commission station at Woods Hole was 

 established. A specimen was taken in 1887, since which time 

 none has been reported." 



Genus ictalurus Rafinesque 



Body slender, elongate, compressed posteriorly; head slender, 

 conical; superoccipital bone or process prolonged backward, its 

 emarginated apex receiving the acuminate anterior point of the 

 second interspinal, thus forming a continuous bony bridge from 



