332 NEW YORK STATE MUSEtUM 



Exocoetits comatus Mitchill, Tl*ans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. 418, pi. V,. 



fig. 1, 1815. New York. 

 Exocoetus novehoraccnsis Mitchill. Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. X. Y. I. pi. V, 



fig. 3, 1815; Aiiier. Month. INlag.. II. 323, March, 1818; De Kay, N. Y\ 



Fauna. Fishes, 230, pi. 36, fig. 114, 1842, near New York; Jordan & 



Gilbert, Bull. IG, U. S. Nat. Mus. 904, 1883. 



Body slender, its greatest depth contained from five to five and 

 one third times in the total length without caudal; length of 

 head contained four and two thirds in total to base of caudal; 

 the snout slightly shorter than eye, its length three and three 

 fourths times in head, while that of the eye is contained three 

 and one fifth times; dorsal origin in advance of anal origin, dor- 

 sal base from one and one half to two times as long as anal base; 

 first ray of pectoral simple, second divided, third and fourth rays 

 longest, extending to last ray of dorsal and contained one and 

 four ninth times in total length without caudal; ventral origin 

 midway between eye and base of caudal fin, the ventrals reaching 

 last ray of anal, the length contained two and three fourth 

 times in length of body. The lower caudal lobe is three fifths 

 longer than the upper, which is equal in length to the hight of 

 the body. D. 14; A. 9; P. 15; V. 6. Scales 58-63, 33 rows before 

 the dorsal fin, 7 rows between the dorsal origin and the lateral 

 line; vertebrae 31+14=45. 



Pectoral fins grayish brown with a broad whitish margin, an 

 oblique white band on their lower half; dorsal and anal uniform 

 grayish without bands; ventrals whitish, slightly dusky in the 

 axils. 



The species grows to the length of 15 inches. The young often 

 have a long barbel at the chin, this disappearing entirely in the 

 adult. 



T)r Mitchill described a specimen, 1 foot long, which was taken 

 in a seine near New York. 



This flying fish inhabits the Atlantic ocean and is most abund- 

 ant in the tropical parts, but strays northward to England and 

 to the banks of Newfoundland. 



