FISHES OF NEW YORK 481 



out the caudal; its width equals one half of its length. The 

 snout is short, obtuse and oblique, less than the eye in length. 

 The interorbital space is slightly convex, its width one third of 

 the length of the head. The mouth is small, oblique, the max- 

 illa not greatly expanded behind, reaching to below the front 

 of the eye. The width of the preorbital equals one half the 

 diameter of the eye. Scales on the cheeks in five rows. The 

 gill rakers are short and stout, about 15 developed on the first 

 arch, the longest little more than one fourth as long as the eye. 

 No supplemental maxillary bone. No palatine teeth. The 

 lower pharyngeal bone narrow, with teeth in only about four 

 series, chiefly acute. The spinous dorsal begins over the fourth 

 scale of the lateral line; the spines are stout, the first as long 

 as the snout and one half as long as the fifth and longest; the 

 spines following the fifth not much shorter; the first seven soft 

 rays about equal in length and one half as long as the head; 

 the last ray one third as long as the head. The base of the 

 spinous dorsal is nearly as long as the head; the soft dorsal is 

 two thirds as long as the spinous. The anal begins under the 

 20th scale of the lateral line; its base is as long as the head 

 without the snout; the spines are short and heavy, the first 

 five sixths as long as the eye, the second a little longer than the 

 eye, and the third one half as long as the head without the 

 snout; the longest rays are the fourth to the seventh, which are 

 one half as long as the head. The caudal is notched, its middle 

 rays three fourths as long as the outer. The ventral reaches 

 almost to the anal, its spine being one half as long as the head 

 ■without the snout. The pectoral is broad and reaches to below 

 the 18th scale of the lateral line. The lateral line follows the 

 curve of the back. D. X, 11; A. Ill, 10; V. I, 5; P. 13. Scales 

 7-41-15. 



In spirits the color is pale brown, the scales with a pale mar- 

 gin; a large dark blotch on the hind part of the soft dorsal; a 

 black opercular flap, its width and length about equal, shorter 

 than the eye. The living fish varies with age from light green 

 to dark green. The young have the sides silvery, tinged with 



