FISHES OF NEW YORK G29 



by its lanceolate tail. . . The specimen which furnished me 

 with the above description was found in a net in the harbor of 

 New York in the latter part of October. 



By some ichthyologists this has been considered the young of 

 the common C. geometric us, but by Drs Goode and Bean, 

 who base their opinion on a specimen taken at Block Island and 

 the example found in Great South bay in 1884, near the Blue 

 Point Lifesaving station, it is accepted as a valid species. Pro- 

 fessor Baird recognized it also in Great Egg Harbor river, N. J. 

 in 1854. 



The following is a recent description: 



Entire body covered with large three-rooted spines, which are 

 numerous and close set, specially on the belly; spines of the 

 belly as large or even larger than those on the back; not 

 embedded. D. 12; A. 10. 



Dark brownish olive above, with wavy dusky lines; belly black, 

 the base of the spines bright orange. Atlantic coast, from Cape 

 Cod southward; not common. 



Familv molioae 



HeadflsJies 

 Genus mola Cuvier 

 Bod}' ovate, strongly compressed, covered with a thick, rough, 

 leathery, elastic skin, which is without bony plates. Profile 

 forming a projecting fleshy nose above the mouth. Dorsal fin 

 beginning not far behind pectorals, short and high, falcate, con- 

 fluent with the anal around the tail; no large spines on the body. 

 Clumsy fishes, found in most warm seas, reaching a great size; 

 the young ( M o i a c a n t h u s ) with the body deeper, much 

 compressed, without trace of caudal fin, its place taken by a row 

 of marginal spines, 



oOO Mola mola (Linnaeus) 



Sunfish; Mola; Head fish 



Tclnidoii iiHiIa Lin.naecs, Syst. Nal. cd. X. .334, 412, IToS, Mediterrauoau. 

 Ccphaliis hiccis MiTdiirx, Traus. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 471, 181o. 

 Dlodon curtiKitiis: Mitchili., Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. X. Y. IL 2G4, pi. ."i. fig. 1, 



1815, Now York; younji'- 

 AcantJiosonui cariiiatKW De Kay, jS. Y. Fauua, Fishes, 830, pi. 55, fig. 17'.)^ 



1842. 



