REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 145 



Reproduction: Spawns in November and December (Smith, 1898). 



A clump of eggs, probably of this species, was taken in beam-trawl just 



south of Plum Beach Light, December 22, 1908. 

 Size: About a foot long. 



160. Hemitripterus americanus (Gmelin). Sea-raven; Red Sculpin. 

 Geog. Dist.: Atlantic coast, New York to Labrador. 



Season in R. I.: Common from September through the winter to May. 

 Specimen taken in Dutch Island trap May 1, 1909. Two specimens 

 from Newport are in the U. S. National Museum. (Proc. U. S. Nat. 

 Mus., 1880, 86.) October 9, 1905, a specimen taken north end of 

 Conanicut Island. Several specimens from 8 to 20 inches long in 

 beam trawl south of Plum Beach Light, December 22, 1908. May 

 28, 1906, a specimen taken with scup off Sakonnet (Mr. Fearney, of 

 Providence) . 



Habitat: Bottom fish in deep water in summer, moving in toward the 

 shore in winter. Specimen taken in seine with menhaden two miles 

 from shore in October, 1895 (Smith, 1895). 



Reproduction: Spawns in November. Eggs are 5-32 inch in diameter, 

 not buoyant, and adhere in masses (Bean, 1903). Large specimen 

 with ripe eggs taken in beam-trawl south of Plum Beach Light, De- 

 cember 22, 1908. (See Ehrenbaum, Nordisches Plankton, 4, 1905, 53.) 



Food: All bottoms invertabrates ; molluscs, Crustacea, sea urchins, 

 worms; also fishes. This species is a useful scavenger. Specimen 

 taken April 13, 1908, in trap at Dutch Island Harbor, had a cunner 

 five inches long in its stomach. 



Size: Two feet. 



AGONID^. 



161. Aspidophoroide.s nionopterygius (Bloch). Sea poacher; Alligator fish. 



Geog. Dist.: From Greenland to Rhode Island, abundant in Massa- 

 chusetts Bay and northward. This species frequently obtained from 

 the stomach of the cod and haddock. 



Habitat: Cold water at moderate depths. 



Season in R. I.: In 1874 the head of a specimen of this species was 

 dredged up on the Pecten Ground ofif Watch Hill (Goode and Bean, 

 1879). 



Size: Reaches a length of six inches. 



