90 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



fathoms. Nothing further is known of its habits, but Mowbray's '" recent capture 

 near Bermuda of a snipe eel clinging by its jaws to the tail of a large red snapper 

 has suggested the possibility that this is a regular habit of this curious species. 



THE TARPONS AND HERRINGS. FAMILIES ELOPID^ffi) AND CLUPEIDJE «' 



The Elopidre are very closely allied to the true herrings (Clupeidae), from 

 M'hich they differ in having an elongate, bony, interjugular plate on the throat 

 between the branches of the lower jaw. There are only about five species, all of 

 them tropical. 



The herrings (Clupeidce) are soft-finned fishes wholly lacking spines, with 

 one short dorsal fin, deeply forked tails, ventral fins situated on the abdomen 

 far behind the pectorals, small teeth, deep compressed bodies, and large scales 

 that slip off at a touch. They are, perhaps, the most familiar of northern sea 

 fishes and certainly are the most abundant in number of individuals. Seven spe- 

 cies of herring occur in the Gulf of Maine — the round herring and hickorj' shad, 

 very rare; the sea herring, alewlfe, blueback, and shad, regular; and the men- 

 haden, irregular in its occurrence. Among these the round herring, shad, men- 

 haden, and sea herring are named at a glance, but the others resemble one another so 

 closely that they are often confused even by the fishermen who constantly handle 

 them. 



KEY TO GULF OF MAINE TARPONS AND HERRINGS 



1. Last dorsal ray not elongate 2 



Last dorsal ray elongate Tarpon, p. 91 



2. Belly rounded Round herring, p. 91 



Belly compressed, its edge sharp 3 



3. Head (tip of snout to edge of gill cover) not more than one-fourth the total length of 



the fish; free margins of scales rounded 4 



• Head very large, occupying nearly one-third the total length of the fish; free margins 

 of scales fluted instead of rounded Menhaden, p. 118 



4. Tip of upper jaw deeply notched, inclosing tip of lower when mouth is closed 



Shad, p. 113 



Tip of the upper jaw is not notched, or, if notched, the lower jaw projects considerably 

 beyond the upper when the mouth is closed 5 



5. Edge of the belly is hardly serrated, though sharp; the general form is comparatively shal- 



low; there is a cluster of teeth on the midline of the roof of the mouth. Sea herring, p. 92 

 Edge of belly is strongly serrated; general form deep; there are no teeth in the midline 

 of the roof of the mouth 6 



6. The lining of the belly is pale gray 7 



Lining of belly is black or dark blotched Blueback, p. 110 



7. Head occupies about one-fourth of total length of fish; lower jaw projects consider- 



ably beyond upper; general profile tapers toward the rather pointed head as well as 



the tail Hickory shad, p. 105 



Head occupies hardly one-fifth of total length of fish; lower jaw hardly projects beyond 

 upper; body deep and heavy forward Alewife, p. 107 



" Copeia, No. 108, July, 1922, p. 49. 



" The ladyfish (Elops saurus Linnaeus), a tropical species that would reach the Gulf of Maine as a stray only, has been re- 

 ported by Halkett (1913, p. 45) at Black's Harbor, Charlotte County, New Brunswick, on the north shore of the Bay of Fundy, 

 but the specimen in question, which was 7 inches long and not in very good condition, differed in some respects from published 

 descriptions of this species, hence its identity is doubtful. 



