242 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



times in the total length, including caudal. The ventrals extend to 

 about the vertical from the origin of the second dorsal, and do not reach 

 nearly to the vent. The longest ray of the first dorsal is a little more 

 than one-half as long as the head. ]S"one of the rays of the second dor- 

 sal or of the anal are as long as the first ray of the first dorsal. The 

 longest ray of the second dorsal does not much exceed one-half the 

 height of the body. The longest ray of the anal is about one-half the 

 length of the ventral. The origin of the anal is about under the tenth 

 ray of the second dorsal. The ventrals are situated about under the 

 beginning of the i)osterior third of the head ', their length equals one- 

 fourth of the length of the second dorsal base. The origin of the pec- 

 toral is somewhat in advance of that of the first dorsal. The fin is im- 

 perfect, but its length probably slightly exceeds that of the ventral. 

 The caudal is rounded. 



D. 5, 55 ; A. 44 ; V. 10. 



Owing to the condition of the specimen it is very difficult to count 

 the small scales, but there are about 7 or 8 rows between the origin of 

 the first dorsal and the lateral line and about 14 or 15 rows between 

 the origin of the anal and the lateral line. The number in the lateral 

 line is at least 115 to the origin of the caudal. 



The color of the type at present is a very light brown. The margins 

 of the dorsal and anal, in their posterior portions, are blackish.- 



ON THE OCCURRENCE OP THE STRIPED BASS IN THE LOWER MIS- 

 SISSIPPI VALLEY. 



By TARIiETON B. BEAIV, 



Curator, Department of Fishes, United States National Museum. 



On the 7th of April, 1883, Mr. Thomas S. Doron, of Montgomery, 

 Ala., sent to the Museum a large striped bass which was caught in the 

 Alabama Kiver near Montgomery. The fish is a gravid female, meas- 

 uring nearly 3 feet in total length. The depth was so considerable 

 that the identity of the species with the striped bass of the east coast 

 was at first questioned and an effort was made to secure smaller individ- 

 uals from the same region for the purpose of comparison with east-coast 

 specimens. Until recently, however, no young examples were obtained. 

 The Museum has a specimen of the common striped bass, number 21312, 

 from Pensacola, Fla., whence it was sent by Mr. Silas Stearns ; this ex- 

 ample which is 16 inches long, has been compared with one of equal size 

 from Wood's Holl, Mass., and shows no differences from the common 

 form. While the occurrence of the striped bass in the Gulf of Mexico has 

 been established for several years we have not until now been certain 

 that it exists, also, in the INIississippi Basin. The specimen recently ob- 

 tained from Mr. J. Dock Harrell, of Usyka, Miss., enables us to decide 



