332 NINTH ANNUAL REPORT OF 



sport to the weak fish, although thirty or forty may be considered as a 

 first rate catch for a single boat and tide. 



The king-fish makes its appearance in the bays earl}^ in the spring, 

 leaving in the fall, and appears to observe much the same periods with 

 the weak fish. Like this species, it is fond of a shght mixture of" fresh 

 water, running up the mouths of rivers and ascending in proportion to 

 the duration of dry weather. 



During the past summer several were taken at Sing Sing, New 

 York, where they had previously been unknown. 



The young fish were exceedingly abundant in the river at Beesley's 

 point, on sand}^ bottom, as well as in the surf", hundreds being taken 

 at a single sweep of a small net. The smallest were about an inch 

 long, probably the spawn of the spring. As usual, the largest speci- 

 mens of the fish were caught with nets in the surf, thougli none that 

 were seen exceeded fifteen inches in length. 



The king-fish keeps much in schools, in or near the bottom where il 

 is sandy or hard, preferring the edge of channels or the vicinity of sand- 

 bars. They keep about oyster beds, and when oysters are being taken 

 up frequently congregate in large numbers about the boats in eager 

 quest of the worms and other minute animals dislodged by the opera- 

 tion. They bite very readily at clams, crabs soft or hard, andattitnes 

 make little objection to pieces of fish. Tlie best time t()r capturing 

 them is on the young flood. 



Like the weak fish they at times run up the small creeks in the sah, 

 meadows at night, and are taken by intercepting their return with the 

 falling tide. This, however, is by no means so common a habit as 

 with the other species. 



The eastern range of the king fish is not extended. Dr. Storer re- 

 cords a single specimen onl\^ as having been taken in Boston harbor. 



17. POGONIAS FASCIATUS, LaC^p. 



The Banded Drum. 



Pogonias fasciatiiSy Lacep., Hist, des Poiss. — DeKay, New York Fauna. 

 Fishes, 81, plate xiv, fig. 40. ' 



Sides yellowish silvery, with six or seven broad, dark, vertical bars 

 between the head and tail. D. and C. dusky towards their borders, 

 the anterior D. quite dark ; P. colorless ; V. and A. yellow. 



The young fish of this species were found very abundantly during 

 August in the small bays along the shore about Beeslev's Point. Few 

 were seen in the rivers. 



18. LoBOTES EMARGiNATUs, B. and G. 



Lobotcs emarginatiis, B. and G. Body elongated, subfiisiform in pro- 

 file; head subconical, contained a little more than three times in the 



