The Dnmi Family 227 



jaw. The border of the cheek-bones is strongly 

 toothed. The teeth of the jaws are in brushHke 

 bands, with somewhat longer ones in the upper 

 jaw. There are two dorsal fins, slightly con- 

 nected ; the caudal fin is double concave or trifur- 

 cate. The back is dusky gray with silvery lustre, 

 sides silvery or brassy, belly white and iridescent. 

 There are a number of dusky or cloudy vertical 

 or oblique bands, and the upper part of the body 

 is profusely sprinkled with numerous dark spots, 

 irregularly placed, in undulating lines. A dusky 

 spot is at the base of the pectoral fin ; the dorsal 

 fins are marked with dark spots, which form lines 

 along the soft dorsal fin. 



The croaker frequents grassy situations in the 

 brackish water of ba3^s and bayous, feeding on 

 crabs, shrimps, and other crustaceans, and small 

 fishes. It grows to a length of ten or twelve 

 inches, and is a good pan-fish when perfectly 

 fresh. It spawns in the autumn. 



On the grassy flats of the Patapsco and other 

 tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay I have caught 

 countless numbers of the "crocus," as we boys 

 called it. Just under the gill-cover, nearly al- 

 ways, we found a parasitic crustacean or sea- 

 louse, a half inch in length, resembling the land 



