PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. ODD 



its Character between the Scomber and the related genera Pelamys and 

 Orcynus. It has the two dorsal fins remote from each other, as in Scorn- 

 her, and the general form of the body is slender, like that of the mack- 

 erel. The body is, however, somewhat stouter, and, instead of being 

 covered with small scales of uniform size, has a corselet of larger scales 

 under and behind the pectoral fins. Instead of the two small keels upon 

 each side of the tail, which are so noticeable in the mackerel, it has the 

 single, more i)rominent keel of the bonito and the tunny. Its color is 

 grayish blue, something like that of the pollack, the belly being lighter 

 than the back. Under the posterior part of the body, above the lateral 

 line, are a few cloudings or maculations resembling those of tbe mack- 

 erel. The occurrence of a large school of this beautiful species in our 

 waters is very noteworthy, for the fish now for the first time observed 

 are very possibly the precursors of numerous schools yet to follow. It 

 is not many years since the bonito became an inhabitant of our waters, 

 and the distribution and habits of the frigate mackerel are sui)posed to 

 be very simihir to those of the bonito, Sarda pelamys, and the little 

 tunny, Orcynus tkynnus, which also first came on the coast in 1871, and 

 have since been found in considerable numbers. 



The frigate mackerel has been observed in the West Indies and other 

 parts of the tropical Atlantic, as well as on the coast of Europe. In 

 Great Britain it is called the "plain bonito". It is not unusual in the 

 Bermudas, where it is called the "frigate mackerel", a name not inap- 

 propriate for adoption in this country, since its general appearance is 

 more like that of the mackerel than the bonito, while in swiftness and 

 strength it is more like the larger members of this family. 



Since the first appearance of this fish many new observations of its 

 abundance have been received. These fish seem to have come in im- 

 mense schools into the waters between Montauk Point and George's 

 Bank ; and from Mr. Clarke's statements it appears that they have been 

 observed in small numbers by fishermen in i)revious years. Several 

 vessels have come into iN^ewport recently reporting their presence in 

 immense numbers in the vicinity of Block Island. It will interest the 

 "ichthyophagists" to know that several persons in Newport have tested 

 the fish, and pronounce it inferior to the bonito. Part of the flesh, that 

 on the posterior part of the body, is white, but behind the gills it is 

 bkick and rank, while the meat near the backbone is said to be of dis- 

 agreeable, sour flavor. 



It is hard to predict what its influence will be upon other fishes 

 already occupying our waters. Its mouth is small and its teeth feeble, 

 so that it is hardly likely to become a ravager, like the bonito and the 

 bluefish. There is little prol)ability, on the other hand, that its advent 

 will be of any special importance from an economical i)oint of view, for 

 its oil does not seem to be veiy abundant, and it would hardly i)ay at 

 present to capture it solely ibr the purpose of using its flesh in the 

 manufacture of fertilizers. 



