^og KAMAEICHI ELSHTSOrVE : 



thick, and the tlis'.al partion of these ribs is broad, thin, and gi-Adually nan'ow. 

 The part between the head and the broad distal portion is very uaiTow to 

 admit the passage of the cntaneonns blood-vessels. 



The colour is blackish blue in the dorsal part, with a greenish Instre 

 near the tail. Sides and lielly are silvery. In young specimens, ca 60 

 cm in length, we find some five or six dark, iiregukrly longitudinal bauds, 

 running neaa- the ventral median line. Thesa bauds are more distinct at the 

 caudal region, and are moi-e or less united in the form of irregular uet-work. 

 'First dorsal neaily coloiu-less, except the dusky border. Pectorals bkck, 

 veuti-als and the secoud doi-sal are duskj-, but the anal is nearly coloiu-less. 

 The dorsal finlets are dusky, washed with yellow, while the ventral fiulets are 

 more or less dusky. Iris silveiy, tiuted with light blue. 



This species is rather small, a germon of ca 25 kg is rather rare and 

 large. lu southern California 8 kg fishes are said to be common, a fish 

 weighiug 20 kg is considered large. In Jai^auese and Hawaiian waters, fishes 

 of ca 45 kg are said to be nearly maximum and rare. 



Very widely distributed in both the north and south Pacific. Caught in 

 large quantities on the Pacific coast of Hondo, but nut yet fouud in the .Japan 

 Sea. Foimd in off-shore gimmds only, never approaching the coast. Thus 

 species is caught iu our watera till about 43° N, off the south coast of Hokkaido- 

 In spring the germon begins to migi'ate northward. In this northerly migra. 

 tion the germon precedes the stiipad bouito, but follows our common timnj- 

 (Thwmus oricntalis). In winter the germon is found in the southern paii 

 of OOT waters, about 34° N. Found iu water of 10-25° C in temperatm-e, and 

 at a depth of about 80 m. 



Germon or the albaeore seems to have beeu caught in om- waters since 

 the b^inning of the nineteenth centiuy, as its name is first foimd in the 

 literature of a very early pariod of that ceutury. In former tlays the germon 

 was caught imintentioually, while engaged iu fishing for the common tunny or 

 other kinds of fish, and was not valued, as its flesh is soft, but recently a 

 special long-Hue has been used for its aipture. Ciiught chiefly by means of 

 long lines and drift-nets. 



Flesh pinkish in colour, soft, and not good for " sashimi ", hence not much 

 esteemed in om- countrj-, but the amount of flesh is comparatively large. The 



