REVIEW OF LOCAL FISHES 89 



uniformly colored and the lower jaw not produced. Its habitat is off- 

 shore and it is only of accidental occurrence in our waters, whereas the 

 Shark Sucker is not uncommon in late summer. 



The Stargazer is a peculiar species quite unlike any other occurring 

 on our coast. Its body is stout, its head large and squari'sh in form, the 

 mouth vertical opening almost directly upward, and the small eyes placed 

 far forward on the top of the head. Its habitat is southern and it is 

 only of accidental occurrence near New York. The related Toadfish is a 

 common species in our bays reaching a length of about fifteen inches. 

 It is a soft finned mushy fish with a large blunt flattened head and 

 protruding lower jaw like that of a bulldog. At the upper angle of the 

 gill-cover are two diverging spines which are concealed in the skin, not as 

 conspicuous as are the spines of marine sculpins. Its lower jaw is rimmed 

 about with several fleshy flaps. The teeth of the Toadfish are rather 

 short and blunt but they are firmly set and he knows well how to use 

 them. One frequently finds a specimen isolated in some pool left by the 

 falling tide, but it is dangerous to try and capture such an individual by 

 the hand because of the chance of receiving a severe bite. One sometimes 

 sees them lying on the bottom beside some pier; when in such a position 

 if thej^ be annoyed with a stick, they will sometimes fasten their jaws 

 upon it so tenaciously that they may be lifted out of the water. Care 

 should be taken not to confuse the Toadfish with the very different and 

 much larger Angler, which commonly goes by the same name among 

 fishermen. 



There are two main divisions of the Blenny family, the first con- 

 sisting of comparatively short-bodied species with a dorsal fin made up of 

 weak spines in front and soft rays behind, the second consisting of more 

 or less elongate eel-shaped or band-shaped fishes with a long dorsal fin 

 consisting entirely or almost entirely of spines. The first group abound 

 about tropical reefs or shores, whereas the second group are character- 

 istic of cold northern seas. New York occupies just the intermediate 

 territory where neither group is much in evidence. A small member of 

 the southern Blennies which occurs here occasionally is the Striped 

 Blenny. Its body is compressed, the depth contained about three and 

 one half times in the length to the base of the tail fin. Almost the entire 

 length of its back is occupied by a rather high fin consisting of about 

 eleven weak spines and nineteen soft rays, both of about the same height 

 and not even separated from one another by an indentation. The tail 

 fin is short and rounded, the mouth moderately large with a single row 

 of slender comb-like teeth in each jaw. The gill openings are small, 



