TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Sscnos A.— Introduction ,... 1 



1. Object of the memoir 1 



L Previous memoirs of the series I 



2. Tlie commercial importance of the menhaden l 



3. The imperfect knowledge regarding this species i 



2. Means employed in gathering information 3 



4. Circular issued. (See also Appendix A) 3 



5. Letters of inquiry sent out 3 



6. Persona! studies made 3 



3. Sources of information 3 



1. Materials in ^he archives of the United States Fish Commission 3 



8. Personal observations and the aid of individuals 3 



9. Responses to the circular. <See also Appendices B and N) 4 



W. Published accounts of the species. (See also Appendixes C and D) 4 



11. The collections in the United States National Museum. <See also Appendix E) 5 



4. Sources of error which have been shunned 5 



12. The difficulty of obtaining exact information 5 



13. Prejudices and superstitions 6 



14. Inaccuracies of observation and statement 6 



Section B. — The najies of the menhaden 6 



5. Popular iianies 6 



15. Local names and usages 6 



16. The geographical distribution of popular names 7 



17. A table showing the geographical distribution of the popular names of the men- 



haden 7 



18. Discrepancies in these names 9 



19. The name of "menhaden" claimed to be the preferable one 10 



20. Tradenames of the menhaden and their liability to mislead 10 



21. Origin of the popular names of the menhaden 10 



22. "Pogy"and "menhaden" 11 



23. " Hard-head " and "bony-fish" 12 



24. "White-fish" 12 



25. "Mossbunker" 12 



26. "Alewife" and "oldwife" 13 



27. "Bugfish" 13 



28. " Fat-back ' ' and ' ' yellow-tail " 14 



29. The conflict of names among the American representatives of the herring family.. 14 



6. Zoological names 15 



30. Latrobe's description of Clupea tyrannus and the reasons for adopting this specific 



name. (See also Appendix E and Plate II) 15 



31. Mitchill's description of Clupea menhaden. (See also Appendix E) 16 



32. Bafinesque's Clupea neglecta 16 



33. Belknap's Clupea dura 17 



34. Mitchill's Clupea sadina ani Gronow's Clupea earolinensis 17 



35. Brevoortia patronus 17 



36. Agassiz's Clupanodon aureus 17 



37. Jenyns's Clupea pectinata 18 



38. The generic relations of the species and Gill's genus Brevoortia. (See also Appen- 



dix G) 18 



39. Revision of the American species of menhaden IS 



Section C— a descreptiok of the American species of Brevoortia. with anatomical and 



physiological notes - 19 



7. Technical descriptions W 



40. Brevoortia tyrannus (Latrobe), Goode - 19 



41. Brevoortia patronus, Goode 26 



42. Brevoortia pectinata, Jenyna, Gill 30 



lU 



