Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 353 



SL. The obtuse angle in the lower limb of the first gill arch is evident, and the gill rakers 

 on the upper limb of this arch now definitely extend down and over the upper ones on 

 the lower limb. Striations on the upper plate of the gill covers are evident, but the cheek 

 remains about as long as deep. Scalation is about complete. The silvery lateral band of 

 smaller specimens has blended with the silvery abdomen; the dark shoulder spot, always 

 present in adults, is evident though small; and in some specimens suggestions of sup- 

 plementary spots are already present. 



The gill rakers increase in number and in proportionate length with age (see 

 Description). Therefore, if their number is to be usable at all for differentiating species, 

 specimens of equal size must be compared. 



In the Gulf of Maine, the fish hatched during the summer reach a length of 

 60— 80 mm during their first winter and average slightly more than 160 mm the second 

 winter, and those hatched in the fall are 30 mm long the first winter and 130 mm the 

 second winter, with every gradation in size between the two {16: 122). 



In Chesapeake Bay, where the fish apparently spawn only during the autumn, 

 the young are only about 27 mm long the following January and 46 mm the following 

 April {^g: 103). These data, though not complete, are in general agreement with more 

 extensive data collected by me at Beaufort, where spawning quite certainly occurs only 

 during late fall and early winter. Seventy-nine larvae, collected there from the last half 

 of November to and including the first half of March, were between 4.0—20 mm, and 

 the average increase in length in each month was about 12 mm, excluding December, 

 when only three larvae were taken (5.0, 5.0, and 7.0 mm). Thereafter, more rapid 

 growth was indicated: seven specimens taken the last half of March were between 

 22—31 mm and averaged 27 mm; 1 10 collected in April were 30—40 mm and averaged 

 about 'T,^ mm; 50 collected during May were 30—41 mm and averaged about t,^ mm; 

 and 48 examples taken in June ranged between 38—56 mm and had an average 

 length of 45 mm. Lengths of 85— 150 mm (3.4-6.0 in.) were attained during their 

 second winter; the average was about iiomm (4.4 in.); measurements were based 

 on 167 fresh examples. 



"Sexual maturity is apparently attained in the season following the third winter, 

 and a few of the older fish Welsh examined showed as many as 9—10 winter rings on 

 their scales" (Bigelow and Schroeder, i^: 116). 



Spawning. The Atlantic Menhaden spawn at sea in saline waters. Many large 

 fat fish with well-developed roe were observed by me off Beaufort, North Carolina, during 

 autumn only. Such fish were seen also in the fall in the Chesapeake Bay area {^^g: 

 103) and in December off Fernandina, Florida (from unpublished notes by William 

 W.Welsh). However, off New England, spawning takes place in late spring and through- 

 out the summer, the height of the spawning season occurring in June; and in 191 5 

 off Woods Hole, Massachusetts, eggs were taken as late as the last week of October 

 {76: 119). 



At Beaufort, spawning apparently takes place only off Beaufort Inlet, for all of 

 the small ones, 16 mm and less, were taken at sea. This would be expected, for the large 



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