Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 369 



Reproduction. As in the case of their growth, little is known about reproduction in 

 the Largescale Menhaden. Goode (^5: 577) quoted Silas Stearns as follows: 



The first traces of spawn are found in May. But by July it has become sufficiently developed to be noticed 

 by any person unaccustomed to the examination of such objects. In the latter part of September or first of October, 

 at which time they are seen in abundance, the ovaries are sufficiently grown to distend the fish's abdomen, yet 

 not fully ripe. When they are next caught, in November and December, on the sea-beach, they are without 

 ovaries and show signs of having spawned. 



Since the Gulf species, patronus and gunteri, were not distinguished until recently, one 

 cannot be sure which species Silas Stearns observed. Even now it is not known whether 

 the spawning seasons of the two are different. 



The large examples at hand were all taken in February and March, and in these 

 the gonads are in a collapsed state, as though the fish had spawned recently. Further- 

 more, the juveniles at hand, 28-60 mm TL, were taken in late winter and during the 

 spring. In fact, there are some postlarvae, 19—24 mm TL, taken at Dead Man's 

 Island, Corpus Christi, Texas, March 31, 1926, which are believed to be this species. 

 Thus it is indicated that spawning takes place during the winter, that is, rather later 

 in the year than the time suggested by Silas Stearns. 



Migrations and Habitat. These Menhaden, like tyrannus, travel in schools while they 

 feed on plankton at the surface. However, at times they apparently live at or near the 

 bottom also, for the Bureau of Fisheries schooner, Grampus, took many specimens with 

 an otter trawl in February and March 1 9 1 7 off Corpus Christi and Galveston, Texas. 

 Gunter also reported their capture in the Gulf with an otter trawl (5J: 29). 



According to Gunter (5J), this species was not taken in water having salinities 

 below 25.0, which agrees in general with the places of collection of the specimens now 

 at hand. At least all of the larger specimens oi patronus were taken either offshore or in 

 localities where the salinity would be expected to run rather high. However, small to 

 half-grown examples are at hand that were caught where the water must have been 

 nearly fresh, as at Manchac Pass on the Illinois Central Railroad, north of New Or- 

 leans, Louisiana, and in Grand Plains Bayou, near Baldwin Lodge, Mississippi. 

 Such a habitat, for both young and adults, would correspond to that of tyrannus. 



It was stated by Silas Stearns that the fish are not seen in shallow water during 

 winter but appear in the spring and remain until late fall (in Goode, 45'). He said that 

 in fine weather the fish could be seen approaching the coast in great schools, and that, 

 once they had reached the inside waters, a large school would break up into smaller 

 schools. He also said that quiet bayous, creeks, and nooks in the bay were favorite 

 "feeding or playing grounds." Furthermore, he noted that small schools feed at the 

 mouths of rivers, and that upon becoming "accustomed to the fresh water," they move 

 upstream to quiet places. Again, one does not know whether Stearns observed one or 

 both species inhabiting the Gulf. 



Food. There is every reason to believe that the food oi patronus is essentially the 

 same as that of tyrannus. Both species feed at the surface in dense schools, have a giz- 

 zard-like stomach, and a long intestine, which suggest a vegetable diet. The presence 



