416 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



THE BONY GAR. 



LONG-LIVED FISHES. 



MENTION has been made in previous 

 Bulletins of certain large striped bass, 

 (Roccus lineatus), which have lived in 

 the Aquarium since May 14th, 1894. These 

 fishes were placed in the large floor pool, 

 which they still occupy, two and one-half 

 years before the Aquarium was opened to the 

 public. They are therefore nearly fourteen 

 years old at this time, and have grown during 

 that period, from an average length of six 

 inches to about thirty inches, and now aver- 

 age about twenty pounds in weight. They 

 have never been moved from the pool, and 

 have lived continuously in brackish water 

 just as pumped from the 

 harbor. Eighteen of the 

 original fifty-four remain. 

 Being important game 

 and food-fishes, they have 

 received more attention 

 from the public than cer- 

 tain other old-timers at the 

 Aquarium which have lived 

 here nearly as long. There 

 are still in the building 

 some specimens of bony 

 gar, (Lepisosteus osseus), 

 and mudfish, (Amia calva), 

 which were received in 



1896, prior to the opening 

 of the Aquarium in Decem- 

 ber of that year. The bony 

 gars and mudfish have 

 grown very slowly. The 

 largest gar is about thirty 

 inches in length. The 

 Aquarium has five speci- 

 mens of the short-nosed 

 gar, (LepisQstexis platosto- 

 mus), which were received 

 from the Aquarium of the 

 St. Louis Exposition in 

 1904. 



Photographs from life 

 of these species by Mr. L. 

 B. Spencer, accompany 

 this report. 



THE STLTRGEONS. 



THE largest fishes which can be accommo- 

 dated comfortably in the Aquarium are 

 the sturgeons, an eight-foot specimen 

 having occupied one of the floor pools over 

 three years. Sharks of equal size have so 

 far, failed to survive injuries received in 

 capture. 



Sturgeons are hardy species, readily adapt- 

 ing themselves to captivity, those at present 

 in the Aquarium having lived there for over 

 two years. 



The stui'geons now in the central pool aver- 

 age about seven feet in length and were pro- 

 cured from pound or trap nets in the A'icinity 

 of Sandy Hook. These specimens are all 



THE AIUDFISH. 



