SYSTEMATIC CATALOGUE OF FISHES. 



301 



Diagnosis. — Body very stout, deep, moderately compressed, the depth .4 to .5 length; 

 head large, heavy, deep, less than .33 length; bony area between eyes honeycombed; mouth hori- 

 zontal, maxillarv .33 length of head; 3 broad incisors in upper jaw, 4 in lower jaw, these nearly 

 entire in adult bin serrate in young; molar teeth in 3 rows in upper jaw and 2 series in lower 

 jaw; eye .20 to .25 length of head, less than interorbital space; gill-rakers 9 or 10; scales in 

 lateral series 45 to 50, in transverse series 22 to 24; dorsal rays xii,10 to xii,12, the fifth spine 

 longest, the first equal to eye; anal rays iii,10 or iii,ll, the second spine very strong and more 

 than twice length of first; caudal slightly forked; pectorals longer than head, extending beyond 

 origin of anal; ventrals large. Color: grayish, with 6 to 8 broad, black, nearly vertical bands 

 on body, these very distinct in young; dorsal fin dusky, anal and centrals blackish, pectorals 

 dark at base, (probatocephalus, sheep-head.) 



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Fig. 135. Sheepshead. Archosargus probatocephcdtis. 



The sheepshead is a well-known and valuable food fish, found from Massa- 

 chusetts to Texas. It reaches a weight of 20 pounds, and is often taken about 

 wharves, breakwaters, and sunken wrecks where food abounds. It feeds chiefly 

 on mollusks and crabs, which it is easily able to crush between its strong teeth. 



The species occurs in all the bays and estuaries of the North Carolina 

 coast from spring to fall, but nowhere in great abundance. Writing about the 

 sheepshead at Beaufort about 35 years ago, Yarrow said: 



Abundant in early spring; will not take the hook until later in season. In 1871, large 

 numbers were taken in the bight of Cape Lookout in nets. Size, 8 to 24 inches. A small 

 specimen was taken January 30, 1872, an early arrival. 



At the spawning season, which is in spring, the sheepshead swim in schools, 

 and appear to prefer sandy shores. The eggs are about .03 inch in diameter, and 

 more than 1,500,000 are in a fluid quart. They float at the surface, and hatch 

 rapidly, only 40 hours being required in water of 76° or 77° F. The young are 

 active and hardy. At Beaufort young fish from 1.5 to 7 inches long are found in 

 the harbor in summer, and the variations in size suggest either a prolonged 



