é 
THE, FISHES OF NEW JERSEY. 213 
black pigment. All which are large enough are highly valued as 
food. 
Key to the genera. 
a. Scales with ragged or jagged edges. KIRTLANDIA 
aa. Scales entire. MENIDIA 
“Genus KrirTLANDIA Jordan and Evermann. 
The Rough Scaled Silversides. 
Kirtlandia vagrans laciniata (Jordan and Gilbert). 
White Bait. Silver Fish. Silversides. 
Head 5; depth 534; D. V-11, 7, 1; A. 0, 20, 1; scales about 50 
in lateral line to base of caudal; 8 scales between origin of 
spinous dorsal and that of anal; 30 scales before spinous dorsal; 
snout 34% in head; eye 3%; interorbital space 3; pectoral 1; 
ventral 214%; spinous dorsal 37%; first branched dorsal ray 2% ; 
first branched anal ray 2; least depth of caudal peduncle 2%; 
lower caudal lobe 1. Body elongate, compressed. Head small, 
well compressed, and lower profile more steep than upper. Snout 
broadly depressed, rounded when viewed above. Eye circular, 
a little anterior. Upper jaw protruding slightly. Profile of 
mandible a little concave. Teeth in narrow villiform bands in 
jaws. Maxillary about 24 of snout to orbit. Interorbital space 
broad and only very slightly convex. Gill-rakers 6 + 17, slender, 
shorter than filaments and about one-half of orbit. Edges of 
scales strongly crenate or gashed. Lateral line median, more or 
less even, of short tubes, and beginning on middle of side near 
end of depressed pectoral. Spinous dorsal inserted nearly mid- 
way between origin of pectoral and base of caudal. Rayed 
dorsal inserted nearer base of caudal than tip of depressed pec- 
toral or about over last 2% of base of anal. Caudal forked, lobes 
broad and sharp. Pectoral extending tip opposite origin of 
ventral, though latter is inserted a little nearer origin of pectoral 
than that of spinous dorsal, and fin reaching half way to anal. 
