BIOLOGY OF THE MUTTONFISE 



81 



Storer (1839) lists the following as stomach contents: — 

 Buccinum undatum. 

 Fusus corneu^. 

 Fusus pleurotomarius. 

 Turbo inflatus. 

 Natica triserata. 

 Natica consolidata. 

 Bulla tritacea. 

 Tellina sordida. 



Storer (1867) lists these additional forms — 

 Turbo obscurus. 

 Fusus turricula. 

 Trichotropis borealis. 

 Nucula minuta. 

 Turritella erosa. 

 Venus gemma. 

 Pecten islandicus. 

 Pectinaria sp. 



The results of the food study shov^ that the muttonfish is a bottom feeder but is 

 not a scavenger. 



10. LIST OF ASSOCIATES FROM SET LINE RECORDS. 



Considerable information regarding the common associates of the muttonfish in the 

 St. Croix river is obtained from the set line records as shown in the following table, 

 in addition to that afforded by the study of the food. The records were obtained 

 between May 31 and August 19, 1918. The area covered was from the mouth of the 

 river to about 10 miles upstream at depths from 10 to 30 metres. An average of 250 

 hooks was used at a set and the line usually set for an hour either at high or low 

 water slack. Clams {Mya arenana) and herring (Clupea harengus) were used for 

 bait as shown in the table: — 



Anemones 



Crabs Cancer spf 



Horse mussel, Modiola modiolus (L) 



Whelk, Buccinum undatum (L) 



Round whelk, Polynices heros (Say) 



Common starfish, Asterias vulgaris (Verrill) 



Sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis (Muller).. . 



Basket stars, Gorgonocephalus agassizi (Stimpson) 



Crossaster, Crossaster papposus 



Blood star, Henricia sanguinolenta (Muller) -. 



Brittle stars, Ophiopholis aculeata (L) 



Sea-cucumber, Cucumaria frondosa (Gunnerus) 



Sea pear, Boltenia ovifera 



Sea peach, Tethyum pyriforme 



Sea potato, Ascidiopsis prunum (Miiller) 



Tobacco box. Raja erinacea (Mitchill) 



Spiny skate. Raja radiata (Donavan) 



Barn door skate. Raja laevis (Mitchill) 



Dogfish, Acanthias vulgaris (L) 



Haddock, Melanogrammus aeglejinus (L) 



Hake, Urophycis tenuis (Mitchill) 



Cod, Gadus morrhua (L) 



Tomcod, Microgadus lomcod (Walbaum) 



Rosefish, Sebastes marinus (L) 



Sculpin, Myozocephalus octodecimspinosus (Mitchill) 



Sea raven, Hemitripterus americanus (Gnielin) 



Flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus (Walbaum) . 



Halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus (L) 



Eelpout or Muttonfish, Zoarces anguillaris (Peck) 



79550—6 



Herring 



bait, 



10 sets. 



1 

 5 

 1 

 3 



92 



42 



44 



2 



1 



10 



1 



18 



9 



I 



113 



9 



7 



1 



2 



2 



2 

 5 

 4 

 48 

 1 

 2 

 1 



