FAMILY CLUPIDZ — CLUPEA. 253 
THE LITTLE HERRING. 
CLUPEA PARVULA. 
The Little Herring, Clupea parvula. Mircuiit, Lit. and Phil. Soc. Vol. 1, p. 452 
Characteristics. Brownish above, and without spots or stripes. Almost transparent. Length 
six inches. 
Description. “A delicate, and as it were, a semi-transparent appearance. ‘Tail forked. 
** Belly serrated. Branchial rays six. 
“Color. A little greenish about the head, gills and eyes; but neither green nor blue on the 
“back or sides. Back of an unmixed, though not deep brown, which passes through regular 
“ gradations of hue to a silvery whiteness on the sides and belly. 
“ Length 6:0. 
“Pinirays, Di 143 Pyi4V.9; A. 18>'C. 21 
I have copied this short note of a species, which figures in Mitchill’s Memoir on the Fishes 
of New-York. I have met with nothing like it. It does not appear, from the description, 
whether it should be referred to this or the succeeding genus. Allied to it appears the Brit 
of Dr. Storer, which is thus described : 
THE BRIT. 
CLUPEA MINIMA. 
C. minima. Peck, Belknap’s Hist. New-Hampshire, Vol. 3, p. 130. 
C. id., The Brit. Storer, Report on the Fishes of Massachusetts, p. 113. 
Characteristics. Black above ; dark green and silvery on the sides. Abdomen serrated. 
Length one to four inches. 
Description. Length of the head one-fourth the length of the body, gradually sloping from 
the occiput to the snout. Gill-covers large, silvery, seeming to form one large plate. Lower 
jaw rather projecting beyond the upper. Diameter of the eye equal to one-sixth of the length 
of the head. Tail forked. 
Color. Back nearly black ; upper part of the sides dark green. Sides silvery, with roseate 
and golden reflections. In the younger specimens, the dorsal ridge is a black line, and the 
distance between it and the lateral line, which is situated very high upon the sides, is of a 
light green, sprinkled with darker points. The lateral line arises upon a line with the upper 
angle of the opercle, and runs along very near the back, the length of the body. 
Length, 1:0 - 4:0. 
Hinvrays, DMORP.15°.V. 5; A. 12: C: 18: 
