FAMILY ANGUILLIDZ. 317 
GENUS AMMODYTES. Linneus. 
Body and head elongated. Dorsal fin extending nearly the whole length of the back ; anal 
fin long, and both separated from the caudal. Caudal forked. Lower jaw longest. 
Branchial aperture large. No caca nor air-bladder. 
THE AMERICAN SAND-LAUNCE. 
AMMODYTES AMERICANUS. 
PLATE LIl. FIG. 167. 
Ammodytes tobianus. Biocn. 
A.id. Mircuriy, Lit. and Phil. Soc. Vol. 1, p. 363. 
The Sand Eel, A. tobianus? Storer, Fishes of Massachusetts, p. 159. 
Characteristics. 'The dorsal fin commencing over the tips of the pectorals. No stout long tooth 
on the vomer. Length six to twelve inches. 
Description. Body elongate, subcompressed, covered with very minute scales. Lateral 
line straight, indented, and running near the base of the dorsal fin. Head flattened above, 
compressed on the sides. The lower jaw projecting, prominent beyond the upper, and ending 
in a conical indurated tip or prolongation, which, when the jaws are closed, is nearly or quite 
in the plane of the summit of the head. Eyes large; the upper margin of the orbit nearly in 
the plane of the facial outline. Nostrils double, nearly midway between the eyes and end of 
the snout. Mouth large. Teeth exceedingly minute. No long bifurcated tooth on the vomer. 
Opercles long, smooth and silvery, radiated on their lower margin. 
The dorsal fin long and low, with a delicate membrane, and the slender rays projecting 
beyond it; it commences above the tip of the pectorals, and is placed ina groove. The 
pectorals pointed, one-third the length of the head, and composed of thirteen rays. A narrow 
delicate membrane extends from the base of the pectorals to the abdomen. The anal fin 
commences under the twenty-seventh dorsal ray, of subequal rays, and coterminal with the 
dorsal. Caudal fin forked. 
Color. Head and body above bluish brown, intermixed with silvery and light green ; sides 
and beneath silvery. Gill-covers silvery. Caudal as dark as the upper part of the body. 
Pupils black ;. irides silvery. 
Length, 4°0-6°0. 
Fin-rays, D. 56; P. 133 A. 27; C. 17. 
This is not a rare species, but, from its insignificant size, never appears in the markets. 
It appears to be closely allied to A. tobianus, but seems to differ in the absence of the long 
vomerine tooth and other particulars. Mr. Linsley of Stratford has communicated to me a 
. 
