PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL! MUSEUM. 533 
its character between the Scomber and the related genera Pelamys and 
Orcynus. It has the two dorsal fins remote from each other, as in Scom- 
ber, and the general form of the body is slender, like that of the mack- 
erel. The body is, however, somewhat stouter, and, instead of being 
covered with small scales of uniform size, has a corselet of larger scales 
under and behind the pectoral fins. Instead of the two small keels upon 
each side of the tail, which are so noticeable in the mackerel, it has the 
Single, more prominent keel of the bonito and the tunny. Its color is 
grayish blue, something like that of the pollack, the belly being lighter 
than the back. Under the posterior part of the body, above the lateral 
line, are a few cloudings or maculations resembling those of the mack- 
erel. The occurrence of a large school of this beautiful species in our 
waters is very noteworthy, for the fish now for the first time observed 
are very possibly the precursors of numerous schools yet to follow. It 
is not many years since the bonito became an inhabitant of our waters, 
and the distribution and habits of the frigate mackerel are supposed to 
be very similar to those of the bonito, Sarda pelamys, and the little 
tunny, Orcynus thynnus, which also first came on the coast in 1871, and 
have since been found in considerable numbers. 
The frigate mackerel has been observed in the West Indies and other 
parts of the tropical Atlantic, as well as on the coast of Europe. In 
Great Britain it is called the “plain bonito”. It is not unusual in the 
Bermudas, where it is called the “frigate mackerel”, a name not inap- 
propriate for adoption in this country, since its general appearance is 
more like that of the mackerel than the bonito, while in swiftness and 
strength it is more like the larger members of this family. 
Since the first appearance of this fish many new observations of its 
abundance have been received. These fish seem to have come in im- 
mense schools into the waters between Montauk Point and George’s 
Bank; and from Mr. Clarke’s statements it appears that they have been 
observed in small numbers by fishermen in previous years. Several 
vessels have come into Newport recently reporting their presence in 
immense numbers in the vicinity of Block Island. It will interest the 
“ichthyophagists” to know that several persons in Newport have tested 
the fish, and pronounce it inferior to the bonito. Part of the flesh, that 
on the posterior part of the body, is white, but behind the gills it is 
black and rank, while the meat near the backbone is said to be of dis- 
agreeable, sour flavor. 
It is hard to predict what its influence will be upon other fishes 
already occupying our waters. Its mouth is small and its teeth feeble, 
so that it is hardly likely to become a ravager, like the bonito and the 
bluefish. There is little probability, on the other hand, that its advent 
will be of any special importance from an economical point of view, for 
its oil does not seem to be very abundant, and it would hardly pay at 
present to capture it solely for the purpose of using its flesh in the 
manufacture of fertilizers. 
