New York, November 19, 1915. No. 24 



V 



OPElft -*■ 



44& 



Published to advance the Science of cold-blooded vertebrates 



A CANNIBALISTIC PTEROPHRYNE. 



In Fishes of North Carolina p. 400, speaking 

 of the Mouse Fish, Smith. says: "The habits of the 

 species are known chiefly from its behavior in aquaria. 

 The fish are cannibalistic, denuding their fellows of 

 their fleshy appendages and fins and sometimes swal- 

 lowing their smaller companions whole." 



On July 2, 1915, I caught a Pterophryne histrio 

 85 mm. total length in the bight of Cape Lookout, 

 N. C, and placed it in an aquarium aboard my yacht. 

 It was very lively and continually moving about. 

 After it had been in captivity about eighteen hours 

 it was seen to disgorge a small Pterophryne 38 mm. 

 in total length. I at once transferred both specimens 

 to formalin solution. 



This conclusively proves that the species does 

 not confine its cannibalistic habit to life in captivity, 

 as the small fish had positively been swallowed before 

 capture. 



Russell J. Coles, 



Danville, Va. 



A LIST OF SANTO DOMINGO FISHES. 



Many years ago a collection was received at the 

 Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, made 

 by Prof. W. M. Gabb, at Santo Domingo, in the 

 eastern part of the island. As this collection was 



