﻿MISCELLANEOUS 
  MARINE 
  FISHES. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  salt-water 
  fishes 
  i)reviously 
  considered, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   others 
  have 
  been 
  artificially 
  projiagated 
  by 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Commission. 
  

   With 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  the 
  fish-cultural 
  work 
  has 
  been 
  rather 
  extensive; 
  

   with 
  others, 
  hardly 
  more 
  than 
  experimental. 
  Among 
  those 
  to 
  which 
  

   most 
  attention 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  are 
  tautog, 
  Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  pollock, 
  

   and 
  haddock. 
  Others 
  that 
  have 
  come 
  in 
  for 
  a 
  share 
  of 
  either 
  practical 
  

   or 
  experimental 
  work 
  are 
  sea 
  herring, 
  soup, 
  sea 
  bass, 
  squeteague, 
  

   Gunner, 
  sheepshead, 
  and 
  several 
  flounders. 
  

  

  The 
  same 
  methods 
  of 
  culture 
  mentioned 
  hereafter 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  

   tautog 
  are 
  applicable 
  in 
  general 
  to 
  scup, 
  sea 
  bass, 
  squeteague, 
  and 
  other 
  

   species 
  having 
  floating 
  eggs. 
  

  

  THE 
  TAUTOG. 
  

  

  The 
  tautog 
  {Tautoga 
  onitis) 
  is 
  a 
  strongly 
  marked 
  species. 
  It 
  belongs 
  

   to 
  a 
  family 
  {Lahridcv, 
  or 
  the 
  wrasses) 
  characterized 
  in 
  part 
  by 
  one 
  

   dorsal 
  fin, 
  thoracic 
  ventral 
  fins, 
  double 
  nostrils, 
  thick 
  lips, 
  and 
  strong 
  

   teeth 
  in 
  the 
  jaws. 
  The 
  tautog 
  has 
  an 
  elongated 
  body 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  head 
  

   with 
  a 
  convex 
  profile. 
  The 
  rather 
  small 
  mouth 
  is 
  armed 
  with 
  strong 
  

   conical 
  teeth 
  in 
  two 
  series. 
  The 
  eye 
  is 
  small 
  and 
  placed 
  high 
  on 
  the 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  head. 
  The 
  body 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  small 
  scales, 
  in 
  about 
  GO 
  

   transverse 
  rows 
  and 
  40 
  longitudinal 
  series. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  destitute 
  of 
  

   scales, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  patch 
  behind 
  the 
  eye. 
  The 
  dorsal 
  

   fin 
  is 
  long 
  and 
  low, 
  with 
  16 
  strong 
  spines 
  and 
  10 
  soft 
  rays. 
  The 
  anal 
  fin 
  

   contains 
  3 
  spines 
  and 
  8 
  rays. 
  The 
  body 
  length 
  is 
  3^ 
  or 
  3i 
  times 
  that 
  of 
  

   head 
  and 
  2§ 
  or 
  3 
  times 
  the 
  depth. 
  The 
  gillrakers 
  are 
  short, 
  feeble, 
  and 
  

   number 
  only 
  9. 
  The 
  color 
  of 
  adults 
  is 
  almost 
  uniformly 
  blackish 
  or 
  

   greenish; 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  marked 
  by 
  dark 
  irregular 
  crossbars 
  on 
  a 
  pale 
  

   brownish 
  background; 
  chin, 
  white; 
  iris, 
  bright 
  green. 
  

  

  The 
  tautog 
  is 
  of 
  considerable 
  importance 
  in 
  certain 
  parts 
  of 
  its 
  range. 
  

   It 
  is 
  found 
  from 
  Maine 
  to 
  South 
  Carolina, 
  but 
  is 
  most 
  abundant 
  in 
  

   Massachusetts, 
  Rhode 
  Island, 
  and 
  New 
  York. 
  It 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best- 
  

   known 
  shore 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  east 
  coast, 
  and 
  goes 
  by 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  names, 
  

   among 
  which 
  are 
  blackfish, 
  chub, 
  oyster 
  fish, 
  and 
  moll, 
  besides 
  the 
  

   most 
  generally 
  used 
  name 
  of 
  tautog. 
  

  

  The 
  tautog 
  inhabits 
  principally 
  rocky 
  bottom, 
  where 
  it 
  hides 
  in 
  crev- 
  

   ices, 
  often 
  with 
  its 
  body 
  in 
  an 
  apparently 
  very 
  unnatural 
  position. 
  It 
  

   is 
  quite 
  susceptible 
  to 
  changes 
  in 
  temperature, 
  and 
  during 
  winter 
  enters 
  

   into 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  hibernation 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  northern 
  parts 
  of 
  its 
  range. 
  

   Its 
  coastwise 
  movements 
  are 
  very 
  limited. 
  Its 
  sharp 
  strong 
  teeth 
  

   enable 
  it 
  to 
  consume 
  mollusks 
  and 
  crustaceans, 
  which 
  are 
  its 
  chief 
  

   food; 
  it 
  also 
  eats 
  sand-dollars, 
  worms, 
  and 
  other 
  animals. 
  

  

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