TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Pase. 



Section A.— Introduction 1 



1. Object of the memoir I 



1. Previous memoirs of the series I 



2. The commercial importance of the menhaden 1 



3. The imperfect knowledge regarding this species 2 



2. Means employedin gathcrinfi information 3 



4. Circular issued. (See also Appendix A) 3 



5. Letters of inquiry sent out 3 



6. Personal studies made 3 



3. Sources of information 3 



"J. Materials in '.he archives of the United States Fish Commission 3 



8. Personal observations and the aid of individuals 3 



9. Eesponses to the circular. <See also Appendices BandN) 4 



10. Published accounts of the species. (See also Appendixes C and D) 4 



11. The collections in the United States ^National Maseum. <See also Appendix E) 5 



4. Sources of error which have been shunned 5 



12. The difficulty of obtaining exact information 5 



13. Prejudices and superstitions 6 



14. Inaccuracies of observation and statement , 6 



Section B.— The navies of the menhaden 6 



5. Popular names 6 



15. Local names and usages 6 



16. The geographical distribution of popular names 7 



17. A table showing the geographical distribution of the popular names of the men- 



haden 7 



18. Discrepancies in these names 9 



19. Thenameof "menhaden" claimed to be the preferable one 10 



20. Trade names of the menhaden and their liability to mislead 10 



21. Origin of the popular names of the menhaden 10 



22. "Pogy"and "menhaden" 11 



23. " Hard-head " and " bony-fish " 12 



24. "White-fish" 12 



25. "Mossbunker" 12 



26. "Alewife" and "oldwife" 13 



27. "Bugfish" 13 



28. "Fat-back " and " yellow-tail " 14 



29. The conflict of names among the American representatives of the herring family.. 14 



6. Zoological names 15 



30. Latrobe's description of Clupea tyrannus and the reasons for adopting this specific 



name. (See also Appendix E and Plate II) 15 



31. Mitchill's description of Clupea menhaden. (See also Appendix E) 16 



32. Eaflnesque's Clupea neglecta 16 



33. Belknap's Clupea dura 17 



34. Mitchill's Clupea sadina and Gronow's Clupea carolinensis 17 



35. Brevoortia patronus 17 



36. Agassiz's Glupanodon aureus 17 



37. Jenyns's Clupea pectinata 18 



38. The generic relations of the species and Gill's genus Brevoortia. (See also Appen. 



dixG) '. 18 



39. Eevision of the American species of menhaden 18 



Section C— A description of the American species of Brevoortia with anatomical and 



PHYSIOLOGICAL NOTES 19 



7. Technical descriptions 19 



40. Brevoortia tyrannus (Latrobe), Goode 19 



41. Brevoortia patronus, Goode 26 



42. Brevoortia pecti7iata, Jenyaa, Gill 30 



III 



