﻿170 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

   Scarus 
  cceruleus 
  (Blocli). 
  Parrot-fish. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  is 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  West 
  Indies. 
  A 
  siuj,de 
  young 
  speci- 
  

   men 
  has 
  been 
  taken 
  at 
  Key 
  West, 
  Fla.* 
  The 
  bhie 
  panot-tish, 
  like 
  

   other 
  members 
  ot 
  the 
  family, 
  inhabits 
  chiefly 
  tropical 
  waters, 
  ordinarily 
  

   lives 
  about 
  coral 
  reels, 
  and 
  attains 
  a 
  large 
  size. 
  Its 
  northern 
  range 
  

   heretofore 
  recorded 
  is 
  southern 
  Floridai. 
  It 
  is 
  now 
  possible 
  to 
  record 
  

   its 
  capture 
  as 
  fur 
  north 
  as 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  and 
  the 
  Potomac 
  Eiver. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  August, 
  1894, 
  a 
  pound 
  net 
  set 
  in 
  the 
  Potomac 
  

   Eiver 
  oft" 
  St. 
  George 
  Island, 
  Maryland, 
  took 
  a 
  parrot-fish 
  that 
  weighed 
  

   about 
  8 
  pounds. 
  The 
  fish 
  was 
  seen 
  by 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  Washington 
  peo- 
  

   ple, 
  and 
  Dr. 
  A, 
  S. 
  Helton, 
  of 
  that 
  city, 
  has 
  given 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  

   life 
  colors. 
  The 
  upper 
  parts 
  were 
  of 
  a 
  dark 
  greenish 
  blue, 
  the 
  belly 
  

   white, 
  which 
  color 
  extended 
  to 
  and 
  included 
  the 
  beak; 
  the 
  fins 
  were 
  

   dark 
  green, 
  almost 
  black. 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  0. 
  Hazard, 
  of 
  Washington, 
  presented 
  

   the 
  jaws 
  of 
  the 
  specimen, 
  and 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  had 
  a 
  dark 
  -bluish 
  

   back, 
  somewhat 
  like 
  the 
  Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  and 
  white 
  nnderparts. 
  

   This 
  fish 
  was 
  unknown 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen 
  of 
  this 
  region, 
  who 
  had 
  never 
  

   seen 
  it 
  before. 
  It 
  is 
  reported, 
  however, 
  that 
  two 
  years 
  before 
  a 
  similar 
  

   fish 
  was 
  taken 
  on 
  a 
  hook. 
  

  

  The 
  jaws 
  of 
  this 
  fish 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  Prof. 
  David 
  S. 
  Jordan 
  for 
  exam- 
  

   ination 
  ; 
  from 
  their 
  shape 
  and 
  color 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  

   fish 
  he 
  identified 
  the 
  specimen 
  as 
  Scarus 
  cceruleus. 
  

  

  Thinking 
  that 
  as 
  this 
  fish 
  had 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Potomac 
  Eiver 
  it 
  

   would 
  also 
  be 
  taken 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  numerous 
  pound 
  nets 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  

   part 
  of 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay, 
  an 
  illustration 
  of 
  a 
  i)arrot-fish 
  and 
  an 
  inquiry 
  

   whether 
  any 
  had 
  been 
  caught 
  in 
  that 
  region 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  E. 
  N. 
  

   Sterling, 
  of 
  Cape 
  Charles 
  City, 
  Va. 
  He 
  replied 
  that 
  from 
  to 
  10 
  fish 
  

   resembling 
  the 
  figure 
  and 
  correspondiug 
  with 
  our 
  description 
  were 
  

   obtained 
  in 
  pound 
  nets 
  between 
  Cape 
  Charles 
  and 
  Hunger 
  Creek 
  in 
  

   August 
  and 
  September, 
  only 
  one 
  being 
  caught 
  at 
  a 
  time. 
  

  

  Kirtlandia 
  laciniata 
  (Swain). 
  SUverslde; 
  Silver-fish. 
  

  

  This 
  species, 
  formerly 
  designated 
  as 
  Menidia 
  var/rans 
  laciniata,^ 
  is 
  now 
  

   regai'ded 
  by 
  Jordan 
  & 
  Evermann 
  as 
  distinct 
  from 
  va(jrans 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  

   included 
  Avith 
  the 
  latter 
  in 
  the 
  newly 
  constituted 
  genus 
  Kirtlandia 
  of 
  

   these 
  authorities 
  in 
  their 
  current 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  fishes 
  of 
  North 
  and 
  Middle 
  

   America,! 
  the 
  proof 
  sheets 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  examined. 
  Kirtlandia 
  

   is 
  distinguished 
  from 
  Menidia 
  by 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  laciniate 
  or 
  gashed 
  

   body 
  scales 
  and 
  of 
  scales 
  on 
  the 
  anal 
  and 
  dorsal 
  fins. 
  The 
  habitat 
  of 
  

   the 
  species 
  is 
  given 
  § 
  as 
  Virginia 
  to 
  South 
  Carolina, 
  the 
  genus 
  being- 
  

   represented 
  on 
  the 
  Gulf 
  coast 
  by 
  K. 
  vagrans. 
  The 
  range 
  of 
  this 
  fish 
  is 
  

  

  *Proc. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Nat. 
  Mus. 
  1884, 
  p. 
  137. 
  

  

  tSyn(ti).si.s 
  of 
  the 
  Fi.sbes 
  of 
  North 
  America, 
  by 
  .lordau 
  it 
  Gilbert. 
  Uull. 
  Itj, 
  IT. 
  S. 
  

   Nat. 
  Mus., 
  p. 
  <J()8. 
  

  

  t 
  Hnlletiii 
  47, 
  U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Museum. 
  

   $Loc. 
  cit. 
  

  

  