FISHES OF NEW YORK 425 



jaws, vomer and palatines; dorsals two, the first preceded by a 

 procumbent spine, no finlets; two strong spines before the anal, 

 connected by membrane; pyloric caeca numerous. About 4 

 species known; found in all warm seas. 



212 Trachurus trachurus (Linnaeus) 

 Gascon; Saurel 



Scomber trachurus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 208, 1758, Mediterranean. 



Caranx trachurus CUVIEB & VALEXCIEXNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 11, pi. 246, 

 1833; CUVIEB, Rgne Anim. 111. Poiss. pi. 57, fig. 1. 



Trachurus saurus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 912, 1883. 



Trachurus trachurus BLOCK, Naturgesch. Ichth. II, 138, pi. 36, 1784; 

 GUNTHEB, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 419, 1860 (in part); LUTKEN, Spolia 

 Atlantica, 125, 1880; JORDAN & GILBEBT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 269, 

 1882; JOBDAN & EVEBMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 910, 1896, pi. 

 CXL, fig. 384, 1900. 



Body strongly compressed and moderately deep, the depth 

 contained four times in the length of the body; head rather 

 long, its length being contained three and one half times in that 

 of the body; eye large, equal to snout, its length contained four 

 times in that of the head; mouth moderate, the maxillary reach- 

 ing the front of the eye; arch of lateral line short, reaching 

 scarcely beyond pectoral, one and one third in the straight part, 

 the plates high, nearly as high anteriorly as posteriorly, their 

 hight more than half of eye. Greenish, sides silvery; a dusky 

 opercular spot. Length one foot. North Atlantic, chiefly on the 

 coasts of Europe, south to Spain and Naples; it is very rare on 

 our coast, recorded from Newport K. I., Pensacola, and Cape San 

 Luras. D. VIII-I, 29; A. II-I, 28; scutes 40+37. 



The saurel, or 'scad, ranges north to the Trondhjem fiord, 

 latitude 65, and is said to occur as far south as Portugal. On 

 the coast of Holland it is known as the marse banker, or hors. It 

 is interesting to American ichthyologists, since the similarity of 

 its habits to those of the menhaden caused the latter fish to be 

 called among the early Dutch colonists of New York by the same 

 name. 



The scads are described by European writers as occurring on 

 those coasts in enormous schools, moving like menhaden but with 

 feeding habits similar to those of our bluefish. They are fairly 



