FISHES OP NEW YORK 543 



of body depth; profile of head very oblique; nuchal region con- 

 vex; head short, its length less than one third of total without 

 caudal; lower jaw prominent; maxillary very heavy, extending 

 beyond middle of orbit, its width one half diameter of eye; 

 snout about equal to eye which is one sixth as long as the head; 

 scales around eye very small, those on opercle large; first dorsal 

 spine shortest, two thirds as long as the second, two fifths as 

 long as the third, one fourth as long as the fifth and longest, 

 which is three eighths as long as the head; the longest ray of 

 soft dorsal is one half as long as the head, and about equal to 

 the longest ray of the anal; anal spines graduated, the first 

 being two thirds as long as the eye and the third one fourth as 

 long as the head; the pectoral reaches to below the seventh 

 spine of the dorsal, its length one half the length of head; the 

 ventral origin is under the lower axil of the pectoral; the ven- 

 tral fin equals the postorbital part of the head in length, and 

 reaches to below the tenth spine of the dorsal. Base of soft 

 dorsal, anal, and caudal with fine scales. D. XI, I, 16; A. II I r 

 11; V. I, 5; P. I, 15; scales 59 (pores about 53). 



Blackish above, silvery gray on the sides, often blotched and 

 tinged with yellow; fins dusky gray, sometimes mingled with 

 yellow. 



The flasher is a large species, found in all warm seas, ranging- 

 on our coast from Cape Cod to Panama; it reaches the length 

 of 3 feet and is used for food. At Woods Hole, according to- 

 Dr Smith, it is very rarely taken. Specimens were secured, 

 however, in August 1873, December 1875, Sep. 20, 1886, and in 

 August 1890. The individual obtained in 1886 was caught in a 

 trap at Menemsha, Martha's Vineyard. The Khode Island Fish 

 Commission has a specimen weighing 6 pounds and measuring 22" 

 inches, which was taken Sep. 10, 1900, in a trap off Prudence- 

 island, Narragansett bay. The example described and figured 

 by Mitchill was taken at Powles Hook N. 3. According ta 

 Mitchill specimens weighing four or five pounds were occas- 

 ionally secured, and the fish was sometimes called black grunt. 

 De Kay knew the fish only from the accounts of it given by 

 Mitchill and Holbrook. 



