MALACOPTERYGIANS : CLUPEID^. 347 



Herring, C. elongata, LeS., of the Atlantic coast of North 

 America, is about twelve inches Fig. 222 . 



long, deep blue, tinged with 

 yellow above, and silvery be- 

 neath. Three thousand bar- 

 rels of this herring have been Herrin & c - *b*g**** 

 taken at Martha's Vineyard in a single year. Herrings 

 live in the Arctic seas, and come southward in spring to 

 deposit their eggs. 



The Pilchard, C. pilchardus, Bl., of the coast of England, 

 is about the size of the herring. The Sardine, C. sardina, 

 Cuv., is taken in the Mediterranean, and is celebrated for 

 its extreme delicacy of flavor. 



The Genus Alausa is distinguished from the Herrings 

 by a deep notch in the middle of the upper jaw, and by 

 the roof of the mouth and the tongue, which are desti- 

 tute of teeth. It contains the Shad, Alewive, Menhaden, 

 Autumnal Herring, and allied species. 



The American Shad, A. prcestabilis, Dekay, is about 

 twenty inches long. It appears upon the coast, and 

 ascends the rivers of South Carolina in January and 

 February, of the Middle States in March or the first of 

 April, and of Massachusetts in May. 



The Genus Elops has a cylindrical body, and a flat 

 spine on the upper and under edges of the caudal fin. 

 The Saury, E. saunts, Linn., of the Atlantic, is from 

 eleven to twenty-two inches long, body silvery, with a 

 greenish tinge above. . 



SAURID^E, OR GAR-PIKE FAMILY. This Family com- 

 prises elongated fishes covered with scales of stony hard- 

 ness, which are extended into imbricated spines upon the 

 first rays of all the fins. About fifteen species, all Ameri- 

 can and West Indian, are known. 



The Genus Lepidosteus is characterized by elongat- 

 ed slightly unequal jaws, which are furnished over their 



