HERRING A GAME FISH. 213 



The appearance of this fish is so well known that a very par- 

 ticnlar description is hardly necessary. The length of the head 

 to the body is about as one to four, the depth to the length of 

 the body as one to five. The upper part of the fish is a fine 

 blue, with green and other reflections, when viewed in different 

 lights ; the lower part of the side and belly silvery white ; the 

 cheeks and gill-covers silvery. Dorsal and caudal fins dusky ; 

 the fins on the lower parts of the body almost white. The 

 lower jaw is much longer than the other, with five or six small 

 teeth extending in a line backwards on each side from the ante- 

 rior point ; four rows of small teeth on the central upper 

 surface of the tongue, and a few small teeth on the central 

 surface of the upper jaw. B ranch iostegous rays are eight in 

 number ; pectorals, sixteen ; ventrals, eight ; anal, sixteen ; 

 dorsal, nineteen; and caudal, eighteen. The scales are large. 

 The caudal fin deeply forked. 



Several other species of Herring are common to the waters of 

 the United States, but this is the only one which is taken with 

 the fly, or can be accounted as game to the sportsman. 



