GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 269 



of the Trout, whence probably its southern misnomer. When 

 it has been taken three or four hours it becomes flaccid, insipid, 

 and in fact utterly worthless. 



Its colour is bluish grey above, with irregular lines of trans- 

 verse spots on the back and sides ; the head is greenish blue, 

 the irides are yellow, the gill-covers and belly silvery and 

 nacrous, the chin Salmon-coloured, dorsal and caudal fins brown, 

 pectorals pale brownish yellow, ventrals and anal orange. 



The body is long, slender, and compressed; head convex 

 above the eyes, the scales moderate-sized, oval, covering the 

 head and gill-covers ; the lateral line is slightly-curved ; the eyes 

 large ; maxillaries, intermaxillaries, and pharyngeals minutely 

 toothed. 



The first dorsal fin is triangular, and longer than it is high, 

 of eight weak spines ; between this and the second dorsal is a 

 single weak spine. The second dorsal has twenty-eight soft 

 rays, the pectorals have eighteen soft rays; the ventrals, one 

 spine and five soft rays ; the anal, thirteen ; and the caudal, 

 seventeen rays. 



Of this fish there are two distinct varieties, the Otolithus 

 Carolinensis, also misnamed Trout, which is bluer on the back 

 than the Common Weak Fish, and is spotted rather than 

 striated ; and the Otolithus Drummondi, a smaller species found 

 at New Orleans. 



The Common Weak Fish is taken with the hook and reel of 

 all sizes, from a few ounces up to seven or eight pounds, and it 

 is positively asserted even up to thirty, but I have never seen a 

 specimen approaching to such dimensions. 



