FAMILY OF THE LABRlDiE. 285 



LABRIDiE. 

 THE TAUTOG. 



THE BLACK FISH OF NEW YORK. 



Tautog Americana — Dekay. 



This, like all the fishes last described, is rather a general 

 favourite among sportsmen and epicures, though I confess my 

 own opinion to be that he is generally overrated in both capaci- 

 ties. As a game fish he is a dead, loggy, heavy puller on the 

 hook, ofiering little resistance beyond the vis inertics and dead 

 weight, and on the table his excellence depends mainly on 

 the cook. 



The colour of the Black Fish is indicated by his name, but 

 varies considerably from deep dull black to glossy blue black 

 with metallic reflections, and occasionally to dusky brown. 



His body is elongated and compressed, the outlines of the 

 back arched forward of the dorsal to the snout, straight poste- 

 riorly. The lateral line concurrent with the back. The eyes 

 are rather small, the scales small, extending over the gill-covers, 

 which are very large and rounded. The lips are very thick and 

 fleshy, the teeth stout. The branchiostegous rays are five in 

 number. 



