204 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



than loug; jaws wholly toothless (except in young); upper jaw 

 with a sharp, deep notch at tip, the premaxillaries meeting at 

 a very acute angle. Vertebrae 56 (in A 1 o s a a 1 o s a), other- 

 wise as in P o m 1 o b u s , to which genus A 1 o s a is very 

 closely allied. Species three, of the north Atlantic, ascending 

 rivers; highly valued as food fishes. Though very full of small 

 bones, the flesh is white and rich, but not oily. 



115 Alosa sapidissima (Wilson) 



Shad 



Gliipea sapidissima aVilson, Rees's New Cyclopedia, IX, about 1811, uo 

 pagination, no date; Rafinesque, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 205, Jan. 

 1818, says Wilson first distinguished and named the Shad; McDonald 

 in Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S, I, 594, pis. 212, 213, 1884; Bean, Fishes 

 Penua. 60, pi. 2, 1893; Cheney, 4th Ann. Rep. N. Y. Comm. Fish. 

 colored plate 'facing p. 8, 1899. 



Clupea alosa Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & PhU. Soc. N. Y. I, 449, 1815. 



Alosa praestabiUs De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Flsihes, 255. pi. 15, fig. 41, 1842: 

 Stoker, Hist. Fish. Mass. 154, pi. XXVI, fig. 2, 1867. 



Alosa sapidissima Linsley, Am. Joui*. Sci. Arts, XLrVII, 70, 1844; Stoker, 

 Syn. Fish. N. A. 206, 1846; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. 

 Mus. 427, 1896, pi. I.XXII, fig. 191, 1900; Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C. XYII, 

 91, 1898. 



The American Shad. Goode, American Fishes, 400, fig. 1888. 



The shad was formerly referred to the genus C 1 u p e a , but 

 differs from the typical sea herring in the shape of the cheek 

 bone, which is somewhat deeper than long. The adult is tooth- 

 less, but the young has well developed, though small, teeth in 

 the jaws, which sometimes persist till the fish has reached a 

 length of 15 inches. To this subgenus the name Alosa was 

 given by Cuvier. 



The shad has a deep body and a large mouth, with the jaws 

 about equal. The gill rakers are very long and slender, varying 

 with age from 40 to 60 below the angle of the first arch. In 

 the female the dorsal originates a little in front of the middle 

 of I lie lenglli; in the male somewhat farther in front. The dor- 

 siil of jhr' male is ratlici- liigher than that of the female, while 

 llie body is not so deep. In the female the greatest depth is 

 one third of the total without caudal and the length of the 

 head two iMiiMis. In n- male the length of the head is one 



