FISHES OF NEW YORK 401 



followed by nine small finlets, all nearly equal in size, about 

 two thirds as long as the eye. The caudal fin is crescentic, the 

 width of the lobe at base two fifths of its length, the external 

 rays two and one half times as long as the middle rays, meas- 

 ured from root of fin, and one third of distance from tip of 

 snout to origin of second dorsal. The anal origin is under the 

 middle of the second dorsal; the longest anal ray is four times 

 length of last ray and equal to snout; the upper margin is 

 deeply concave; the fin is followed by eight finlets, the longest 

 about one half the diameter of eye. The ventral is a little in 

 advance of pectoral; its length one half the length of mandible, 

 the fin reaching to below the sixth spine of dorsal. The pec- 

 toral is falcate, median, its length equal to snout and eye com- 

 bined, and reaches to below the ninth spine of dorsal. A patch 

 of elongate scales on head behind and below the eye and at the 

 upper angle of the gill opening; several much enlarged scales 

 behind the head, in front of and above the base of pectoral. 

 The lateral line makes a deep downward curve under the end of 

 the spinous dorsal, and its second half is sinuous. A well devel- 

 oped caudal keel. D. XI Y to XV, i, 15-VIII to IX; A. 11, 

 lo-VIIl; V. I, 5; P. i, 23. 



Color grayish silvery, the sides sometimes with dark spots, or 

 yellowish in the young; spinous dorsal blackish above, or with- 

 out dark blotch. 



The kingfish, or ca valla, is a very important and valuable food 

 tish of the tropical Atlantic, coming in immense numbers to 

 the Florida Keys, the West Indies, and north to Charleston, 

 occasionall,y, in summer, to Cape Cod. Southward it extends 

 to Africa and Brazil, frequenting the open seas. It grows to 

 the length of 6 feet and the weight of 100 pounds. In habits 

 it resembles the Spanish mackerel; it is caught by trolling, and 

 at Key West it is so abundant that two men in a small sailboat 

 sometimes catch more than 100 in a day. The flesh is excellent, 

 either fresh or smoked. 



