FISHES OF NEW YORK 455 



Pmnmelas perciformis Gunthee, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 485/1860, 

 Lirus perciformis Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 452, 1883. 

 PaUmtrichthi/s perciformis Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 20, 1860; Jordan 

 & EvEEMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 964, 1896; Goode & Bean, 

 Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 16, 1879; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 

 .363, 1897; Smith, Bull. U. S. P. C. XVII, 99, 1898; Bean, 52d Ann. 

 Ptept. N. Y. State Mus. 104, 190O. 



Body ovate, compressed, its depth two fifths of its length 

 without the caudal; head short, blunt, its profile convex, its 

 length two sevenths of the total without caudal; mouth moder- 

 ate; maxillary narrow^ reaching to opposite front of pupil; a 

 small supplemental bone; eye with adipose eyelid; eye nearly 

 equal to snout, two ninths as long as the head; top of head scale- 

 less; cheeks scaly; jaws nearly equal, each with about one series 

 of small, slender teeth, no teeth on vomer or palatines; gill 

 rakers long; pectorals nearly as long as the head. D. VIII, 20; 

 A. Ill, 16. Lateral line 75. Blackish green, everywhere dark. 

 the belly almost similar and not silvery, sides often mottled 

 with linear blotches. Length 1 foot. 



The rudderfish is found on the Atlantic coast of North 

 America from Maine to Cape Hatteras; usually off shore under 

 drifting logs, boxes and other objects, but occasionally entering 

 bays; one specimen was taken off Cornwall, having drifted 

 across the Atlantic. The rudderfish is rare in Gravesend bay. 

 One or two will usually appear there during the summer, but 

 some years none are seen. The fish is common 2 or 3 miles off 

 shore, and its capture with a dip net is not difiicult. Numerous 

 young and half grown examples were so taken off Southampton 

 L. I. Aug. 3, 1898, and a fine adult was captured by Capt. George 

 Yarrington in Clam Pond cove. Great South haj, Oct. 11, 1898. 



Aug. 4, 1901, a school of rudderfish numbering about 50 was 

 seen at the dock at Water Island, Great South bay, and one of 

 them was obtained for the state museum. 



Family stromateid>i3^e 



Harvestfishes 



Genus rhombus Lac^pMe 



Body ovate or suborbicular, strongly compressed, tapering 



into a slender caudal peduncle, which is not keeled or shielded; 



