FISHES OF NEW YORK G29 



by its lanceolate tail. . . The speeimeu wliieh furuislied iiie 

 with the above description was found in a net in the harbor of 

 New York in the latter part of October. 



By some ichthyologists this has been considered the young of 

 the common C. geometricu s , but by Drs Goode and Bean, 

 ANho base their opinion on a specimen taken at Block Island and 

 the example found in Great South bay in 1884, near the Blue 

 Point Lifesaving station, it is accepted as a valid species. I'ro- 

 fessor Baird recognized it also in Great Egg Harbor river, N. J. 

 in 1854. 



The following is a recent description: 



Entire body covered with large three-rooted spines, which are 

 numerous and close set, specially on the belly; spines of the 

 belly as large or exen larger than those on the back; not 

 embedded. D. 12; A. 10. 



Dark brownish olive above, with wavy dusky lines; belly black, 

 the base of the spines bright orange. Atlantic coast, from Cape 

 Cod southward; not commou. 



Family molidab 



HeadfisJies 

 Genus mola Cuvier 

 Body ovate, strongly compressed, covered with a thick, rough, 

 leathery, elastic skin, which is without bony plates. Profile 

 forming a projecting fleshy nose above the mouth. Dorsal fin 

 beginning not far behind pectorals, short and high, falcate, con- 

 fluent with the anal around the tail; no large spines on the body. 

 Clumsy fishes, found in most warm seas, reaching a great size; 

 the young ( M o 1 a c a n t h u s ) with the bodj' deeper, much 

 compressed, without trace of caudal fin, its place taken by a row 

 of marginal spines. 



300 Mola mola (Linnaeus) 



^unfisJi ; Mola; Head fish 



Telrodoii tuoht Ljxxakis, Syst. Nat. vd. X, .334, 412, 1758, MeditciTaiU':iu. 

 VeiJliaJiis hrcris Mitchill, Trans. I.it. vV riiil. Soc. N. Y. I, 471, 1815. 

 Diodoii caiiiKiiK.s Mttciiit-i Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. X. Y. II, 264, pi. 5, fij^. 1, 



1S15, Xow York; yoiuiy'. 

 icantlwsoma carinatum De Kay, N, Y. P\auua, Fi?be^, 330, pi. 55, fL^x. 17!), 



1842. 



