FAMILY SCOMBRIDiE — TEMNODON. 131 



Color. Of the head and upper part of the body, bluish, or rather plumbeous ; sides and 

 beneath with a mixture of light green. Irides brilliant yellow. Pectorals, second dorsal and 

 caudal fin, greenish brown. Ventrals and anal fin white, tinged with blue. 



Length, 17-0. Depth, 4. 



Fin rays, D. 7.1.25; P. 17; V. 1.5; A. 1.27; C. 19 |. 



The Blue-fish, or, as it is sometimes called, the Horse Mackerel, Green-fish in Virginia, and 

 Skip-jack in Carolina, is a common inhabitant of our waters from May until late in the 

 autumn. They are readily caught with a hook, baited with any bright-colored substance. 

 They are highly esteemed as food, but lose much of their flavor shortly after they are drawn 

 from the water. They are usually of the size indicated on the plate, though the specimen 

 which furnished the above description was much larger. I have seen them weighing twenty 

 pounds, and have been assured by credible persons that they have been taken of the weight of 

 thirty-five pounds. 



The young, from four to six inches long, abound at the mouths of rivers and smaller streams ; 

 at that time, their whole aspect is uniform silvery, except on the summit of the back and 

 head, which in particular lights are bluish green ; they have, also, a light greenish spot inside 

 of the base of the pectoral. From the avidity with which they seize even an unbailed hook, 

 they have received at that age the name of Snapping Mackerel. Like many others of this 

 family, they are exceedingly erratic, and occasionally appear upon the coast of New- York in 

 great numbers. Such was the case in the summer of 1841, when they abounded in all the 

 harbors, creeks and inlets, and ascended up the Hudson river as far as the Highlands, where 

 many of the young were captured. 



The appearance and disappearance of the Blue-fish at irregular intervals on our coast, ap- 

 pears to be a well estabhshed fact. Previous to the year 1764, "a large fat fish, called the 

 " Blue-fish, twenty of which would fill a barrel," had been " taken in great quantities on the 

 " coast of Massachusetts. In the year above mentioned, they all disappeared ; and up to 

 " the year 1792, they had not again made their appearance." This is the substance of a 

 statement in the Massachusetts Historical Collections, cited by Dr. Storer. A few stragglers 

 were noticed on the same coast about the year 1820 ; but ten years later, had greatly increased, 

 and are now very numerous. On the coast of New- York, similar facts have been observed, 

 but our records are not so definite nor minute. They were unknown upon our coast until 

 about the year 1810, when a few appeared. In 1817, Dr. Mitchill speaks of them as being 

 numerous about the wharves of the city ; but it was not until 1825, that they became so nu- 

 merous and sizable as to be an object of attention to anglers and fishermen. With the gradual 

 appearance of this fish, was the equally gradual disappearance of the Weak-fish, which we 

 have before noticed. It has been questioned whether " the blue-fish," on the coast of Massa- 

 chusetts, cited above, was identical with our Temnodon. Either the barrels previous to 

 1764 were much smaller than at the present day, or the fish then were of a larger average 

 size than we find them now ; or some other species, which is no longer found on our coast. 



