FAMILY ANGUILLID.'E.. 317 



GENUS AMMODYTES. Linneus. 



Body and head elongated. Borsal Jin extending nearly the tvhole length of the back ; anal 

 fin long, and both separated from the caudal. Caudal forked. Lower jaw longest. 

 Branchial aperture large. No cceca nor air-bladder. 



THE AMERICAN SAND-LAUNCE. 



Ammodytes americanus. 

 plate lu. fig. 167. 



Ammodytes tc^ianus. BlocH. 



A. id. MiTcaiLL, Lit, and Phil. Soc. Vol. 1, p. 363. 



The Sand Eel, A. tobiama? Stokek, Fishes of Massachusetts, p. 159. 



Characteristics. The dorsal fin commencing over the tips of the pectorals. No stout long tooth 

 on the vomer. Length six to twelve inches. 



Description. Body elongate, subcompressed, covered with very minute scales. Lateral 

 line straight, indented, and running near the base of the dorsal fin. Head flattened above, 

 compressed on the sides. The lower jaw projecting, prominent beyond the upper, and ending 

 in a conical indurated tip or prolongation, which, when the jaws are closed, is nearly or quite 

 in the plane of the summit of the head. Eyes large ; the upper margin of the orbit nearly in 

 the plane of the facial outline. Nostrils double, nearly midway between the eyes and end of 

 the snout. Mouth large. Teeth exceedingly minute. No long bifurcated tooth on the vomer. 

 Opercles long, smooth and silvery, radiated on their lower margin. 



The dorsal fin long and low, with a delicate membrane, and the slender rays projecting 

 beyond it ; it commences above the tip of the pectorals, and is placed in a groove. The 

 pectorals pointed, one-third the length of the head, and composed of thirteen rays. A narrow 

 delicate membrane extends from the base of the pectorals to the abdomen. The anal fin 

 commences under the twenty-seventh dorsal ray, of subequal rays, and coterminal with the 

 dorsal. Caudal fin forked. 



Color. Head and body above bluish brown, intermixed with silvery and light green ; sides 

 and beneath silvery. Gill-covers silvery. Caudal as dark as the upper part of the body. 

 Pupils black ; irides silvery. 



Length, 4*0 -6-0. 



Fin rays, D. 56; P. 13; A. 27; C. 17. 



This is not a rare species, but, from its insignificant size, never appears in the markets. 

 It appears to be closely allied to A. tobianus, but seems to differ in the absence of the long 

 vomerine tooth and other particulars. Mr. Linsley of Stratford has communicated to me a 



