54 FISHES OF THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK 



reported. All have the ventral fins somewhat enlarged and spread in 

 flight to aid the breast fins. The Flying Fish proper has the breast 

 fins black with a bold white bar, the anal fin comparatively long, its 

 base a little less than that of the back fin, its first ray nearly opposite 

 the first ray of the back fin, its rays eleven or twelve in number. 



The other two species have the anal fin shorter, its base one-half 

 to two-thirds the length of the base of the back fin, its first ray behind 

 first ray of dorsal, its rays nine or ten. The Bearded Flying Fish has 

 the back, ventral and anal fins without black markings, the Double 

 Bearded Flying Fish has the fins marked with black. The young of both 

 species occasionally have barbels at their chins. 



Flying Fishes are small-mouthed, big eyed silvery-sided fishes, 

 somewhat herring-like in appearance, chracteristic of the open sea, 

 occurring often in large schools and trusting to their power of flight to 

 escape predaceous oceanic bonitos and dolphins of which they form the 

 principal food. 



Quite unrelated to the group just discussed are the Sticklebacks, 

 among the smallest of our fishes occurring in brackish water among the 

 weed. They may be readily recognized by the short stout disconnected 

 spines occurring on the back in front of the back fin. Their breast fins 

 consist mostly of a stout spine; their mouths are small, their bodies 

 very narrow just in front of the tail fin; the ventral fins consist mostly of 

 a stout spine. The Ten-spined Stickleback has eight or nine free spines 

 before the back fin and one in that fin; the Two-spined Stickleback, 



FOUR-SPINED STICKLEBACK 



two spines before and one in that fin; the Four-spined Stickleback, three 

 divergent spines before and one in the fin. This latter is the most abun- 

 dant especially in salt or slightly brackish water. The othertwo are com- 

 mon locally. 



