SCIENID^C 213 



ACANTHOPTERYGI1. SCIENID.E 



THE BIG DRUM. 



Pogonias Chromis ; Cuvier. 

 AND 



THE BANDED DRUM. 



Pogonias Fasciatus ; Lacepede. 



BOTH of these fish are so constantly and commonly taken by the 

 bait fisher in shoal salt water that it would hardly be proper to omit all 

 mention of them in a work of this nature, although except the great 

 size and difficulty of landing the former, and the rapid biting of the 

 latter variety if they be indeed distinct species, which I think Dr. 

 DeKay has satisfactorily established them to be they have little or 

 nothing to recommend them. 



The geographical range of both these fishes is from Florida to New 

 York, their northern and southern limits being identical. 



They have both deep compressed bodies, large eyes, lateral lines 

 parallel to the dorsal outline, numerous teeth in card-like bands on the 

 jaws, and the pharyngeals furnished with large hard grinders. 



They have both double dorsals, the former with nine, the latter with 

 ten spines in the first both with one spine and twenty-two soft rays 

 in the second. Pectorals, respectively, eighteen and twenty ; ventrals 

 of both, one spine and five -soft rays; anals, respectively, two spines, 

 seven soft rays, and two spines, five soft rays ; caudals seventeen, and 

 fifteen branched rays. 



The large fish is of a brownish bronze color, rather lighter below, 

 with a strongly marked spot behind the pectorals ; scales silvery at the 

 outer edges. 



The smaller fish is nearly of the same color, chocolate brown, or 

 bronze intermixed with silver, but marked with four dusky bands, one 

 coming down to the pectorals, the second crossing the first dorsal, and 



