368 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



Family SILURID^E. 



Felichthys marinus (Mitchill). 

 Sea Cat Fish. 



Color, when fresh, beautiful steel blue-black on back or upper sur- 

 face, fading brilliant mercury-white on sides and lower surface. A 

 bluish sheen extending down whole length of sides. Under surface 

 of body shining milky-white. Dorsal and caudal dusk} 7 , latter darker 

 towards edges. Pectoral dusky above, below and inner edges dull 

 whitish. Ventral ano? anal dull whitish, latter antero-medianly pale 

 dusky. Maxillary barbel silver-gray, otherwise distally whitish. 

 Lower mental barbels whitish. Edge of upper jaw gray-white. Man- 

 dible whitish. Iris silvery. Adipose fin dusky. Length thirteen 

 inches. Sea Isle City. W. J. Fox. August 20th, 1908. 



Ameiurus catus (Linnaeus). 

 White Cat Fish. 



In Raccoon Creek,, at Bridgeport, Gloucester county, the white cat 

 is reported to appear early in June, when but few are taken. 



Mr. Emlen Martin secured two examples in the Rancocas Creek, at 

 Centerton, Burlington county, in August, on live minnow bait. He 

 also says that a number were taken during the spring, but that they 

 are less abundant than the yellow cat. Some attained five or six 

 pounds in weight. 



Said to run in Sluice Creek, tributary of Dennis Creek, in Cape 

 May county, to the beaver dam, but not taken above, according to the 

 fishermen. 



A young example was taken in the Delaware River, at Newbokl's 

 Island, Burlington county, on August 13th, 1908. It was a pale livid 

 slaty-gray in color. 



Mr. J. B. Vanderveer says two forms of forked tail cat fish occur in 

 the Delaware, and differ chiefly in the eye and coloration. The large 

 white cat fish is said to deposit only when a foot or more in length, 

 while the "bullhead," or the smaller form, is said to deposit when 



