The Drum Family 227 



jaw. The border of the cheek-bones is strongly 

 toothed. The teeth of the jaws are in brushlike 

 bands, with somewhat longer ones in the upper 

 jaw. There are two dorsal fins, slightly con- 

 nected ; the caudal fin is double concave or trifur- 

 cate. The back is dusky gray with silvery lustre, 

 sides silvery or brassy, belly white and iridescent. 

 There are a number of dusky or cloudy vertical 

 or oblique bands, and the upper part of the body 

 is profusely sprinkled with numerous dark spots, 

 irregularly placed, in undulating lines. A dusky 

 spot is at the base of the pectoral fin ; the dorsal 

 fins are marked with dark spots, which form lines 

 along the soft dorsal fin. 



The croaker frequents grassy situations in the 

 brackish water of bays and bayous, feeding on 

 crabs, shrimps, and other crustaceans, and small 

 fishes. It grows to a length of ten or twelve 

 inches, and is a good pan-fish when perfectly 

 fresh. It spawns in the autumn. 



On the grassy flats of the Patapsco and other 

 tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay I have caught 

 countless numbers of the "crocus," as we boys 

 called it. Just under the gill-cover, nearly al- 

 ways, we found a parasitic crustacean or sea- 

 louse, a half inch in length, resembling the land 



