FISHES OF MASSACHUSETTS. 33 



FAMILY III. 

 SCIENOIDES. 



OTOLITHUS. Cuv. 



Generic characters. Head gibbous, supported by cavernous 

 bones : two dorsal fins : anal spines weak, and no cirrhi : 

 some of the teeth are elongated hooks, or true canini : the 

 natatory bladder has a horn on each side, which is directed 

 forwards. 



O. regalis. Cuv. Squeteague. Weak Fish. 



Trans. Lit. et Philosoph. Soc. N. Y., p. 396, et fig. 

 Cuv. et Valenc. Hist Nat. des Poiss. t. v. 67. 

 Fauna Boreali Americana, p. 68. 



This species, which, some years since, was found in large 

 numbers about Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, has of late 

 entirely disappeared. During the two seasons that my attention 

 has been directed to our fishes, I have not been able to procure 

 a single specimen. Dr. Yale writes me in October, 1837 ; 

 " The squeteague has deserted these waters, there has not 

 been one taken for three or four years about here ,' they left 

 about the time that the blue fish came." Hon. Hezekiah 

 Barnard, of Nantucket, in a letter to me, dated July, 1838, 

 remarks ; " The squeteague, or weak fish, have disappeared 

 since the return of the blue fish, who are their avowed enemy. 

 I have conversed with our fishermen, they say they have 

 scarce seen one for six years." Thus it appears, that while 

 the blue fish was absent, they were abundant and at the ap- 

 pearance of the blue fish, they left us. 



Mitchell's description of the " Labrus squeteague" is as fol- 

 lows : " Size commonly from a foot to fifteen inches, but 

 often grows much larger. I weighed one, that measured 

 twenty-seven inches in length by seven in depth, and found 

 him heavier than six pounds. He never goes into fresh streams 

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