58 FISHES OF PENNSYLVANIA. 

Dr. Richardson describes this fish as a member of the minnow family, 
which, he says, is known to the Canadians under the name La Quesche. 
The fish is described as having the back brilliant green, sides and ab- 
domen with a silvery lustre. The specimens which were taken in the 
Richelieu, where it falls into the St. Lawrence, were about nine or ten 
inches long. 
Famity CLUPEIDA. Tue Herrrinas. 
Genus CLUPEA (Arrep1) Linyzvs. 
The genus Clupea, which includes the shad, river alewife or herring 
and the Ohio golden shad or skip-jack, admits of division into several 
subgenera, one of which includes the common sea herring and other 
marine species, another the shad and still another the river alewives. 
The latter have the suborbital bone longer than deep and are supplied 
with teeth on the tongue and in some species in the jaws. 
78. Clupea vernalis Mrrcurtt. 
The Branch Herring. (igure 45.) 
Body deep and heavy forwards, much compressed. Its greatest depth at dorsal 
origin, equals one-third of total length to base of tail. The least depth of caudal pe- 
duncle equals but one-half length of head. The head is short, being almost as deep 
as long, about one-fifth of the standard length. The eye is large, deeper than long, 
its length slightly greater than its distance from tip of snout, about three and one- 
halfin head. Maxillary broad, extending to the vertical through pupil; upper jaw 
emarginate, lower jaw slightly projecting. Length of dorsal base almost equal to 
that of head; its highest ray about two-thirds as long as the base or equal to anal 
base. ‘Che anal is low, its longest ray being equal to length of eye. Caudal deeply 
forked partially scaled near base. (Length of pectoral less than that of dorsal 
base. 
D. 16; A. 17 to 19; scales 50 to 54; transverse 15. 
In the male the dorsal is higher, its longest ray about equal to length of dorsal 
base, or about two-thirds length of head. Color on back blue, silvery and paler on 
sides and underneath, A black spot behind head. Dusky lines on body, which are 
only visible on large examples. 
Described from No. 27,197, United States National Museum, from Potomac River ; 
length eleven inches, 
The branch herring, river herring, or alewife, has a variety of addi- 
tional names. It is the ellwife or ellwhop of Connecticut River, the 
spring herring of New York, the big-eyed and wall-eyed herring of the 
Albemarle, the saw-belly of Maine, the gray-back of Massachusetts, the 
gaspereau of Canada, little shad of certain localities, and the Cayuga 
Lake shad of New York. 
Distribution.—The recorded range of the branch herring is from the 
Neuse river, North Carolina, to the Miramichi river, in New Brunswick, 
ascending streams to their headwaters for the purpose of spawning. 
The fish is found abundant in Cayuga and Seneca lakes, N. Y., where it 
has probably made its way naturally. In Lake Ontario, since the intro- 
duction there of shad, the alewife has become so plentiful as to cause 
