﻿78 
  

  

  Brunswick, 
  with 
  every 
  day 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  Raritan 
  river 
  Smelt 
  

   at 
  hand, 
  I 
  sent 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Blackford, 
  the 
  well-known 
  fish-dealer 
  

   of 
  Fulton 
  Market, 
  New 
  York, 
  for 
  some 
  male 
  and 
  female 
  

   Smelts, 
  which 
  he 
  could 
  guarantee 
  me 
  as 
  having 
  come 
  from 
  New 
  

   England 
  waters, 
  and 
  being 
  genuine 
  New 
  England 
  Smelt, 
  

   the 
  0. 
  viridescens 
  of 
  Lesueur. 
  With 
  that 
  kindness 
  which 
  he 
  

   always 
  shows 
  towards 
  scientific 
  workers, 
  he 
  sent 
  me 
  some 
  

   very 
  fine 
  fresh 
  specimens 
  of 
  Smelts, 
  which 
  he 
  guaranteed 
  as 
  

   having 
  been 
  caught 
  in 
  Little 
  Narragansette 
  Bay, 
  R. 
  I. 
  

   With 
  these 
  specimens 
  before 
  me, 
  placed 
  alongside 
  of 
  fresh 
  

   specimens 
  from 
  the 
  Raritan 
  river, 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  compare 
  

   them 
  with 
  the 
  greatest 
  nicety. 
  There 
  were 
  certain 
  slight 
  

   differences. 
  The 
  color 
  along 
  the 
  back 
  and 
  above 
  the 
  lateral 
  

   line 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  slightly 
  lighter 
  shade 
  of 
  green 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  

   England 
  Smelt 
  than 
  in 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Raritan 
  ; 
  the 
  first 
  fin- 
  

   ray 
  in 
  each 
  fin 
  in 
  the 
  Raritan 
  fish 
  was 
  darker 
  than 
  the 
  rest 
  

   of 
  the 
  fin 
  ; 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  fish 
  the 
  fins 
  were 
  

   nearly 
  uniform 
  in 
  color. 
  In 
  length, 
  the 
  Raritan 
  Smelt 
  

   would 
  probably 
  average 
  5 
  inches 
  ; 
  the 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  

   England 
  Smelt 
  which 
  I 
  had, 
  averaged 
  about 
  7 
  inches. 
  The 
  

   Commission, 
  however, 
  had 
  Raritan 
  Smelt 
  in 
  their 
  reservoir 
  

   eight 
  inches 
  or 
  more 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  in 
  

   the 
  Raritan 
  of 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  thirteen 
  inches, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  

   fishermen. 
  And 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  Northern 
  Smelt, 
  Mr. 
  Ch. 
  Lan- 
  

   man, 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  Commissioners' 
  Report 
  for 
  

   1872-3, 
  page 
  224, 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  average 
  size 
  of 
  Smelt 
  in 
  

   Eastern 
  Maine 
  and 
  New 
  Brunswick 
  is 
  only 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  inches. 
  

   The 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  and 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  body 
  and 
  head, 
  

   compared 
  with 
  each 
  other, 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  kinds, 
  were 
  nearly 
  

   identical. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  rays 
  were 
  the 
  same 
  in 
  each, 
  and 
  

   were 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  B. 
  8 
  ; 
  D. 
  11 
  ; 
  P. 
  11 
  ; 
  V. 
  8 
  ; 
  A. 
  15 
  ; 
  C. 
  19+. 
  

  

  The 
  scales 
  were 
  the 
  same 
  in 
  shape, 
  with 
  similar 
  concen- 
  

   tric 
  markings, 
  of 
  proportional 
  size 
  and 
  nearly 
  transparent. 
  

   Fig. 
  11 
  a, 
  b, 
  PI. 
  Y. 
  The 
  teeth 
  were 
  alike, 
  and 
  consisted 
  of 
  

   a 
  row 
  of 
  fine, 
  closely-set 
  teeth 
  the 
  entire 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  max- 
  

  

  