302 NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS IN ALASKA. 



pectoral olive-brown. Caudal, dorsal, aud aual light brown, with a pale yellowish tint. The 

 dorsal, ventral, and caudal are marked with a series of irregularly-defined dark spots. Iris bright 

 yellow. 



32849. (36.) Saint Michaels, Norton Sound, August 1, 1877. 



32850. (37.) Saint Michaels, Norton Sound, August 1, 1^77. 



(30.) Much like the preceding, except that the dark mottling and spots on the fins are nearly 

 obsolete. General color a grimish or olive clay, with darker shadings or cloudiness; each scale 

 with a small dot or punctulation covering its outer or posterior border. 



(37) Spots very distinct over the body. The aual is bordered by a band of dingy browu, 

 fleshy at base. 



3S2T1. (82.) Saiut Michaels, August, 1877. 



In winter these fish retreat to deep water along the coast of Norton Sound, but in spring as 

 the ice leaves the shore they return, aud are common in 2 or 3 fathoms during the rest of summer. 

 They are more numerous about the 10th of June than at any other season. In fall they leave the 

 vicinity of the shore the last of September as the cold begins to affect the water. They are gen- 

 erally distributed along the Alaskan coast from the Aleutian Islands north to Kotzebue Sound. 



Parophrys ischyrus Jordan & Gilbert. (Plate XIII.) 



32913. (3.) Unalaska. 

 Plain-colored _F/oHHfZt;r (Unalaska ; Aleut, Tailnminl;h ; Russian, JTomZii^O-— Found in abun- 

 dance along sandy shores in from 3 feel to several fathoms. In life, dull olive on upper surface, 

 with obsolete golden-brown spots scattered sparingly aud irregularly over the upper surface, and 

 also on fins and tail, but always very dull and obscure. The border of body of scale has a dark 

 dotted line, which gives a dark tinge to the whole body. The fins are also finely spotted along 

 the rays at each Joint. Iris yellow. 



BoREOGADUS SAiDA (Lepech.). Slender Tomcod. 



32933, 32944. Kigiktowik, Norton Sound, November 20-27, 1878. Original numbers, 13.5 to 

 144. 



(Unaleet, KatU-yii-uk; Kigiktowik, November 20 to 27, 1878). — Rather numerous for a few 

 days, when they are taken with the common Tom cod. The natives say that a specimen is rarely 

 taken at Saint Michaels, but they occur every year at Kigiktowik. 



Colors: Back and sides, tail, and all the fins aud under jaw finely punctulated with black dots, 

 becoming so numerous on the outer portion of dorsal fin and tail that when the lius are closed the 

 outer third appears uniform blackish from the numerous dots, as is, also, the tail, but both are a 

 little lighter of base. The lower fins are white, with fewer of the dots, which are most numerous 

 near the extremity. Ventral surface extending up to a trifle above the lateral line is silvery-white, 

 becoming plumbeous silvery, and gradually decreasing in distinctness from below upward, the 

 reverse being the case with the light olive of the dorsal surface, which extends nearly to the 

 lateral line. 



Plburogadus nataga (Kolreuter). Tom-cod ( Wauihnie, Russian ; Ildllu ulc, Esk.). 



32882. (68.) Saint Michaels, April 11, 1878. Origin.iluf painting. 



32883. (69.) Saint Michaels, April 11, 1878. 

 32915. (81.) Saint Michaels, summer, 1877. 

 3297.J. (87a.) Saint Michaels, September, 1877. 



This species is abundant everywhere from Kotzebue Sound south along the coast to Bristol 

 Bay. In fall, directly after the ice covers the sea along shore, they are extremely abundant, and 

 with a single line the natives about Norton Sound take from loO to 200 pounds per day, and in 

 spring, during the month of May, they are equally abundant. They ascend all tide creeks to the 

 upper limit of brackish water, aud about Cape Vancouver great numbers of them are taken in dip- 

 nets. They are pack'ed away and frozen in grass bags and kept in great quantities for winter use 



