878 
Pentamerus and Scutella limestones of the Helderberg 
sections. The present name is derived from Becraft 
mountain, Columbia county, N. Y. 
23. Kingston beds (new). The ‘ upper shaly beds’ 
of W. M. Davis, which are typically exposed and at- 
tain a thickness of 250 feet in the vicinity of Kings- 
ton, N. Y. 
24, Esopus grit. Proposed by Darton, with the 
approval of Professor Hall, for the old term Cauda- 
galli grit. It has been suggested by Frech that the 
Esopus grit should be regarded as a part of the aren- 
aceous sediments of the Oriskany. The very few 
fossils which it contains, however, do not as yet fully 
endorse this suggestion. 
95. Catskill sandstone. This is an approximate 
expression of the value of this formation. Catskill 
sedimentation doubtless began as early as Portage 
time, its representation during which is expressed in 
the term, Oneonta beds. 
Joun M. CLARKE, 
CHARLES SCHUCHERT. 
FISH FAUNA OF THE WOODS HOLE REGION. 
In the issue of Scrrncr for October 21st, 
1898, the writer noticed the capture in the 
vicinity of Woods Hole, Mass., within a 
few years, of 12 species of fishes new to the 
fauna of southern New England, including 
5 not previously known from United States 
waters. These additions raised the num- 
ber of species recorded from the Woods 
Hole region to 222, including 11 strictly 
fresh-water forms. 
The summer and fall of 1899 yielded an 
extraordinary number of unlooked-for spe- 
cies. Although the season was in some 
respects unfavorable, owing partly to the 
almost total absence from the inshore waters 
of the floating sargasso-weed under which 
the tropical forms drift in from the Gulf 
Stream, and although a number of the 
regular visitants were tardy in arriving and 
appeared in only limited numbers, the sea- 
son as a whole was unprecedented for the 
number of new and rare fishes taken. Most 
of the species to be mentioned were observed 
only in Katama Bay, a small body of shal- 
low water separating the eastern end of 
Martha’s Vineyard from Chappaquiddick 
SCIENCE. 
oo 
[N. S. Vou. X. No. 259. 
Island. On August 30th, when this bay was 
first visited by a party from the Fish Com- 
mission laboratory, 4 species not previously 
known from the region were noted, in addi- 
tion toa number of rare southern forms. 
Between that date and October 17th, the bay 
was industriously seined, at short intervals 
of time, along about one mile of the eastern 
shore, and the subtropical fishes were in- 
variably found. On September Ist no less 
than 9 other species new to the locality 
were detected, and 4 others were obtained 
on September 16th, 19th, and 29th. By 
November 18th, when the last visit was 
made, the water temperature had fallen to 
47° and no rare kinds were caught. 
At times the number of species represented 
_ ina single seine-haul in Katama Bay was 
unprecedented for the Woods Hole section, 
and surpassed by but few Florida or West In- 
dian records. Thus, on September Ist, the 
record for the day was 56 species, of which | 
47 were taken at one set, including 7 species 
not reported from points north of Florida 
until this year. 
The species hereafter mentioned bring the 
list of Woods Hole fishes to 240. This is a 
larger number than has been recorded from 
any other locality in the United States with 
the exception of Key West, in which region 
upwards of 250 species have been noted. 
RARE SPECIES OBSERVED IN 1899. 
Exocetus heterurus Rafinesque. FLYING- 
FISH. Very rare; in 1886 and possibly on 
one previous occasion this fish has been de- 
tected at Woods Hole. A specimen 12 
inches long was seined at Menemsha Bight, 
Martha’s Vineyard, on August Ist, 1899 ; at 
the same place another, somewhat smaller, 
was caught in a fish trap on August 21st. 
Rachycentron canadum (Linneeus). Costa ; 
CrAB-EATER. Rarely observed in recent 
years and none for a number of seasons ; 
commoner 25 years ago than at any time 
since ; only small (5 or 6 pound) specimens 
