F'ishes of Massachusetts. 367 
of the posterior angle of the operculum, and, arch- 
ing backwards, curves with the back to the upper 
part of the fleshy portion of the tail. A slight, de- 
pressed, straight line, destitute of scales, is seen pass- 
ing from the origin of the lateral line to the middle 
of the fleshy portion of tail; and another line, sim- 
ilar in its appearance to the last, passes from the in- 
ferior base of the pectorals, curving with the abdo- 
men to the lower part of the fleshy portion of the 
tail, corresponding in its course with the lateral line. 
These lines gradually disappear after death. At the 
side of the dorsal fin, commencing at its origin, and 
terminating towards its posterior half, are situated 
between twenty and thirty small circular black 
punctures, which give it a very characteristic ap- 
pearance: these orifices are mucous ducts. At the 
origin of the dorsal fin a small naked horizontal spine 
points forwards. 
The Dorsal fin, of the same color as the sides of 
the body, commences half of an inch back of the 
pectorals, and is continued to the fleshy portion of 
the tail: the rays, posterior to the eleven first, are 
considerably shorter, and are continued to the ex- 
tremity, of about equal length. 
The Pectorals are slightly lighter than the dorsal : 
length to height as 3 to 19. 
"The Anus is a small fissure just in front of the anal 
spine. Three lines in front of the anus, is a small 
horizontal spine pointing backwards, the posterior 
point of the pelvis. 
The Anal fin has, at its origin, a horizontal naked 
spine also, pointing forwards like that before the 
