Fishes of Massachusetts. 435 
FAMILY V. 
CLUPEX. 
Cuurea. Lin. 
Generic characters. Body compressed; scales 
large, thin, and deciduous ; head compressed ; teeth 
minute or wanting ; a single dorsal fin; abdominal 
line forming a sharp keel-like edge, which in some 
species is serrated ; branchiostegous rays 8. 
C. elongata. Le Sueur. The common Herring. 
Journal Academy Nat. Sciences, vol. i. p. 234. 
This species which is known in our market as the 
* English herring," was described by Le Sueur in 
the “Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences,” 
under the specific name of “elongata.” In some 
seasons this fish is taken in great numbers. 'The 
quantities of herring packed and inspected, accord- 
ing to tables kept at the general inspection office 
for five years, are as follows: 1832, 52 bbls. ; 1833, 
36; 1834, 518; 1835, 962; 1836, 77. That a 
small quantity only of the herring taken, is packed, 
is obvious, from the fact, that in 1836, 500 bbls. 
were taken at Falmouth ; 400 bbls. at Duxbury, and 
3000 at Martha’s Vineyard. 
Upon some portions of our coast, herring have 
been limited. in quantity for the last few years, and 
during the years 1835 and 6 very few, comparatively 
speaking, were taken. ‘Their scarcity has been at- 
tributed by the fishermen to £orching them at night, 
n 
