Fishes of Massachusetts. 459 
and its colors have undoubtedly somewhat changed. 
Mitchell, it would seem from his silence, had never 
seen this species. And Richardson makes no men- 
tion of it in his “ Fauna ;" my specimen, however, 
agrees so well with Yarrell’s description of the 
“ minuta," that I cannot doubt its identity with 
that species. 
My specimen is eight inches in length ; length cf 
the head, two inches; depth of the body across the 
base of the pectorals, rather less than the length of 
the head. The lateral line commences just above 
the posterior angle of the operculum, curves slightly 
over the pectorals, and, a quarter of an inch back of 
these fins, assumes a straight line, which is continued 
to the tail. Snout obtuse ; a line of mucous pores 
along the intermaxillary bones from the tip of the 
snout to a line beneath the anterior angle of the 
eye. Upper jaw longer than the lower; jaws fur- 
nished with sharp teeth. A cirrhus one fourth of 
an inch long is suspended from the chin. Eye half 
an inch in diameter, being equal to one fourth the 
length of the head. Color of the specimen above, 
of a reddish yellow ; abdomen, of a dirty white, or 
rather a. yellowish white, covered with innumerable 
minute black points. 
'The first Dorsal fin commences just back of the 
origin of the pectorals ; rather higher than long. 
The second Dorsal, which is as long again as the 
first, begins and terminates on the same plane with 
the anal fin. 
The third Dorsal, which is longer than high, is 
