ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



1475 



reaches Cape St. Roque, 

 Brazil. A little north of 

 this point its northern edge 

 merges with the southern 

 edge of the North Equatori- 

 al current, its southern por- 

 tion flowing into the Carib- 

 bean Sea. The southern 

 edge of the north Equatori- 

 al current passes into the 

 Caribbean Sea between the 

 Islands of Martinique and 

 St. Lucia, while the north- 

 ern branch travels north of 

 the West Indies, where it is 

 known as the Bahama cur- 

 rent. It was in the path of 

 this current that the fishes 

 were taken. 



As the young triggerfishes constitute a large 

 percentage of the fishes found among floating 

 algae and wreckage, it is easy to grasp their 

 line of distribution. Notwithstanding the great 

 distance these fishes have traveled, they do not 

 differ sufficiently from M. radula to form a sep- 

 arate species. I shall therefore call them Me- 

 lichthys radula, var. piceus. By the fishermen 

 they are called black turbot, the name turbot 

 being applied to most of the triggerfishes in 

 the West Indies. 



The following formula is derived from a 

 study of ten specimens: Head, 3^/o to 3%; 4 

 to 4^4 to middle rays of caudal fin. Eye, 3V2 

 to 4 in snout; 5 to 5^^ in head. Dorsal III; 

 32 to 34. Anal, 28 to 31. Caudal, 12. Pec- 

 toral, 14. Scales, 53 to 58. Eight prominent 

 ridges of scales on the posterior part of the 

 body. Depth, 2. 



COBIA-CRABEATER (ELECATE CANADUSJ 

 From a photograph by Elwin R. Sanborn. 



BLACK TRIGGERFISH (MELICHTHYS RADULA— VAR. PICEUS) 

 Photographed by L. L. Mowbray. 



ITEMS OF INTEREST 

 By C. H. TowNSEND 



The Alaska Fur Seal Herd in 1916.— The 

 official census of the seal herd made during the 

 past summer, shows that there are now 417,329 

 fur seals of all classes on the Pribilof Islands. 

 A special commission of zoologists sent to the 

 Pribilof s in 1914, reported the herd at that time 

 to contain approximately 294,000 seals. 



Finding the seal herd "in excellent plwsical 

 condition," the commission recommended the re- 

 peal of the law prohibiting the marketing of 

 surplus male seals, which involves a heavy 

 financial loss that now can practically be stated 

 in dollars and cents, but Congress has so far 

 disregarded recommendations of the commission. 

 The Aquarium Fish Hatchery. — During the 

 spring and summer the Aquarium hatched and 

 distributed to public waters 7,500,000 young- 

 fish as follows : In the lake 

 at Scarsdale, tributary to 

 the Bronx River, 600,000 

 yellow perch ; in the Hud- 

 son River at New York 

 City, 1.950,000 smelt; to 

 the State Conservation Com- 

 mission, 3,500,000 pike 

 perch ; to the Interstate 

 Park Commission, 1,450,000 

 pike perch, 1,500 rainbow 

 trout, 500 brook trout ; to the 

 New Jersey Fish Commis- 

 sion, 3 black - spotted 

 trout ; to waters in Orange 

 County. 1,500 rainbow trout. 

 500 brook trout. 



