FISHES OF XEAV YORK 343 



The living fish has the upper parts greenish brown. Below 

 the lateral line the color is darker and is mottled by the 

 extension upward of the white color of the abdomen. Young 

 specimens have the brown color aggregated into several cross 

 bands, which become indistinct in the adult. The ventral mem- 

 brane is broad, scarlet in color, giving rise to one of the popular 

 names. 



In Great South Bay the four spined stickleback is called thorn- 

 back. This is the " bloody stickleback " of Storer's Fishes of 

 Massachusetts. It appears to be the commonest member of its 

 family in this bay in September and early October. We found 

 it common in various parts of the bay at a time when the two 

 «pined stickleback, Gasterosteus bispinosus, was 

 not once seined, and only a single specimen of the 10-spined, 

 P. p u n g i t i u s, was secured. Localities at which we have col- 

 lected the species are: Swan creek. Blue Point cove, Blue Point 

 Lifesaving station, Great River beach and Fire Island. The 

 species is most plentiful in brackish streams where there is an 

 abundance of aquatic plants. In 1898 the state museum ob- 

 tained it from the following additional localities: Shinnecock 

 bay, Peconic bay, Mecox bay, Howell's point, Great South bay, 

 Bellport Lifesaving station, Nichol's point and Fire Island 

 inlet. Examples taken at Patchogue August 24 were in fresh 

 water. 



This species reaches a length of 2 inches. It swarms in the 

 shallow waters, specially in the northern part of its habitat, 

 and is particularly plentiful in brackish streams where there 

 are numerous aquatic plants. In salt marshes it is one of the 

 commonest of the little fishes, and it is not uncommon in the 

 mouths of rivers. In Pennsylvania Prof. Cope records it as 

 abundant in the tide water streams and ditches of the Delaware. 

 It runs up stream into purely fresh water and is commonly asso- 

 ciated with the killies in small ditches and pools. This stickle- 

 back builds a rudimentary nest of plant bits, and behaves like 

 the above mentioned P. pungitius and G. bispinosus, 

 in most respects. It is hardy and can be kept all the year ^ 



