FISHES OF NEW YORK 633 



180 fathoms. It breeds abundantly in late summer at these 

 depths, and there is no reason to believe that the young rise to 

 the surface. The fry were caught b}^ the bushel in the trawl 

 net of the U. S. Fish Commission steamer Fish Hawk. 



The species was originally described from Norway by 

 Linnaeus. Cuvier had specimens from Miquelon Newfound- 

 land. Day mentions a number of localities of Its capture about 

 the British Isles, but it is rare south of Faroe Islands. It occurs 

 on the southwest coast of Spitzbergen, and on the Norwegian 

 coast it is found eyerywhere from Christiania around to the 

 Varanger-Fiord. It also occurs in Greenland, and from 

 Labrador, as a shore form, as far south as Cape Cod, and in 

 deeper water as far south as New Jersey. 



In the Woods Hole region it was taken on the shore on Dec. 20, 

 1895 in Great Harbor. Seven or eight specimens, 3 inches long, 

 were found in a hole on a flat where they had been left by the 

 tide; four or five of these had been stranded and were dead; the 

 others were alive when captured. Fishermen claim that they 

 sometimes catch these fish in traps ver^^ late in fall at Province- 

 town. (After Smith) 



De Kay has the following remarks upon the fish: 



This is a very rare fish in our waters. It is called by our fisher- 

 men red sea perch, and they say it is only found in deep water. 

 By the fishermen of Massachusetts it is known under the various 

 names of rosefish, hemdurgon and snapper. Fabricius states 

 that it is rather agreeable food, but meager. It feeds on floun- 

 ders and other fish, and takes the hook readily. 



- The species reaches the length of 2 feet; it is frequently to be 



found in the Boston markets and is seen occasionally in the 



markets of New^ York with the skin removed on account of the 



hard scales. 



Genus helicolbnus Goode & Bean 



Body oblong, somewhat compressed; head large, ctenoid 



scales on its top, and on cheeks and opercles; several series of 



spinous ridges on head, but no occipital pit; mouth large, with 



bands of villiform teeth on jaw^s, vomer and palatines. Dorsal 



fin continuous, not deeply notched, with 10 stout spines and 10 



to 12 rays; anal with three spines and six rays; pectoral broad, 



