FISHES OF NEW YORK 641 



at Fire Island in September. In Gravesend bay it is practically 

 a permanent resident, spawning in winter; the eggs have a beau- 

 tiful green color. In the vicinity of Woods Hole, Mass., accord- 

 ing to Dr Smith, it is very common, remains during the entire 

 3^ear, and is the only sculpin found in summer. In winter from 

 10 to 50 are caught daily in fyke nets set in the harbor. The 

 fish is then in a spawning condition, and the eggs adhere to the 

 twine. 



313 Myoxocephalus octodecimspinosus (Mitchill) 



18-s pined Sculpin; Eacldeliead 



Cottns octodecimspinosus Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 380, 

 1815, New York; Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 181, 

 1829; GiJNTHEE, Cat. Fish. Brit. Miis. II, 163, 1860; Goode & Bean, 

 Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 13, 1879; Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. 

 Mus. 701, 1883; Bean, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 137, 1888. 



Cottus virginianus De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 51, pi. 5, fig. 13, 1842. 



Acantliocottus virginianus Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 28, pi. IV, fig. 2, 1867. 



Acantliocottus octodecimspinosus Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 370, 

 1897; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 105, 1898. 



Myoxocephalus octodecimspinosus Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. 

 Mus. II, 1976, 1898, pi. CCXCVI, fig. 718, 1900. 



Body moderately robust anteriorly, tapering posteriorly, its 

 depth contained four and one half times in the standard length 

 while the least depth of the caudal peduncle is less than one 

 sixth length of head, the length of the latter being contained 

 two and two thirds times in the standard length; maxilla twice 

 long diameter of eye and contained two and one half times in the 

 length of head; the spines of the head are long, the upper oper- 

 cular spine being longer than in any other species of the genus; 

 the first dorsal originates over the base of the pectoral, its third 

 and fourth spines being longest, about four fifths as long as 

 the base or equal to the distance from the posterior margin of 

 the eye to the tip of the snout; the length of the second dorsal 

 base equals the length of the head, and the longest rays of the 

 second dorsal equal the length of the spines; anal base shorter 

 than second dorsal base; longest rays of anal equal to length of 

 sixth dorsal spine; caudal slightly truncate, its length equal to 

 the depth of body; pectorals long, broad, their bases equal to 

 half the length; the length of the ventrals is equal to the dis- 



