FISHES OP NEW YORK 657 



Olivaceous or grayish, with darker cross shades of rounded 

 spots; seven or eight paler transverse bars over the body and 

 tail; fins dark brown, with a bluish shade. De Kay says the 

 body is greenish brown, with seven vertical dusky bands, and 

 the caudal fin with two or three curved bars. 



The naked goby, or mud creeper, is found on the Atlantic 

 coast from Cape Cod to Florida. 



This is the variegated goby of Drs Mitchill and De Kay. Dr 

 Mitchill described it as G o b i u s v i r i d i - p a 1 1 i ^ti^ . He 

 had specimens 2^ inches long from the bay of New York, and 

 illustrates one of them in fig. 8, pi. I, of his Fishes of New YorTc. 



The ventral fins of this little fish form a sucking disk of com- 

 paratively great power, as may be appreciated from the follow- 

 ing sentence of Dr Mitchill : " One of the individuals now lying 

 before me adhered so firmly to a stone that he was lifted out of 

 the water by an oysterman." The variegated goby does not 

 exceed 2J inches in length, and is now known from Buzzard's 

 bay southward, its southern limit being undetermined. In the 

 Gulf of Mexico occurs a form which was set apart as a distinct 

 species by Girard, but this may be merely a color variety. The 

 fish has no economic value. Its name in Great South bay is 

 mudcreeper. Numerous examples were found at the mouth of 

 Swan creek and in Blue Point cove. Several were obtained 

 also at Fire Island. All of these were secured late in September. 



In 1901, the young, measuring from ^ inch to 1-| inches, were 

 taken in Swan river, August 8, and on September 14 some large 

 individuals were secured in empty oyster shells off Duncan's 

 creek. Numerous specimens were caught in eel pots off Swan 

 river and off Widow's creek, and the species was obtained once 

 in fresh water in Swan river. 



Taken in moderate numbers in oyster dredges at Eaton's Neck 

 Long Island, in the fall of 1896. Several individuals lived all 

 winter in a balanced tank, and took food greedily, but on the 

 approach of summer all died. 



On August 13, August 30, and September 16, 1887, the writer 

 seined a few examples at Somers Point and Ocean City N. J, 



