FISHES OF NEW YORK 697 



the statement that he has known the frostfish to be taken out of 

 the water along the shores of Long Ishmd in great numbers 

 with a common garden hoe. He was informed that the species 

 occasionally ascends the Hudson as far as Albany. In Great 

 South bay we found large numbers of tomcod, which were cov- 

 ered with a lernaean parasite. The same thing has been 

 observed frequently at Woods Hole Mass. and other northern 

 localities. We found the species in nearly all parts of the bay 

 late in September in moderate numbers, and more plentiful at 

 Fire Island October 1. 



July 29, 1898, a few young tomcod were seined in Peconic bay, 

 near Southampton. In Gravesend bay the fish is a fall and 

 winter visitor. It does not live in captivity in summer. Dr 

 Mearns has found this fish in the Hudson river, where it is usu- 

 ally called frostfish by the fishermen, who catch many of them 

 in their fyke and ice nets during fall and winter. It bites read- 

 ily and is esteemed as an article of food, Dr Mearns has found 

 it during the entire j^ear, and in August has found young tomcod 

 fully an inch or two in length. He states that this fish is very 

 often found in eel grass along shore, half dead, floating on the 

 surface, but able to swim a little. Mr Eugene Smith says that 

 the tomcod runs up stream into nearly pure fresh water in the 

 vicinity of New York city. At Woods Hole Mass. it is abundant 

 in winter, coming about October 1 and remaining till May 1. It 

 spawns in December. In Massachusetts it is a resident species, 

 entering brackish waters; it is common about the wharves and 

 bridges in summer and is taken with nets and hooks in winter, 

 in company with the smelt. 



The tomcod reaches the length of about 10 inches. It is an 



important food fish and its eggs have been hatched artificially 



by the New York Forest, Fish and Game Commission in large 



numbers. 



Genus gadus (Artedi) Linnaeus 



Body moderately elongate, compressed and tapering behind; 

 scales very small; lateral line present, pale; head narrowed an- 

 teriorly; mouth moderate, the maxillary reaching past front of 



