r92 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



EEPORT ON THE FISHES OF LONG ISLAND COL- 

 LECTED IN THE SUMMER OF 1898 



BY DR TARLETON H. BEAN 



Investigations carried on for the N^ew York state museum from 

 July to September, in the waters of the southern part of Long 

 Island, resulted in the collection of 73 species of fishes belonging to 

 the region, besides 11 additional species from Lakes Ontario and 

 Chautauqua and Coldspring Harbor. 



Work was begun at Southampton, July 21, and continued till 

 September 16. The waters explored were Shinnecock, Mecox, 

 Peconic and G-reat South bays and the ocean near Southampton. 



Fine-meshed seines, a gill net of two inch stretch mesh, and a 

 trawl line with about 200 hooks were used in capturing the fishes, 

 and some interesting species were obtained from the seines and nets 

 of fishermen on the ocean beach and the pound nets in Great South 

 bay. Barton A. Bean assisted the writer during the first month of' 

 the explorations. 



An abstract of the season's work was published by permission of 

 Director F. J. H. Merrill, in Science Jan. 13, 1899. In that article 

 the writer gave a brief account of some noteworthy changes which 

 he has observed in Great South bay since his former investigations, 

 in 1881 and 1890. Tlie fewness of summer visitors was probably 

 due to the prevalence of strong southerly winds and the high water 

 temperatures, which kept the migrating fishes in more northerly 

 waters till later than usual in the fall. 



One of the most interesting species collected is the rough silver- 

 side (Kir t land i a laciniata), which has never before been 

 recorded in the state waters. Only a single example was taken, and 

 this was associated with the common silversides in Mecox bay. 

 Other fishes of greater or less rarity were the halfbeak, the thread- 

 fish, the lookdown, the pompano, the " Irish " pompano (E u c i n o- 

 stomus gula), of which a single small specimen was secured, 

 and the yellowtail or silver perch. 



A large reflector lantern was very successfully used at night for 

 the capture of half beaks, gars and many other fishes, and for study- 

 ing the attitudes of the species when at rest on the bottom. 



