M/scellaneoi^s Fishes 387 



The pin-fish was first described by Linn^us, in 

 1766, from specimens sent to him by Dr. Garden 

 from South Carolina. He named it rhomboides, 

 meaning " rhomboid," from the shape of its body. 

 It is abundant on the South Atlantic and Gulf 

 coasts, extending south to Cuba, and occasionally 

 north to Cape Cod. It is found in all bays on 

 the east and west coasts of Florida. 



Its body is symmetrical, being rather evenly 

 curved on both dorsal and ventral lines, and 

 rather deep ; its head is large, with a depression 

 in front of the eye. Its color is olivaceous, dark- 

 est on the back, with bluish silvery sides, and 

 narrow horizontal stripes of blue and gold, alter- 

 nating, and six faint, broad vertical bars ; it has a 

 dark spot on the shoulder at the top of the gill- 

 cover ; the dorsal fin is bluish with gilt edge ; the 

 anal fin is bluish with yellow band ; the caudal 

 fin is yellow, faintly barred ; the ventral fins are 

 yellowish ; the pectoral fins are plain. 



It is a pretty fish, and is usually abundant 

 wherever found. It feeds on small mollusks and 

 barnacles, resorting to old wharves and about the 

 mangroves where such food abounds. It grows 

 to a length of six or eight inches, and though 

 small, it is a good pan-fish. It spawns in the 



