FISHES. 



219 



Europe and the southern Atlantic and Gulf — the *S^. pagrus. It is much less abun- 

 dant on the American side than on the European. 



The fish called porgee about New York, and soup or scuppaug {Stenotomus chry- 

 sops, or, also, S. argyrops) in New England, is by far the most common of the Spa- 

 rids along the northern coast, and extends naturally as far as Cape Cod. It may be 

 distinguished by the very narrow and compressed incisors, and by the teeth on the 

 sides, developed as gi-inders, in about two rows. The word porgee is derived from 

 the old Latin pagrus, which has been modified by various European nations into 

 different forms. Scuppaug is from an old Narragansett Indian name, and scup is an 

 abbreviated form of it. It is a pity that the original scuppaug, or its abbreviation, 

 scup, could not be adopted generally, but the conflict of names will probably con- 

 tinue. There are still other names applied to it. On the Virginia coast, for example, 

 the name porgee is applied to the moon-fish {ChcBtodipterus faiber), and this species is 

 known as the 'fair-maid.' 



The scup is one of the most abundant of the east-coast fishes in the summer, and 

 occurs along the entire coast south of Cape Cod ; specimens have indeed been found 



/-/ 



Fig. 124. — Stenotomus chrysopSt scup, scuppaug, porgie. 



north of the cape, but very rarely, and it is even claimed that they are the survi- 

 vors of fishes let loose in Boston harbor in 1831 or 1832. A portion of a smack-load 

 of live fish, it is said, was purchased at that time, " by subscription among the fisher- 

 men in the market, and thrown into the harbor." On reviewing the evidence recently, 

 Professor Goode concluded that, judging from the' rare occurrence of the species thus 

 introduced, it can hardly be considered to liave become naturalized ; the few which 

 have been taken were doubtless summer stragglers. 



The scup may appear on the New England coast even as early as the middle of 

 Aj)ril, but it becomes most abundant towards the first of June, and arrives in succes- 

 sive detachments or runs, differing in size, the smallest fisli coming last. The first 

 run on the southern coast of New England " takes place about the beginning of May, 

 and consists of large breeding fish, weighing from two to four pounds, and measuring 

 up to eighteen inches or more in length. The spawn is quite well developed at that 

 time, and is said to be at first red, but gradually to become light yellow as it 



