SYSTEMATIC CATALOGUE OF FISHES. 177 



Carolina coast, and is doubtless a permanent resident, as it is taken at Beaufort 

 in midwinter. 



The spawning season extends from early in April in the south to July in 

 Massachusetts. At Woods Hole, Massachusetts, a good-sized fish jaelded 1,413 

 eggs 2 millimeters in diameter. The eggs are peculiar in having at one pole a 

 tuft of about 50 elastic filaments, 8 times the diameter of the egg, by means of 

 which the eggs are attached in clusters to marine plants. The incubatory period 

 is about 10 days, the newly-hatched fish being 6 millimeters long and having a 

 small yolk-sac. 



At Beaufort in the second week of April, 1904, the silversides were spawning 

 freely. The average length (without caudal) of 14 spawning fish of each sex was 

 3.12 inches for males and 3.56 inches for females. 



The food consists largely of free-swimming Crustacea, such as copepods, 

 together with algae, diatoms, and mud. 



This silverside is large enough to serve as human food, and is sometimes 

 eatell, being excellent when fried plain or rolled in cracker-crumbs or corn meal. 

 The chief value of the fish, however, is as food for blue-fish, squeteague, barra- 

 cuda, etc. 



153. MENIDIA BKRYLLINA (Oope), var. OEREA KendaU. 

 "Sardine"; Silverside. 



Chirostoma fceryJZinum Cope, Transactions American Philosophical Society, 1866, 403; Potomac River at Wash- 

 ington. 



Uenidia beryttina, Smith, 1893o, 192, 195; Pasquotank River and Edenton Bay, Kendall & Smith, 1894, 

 21; Albemarle Sound. Smith, 1901, 134; Lake Mattamuskeet. 



Menidia beryttina cerea Kendall, Silversides of Genus Menidia of East Coast of United States, 1902, 261, text 

 cut; Albemarle Sound, Lake Mattamuskeet, Massachusetts, South Carolina, etc. 



Menidia oracilis, Jordan & Evermann, 1896, 797. 



Fig. 70. Silverside. Menidia beryttina cerea. 



Diagnosis. — Depth contained 5.8 to 6 times in length; head contained about 4.3 times 

 in length; eye large, its diameter greater than snout and .33 length of head; scales in lateral 

 series 40 to 42, in transverse series 8 or 9; dorsal rays iv to vi + i,9 to i,ll; anal rays i,17 or 1,18. 

 Color: translucent waxy, the back and top of head thickly spotted with minute black dots; 

 snout and chin blackish; silvery lateral band narrow, less than .5 diameter of eye, on fourth 

 row of scales, (beryllina, having the color of emerald; cerea, waxy.) 



The typical form of this species is restricted to the fresh waters of the Poto- 

 mac; the variety occurs from Massachusetts to South Carohna, in fresh and salt 



