THE SAND LAUNCES 



Family XXIX. Anirnodylidce 



The sand launces constitute a small family of small, saltwater 

 fishes found chiefly in northern regions. The single genus, Am- 

 modyles, contains 3 or 4 species on our northern coasts. A. 

 alascanus occurs in the North Pacific. It reaches a length of 

 6 to 8 inches and is a delicious panfish. 



The common sand launce, sand eel, or lant {A. awericanus) 





Common Sand Launce 



is abundant on our Atlantic Coast from Cape Hatteras northward. 

 A. personatus is another Pacific species, being common from 

 Monterey northward. It is particularly abundant on sandy shores 

 about Unalaska where we have seined it in very great numbers. 

 All these species are delicious little fishes, the flesh being firm 

 and sweet, similar to that of the smelt. 



They swim in immense schools at the surface, and frequently 

 imbed themselves in the sand where they often remain above 

 low-water mark while the tide is out. Why they do this is not 

 well understood, for they are wanderers, sometimes appearing in 

 immense numbers on the coast and then disappearing as mys- 

 teriously as they came. With their sharp noses and slender 

 bodies they have little difficulty in imbedding themselves several 

 inches deep in the soft sand. On the sands of Portobello, near 

 Edinburgh, people take advantage of this habit, and when it is 

 discovered that a shoal of sand-eels have hidden in the sand, they 

 sally out, armed with spades, rakes, shovels, and forks and dig 

 them out. When free of the sand they leap about with great 

 agility, and the fun in catching them probably give rise to the say- 

 ing, "as jolly as a sand-boy," 



263 



