REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR AND STATE GEOLOGIST 1901 rl21 



The silver mullet from Clam Pond cove, Aug. 16, measured 

 from If to 3] T inches. The example obtained Aug. 15 in Fire 

 Island inlet is 3^ inches long. 



The rate of growth of the mullets was seen to be very rapid ; 

 but the most interesting observation in connection with the 

 species is the fact that the young mullet, up to the time it 

 attains a length of about 10 mm., has only two developed anal 

 spines. A little later in life the first soft ray becomes converted 

 into a spine by breaking off at a joint, and the sharpening of 

 the end of the portion left, perhaps by attrition on the sharp 

 sand of the localities in which the species habitually lives. The 

 joints are also replaced by hard spiny material, so that by the 

 time the fish has attained to the length of about an inch and a 

 half, it has three spines, the third of which is weak and unsyni- 

 metric, but still serviceable. The point of this discovery lies 

 in the identification of the so called genus Querimana Jordan & 

 Gilbert, proposed for small mullets, none of which were known 

 to be much more than 1 inch in length; Querimana is simply the 

 young form of Mugil. 



Ammodytes americanus DeKay 



Sand Lance; Sand Eel 



Fire Island channel Aug. 2 — 1 specimen 



This individual was taken from the mouth of a fluke caught 



near buoy no. 2. 



Scomber scombrus Linnaeus 



Common Mackerel 



Ocean beach opp. Clam Pond cove July 25 — 28 specimens 



Ocean beach opp. Meadow point July 26 — 9 specimens 



Of the 28 young mackerel picked up on the beach July 25, the 



smallest measured 2\ inches and the largest 3| inches. The 



specimens obtained July 26 ranged from 2J to 3J inches in length. 



Decapterus punctatus (Agassiz) 

 Scad; Round Rohin 

 Ocean beach opp. Clam Pond cove July 25 — 1 specimen 

 The single individual found measured 2f inches in length. 



