Tf)e Pisf)es of Long Island, 



WitI) Notes ttpon tf)eir Distribottion, Common Names, Habits, 



and I^ate of (irowtl). 



Class ?\arsipobraneI)ii. Lampreys. 



Order HYPEROARTII. Lampreys. 



Family PETROMYZONIDiE. Lampreys, 



I. Sea Lamprey [Petromyzon viariiius Linnaeus). 



Tlie Sea Lamprey inhabits the North Atlantic, ascending streams to spawn, and 

 sometimes becoming landlocked. The fish ran.ges southward on our coast to 

 Virginia. 



The larval form, which is blind and toothless, is extremely abundant in muddy 

 sand flats near the mouths of small streams, and is a very important bait for hook 

 and line fishing. In the breeding season, in spring, the males have a high fleshy 

 ridge in front of the dorsal. Spawning is believed to take place in May or June. 

 The eels cling to the rocks by means of their suctorial mouths, and the eggs are 

 deposited in shallow water where the current is swift. Some observers state that 

 they make nests by heaping up stones in a circle and deposit the eggs under the 

 stones. The eggs are very small. The lamprey feeds generally upon animal 

 matter, and it is somewhat of a parasite, burrowing into the side of shad, sturgeon, 

 and some other fishes. It is considered a good fish in some localities ; in other 

 places it is rarely eaten. 



DeKay says the lamprey is commonly taken in April, and, judging by the 

 prices at which it is sold, must be held in high esteem by epicures. He says it 

 ascends streams and constructs conical heaps of stones among which it deposits the 

 Gggs. He has observed it at Albany in the spring, and was informed that it was 

 taken a few miles below that city. He also describes the same lamprey under the 

 names of the Bluish Sea Lamprey and the Small Lamprey. 



Quoting from Storer, he states that the lamprey is often attached to mackerel, 

 haddock and cod. 



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