41 6 REPORT OF THE 



two examples from the vicinity of Woods Hole, Mass. — one taken July 7, 1876, at 

 Woods Hole, and another in Buzzards Bay, near Woods Hole, July 17, 1883. None 

 have been obtained recently. 



103. Northern Barracuda [Sphyrcena borealis DeKay). 



The Northern Barracuda appears to have been unknown to the early writers on 

 New York fishes, as DeKay in 1842 was the first to describe it. He calls it the 

 Northern Barracuda, to distinguish it from the southern species. The young have 

 been taken from Cape Cod to North Carolina. The fish seldom exceeds i foot in 

 length, but individuals measuring from i to 6 inches are extremely common as far 

 north as Cape Cod annually in the summer. DeKay says : " This is a very active 

 and voracious little fish. A number of them were caught in the harbor of New 

 York and placed in a vessel with several other species ; in a few hours thev had 

 devoured them all, and then commenced to devour each other. It has not been 

 very commonly observed ov/ing to the difficulty in catching them ; but I have 

 reason to believe that they are not very rare." 



Several young were taken in Gravesend Bay in September, 1896. The fish is not 

 common there. In Great South Bay a single example was caught at Oak Island 

 September 30, 1890. 



This Barracuda is not seen in our markets, but the adults of more southerly 

 species are considered excellent food fishes. At Key West and on Cozumel Island, 

 as well as in the West Indies, the Barracuda is highly prized. 



Suborder Rhegnopteri. 

 Family POLYNEMIDiE. Threadfins. 



104. Threadfin {Polydactylus octoneuius Girard). 



The Threadfin inhabits the Atlantic and Gulf coast of the United States from 

 Cape Cod to the Rio Grande on sandy shores. It is a scarce fish. The young are 

 more common along the Texas coast. At Woods Hole, Mass., a specimen 4 inches 

 long was seined in Little Harbor in September, 1882. On September 24, 1896, three 

 specimens were obtained in Gravesend Bay. These were nearly 9 inches long. 

 This was probably the first record of its occurrence in New York waters for more 

 than 30 years. 



