FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 445 



New York to Texas. It is a most excellent food fish of large size, often exceeding 2 

 feet in length. It is every-where common on the southern coast but rare north of 

 Virginia. On September 19, 1887, a single example of the Spotted Weakfish was 

 caught at Jimmy's Island, Great Egg Harbor Bay, N. J. Mitchill mentions the fish 

 as a spotted variety of the Common Weakfish. His description was based upon a 

 New York specimen. 



170. Banded Larimus {Larimus fasciatiis Holbrook). 



The Banded Larimus inhabits the South Atlantic coast of the United States, 

 extending southward to Galveston, Texas, and occasionally straying north as far as 

 Cape Cod. At Woods Hole, Mass., according to Dr. Smith, it is a very rare 

 straggler. A single individual, 8 inches long, was caught in a trap at the break- 

 water. Buzzard's Bay, on August 13, 1889. 



An example was captured in Gravesend Bay July 25, 1895, and another one 

 August 2, 1895. 



This is a small fish, seldom exceeding 7 inches in length. 



171. Yellow-tail ; Silver Perch {Bairdiella chrysiira Lacepede). 



The Yellow-tail is described by Dr. Mitchill under the name of the Silvery 

 Perch, a name which DeKay explains from the resemblance of the Yellow-tail in 

 shape and habits to the Common White Perch. 



The fish occurs on our coast from Long Island to Texas. It seldom exceeds 10 

 inches in length, but is regarded as an excellent pan fish, and is taken in enormous 

 numbers. In 1890 it was a common fish in Great South Bay in September and the 

 early part of October. It was scarce in all parts of the bay in 1898 except at 

 Nichols's Point where the young were collected in moderate numbers on Septem- 

 ber I. 



The young are found every summer in Gravesend Bay and adults are to be seen 

 occasionally. On September 6, 1896, an example i J4^ inches long was taken in a 

 shrimp net in eel grass back of the flats at extremely low tide. On October 5, 1896, 

 and again in the fall of 1897 the Silver Perch was obtained in the bay. 



172. Red Drum ; Channel Bass [Scicenops occllatns Linnjeus). 



The Red Drum frequents the South Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United 

 States from Cape Cod to Texas. It is very common in the southern portion of its 

 habitat, and is one of the largest and best of the food fishes, reaching a length of 

 5 feet and a weight of 75 pounds. On the Texas coast it. is the most important of 

 the economic fishes. 



