448 REPORT OF THE 



pounds, and states that he was informed of one that weighed lOi pounds. The 

 fish, according to Mitchill. was taken abundantly during the summer with line 

 and net. " He swims in numerous shoals in shallow bays on the routh side of Long 

 Island, where fishermen during the warm season can find them almost like a flock of 

 sheep ; it is a dull sort of fish." The Red Drum he considered merely a variety of 

 the Black Drum. 



DeKay calls the species Big Drum and says: " They are gregarious, and are 

 frec^uently taken in great numbers by the seine, during the summer, along the bays 

 and inlets of Long Island." He called the young of this fish the Banded Drum. 

 Other names for this stage given by DeKay are : Grunter, Grunts, Young Drum, 

 and Young Sheepshead. The adults according to DeKay are coarse food, but the 

 young are considered a great delicacy. The Drum is found on our coast from Cape 

 Cod to the Gulf of Mexico. It is occasionally a summer visitor in Gravesend Bay. 

 In the fall of i8g6, 14 young Drum, 8 inches long, were obtained there. In the fall 

 of 1897, none were seen in the bay. 



At Woods Hole, Mass., the Drum is very rare. It Avas first taken May 7, 1874, 

 and has been observed only three or four times since. The recent specimens were 

 taken in traps at Ouisset Harbor in the latter part of September, or early in 

 October. All were of one size, weighing 4^ or 5 pounds. 



Suborder Pharyngognathi. Labroid Fishes. 

 Family LABRID^E. Wrasse Fishes. 



177. Bergall ; Cunner (Taitto£-o/al>n/s ads/'frsus VJalhaum). 



The Bergall, or Cunner, has a variety of other names. Mitchill gives the name 

 Bluefish as in use for it in New York in 1815; Perch, Sea Perch, and Blue Perch 

 are New England names for the fish. On account of its bait-stealing propensities, it 

 has been called Nipper and Bait Stealer. The Bergall, or Cunner, is common from 

 Labrador at least as far south as New Jersey. It is associated with the Tautog. 

 It is highly esteemed in some parts of New York. Further south it is not held in 

 high repute, the hard scales, and stiff, sharp spines making it inconvenient to 

 prepare for cooking. Mitchill describes a yellow variety of Cunner, and DeKay has 

 considered the young, which has a black spot on the front part of the dorsal fin, as 

 a distinct species, named by him the Spotted Bergall. The Bergall spawns in June 

 and July. It is a permanent resident and does not retreat into deep water except 

 in very cold weather. The young vary greatly in color; some are dull brown, 

 others are yellowish, and still others are bright green. Dusky bands are present 



