ZOOLOGY. 517 



Albino Fishes. — Two interesting cases of albinism in fishes 

 have recently fallen within my observation. The first was a 

 specimen of the common haddock (Melanogrammus ceglefinus) , 

 taken off Barnegat, N. J., May 7th, by the schooner "White 

 Cloud," of New London, and shown to me by my friend, Mr. 

 Blackford, of Fulton Market, New York. This fish, which was 

 thirty-one inches long, was normal in every particular except in 

 color. Its general hue was pinkish-white, with a pearly lustre, 

 instead of the usual brownish-gray. The back and top of the 

 head were slightly darker, approximating a very light salmon 

 color. The black stripe which usually marks the lateral line and 

 the blackish-brown blotch, behind and above the pectorals — the 

 traditional mark of the thumb of the disciple Peter — were entirely 

 absent. The fins throughout were yellowish white with a tinge of 

 red, except the ventrals which were a shade darker. The slightest 

 trace of the normal ashy tint of the belly might be discovered 

 just below the origin of the pectorals. 



The second instance is a specimen of the common eel (Anguilla 

 Bostoniensis) taken in salt water at Noank, Conn., in December, 

 1874, and presented to the U. S. National Museum, by Capt. Elihu 

 Potter. In this the color is a dull, pale yellow above, becoming 

 nearly white beneath. 



According to M. Dareste albinism is not uncommon among 

 European eels. It appears, however, to be very exceptional in 

 our waters. I have never seen or heard of an instance besides 

 the case just cited. True albinism is especially uncommon among 

 the members of the family to which the haddock belongs. The 

 ground color of the cod and haddock varies much with the bot- 

 tom on which they are taken, but I have never known of a case 

 in which the spots and other markings were obliterated. A fa- 

 miliar instance of the influence of the color of the bottom is found 

 in the rosy "rock-cod" of the coast of Maine, which is usually 

 taken in the neighborhood of ledges covered with the bright red 

 algse such as Ptilota serrata and Delesseria sinuosa. In a similar 

 manner the "butter-fish" (Enneacentrus ouatalibi) and the 

 "grouper" (Epinephelus fasciatus) are influenced by the white 

 coral-sand bottoms about the Bermuda Islands, but though they 

 assume a very pallid hue, the character of their markings is quite 

 unchanged. — G. Brown Goode, University Museum, Middletown, 

 Conn. 



