FHESH-WATER FISHES OF NEW JERSEY. 115 
Another family, the stickle-backs ( G'asteroste?), is one of 
much interest as found with us, but they are so uncertain in 
their stay in any stream that we have concluded to wait until 
another season’s out-door work shall have given us farther 
opportunities to study them. The four-spined Stickle-back 
( Apeltes quadracus) as an instance, for several summers was 
quite abundant in several streams, and is now not seen in 
any of them. In Watson’s Creek, in 1865, they were very 
abundant, and the writer found several nests; in later seasons 
they were still present but in fewer numbers, and during the 
summers of 1868—69 they had disappeared. We were ac- 
eustomed to collect them from the "bellies" of nets drawn 
in the river, and lately have been very unsuccessful in find- 
ing them. 
During the present, almost completed winter, the Dela- 
ware River has not been closed by ice, and judging trom 
appearances at the time of writing (Feb. 18, 1870), it is not 
likely to be so closed. The fishermen have been steadily 
engaged in their pursuit, and with draw and gill nets have 
eaptured in very unusual abundance the commoner resident 
species, and also single specimens of rare fish, rare either 
for the time of year, or for the locality. Some of these 
instances are sufficiently of interest to warrant recording 
them. 
On the 20th of January, the weather warm and water 
wholly free from ice, a Shad (Alosa prestabilis), weighing 
four and one-half pounds, was taken a short distance from 
the city. It was supposed to have been a sickly fish that 
had not "gone out" in August of the preceding summer. 
Such was proved not to be the case however, by an examina- 
tion of the contents of the stomach, which demonstrated 
that it had come directly from salt water. Among the mass 
of marine food was a partially digested Killi-fish ( Z7ydrar- 
gyra flavula). The Shad was a female, with ova apparently 
as fully matured as in May. Two or three specimens of 
other representatives of the Herring tribe were captured 
