THE FISHES OF NEW JERSEY. 213 



"black pigment. All which are large enough are highly valued as 

 food. 



Key to the genera. 



a. Scales with ragged or jagged edges. kirtlandia 



jja. Scales entire. menidia 



Genus Kirti^andia Jordan and Evermann. 



The Rough Scaled Silversides. 



Kirtlandia vagrans laciniata (Jordan and Gilbert). 



White Bait. Silver Fish. Silversides. 



Head 5 ; depth 53/5 ; D. V-ii, 7, i ; A. 11, 20, i ; scales about 50 

 in lateral line to base of caudal; 8 scales between origin of 

 spinous dorsal and that of anal ; 30 scales before spinous dorsal ; 

 snout 3^ in head; eye 3)^ ; interorbital space 3; pectoral i; 

 ventral 2j^ ; spinous dorsal 3%; first branched dorsal ray 2^; 

 first branched anal ray 2; least depth of caudal peduncle 2 J^ ; 

 lower caudal lobe i. Body elongate, compressed. Head small, 

 well compressed, and 4ow^er profile more steep than upper. Snout 

 broadly depressed, rounded when viewed above. Eye circular, 

 a little anterior. Upper jaw protruding slightly. Profile of 

 mandible a little concave. Teeth in narrow villiform bands in 

 jaws. Maxillary about ^ of snout to orbit. Interorbital space 

 broad and only very slightly convex. Gill-rakers 6 + 17, slender, 

 shorter than filaments and about one-half of orbit. Edges of 

 scales strongly crenate or gashed. Lateral line median, more or 

 less even, of short tubes, and beginning on middle of side near 

 end of depressed pectoral. Spinous dorsal inserted nearly mid- 

 way between origin of pectoral and base of caudal. Rayed 

 dorsal inserted nearer base of caudal than tip of depressed pec- 

 toral or about over last % of base of anal. Caudal forked, lobes 

 broad and sharp. Pectoral extending tip opposite origin of 

 ventral, though latter is inserted a little nearer origin of pectoral 

 than that of spinous dorsal, and fin reaching half w^ay to anal. 



