3IO REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



less shot with g-olden. Traces of 6 indistinct vertical blotches on 

 back. Dorsal blackish-slaty, margin of rayed fin and tip of 

 spinous flaps pale plumbeous, somewhat milky in hue. Three 

 series of pale plumbeous spots or streaks on spinous dorsal, lowest 

 at and on base of each spine. Four small or irregular ones on 

 rayed dorsal. Margin of caudal broadly pale, and each corner 

 posteriorly paler or whiter than rest of fin, which is mottled with 

 brownish and plumbeous. Anal blackish-plumbeous, paler mar- 

 ginally, and also with a deep bottle-green tint. Ventral similar, 

 and both fins conspicuously margined with pale plumbeous. Pec- 

 toral dusky basally, and distally rusty-umber. When freshly 

 caught they are almost uniform black above, the belly becoming 

 translucent-whitish with a greenish-white tint, and the other 

 colors fading accordingly as described above. Grassy Sound. 



An abundant food-fish on our coast reaching a length of i8 

 inches and a weight of 3 pounds. The flesh is of excellent flavor, 

 firm and white. I have examined many examples from Cape 

 May, Anglesea, Stone Harbor, Grassy Sound, Sea Isle City, 

 Ocean City and Atlantic City. 



Centropristes striatus Moore, Bull. U. S. F. Com., XII, 1892. 

 p. 361.— Smith, Bull. U. S. F. Com., XII, 1892, p. 375. 



Centropristis nigricans Baird, 9th An. Rep. Smiths. Inst., 1854, 



p. 323- 



Centropristis nigrescens Abbott, Geol. N. J., 1868, p. 806. 



Centropristis furvus Bean, Bull. U. S. F. Com., VII, 1887, p. 



143, PI. 3, fig. 12. 



Genus Dules Cuvier. 



The Coachman Fishes. 



Dules auriga Cuvier. 



Coachman. 



From the preceding this may be distinguished by its lunate 

 caudal. The skin of the vertex when removed from the cranium 

 will show a large smooth area. 



