364 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



I also have others from Cape May and Beesley's Point. It 

 does not, however, appear to be especially abundant, most of the 

 examples having fallen under my notice at odd times. 



Lagocephalm Icevigatus Abbott, Geol. N. J., 1868, p. 827. — 

 Bean, Bull. U. S. F. Com., VII, 1887, p. 133. 



Genus SphEroides Lacepede. 



The Swell Fishes. 

 Spheroides maculatus (Schneider). 



Plate 77. 



Toad Fish. Common Puffer. Swell Fish. Puffer. 



Head 2^/5; depth 3; A. i, 6; A. i, 6; snout 2 in head; eye 

 5^ ; interorbital space 37^ ; first dorsal ray 2^ ; first anal ray 

 3^ ; least depth of caudal peduncle 5>^ ; caudal 2V10 5 pectoral 

 2j^. Body about as wide as deep when not inflated. Head 

 large, upper profile more convex than lower. Snout long, convex, 

 profile straight. Eye elongate, high, a little posterior. Teeth 

 large. Lips broad and fleshy. A single short simple nasal tube, 

 with 2 rather large openings near its tip, and placed about last 

 third in snout. Interorbital space a trifle concave. Gill-oj>ening 

 obliquely back, reaching below till opposite middle of base of 

 pectoral. Sides of head and body prickly, also back from upper 

 lip to base of dorsal. Belly prickly from lower lip to vent. 

 Prickles all similar, 3-rooted, stiff, small, close-set, largest rather 

 posteriorly on back and belly. Dorsal inserted about last fourth 

 in length of head and trunk. Anal similar, inserted just before 

 base of last dorsal ray. Caudal with convex margin. Pectoral 

 broadly convex, reaching one-third of space to anal. Color dark 

 olivaceous above, somewhat marbled and dotted with black. 

 Length 10 inches. Beesley's Point. 



Common along the coast, reaching a length of 10 inches. My 

 examples from Cape May, Anglesea, Stone Harbor, Sea Isle 

 City and Atlantic City. At Stone Harbor they have been found 

 exceedingly abundant in the fall by Mr. David McCadden. 



