58 



FISHES OF THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK 



are of rare occurrence in autumn. The Sand Eel is a silvery ribbon-like 

 fish about six inches long, with a long low fin along the back, a somewhat 

 shorter one posteriorly below, and a forked tail. It is abundant in the 



^^^>ivi^■ 



SAND EEL 



wash of sandy ocean shores especially in the colder months of the year, 

 diving in and out of the loose sand bottom with great agiUty. At times 

 quantities of Sand Eels are washed ashore and lie strewn along, the 

 water's edge, a rich harvest for the gulls. ^{ 



For want of a better place we mention in this chapter a small fresh- 

 water fish somewhat intermediate in appearance between the killiesand 

 the perch-like fishes, namely, the Pirate Perch. It has a single large 



PIRATE PERCH 



back fin composed of soft rays preceded by three spines progessively 

 shorter, so that the anterior one might be easily overlooked. Its lower 

 jaw projects, its tail fin is squarish with a vertical blackish bar at its 

 base. 



IX. Perch, Bass, etc. 

 (Perciformes) 

 The Perch, the Bass and their allies are the typical modern spiny 

 finned fishes. They always have a spiny back fin, sometimes separated 

 from ths soft rayed fin behind it and sometimes simply forming an 



