224 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP 
can coast a distinct species of the genus Myxine, chiefly to be distinguished 
from its European analogue, by the external aspect of the snout, and buccal 
aperture, the insertion and proportional development of the tentacles, the form 
of the body, and by the presence of a membraneous fin-like expansion along the 
abdomen. To distinguish it henceforwards we propose calling it M. limosa. It 
was collected in great abundance on muddy bottoms, off the island of Grand 
Manan, Bay of Fundy. by fifty fathoms of depth. 
II. 
Sometime during the month of September last, a "giant herring," as it was 
called by fishermen, was caught off Long Island ; its total length being five 
fe^t, and its weight forty-seven pounds. The trophy was brought to New 
Haven, where, after a preliminary survey, the prize was cut into pieces, and 
sold for the table. My friend Wm. H. Dougal, of Georgetown, D. C, well 
known as an artist of the first order, happening to be at New Haven at the time, 
and struck at the beauty of a fish, which he had never seen before, drew up an 
accurate outline of its body and fins, counted the rays of the fins, and the scales 
of the lateral line, preserving at the same time a few scales taken upon various 
regions of the body. With these materials on hand, and which we owe to his 
friendship, we have been enabled to refer this fish, not only to its family and 
proper genus, but its specific characters to a certain extent could likewise be 
analysed. 
In 1846, Valenciennes withdrew the genera Ulops and Megalops from the her- 
ring family {Chipeidce)^ in which they were formerly included, and proposed to 
erect for them the family of Elopidce. The genus Megalops was framed by Com- 
raerson upon a species of the Indian Ocean, the history of which got interwoven 
with one from the West Indies, until Valenciennes established their specific dif- 
ference, callirg the former M. indicus, and the latter 31. atlaniicus. It is to be 
regretted that the West Indian fish is not more fully described; Valenciennes 
description being brief and comparative with that of the East Indian species. 
It is nevertheless sufficient to establish the fact that the " giant herring" brought 
to New Haven, has a more elongated and subfusiform body, a more elongated 
head, an eye so much smaller that it never could have suggested the generic 
name of Big-Eye {Megalopis). The ventral fins are also inserted more in advance 
of the anterior margin of the dorsal fin. The latter is subtriangular and rather 
small, its posterior elongated ray not extending as far as the base of the caudal ; 
whilst the anal is long and very low, deeply imarginated upon its lower edge, 
which has the shape of an open crescent, the posterior ray being elongated 
and extends as far as the rudimentary rays at the lower lobe of the caudal. The 
formula of the rays is: D 13 ; A 24 ; C 20 ; V9; P 14. The rudimentary 
rays of the caudal not being taken into account, the number given to that fin 
appears a good deal smaller than in the other species of the genus, when in re- 
ality it is identical. The scales are deeper than long, rounded off, scalloped 
upon their anterior margin, and undulated upon the upper, posterior and lower 
margins. Fifty of them were counted in the lateral line. Three or four radiating 
furrows may be observed upon their anterior section only. A silvery tint pre- 
vails all over the body and head ; the dorsal region, however, assuming a much 
darker hue than the middle of the flanks and the belly. The coloration is near- 
ly alike in all the species of this genus. Frcm the characters alluded to, we in- 
fer the existence of a species hitherto undescribed, allied to M. atlaniicus, and 
for which we propose the name of if. elongains. It is probable that its habitat 
is the gulf of Mexico, and that the specimen caughtoff Long Island is a strayed 
individual that has followed the gulf stream on a northwards journey. 
III. 
Since my report upon the Fishes of the U. S. P. R. R. Explorations and Sur- 
veys has passed through the press, new facts relating to the history of the 
salmons of the Columbia River have come to our knowledge, calling for various 
[Dec. 
