338 
BULLETIN OF THE BUBEAU OF FISHERIES 
In Chesapeake Bay spawning apparently takes place throughout the summer, as females 
with large eggs were taken from April 13 to October 25, 1922. The eggs are very large, being about 
5 millimeters in diameter, and are laid under stones, in large shells, tin cans, old shoes, boiler tubes, 
etc. They adhere in a single layer to the surface upon which they are deposited. The nest is 
guarded by the male during the period of incubation, Avhich is reported to cover a period of about 
three weeks. (For a comprehensive account of the spawning habits of the toadfish, see Gudger, 
1910, pp. 1095 to 1106.) The larval toadfish remains attached to the yolk sac and the “nest” 
for several days after it breaks the egg case. When it finally becomes a free-swimming fish it is 
about 15 or 16 millimeters in length. 
Owing to the protracted spawning season, it was difficult to follow the growth of the young 
in Chesapeake Bay. The smallest specimen, 30 millimeters (1 inches) long, was caught on 
July 8 along with 15 fish ranging up to 137 millimeters (5% inches); the larger fish obviously 
belonged to a different year group. A fish 63 millimeters (2jdj inches) long, taken on June 23, 
may have been hatched the previous fall. Small fish were seined throughout the summer. A 
specimen 48 millimeters long, taken on April 20, and one 57 millimeters (2 to 2J4 inches) in length, 
taken April 26, undoubtedly were hatched the previous year, probably in the late summer or fall. 
The toadfish is sluggish in its habits. It is very ugly in appearance, always being densely 
coated with slime. It often makes a croaking sound when removed from the water, and it erects 
its spines and snaps with its mouth at anything that comes near. Its sharp spines on the opercle 
and in the dorsal fin, and its large mouth, provided with strong teeth and powerful jaws, are 
weapons to be feared, for with these it can inflict painful wounds. It is very tenacious of life, 
living for a comparatively long period of time out of water. 
The maximum size attained by this fish, as given in published accounts, is 15 inches. Such 
a size, however, must be regarded as exceptional, as apparently few exceed a length of 12 inches. 
The largest individual seen in Chesapeake Bay during the present investigation was 12% inches 
in length and weighed 1 pound 2 ounces. The toadfish is comparatively abundant in Chesapeake 
Bay and is taken throughout the summer in seines, with hooks and lines, and rather rarely in pound 
nets. It was taken by the Fish Hawk with the beam trawl, during the winter months, in water 
ranging from 5 to 27 fathoms in depth. This fish is much disliked by the fishermen because of 
its ugliness and its fighting habits and because it has no commercial value. The flesh is said to 
be of good appearance and fine flavor, but the fish apparently is not utilized on account of its 
repulsive appearance. Possibly a demand could be created if the fish were dressed by removing 
the head, skin, and internal organs before placing it on the market, as is sometimes done with the 
catfishes. 
Habitat . — Maine to the West Indies; rare north of Cape Cod. 
Chesapeake localities. — (a) Previous records: “Lives in the mud of the oyster regions of Chesa- 
peake Bay, around the mouth of the Potomac River, and elsewhere in salt water” (Uhler and 
Lugger, 1876); Gunston Wharf, Cape Charles city, and Hampton Roads, Va. (6) Specimens in 
the collection: From many localities from Annapolis, Md., to the entrance of the bay. 
