602 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
as only old alcoholic specimens (collected in 1912 and 1913) of this size are at hand. 
They are rather pale in color and have only a few dark points in advance of, as well 
as behind, the ventral and pectoral fins. Similar dots occur on the occipital portion 
of the head, and a row of elongate dark spots are present on the base of the anal fin 
(fig. 109). 
Specimens 20 to 22 mm long . — A canine tooth on the posterior part of each jaw, 
constituting a generic character, has become evident at about this size. Pigmenta- 
tion is general and complete, and similar to that of the adult. Recently preserved 
specimens (which do not differ greatly in color from live fish) are brownish. Some 
are plain dark brown and others, somewhat lighter in color, have indications of dark 
bars on the upper part of the sides. Indefinitely outlined dark spots are present 
along the middle of the sides and also on the base of the anal fin. The dorsal and 
anal fins are profusely dotted with brown, similar to the body, as seen under mag- 
nification. A dark spot is present on the membrane between the first two dorsal 
spines, the margin of the anal is pale, and the caudal fin has dark cross bars. The 
ventral and pectoral fins are finely dotted like the dorsal and anal, and the pectorals 
in addition bear larger dark spots. 
Specimens 20 to 22 mm long virtually are “young adults” with posterior canines, 
and with the color almost identical with that of the adult. The size of the fish at 
which general pigmentation takes place, however, has not been determined, as only 
greatly bleached alcoholic specimens ranging from 14 to 18 mm in length are at hand. 
It can be stated at this time only that general pigmentation lias not begun at a length 
of 14 mm, whereas it is complete at 20 mm. 
DISTRIBUTION OF THE YOUNG 
The fry were taken in to wings in outside waters 76 times and in inside waters 
12 times. No record of the numbers of towings taken was kept, but it is probable 
that nearly as many hauls were made in inside waters as in the outside ones. The 
collections show, therefore, that the young are more numerous off Beaufort Inlet 
than they are in Beaufort Harbor and adjacent sounds and estuaries. 
The fry were taken in surface towings 65 times and in bottom hauls only 16 
times. Although a considerably larger number of surface than bottom hauls was 
made, the discrepancy in the numbers of hauls certainly was not great enough to 
equalize the difference. Furthermore, in 1927 and 1928 the surface and bottom 
hauls were nearly equal in number and during those years the fry occurred in surface 
towings 51 times and in bottom drags 9 times. Since the bottom nets were not 
