70 
BULLETIN 
THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
The anal rays were found to number from 1,22 to 1,27. In the following table is given 
a record of the examination of a series of this species taken at random from among the 
largest specimens obtained : 
No. of 
speci- 
men. 
Length. 
Dorsal. 
Anal. 
Head. 
j Depth, j 
Eye. 
Scales. 
Inches. 
V-l, 9 
1, 25 
4+ 
| 44 
45 
' 2 I 
V-I, 10 
I, 25 
4 i 
1 4 
3- 
45 
3 
1* 1 
V-I, 9 
1,22 
4+ 
4J 
3 
43 
4 
1| 
IV-I, 9 
1,23 
4i 
41 
i 3 
45 
5 
1 Z- 
I, 23 
4 
\ 4J- 
! 3 
! 43 
6 
n 
rv-i, 8 
1,22 
1 4 
i 44 
: 2} 
i 43 
7 
V-l, 8 
1,24 
i 4J 
•t g" 
3i 
1 45 
8 
2** i 
V-I, 8 
1,25 
1 4i 
4J 
i 46 
9 
ID. j 
IV-I, 8 
1,23 
i 4 
44+ 
44 
1 3 
; 44 
10 
1| 
V-I, 9 
I, 27 
1 4i 
2|- 
l 46 
12. Menidia beryllina (Cope). Silversides. (Plate xx.) 
This species, originally described by Cope from the Potomac River, occurs 
abundantly in large schools in this portion of the Potomac. The writer has also 
taken specimens at Washington, D. C. 
The examples examined appear to differ in some minor details from the published 
descriptions of the species, as will be seen from the appended comparative table, which 
represents ffsh taken at random from a large series. The dorsal formula would seem 
to be V-I, 10 rather than V-I, 11, the latter being found only once in a large number 
of specimens and being less frequent than V-I, 9. The anal rays vary from 1,15 to 
1,18, the latter representing the maximum and not the average, as usually given, 
which would seem to be 1,16 or 1,17. 
No. of 
speci- 
men. 
Length. 
Dorsal. 
Anal. i 
Head. 
Depth. 
Eye. 
Scales. 
1 
Inches. 
V-I, 10 
1,17 
U 
3 i 
40 
2 
4 
24 
V-I, 10 
1,17 
4| 
1 ® 
3+ 
3 
40 
3 ! 
V-l, 10 
r, i8 
4 
P 
4 
2| 
v-l, 10 
1.18 
4 
3 | 
39 
5 ! 
2§ 
v-l, 10 
1,1.6 
4£ 
3 1 
40 
6 
24 
V-I, 10 
1,17 
1 4 
: 6 
3 
39 
7 
2j 
; v-i, li 
1,16 
4 
i 6 
3 1 
38 
8 
24 
I V-I, 9 
1,16 
4 
6 
3 ' 
40 
9 
24 
V-I, 10 
! 1,15 
4£ 
! 6+ 
3 
39 
10 
2| 
V-I, 10 
1,18 
4£ 
! 6 
3— i 
40 
11 
V*I, 10 
1,15 
•H- 
1 54 
3 
40 
12 
24 
v-l, 10 
1,18 
4+ 
5£ 
3— 
40 
13 
3 t 
| V-I, 9 
1,16 
j 6 
3 
40 
Specimens numbered 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 13 in the table resemble Menidia peninsula 3 
in the number of anal rays, but differ from that species in having from 9 to 11 rays in 
the second dorsal, instead of 8. 
The silvery stripe in this species is said to be on “two half rows of scales,” but this 
designation will not strictly apply to the specimens from the lower Potomac. In all 
those examined the stripe involves different rows in different portions of the fish. Ante- 
riorly it is found on the lower half of the fourth row and the upper half of the fifth row; 
toward the middle, opposite the dorsal fins, it involves the central portion of the fourth 
row and the tips of the scales in the third and fifth rows; toward the tail the line 
appears to rise and covers the lower half of the third row and the upper half of the 
fourth row. 
