STATE FLAG. Maryland's Flag bears the arms
of the Calvert and Crossland families. Calvert
was the family name of the Lords Baltimore who
founded Maryland, and their colors of gold and
black appear in the first and fourth quarters of
the flag. Crossland was the family of the mother
of George Calvert, first Lord Baltimore. The red
and white Crossland colors, with a Greek cross
terminating in the foils, appear in the second and
third quarters. This flag was first flown in its
present form on October 25, 1888, at Gettysburg
Battlefield for ceremonies dedicating monuments
to Maryland regiments of the Army of the Poto-
mac. It was officially adopted by Chapter 48,
Acts of 1904. Chapter 862, Acts of 1945, requires
that if any ornament is affixed to the top of a
flagstaff carrying the Maryland flag, the orna-
ment must be a gold cross bottony (Code 1957,
Art. 41, secs. 72-74).

STATE FISH. By Chapter 513, Acts of 1965, the
striped bass or rockfish (Roccus saxatilis) was
designated as the official fish of the State of
Maryland (Code 1957, Art. 41, sec. 71A).

STATE SONG. The nine-stanza poem, "Mary-
land, My Maryland," was written by James Ry-
der Randall in 1861. A native of Maryland,
Randall was teaching in Louisiana in the early
days of the Civil War, and he was outraged at the
news of Union troops being marched through
Baltimore. The poem articulated Randall's pro-
confederate sympathies. Set to the traditional
tune of "Lauriger Horatius" ("O, Tannenbaum"),
the song achieved wide popularity in Maryland
and throughout the South. "Maryland, My Mary-
land" was adopted as the State song in 1939
(Chapter 451, Acts of 1939; Code 1957, Art. 41,
sec. 79).