CATALOGUE OF VERTEBRATES. 671 



Family SILURIDJE. 



Catfishes. 



Anterior part of head with two or more barbels, the bases of the 

 longest formed by the modified maxillaries ; margin of upper jaw 

 formed by the premaxillaries only ; an operculum is present ; an adi- 

 pose fin usually ; anterior rays of dorsals and pectorals spinous ; air- 

 bladder connected with ear by means of auditory ossicles. Our 

 species belong to the division Protopterce, io which the dorsal fin has 

 not more than twelve soft rays. 



NOTUBU8, Raf. 

 N. flavus, Raf. (ocddentalis, platycephalus.) Yellow Stone Cat. 



Anterior and posterior part of nostril widely separate, the 

 latter provided with a barbel ; three other pairs of barbels ; 

 head depressed, vomer and palatines toothless ; mouth large ; 

 eyes small ; teeth in a wide band ; branchiostegals nine ; dorsal 

 with seven branched rays ; adipose fin notched, not free poste- 

 riorly ; tail fin obliquely truncate, ventral edge shortest ; poison 

 gland connected with pectoral spine ; color yellow brown, black- 

 ish above ; fins yellow edged ; dorsal spine short ; attains length 

 of a foot. Vermont to Virginia and westward ; common. 



N. gyrinuB, Mitch, (sialis, Jord.) Tadpole Stone Cat. 



Pectoral spines half as long as head ; color pale yellowish 

 brown, with dark streaks on sides; slender; almost ribbon 

 shaped behind ; thirteen rays in anal. Common in lake region 

 of New York. Doubtful if in New Jersey. 



AMIURUS, Raf. 

 (Pimelodus.) 



A. catus, L. (atrarius, De K.) Bull-head. Black Catfish. Horned 

 Pout. Small Catfish. Schuylkill Cat, &c. 



Adipose fin free posteriorly ; head flat, wedge shaped ; skin 

 thick ; branchiostegals, eight to eleven ; dorsal fin higher than 

 long, with six branched rays ; lateral line incomplete ; caudal fin 

 truncate ; color varies from nearly black to yellowish ; anal fin 

 about twenty-one rays. Length, 18 inches. 



" This fine species is not frequently met with, and only in the 



