1907] Report of Zoological Branch 101 



added to the Fisheries' Museum collection. It is, of course, a 

 case of melanism. Of reptiles the interesting capture of a most 

 elegantly tinted milk snake {Coronella) is worthy of note as the 

 specimen is a very young one, not exceeding 9 inches in length, 

 and its coloration is quite unlike the common type, indeed it 

 resembles a southern variety.. It was captured at the Rifle 

 Range. A number of young specimens of Menobranchus have 

 been recently obtained from the city water pipes; one barely 

 2 1 inches long shows two bright longitudinal bands of con- 

 spicuous yellow along the head, back, and the sides of the 

 compressed tail, over the ramose external gills occur small 

 yellow spots, and the gills are pale red; so that the immature 

 creature differs very markedly from the adult. A larger speci- 

 men, 5 1 inches long, is covered with dark spots, and thus ap- 

 proaches the full grown mud-puppy in external coloration. 

 Young Spelerpes, Mr. Odell mentions, is yellow on the abdomen, 

 but with spots, and the back is dark brown in the centre with a 

 lighter band on each side. Mr. Halkett, who furnished the 

 details regarding Menobranchus, also called attention to the 

 predaceous habit assumed b}^ some gold fish in the Fisheries 

 Museum, which ate a young gar-pike (Lepidosteus), placed in 

 a livelv condition in their tank. It was two inches or more long, 

 but only half of the speciman could be found when search was 

 made for the missing ganoid. The capture of a tarpon (T. 

 atlanticiis) near Halifax. N.S., was reported by Prof. Prince, 

 who points out that the range of this fish hitherto has been 

 stated to be the warmer Atlantic waters from Brazil to Long 

 Island. As several other southern fishes have been noted on 

 our northern shores in recent years, possibly some deep causes 

 are at work which encourage this migration of southern species. 

 Mr. Halkett stated that a series of specimens of fish had been 

 received from the salmon weirs in St. John harbour, N.B. 

 They included Cyclopterus lumptts, the lumpsucker; Lophius 

 piscatoruts, the angler fish ; a young specimen Cryptacanthodes 

 maculatus, the ghostfish; Zoarces an^uillaris, the eel-pout; and 

 of the picked dogfish, Sqtialus acanthias, a specimen containing 

 eight young w^th large yolk sac attached; this species being 

 viviparous. Lastly the lamprey from the old salmon-retaining 

 pond, Carleton, N.B. was recorded, possibly a land-locked 

 variety of Petromyzon marinus. Mr.E. E. Lemieux had arranged 

 for a collection of fishes being made at Pembina Lake, and a 

 series of cyprinoids introduced into the lake in 1905 had been 

 secured and may afford information as to the rate of growth. 

 A local collection of sturgeon, percoids, cyprinoids, eels, the 

 silvery lamprey {I chthyomyzon concolor) and young gar-pike 



