130 Brimley — Notes on the Zoology of Lake Ellis, North Carolina. 



obliquely on the south side. The canal empties into Slocum's 

 Creek, which in turn runs into Neuse River some distance below 

 Havelock. A second canal or ditch, the " south canal," runs out 

 of the lake about a mile south of the north canal and parallel to 

 it; but it contains running water only when the lake is com- 

 paratively high. Lake Ellis is quite shallow, its depth not 

 exceeding two feet at the times when I was there, and on the 

 submerged bank of the canal, which was our usual route to Great 

 Lake, was only from a few inches to a foot deep except in alli- 

 gator holes. 



Great Lake, a much larger and deeper body of water, lies due 

 west from Lake Ellis, into which it drains, and is separated 

 from Ellis by a tract of woods, about half a mile wide. Little 

 Lake, similar in character to Great Lake, lies about as far from 

 Ellis on the north, and is likewise bordered on the Ellis side by 

 woods. Long Lake and Catfish Lake, the other two lakes of the 

 group, 1 did not visit. 



Of mammals, some cotton mice (Peromyscus gossypinus) were 

 taken in the camp in May, 1906, a cotton rat {Sigmodon hispi- 

 dus), was killed outside camp in May, 1908, while roof rats were 

 seen dead by my brother when on a visit there in the winter of 

 1908-9. Marsh rabliits (Lepvs palustris) are plentiful in the 

 vicinity, while the Virginia deer, wild cat, opossum, raccoon 

 and bear also occur in greater or less numbers. There were no 

 signs of muskrats around the lakes, nor has my brother ever 

 noticed any during any of his hunting trips there in the winter. 



Among the fishes, mud minnows {Umbra pygmaea) were not 

 uncommon in the pools where the Stereochilus were taken, ditch 

 fishes {Chologaster cormdus) were abundant both in the lake and 

 in the pools of water above mentioned, while swamp darters 

 {Copelandclla quiescens) were also fairh^ common in the hike. 

 No other fishes of especial interest were noted, 



A small shrimp ( False monetes) was quite common in the lake, 

 as also were crayfish (Cambarus blandingi). 



A small red creature a])parently a mite of aquatic habits was 

 common in tiie waters of the lake, and was said to sting like 

 " stinging nettles " (Jellyfish), but we were none of us harmed 

 by it. 



Quite a large number of species of reptiles and batrachians 



