McAtee and Weed — Fishes of Vicinity of Plummers Island, Md. 9 



riffles; Exoglossuin, Leuciscus and Rhinichthys cataractae were 

 usually in swirling pools just beneath miniature cataracts. 



ANNOTATED LIST OF SPECIES. 



Petromyzonid^. 



Petromyzon marinus Linnaeus. — A lamprey about 18 inches long 

 was found dead on rocks at the lower end of Plummers Island, May 14, 

 1905. The species must frequently occur in our waters as it commonly 

 clings to shad on their run up the river. 



SlLURID^. 



Ictalurus furcatus (Le Sueur). — An introduced species. Our only 

 definite record is for two specimens taken in the river April 28, 1912. 



Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque). — Spotted cat. Introduced, abun- 

 ant in the main river. The largest specimen taken weighed 8 pounds and 

 individuals of from 2 to 4 pounds are common. One weighing 4J^ pounds 

 was caught on a hook baited with an 8 inch fish of the same species. 

 The young are most distinctly spotted. The members of the species 

 found in the channel between Plummers Island and the Maryland shore 

 and in the canal are usually under 2 pounds in weight. Examination of 

 a few stomach contents resulted as follows: 



May 17, 1907. The stomach and intestines were filled with seeds of 

 the white elm {Uhnus americanus), about 400 of which were present. 

 These constituted 98 per cent of the food. The remaining 2 per cent 

 consisted of: 1 snail, 1 ant, 1 Dryops lithophilus, 1 mandible of 

 hellgramite {Corydalis cornutus larva), and a few other fragments of 

 insects. 



May 18, 1907. One stomach contained the head and skin of an eel- 

 which had just been thrown in the river, and the intestines were full of 

 macerated elm seeds. The stomach of another specimen also was filled 

 with the last mentioned material. 



July 4, 1908. Ninety per cent of the contents of a stomach was made 

 up of adult mayflies (Hexagenia bilineata). A few stone-fly larvae, a 

 beetle (Stenelmis), and vegetable debris including bits of juniper twigs 

 and a seed of Smilax rotundifolia made up the remainder. 



Ameiurus catus (Linnaeus). — Mississippi or Channel cat. Common 

 in the river. 



Amieurus nebulosus (Le Sueur). — Mud cat. Abundant, particularly 

 in the channel behind Plummers Island and in the canal. A pair had 

 their nest in the channel near the ferry in the summer of 1912. Both 

 adults constantly guarded the nest, as they did also the carefully herded 

 young for a fortnight or more. When the canal is drained young catfish 

 of this species are to be seen in large numbers. In December, 1913, about 

 a solid half bushel of mud cats, 6 to 8 inches long, were seen in a single 

 small pothole. Apparently each was striving to get to the bottom of the 

 mass, so that all were in constant motion. This performance lasted for 

 days and weeks, and so far as could be observed, without cessation. 



