FISHES OF XEW YORK 515 



spring males black. A dark streak forward from the eye and 

 another downward. 



This darter secretes itself on the bottom in small clear brooks, 

 swimming rapidly for a short distance when alarmed. The sexes 

 are very different in appearance, the males having higher and 

 more brightly colored fins than the females. The males are 

 larger than the females and in the spring are much spotted with 

 black. The common darter, or tessellated darter, is found from 

 Massachusetts to Georgia. It is replaced in Cayuga lake and 

 some other regions to the southward by a black spotted variety, 

 which differs from the common form still further in having the 

 nape and breast closely scaled. De Kay states that it occurs 

 in most of the fresh-water streams of the state. It is found in 

 Lake Champlain. Evermann and Bean took it in Scioto creek, 

 at Coopersville, in the Saranac, at Plattsburg, in the St Law- 

 rence river, 3 miles below Ogdensburg, and in Racket river, at 

 Norfolk. In the Lake Ontario region the U. S. Fish Commission 

 collectors obtained it in the following localities: 



Cape Vincent 



Mud creek. Cape Vincent 



Grenadier island 



Horse island, Sackett's Harbor 



Mill creek, Sackett's Harbor 



Stony Island 



Little Stony brook, Henderson bay 



Cemetery creek, Watertown 



Guffon creek, Chaumont 



Chaumont river 



Spring brook, Pulaski 



Mouth of Salmon river, Selkirk 



Mouth Little Salmon creek 



Three Mile creek, Oswego 



Great Sodus bay > 



Long pond, Charlotte 



Sandy creek, North Hamlin 



