ON THE ZOOLOGICAL POSITION OF TEXAS. 35 



ties. Mouth terminal. Color lead -color, darker on the head ; below 

 silvery. Length m. .100. 



This species of catfish was obtained by Mr. Marnock from one of the 

 tributaries of the river JMedina. He states that during the dry season 

 it buries itself in the mud in the bottoms of the creek channels, and may 

 be found there by digging. I find no peculiarity of the branchial appa- 

 ratus or swim-bladder indicative of such a habit. 



Amiurus hrachjacanthiis sp. nov. This is a robust species of rather 

 small size, which is distinguished, among other characters, by the short- 

 ness of the spinous radii. Eadial formula: D. I-G; A. 22; P. 1-6. The 

 body is rather deep; depth at front of anal fin 4.-1 ti nes in the length 

 exclusive of the caudal fin ; the head enters the same 3.G times. The 

 (external) eyes quite small, entering the length of the head seven times, 

 and the iuterorbital width four times. The head is not depressed, and 

 rises gradually posteriorly. The maxillary barbels extend to the mid- 

 dle of the pectoral si^ine, and the nasals to above the middle of the 

 operculum. Both i^airs of mentals extend beyond the extremities of the 

 branchiostegal rays behind them. The dorsal and i)ectoral spines are 

 small and acute and are not concealed in the skin, but have a rough 

 surface. The former is not serrate before or behind, and the latter is 

 weakly se*rrate behind only. The lengths of both are nearly equal, and 

 are less than one-third the length from the end of the muzzle to the base 

 of the dorsal spine, and 1™'" less than the iuterorbital width. The lips 

 are equal. Caudal fin.?? The adipose fin extends anteriorly along the 

 back to above the middle of the pectorals (?). The color above is black- 

 ish, and below yellowish. Length, with caudal fin, m. .080. 



I took two specimens of this species in Wallace Creek, one of the 

 heads of the Medina, in Bandera County. 



Amiurus catus Linn. ; Jordan Silurid*, p. 90. Little Witchita Eiver; 

 J. Boll. 



Amiurus holli sp. nov. Represented by two specimens in my collec- 

 tion. They are nearest to the A. natalis Les., but differ in several features 

 from all of the numerous varieties of that species recorded by Jordan. 

 They differ very much from the typical A. natalis cupreus, and appear 

 to come nearest the A. n. analis Jordan. They agree with A. natalis in 

 having a rounded caudal fin, and twenty-five anal radii, and subequal 

 jaws. The body is more slender than in any of the varieties, its depth 

 entering the length minus the caudal fin, 5 and 5 J times. In A. natalis 

 these proportions are as 1 to 4 and 4^. The form of the caudal fin 



