18 FISHES OF TEXAS. 



The Eio Leou, at a point about 3 miles north of Belton, just abc 

 tlie upper railroad bridge, is a smaller stream than the Lampasas, a 

 flows very shallow in a broad, rocky bed. Its waters aie not very cl 

 and wherever the current is slackened the bottom is covered with s 

 mud. The locality is not a very good one, and nothing was foii 

 that was not taken also in the Lampasas, into which the Leon flo 

 a few miles lower down. 



1. Lepidosteus osseus L. 



The Gar Pikes obtained in the Lampasas have the round spots 

 the sides of the jaws and the dark suborbital bar much more distil 

 than in any other specimens we have seen. The eye is also unusua 

 large. An examination of a considerable series of Gars shows that 

 these as in various other respects the species are extremely variat 

 and little weight can be attached to these differences. 



2. Ictalurus punctatus Rafinesque. 



3. Leptops olivaris Rafiuesque. 

 Rather common. 



4. Noturus nocturnus Jordan &. Gilbert. 

 Scarce. 



5. Moxostoma congestum Baird &. Girard. 



(rti/chustomus albidtis Girard.) 



Abundant in the Lampasas River in deep water, and reaching a c< 

 siderable size. A description of specimens from Belton is given in J 

 dan's Cat. Fish. N. A. 1885, 19. It differs from 71/. aureoJnm chiefly 

 the size of the dorsal tin, which is low and small, with but 12 rays. D 

 sal always dusky ; none of the tins red in life. 



6. Ictiobus velifer Ralinesqne, var. 



{CarjAodes tnmidus Baird & Girard.) 



Our specimens agree very well with the figure given by CHrard in t 

 Report of the Mexican Boundary Survey. Compared with a specim 

 of what I call Ictiohns velifer, of nearly the same size, taken in t 

 White River, at Gosport, Ind., we find the following differences : 



The general outline in the two is similar, but the Texas specimen 

 less compressed, more robust in appearance, darker and uDore brassy 

 color, with rather larger and coarser scales. The depth in both is oi 

 third the length. The head is 4 in length in the Texas specimen, 3| 

 the other. The eye in both is 4 in head in specimens of 8 inches, a; 

 in both cases the snout projects not far beyond the mouth. The op( 

 cles in the Texas examples are strongly and sharply' striate, as shown 

 Girard's figure, while in the other the striations, similar iu uumber ai 

 position, are very inconspicuous. In both, the long rays of the don 

 reach about to the base of the fourth ray from the last. In the Tex 

 examples the anterior rays are much stouter than in the Indiana fis 

 The scales in the Texas example are 6-37-5, in the other 7-40-G. I 

 are without doubt referable to a single species. 



