342 NINTH ANNUAL REPORT OF 



with the Leucosomus americanus ; and these, with a small species of iew- 

 ciscus allied to L. hudsonius, constitute almost the only cyprinoids of the 

 fresh waters on our coast. I have seen no other species from New 

 Jersey to Maine in streams emptying directly into the ocean or into 

 brackish waters, except when quite removed from the salt water. 



36. Melanura pygm^a, Agass. 

 Mud-Fish. 



Melanura pygmaa, Agass. — heuciscus ingmaeus, DeKay, New York 

 Fauna, Fishes, 214, plate xlii, fig. 134. 



Only one specimen of this species was obtained, caught in a muddy 

 ditch along side the fresh waters of Cedar Swamp creek. Of the five 

 or six species of this genus indicated by Professor Agassiz, all appear 

 to have the same pecuharity of living almost entirely in mud. A locality, 

 which, with the water perfectly clear, appears destitute of fish will 

 perhaps yield a number of mud-fish on stirring up the mud at the bot- 

 tom and drawing a seine through it. Ditches in the prairies of Wis- 

 consin, or mere bog-holes apparently affording lodgment to nothing be- 

 yond tadpoles, may ihus be found filled with melanuras. Their usual 

 associates in such places in the west are Gastcrostcvs inconstans, Kirt. 



I found none on Long Island, although they doubtless occur in the 

 muddy streams about Riverhead. Mr. J. C. Brevoort, obtained a single 

 specimen near Bedford, and Dr. Ayres some at Brookhaven. This 

 genus appears to be confined to a few points near brackish and salt 

 waters, and to the vicinity of the great lakes ; they are especially abun- 

 dant on the plateaus dividing the waters of the lakes from those of the 

 Mississippi. I have caught them all around Lakes George and Cham- 

 plain ; on the American shores of all the great lakes except Lake Supe- 

 rior ; and on their dividing ridges, as already stated, as far west as the 

 Mississippi, in Wisconsin. They have, however, not yet been detected 

 much south of this region in the interior. 



This species of Melu?iura is probably identical with Leuciscus ijygmcBUs 

 of DeKay, an unfortunate name, as it belongs to an entirely different 

 family than the C3"prinidae, and attains to a larger size than the rest, 

 much larger than many of the Leucisci. Specimens taken in Rockland 

 county, New York, and in the same localities whence Mr. J. G. Bell 

 obtained those sent to Dr. DeKay, measure nearly six inches in length. 

 I procured a large number of them during the past summer. 



37. FuNDULus zebra, DeKay. 



Fundulus zebra, DeKay, New York Fauna, Fishes, 218. 



Above, dark olive green, lighter on the sides ; on the throat and belly 

 greenish white ; 12 to 15 vertical bands on each side of greenish 



