156 Kansas Academy of Science, 



mottled with dark, the mottling being more prominent pos- 

 terior to the dorsal fin; sides tinged with brassy; under side 

 silvery-white. Base of dorsal fin orange for about one-eighth 

 inch in height, then dusky to about one-half height of fin ; the 

 rest of the fin colorless except the last (posterior) four rays, 

 which are yellowish-white. Bases of pectoral fins yellowish- 

 white, the rest of the fin colorless except the branched portion 

 of the rays, which is yellowish-white. Ventral fins yellowish- 

 white, with a dusky bar through the middle. Anal fins have 

 an orange band at the base, which band is broader anteriorly 

 than posteriorly; branches of rays yellowish-white. Caudal 

 fin with a dusky spot at the base, which is surrounded more 

 or less with a little orange; the rest of the fin colorless. The 

 colors as here given apply only to breeding males, the females 

 being plain-colored, that is, with the fins colorless. The males 

 have the head covered with prominent tubercles ; the whole 

 upper portion of the body is also covered with tubercles, but 

 they are more perceptible to the touch than to the eye. 



Perhaps a few notes on the fish's breeding habits will prove 

 interesting. From about the middle of the month of March 

 (it must be remembered last March was an abnormally warm 

 month) to about the middle of April the fishes could be daily 

 seen at their task of nest-building. They had selected a 

 gravelly riffle just below a small pool, to which they retreated 

 on the approach of danger. When they left the pool to go to 

 their work they naturally faced downstream, but on arriving 

 at the riffle they would turn about, facing upstream, and im- 

 mediately commence operations by picking up the gravel in 

 the spot selected for their nest in their mouth, when they 

 would advance a few inches upstream and expel the grain of 

 gravel with a motion of the lips not unlike those made by a 

 person in blowing a particle to some distance; the fish would 

 then drop back tail first to its position over its nest and go 

 through the same performance again. The nests consisted of 

 pits in the gravel and sand, some of them to a depth of nearly 

 two inches and a breadth of five or six inches. When digging 

 out the gravel in the deeper portions of the pits the fish would 

 assume a nearly vertical position and force its lips over the 

 grains of gravel with a vigorous convulsive motion of the body 

 and much and vigorous lateral movement of the tail. When 

 a fish had to remove a pebble too large to take into its mouth 

 it would take hold of it as best it could and roll it along, but 



