FISHES OF THE CONNECTICUT LAKES. 23 



sucker consists mostly of small animal and vegetable life which it 

 gathers at the bottom, but it has been seen to take insects at the surface 

 and it doubtless will eat young fish. It is known to devour fish eggs. 

 In Perry Stream it was found quite eager for a baited hook and sev- 

 eral were caught in that way. The stomach contents of the specimens 

 collected consisted of a considerable quantity of fine algae, entomo- 

 straca, and larval insects. Many larvse of a black fly were observed ; 

 very fine sand was also present. Some specimens were found with 

 stomachs full of fish eggs, presumably of Gouesius. 



The breeding season is in June and July in this region. We found 

 some examples with eggs and milt, but most of them had already 

 spawned by the 1st of July. This species ascends brooks to spawn, 

 at which time the males have small hard tubercles or excrescences on 

 the hinder portion of the body and larger ones on the anal fin and 

 lower half of the caudal. The fish is perhaps too dark to be useful for 

 bait unless it be cut bait. It is most easily caught in quantities in a 

 wire minnow trap or a seine. 



2. Sucker. Catostomus commersonii (Lacepede). 



Head 4.1; depth 5.5; eye 5.2; snout 2; dorsal 12; anal 7; longest dorsal ray 

 1.56 in head ; longest anal 1.3 ; longest pectoral 1.3 ; longest ventral 1.85 ; scales 

 12-67-7, crowded and unich smaller anteriorly. 



Body moderately stout, varying with age, subterete, heavy at the shoulders; 

 head rather large and stout ; snout blunt, lips strongly papillose, upper not 

 greatly overhanging lower, with 2 or 3 rows of papillse ; eye moderate, high, 

 slightly behind middle of head; origin of dorsal midway between tip of snout 

 and base of caudal ; anterior rays of dorsal and anal longest, tip of latter reach- 

 ing base of caudal ; tips of dorsal and ventrals when depressed reaching the 

 same vertical line posteriorly ; caudal forked ; ventrals not nearly reaching 

 vent; pectoral broadly falcate; lateral line complete, not broken. 



Color dusky above, especially on margins of scales; head dusky to upper mar- 

 gin of upper lip and in line shortly below eye to gill-opening, abruptly white be- 

 low ; dark of body beginning just above pectoral and extending in almost straight 

 line to lower base of caudal ; pectorals and ventrals pale below, somewhat dusky 

 above ; anal pale, dorsal and caudal a little darker than other fins but not so dark 

 as body. The young of this species are somewhat differently colored from the 

 adults: Top of head and upper part of side of head and upper part of body 

 light olive, mottled and clouded with darker brownish olive; mottling most 

 intense on edges of scales; arranged in irregular and indefinite cross bars on 

 back and side; the first bar on nape just back of occiput, second just in advance 

 of dorsal, third at posterior base of dorsal, fourth about midway the space 

 Itetween base of dorsal and base of caudal, fifth on base of caudal, all becom- 

 ing spotlike, irregular and indefinite on side, but of somewhat darker shade 

 near lateral line; lower parts almost abruptly paler or white; fins all pale; 

 color from a specimen 3.12 inches long. Smaller fish have about the same 

 general color, but the markings are more distinct and definite. 



Distinguished from the lougnose species by the shorter, heavier head and 

 larger scales. 



