FISHES OF THE CONNECTICUT LAKES. 33 



position of the mouth indicates that it is to some extent at least a 

 bottom feeder. The stomach contents of several individuals from 

 2.25 to 3.08 inches long from First Lake waters contained fragments 

 of insects, water mites, and insect larvae. It doubtless eats the 

 eggs of such small fish as breed in brooks and streams where it 

 occurs. It will take a baited hook or a small artificial fly, and is itself 

 a useful bait for large fishes, being hardy and living well in a bait 

 bucket. The spawning time, like that of other Cyprinidse, is in the 

 spring or early summer, at which time the males are colored somewhat 

 with red. 



It is usually hard to get many individuals of this minnow, owing to 

 the difficulty of using a net in the rocky streams where it occurs and 

 its habit of darting under rocks and other shelter for concealment, 

 though a minnow trap in time is effective in getting a fair supply of 

 individuals large enough for live bait. Our largest specimens were 

 taken on a small hook baited with angleworm. 



9. Blacknose Dace. Rhinichthys afronasus (Mitchill). 



Head 4.15 in length without caudal ; depth 4.9 ; eye 4.33 in head ; snout 2.60 ; 

 dorsal S; anal 7; scales 11-62-7. Head long, rather sharp, mouth small, lower 

 jaw included, somewhat inferior, nearly terminal, slightly oblique ; maxillary not 

 reaching anterior border of eye, small barbel at tip ; eye large, high, about mid- 

 way between tip of snout and upper end of gill-opening. Body plumply rounded 

 in front, compressed behind ; scales small, lateral line nearly straight, about 

 in axis of body ; dorsal nearer base of caudal than "tip of snout, the first rays 

 highest, 1.3 in head, extending considerably beyond tips of last rays when de- 

 pressed ; rays of first half of anal longest, 1.23 in head, reaching much beyond 

 the last rays when depressed ; pectoral rounded, not reaching nearly to ventrals ; 

 ventrals rounded, reaching vent ; caudal forked. 



Top of head and back green-gray; back and side thickly spotted and dotted 

 with dark brown to lateral line, some of the spots linear, all made up of dots ; 

 few round and linear groups of dots below lateral line on side of belly and 

 caudal peduncle; a jet black stripe from snout through eye to base of caudal 

 ending in a black spot on the base of the caudal fin; all below the stripe ex- 

 cept the few spots on the side abruptly white ; fins all pale. 



Description taken from a male individual 2.7 inches long from outlet of Third 

 Lake August IS. 



This species varies but little in color. The young have the black stripe more 

 distinct, also a more sharply defined black spot on the caudal. Some individ- 

 uals have a border above the lateral stripe, of lighter shade than the ground 

 color of the body, and breeding males have broad red borders to the lower 

 fins and sometimes red on the sides, and the light border above mentioned a 

 beautiful golden red hue. 



Distinguished from the other dace by the less projecting snout and black 

 lateral stripe extending on the snout; from other minnows of this region by 

 the same characters. 



This species of dace does not lack for local names. It is variously 

 known as " rock minnow," " brook minnow," " rock shiner," " pot- 

 belly," " pottle-belly," etc. The last two names are derived from the 



