324 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



on the Nissequague River at Smithtown, Long Island, and the group is a 

 faithful representation of the scene as it occurs in nature. 



Lampreys are among the most remarkable creatures of our waters, both 

 for their extraordinary nesting habits and their anatomical structure, which 

 is of great importance in the study of the lower vertebrates. Although 

 eel-like in appearance, they are not eels; in fact they are not even fishes, 

 in the strict sense of the word. They lack paired fins — the fins which 

 correspond to the arms and legs of higher vertebrates — and they have a 

 suctorial mouth which is of quite different structure from that of fishes. 

 For these reasons and for others of a more technical kind, lampreys, to- 

 gether with their allies the "hags", are separated from the true fishes as 

 a distinct class, the Cyclostomata (in allusion to the round mouth). 



There are four or five species of lampreys inhabiting the lakes and streams 

 of the northern hemisphere, and one occurs in the sea. The latter is found 

 on the coasts of both Europe and America, and is the largest of all the 

 lampreys, reaching a length of nearly three feet. 



In the spring sea lampreys enter fresh water in order to spawn. A 

 clear, shallow stream with a pebbly bottom is usually selected, and here they 

 build their "nests" — circular depressions in the river bottom about three 

 feet across and a few inches deep at the center. Two or more lampreys are 

 usually engaged in building a single nest, and their behavior is most extraor- 

 dinary. John Burroughs characterized it as " one of the most curious spec- 

 tacles" he had ever seen in our streams. 



The rooting up and transporting of the pebbles to make the nest is done 

 entirely with the mouth, the tail not being used to fan it into shape as is the 

 case with certain fishes, such as the sunfish or the black bass. The lamprey 

 seizes a pebble or a stone with its suctorial mouth, lifts it from the 

 bottom, turns in a graceful curve and carries it out of the nest; and then 

 immediately returns for a second pebble. Sometimes instead of carrying 

 the pebble out, it charges head-on against it and pushes it up the incline and 

 out of the nest. It is surprising how large a stone a lamprey will thus 

 transport; I have picked up half a brick as it was released by a lamprey after 

 being tugged out of the nest. 



The eggs are scattered broadcast over the nest. They are very small 

 (about 2j of an inch in diameter), pear-shaped, and so much like sand grains 



The sea lamprey is not an eel, and in fact, not really a fish. Together with the 

 closely related "hags," it belongs to a distinct class — the Cyclostomata (in allusion to 

 the round sucking mouth) 



