40 



that of securing an inviting retreat for the innoxious I'inged water 

 snakes which in great numbers glide all gracefully amongst the ramifi- 

 cation of its dank sub soil. The fish from which tbe lake, or rather 

 pond, takes its name are not true minnows but the black nosed dace, 

 which literally swarm in its waters. They are daily captured in 

 hundreds, and yet without any apparent diminution in their numbers. 

 Together witli them, but in much smaller quantities, is found a very 

 beautiful little fish, and whose location, as far as I have seen, is limited 

 to this circumscribed basin, the scarlet bellied minnow (Leuciscus 

 Erythrogaster). They are taken either with a minnow hook or dip net, 

 and when placed in an aquarium as objects of attraction, are not far 

 behind their well known congenei-s the gold fish. In their habits they 

 differ from their other lacustrine companions, inasmuch as they 

 descend into the deep water much earlier and rise again to the surface 

 later in their respective seasons." Now, T think this fish is only a variety of 

 the blacknosed dace, and 1 have taken similar fish in the quarries 

 near Montreal, and had them in my aquarium. The shining dace 

 {Minnilus Ruhellus) known also as the white minnow is abundant, 

 and its young or small fry are the fish which throng the edge of wharves, 

 and shallow water below locks, where they can be taken abundantly 

 with the scoop net. A very small dace {L. Figmoeus 1) pigmy dace or 

 small minnow is very abundant in shallow water, where it is fre- 

 quently left high and dry after floods in large numbers. 



The Shiner, (iVbfemi^owws Chrysoleucas) is a very handsome fish, with 

 a biilliant lustrous white or golden tinge all over it. Its scales very 

 easily rub off in handling. It is an ornament to the aquai'ium. It is 

 found in all our streams in calm water, but is not very abundant, it 

 being eagerly devoured by fish of prey and proving a tempting bait. 



Of minnows proper there is only one species, the black minnow 

 or barred minnow ( Umbra Limi). These fish are very tenacious of 

 life. They are not as abundant here as in the St. Lawrence, but I 

 have found them in the clay pits near the Rideau River, and in the 

 lagoon east of the canal near Hogsback, as well as in small streams 

 running into the Lievre and Ottawa Kivers. These fish partially 

 bury themselves in the mud in dry weather and are veiy hardy. They 

 possess a peculiar habit of balancing themselves in midwatcr, wi!;h the 



