FISHES FROM BRAZIL COLLECTED BY 



THE STANFORD EXPEDITION 



OF 1911 



THE following pages contain an account of the fishes collected by the 

 author as a member of the Stanford Expedition to Brazil in the 

 summer of 1911. 



Several weeks were spent at Natal, in the State of Rio Grande do 

 Norte, where the rock pools, though containing a rather small fauna, proved 

 to be the most fruitful collecting ground in the vicinity. Seining was done in 

 the harbor and as far up the estuary as Carnahubinha. Two trips were made 

 in a trawling boat, equipped with an otter trawl, that a local company had 

 imported from England, but on account of the great quantities of seaweed 

 that filled and wrecked the nets few fishes were secured. The fish market 

 was extemely poor, and contributed but very little to the collection. Seldom 

 over six or seven of the commonest species were represented at one time, and 

 the prices that they commanded proved the supply to be far short of the 

 demand. 



A tr'ip wa,s made to Lake Extremoz, nine or ten miles in a north- 

 westerly direction from Natal. After several trials it was found impossible 

 to do any seining in the lake owing to the great quantities of half dis- 

 integrated vegetable matter that is held in suspension in the water, and that 

 quickly filled the net and made it too heavy to land, so that most of the 

 specimens that were taken were secured by fishermen with cast nets.* 



In the same direction as Lake Extremoz and about nine miles farther 

 is the town of Ceara Mirim, where several days were profitably spent in 

 collecting in the small creek and in several little muddy ponds that were 

 disconnected from each other, but are doubtless connected during high water. 

 Some seining was done, but more dependence was placed upon the very 

 efficient boys, who waded about with dip-nets and caught fishes under the 

 overhanging muddy banks. 



* The fish fauna of Lake Extremoz is made up of the usual fresh water forms 

 of the region and, in addition, many typical salt water ones, such as Ccntropomus, 

 Mugil and Gcrrcs, showing that the lake has been connected with the sea in recent 

 years, though it is said to be cut off by sand hills at the present time. 



