8 University of Michigan 



bottom was gravelly or sandy; these conditions were found only 

 at Stations 12 and 30. 



At Station 30 on June 3, 1919, the spawning act in this species 

 was witnessed by the writer many times. Here a large male com- 

 mon shiner about five inches in length and in high coloration was 

 maintaining a position over a growing pile of stones that was being 

 built up by a busy river chub, in a manner to be described. The 

 males of these two species were apparently not disturbed in the 

 least by each other's activities, but the shiner gave much atten- 

 tion to a gathering of smaller members of his species that were 

 undoubtedly all or nearly all females. He would swim out among 

 them and attempt to drive them over the pile; and when success- 

 ful, he would forcibly apply a side of hi§ body to a side of one of 

 the females. The contact would be maintained for but an instant 

 when the two fish would separate. The female when released 

 would float for a few seconds as the female horned dace does 

 (Reighard, 1910, p. 1131) apparently exhausted by the spawning 

 act. In this embrace the positions of the two sexes were very 

 similar to those described by Reighard for the horned dace (op. cit.) ; 

 the female is applied obliquely to the male with the head up while 

 he keeps about the usual horizontal position. Sometimes the 

 female was brought against the right side and sometimes the 

 left side of the male shiner. Once another large male in breeding 

 garb came near, but the one constantly occupying the pile drove 

 him away by darting quickly to his side and then turning and strik- 

 ing him or at him with a head-on thrust. An attempt was made 

 to collect some of these breeding shiners, but only one of them was 

 taken and that a female distended with eggs, which were running 

 from her body. 



15. Notropis atherinoides Rafinesque, Emerald Minnow. — 

 Scarce; one taken at the mouth of the river and one at Station 70. 



16. Notropis rubrifrons (Cope), Rosy-face Minnow. — Uncom- 

 mon in the river; a few taken at each of four stations (7, 12, 25, 30). 



