TURTLES AND BATRACHIANS OF THE LAKE REGION. 499 



1. Nednrus rnaculosus Rafinesque. 

 Waterdog. 



The Waterdog or Mudpupjjy is one of the most common, and certainly 

 the most interesting;, of the several species of batrachians occurring in or 

 about Lake Maxinkuckee. 



It is strictly aquatic in its habits and is found only in the water. It is 

 found in both Lake Maxinkuckee and m Lost Lake and apparently approxi- 

 mately abundant in each. That it was seen more frequently in the former is 

 probably due to the fact thai our observations were more often directed to 

 that lake. 



While pretty generally distributed throughout the lake, it is naturally 

 most oft. n met with in relatively shalloAv water near t-hore. It appears to 

 prefer those locations where the bottom is of muck, marl or other soft ma- 

 terial covered with a growth of short Chara. In such situations it makes 

 considerable burrows in the bed of the lake or sometimes merely under the 

 Chara or other covering. Here it rests when not moving about in search of 

 food o- for other reasons. The burrow usually has two openings, a few inches 

 apart, one e^adently for entrance the other for exit; and the animal, when in 

 the burrow, is often seen with its head projecting from one of the openings as 

 if watching for small fishes or other food that may approach. Thrusting 

 an oar or pole into the burrow would frequently reveal the presence of the 

 animal. Thej^ seem to occupy these burrows singly, as in no instance were 

 two individuals found in the same hole. Whether they are more prone to 

 remain in their burrows during the day-time or night our observations did 

 not clearly disclose. Certain evidences, however, which will be presented later 

 in this account, indicate that this curious batrachian is largely noctural in 

 habit, and the burrows, if they could be examined with equal facility at night, 

 would probably be found more frequently empty. 



While nearly all examples seen in the lake were in water one to ten feet 

 deep, they doubtless on occasion go out to greater depths, evidenced by the 

 frequency with which they are taken on hooks of set-lines placed at a depth of 

 10 to 35 feet. They are doubtless most abundant in water less than 15 feet 

 deep, but extend out to more than twice that depth in some numbers. It 

 is probable that their bathymetric distribution is practically coincident with 

 that of the plant covering of the lake bottom. 



That the species is largely nocturnal is indicated by a number of habits 

 which were observed, frequently individuals were seen or were caught 

 with seines at night when they had come near shore in shallow water evidently 

 for the purpose of feeding on the small fishes which also come into shallow 

 water at night to feed. Although large schools of the same species of fishes 

 were often seen in the same places in the day time waterdogs were rarely 

 noted and then usuallv in the winter and the under ice. Set-lines were much 



