LAMPREYS AND FISHES OF INDIANA. 177 



Ameiurus NATALI8 (LeSueur). 



Yelloiv Cat-fish. 



Amiurus natalis, Jordau. and Gilbert, 1882, 8, 105 ; Jordan, 1882, 

 3, 790. 



Body moderately loug ; compressed behind. Depth in length, four and 

 one-half. Head broad and flat ; widest through the opercles ; the out- 

 lines then rounding in the broad snout ; width of head in length of body, 

 four ; length of head in body, three and two-thirds. Upper jaw some- 

 what projecting. Length of pectoral spine in head, two and one-half. 

 Anal fin long, its basis in length of l)ody three and one-half times ; its rays, 

 twenty-four to twenty-seven. Caudal slightly or not at all notched. 

 Color brownish, in life yellowish, paler below. Fins dusky. Length, a 

 foot or a little more. 



Distributed from Canada to Texas. In Indiana it has been taken at 

 the following localities : Posey County (4, '88, 162); Brown and Monroe 

 counties fj, '85, 410 and 23, '84, 200); Lower Wabash River (i, '77; 

 45) ; Ohio County (33, '88, 56) ; Brookville (5, No 2, 4) ; lakes of La- 

 porte County, St. Joseph's and Tippecanoe rivers (2, '77, 45); White 

 Kiver at Indianapolis (1, '77, 377) ; Lake Maxinkuckee (23, '88, 55) ; 

 Carroll County (23, '88, 44); Eel River basin (4, '94, 36); Decatur 

 County (Shannon). 



Forbes, who has investigated the food-habits of this fish (14, II, '88, 

 459) says that it lives for the most part in small streams. The food is 

 almost wholly animal. One had been eating a dead cat. A large pro- 

 portion of fishes enters into the diet ; conspicuous among them were cat- 

 fisbes. A considerable part of the diet consists of insects. 



The larger specimens of this fish may do for food, but it is usually too 

 small to pay for the dressing. The capture of this and other cat-fishes 

 furnishes amusement to boys.-^- 



■■■"Ameiurus vulgaris (Thompson^. 



Long-Jaired Catfish. 



Aiitiiiriis vulgaris, Jordan and Gilbert, 1882, S, 105 : Jordan, 1882, ,', 791. 



Body rather stout and heavy ; depth in length four and one-fourth to five times ; rather 

 high at the front of the dorsal and sloping in a nearly straight line to the snout, which is 

 na,rrow. Head longer than wide, its length in body usually less than four times ; high and 

 convex above. Lower jaw heavy and projecting beyond the upper. Anal base short, con- 

 tained in length of body five times : its rays nineteen or twenty. Color dark brown to black, 

 paler below. Maximum length about eighteen inches. 



Distributed from the region of the (ireat Lakes into British America. In " The Fishes 

 of Ohio," Dr. Jordan states that it is sometimes found in the Ohi'j River. I find no record 

 of its having been taken in Indiana streams, but Dr. Jordan (7;, No. 2, 66) says that it is 

 found in Lake Michigan. Eigcnmann and Beeson include it in their list of Indiana fishes 

 (2i, '98, 80). 



12 — Geology. 



