178 REPORT OF STATE GEOLOGIST. 



Ameiurus nebulosus (LeSueur), 



Bullhead; Horned Pout. 



. Jordan, 1885, 12, 628, pi. 233 ; Amturm catiis, Jordan and Gilbert, 

 1882, 8, 104 ; Jordan, 1882, 2, 793. 



Body short and heavy ; depth in the length four to four and one-half. 

 Profile a nearly straight and rapid slope from the dorsal to the snout. 

 Head longer than wide, the length in leogth of body about three and 

 one-half Jaws about equal, or the upper slightly the longer. Snout 

 broad and rounded. Anal base in length of body four times ; its rays 

 usually twenty-one or twenty-two, occasionally only twenty. Caudal 

 slightly notched. Color a livid brown, yellow below. The variety mar- 

 moratus is recognized, differing in having the body mottled with brown, 

 greenish and whitish. The length probably never exceeds a foot and a 

 hair. 



Habitat from Wisconsin to New England and Texas. Lake Michigan 

 (U, No. 2, 66); Vigo County (16\ 94); Tippecanoe River (1, '77, 46 and 

 2S, 'SS, 44) ; lakes of Laporte County, St. Joseph's and Maumee Rivers 

 (1, '77, 46) ; Greene County (23, '84, 205) ; Eel River U, '94, 36) ; La- 

 porte County (24-, '93, 80). The variety ynarmoratus has hitherto been 

 known from Southern Illinois to Florida, but Dr Gilbert reports (23, 

 '84, 205) finding numerous specimens of it in Greene County. A. nebu- 

 losus appears to be not so common in Indiana as A. melas. Prof. Forbes 

 thinks that the form mannoratus inhabits only the deeper and larger 

 streams, while the typical nebulosus prefers muddy ponds and streams. 

 Forbes found that the f ^od of this species was, to the extent of one- 

 fourth, vegetable matter. Fishes constituted a fifth of the food, mol- 

 lusks more than a fifth, insects nearly a fourth, and crustaceans about 

 one-eighth. 



Ameiurus melas (Raf ). 

 Bxdl-head. 



Amiurus melas and xanthocephalus, J or dsirx and Gilbert, 1^82,6", 104; 

 Jordan, 1882, 2, 7h3, 796 ; 1884, 12, pi. 233. 



A short and heavy-bodied species ; depth in length about four times. 

 The profile rather steep and nearly straight. Head about as broad as 

 long, its length in length of body three and one-half to four times. Snout 

 broad and rounded ; jaws about equal. Anal base short, about five times 

 in body; its rays seventeen to nineteen. Color usually quite dark. Some- 

 times on being drawn from the water the fish is yellow, but this changes 

 in spirits to brown. Length not exceeding a foot. 



