94 COPEIA 



investigation of these species has been started, and 

 it is no doubt worth while that it should be extended. 



J. O. Snyder, 

 Stanford University, Calif. 



SHUFELDT'S NEW MUD MINNOW. 



In the July number of Aquatic Life Dr. R. W. 

 Shufeldt boldly adds another synonym to Umbra 

 pygmcea. One is obliged to read his entire article, 

 which is unnecessarily voluminous, to the end, where 

 the new name Umbra pygmcea bilineata is found. As 

 Shufeldt neglects to select a type, a custom almost 

 universal in these days among naturalists, we shall 

 be obliged to help him out by indicating No. 16, 896, 

 U. S. N. M. from "Trib. of Chesapeake Bay" as 

 such. Apparently this new form is suggested chiefly 

 on its supposed color characters. It is alleged to 

 differ in having but 2 wide dark lengthwise broad 

 bands, while in U. pygmcea there are ten, a dozen, or 

 more, narrow dark lengthwise lines. On a previous 

 page, however, Shufeldt admits that "the fish changes 

 its coloration to a wonderful degree when placed in 

 alcohol and other preservative fluids," and also that 

 the living fishes vary widely in color. I found that 

 our living mud minnow exhibits great extremes in 

 variety of color, not only such patterns as Shufeldt 

 mentions, but all sorts of intermediate designs. Also 

 some examples may appear nearly uniform blackish, 

 and others grayish or whitish, though I have not yet 

 found an albino. Now these varieties may even oc- 

 cur in the same stream, pool or mud-hole. Some of 

 these forms are doubtless affected by the condition 

 of the water, as in the cedar-stained streams of our 

 coastal regions fishes are always darker, or even near- 

 ly black. 



Besides the type Dr. Shufeldt mentioned he ex- 

 amined many examples in the United States Nation- 

 al Museum from Eastern Maryland, Laurel (Md.), 

 Chain Bridge (D. C), and Long Island (Lake Pat- 



