THE WIIITEFISHES OF NORTH AMERICA. 313 



of dorsal midway between snout aiid middle of adipose fin. Caudal 

 large, well forked ; anal small ; ventrals inserted under middle of dorsal, 

 very long, five-sixths length of head and equal to pectorals. Steel blue 

 above, with many dark points; belly white; dorsal and caudal blackish; 

 pectorals and ventrals tipped with black. 



This is one of the smallest of the American whitefishes, rarely reach- 

 ing a foot in length or a half pound in weight. It has the reputation of 

 being more bony than any other whiteiish. It is little utilized for food 

 in Alaska, but is used chiefly by native traveling parties and as food 

 for dogs. It extends over a very large portion of Alaska and is very 

 abundant. So far as our information goes, it is found in all parts of 

 Alaska except the southeastern portion. The types were obtained in 

 the Kuwuk Itiver by the well-known collector, Charles H. Townsend. 



13. Argyrosomus lucidus (Richardson). 



Great Rear Lake Herrino. 



Salmo (f'oref) on us) lucidus Richardson, Fauna Boreali-Amerioana, in, 207, 1836, Great 

 Boar Lake. 



Head small, 5 to 5^; depth, 4 J to 4f; eye, 5. D. 11 or 12 developed 

 rays; A. 11 or 12. Scales, 85 to 87, 11 or 12 in an oblique series down- 

 ward and forward from front of dorsal to lateral line. Eye slightly 

 less than length of snout, 1 J times in interorbital width. Body slender, 

 elongate, the curve of back and belly about equal, the greatest depth 

 exceeding length of head. The snout narrow, almost vertically trun- 

 cate when mouth is closed, the lower jaw fitting within the upper, but 

 the mouth not inferior. Distance from snout to nape 2 ?- to 3 in distance 

 between nape and front of dorsal. The head is much smaller in one of 

 our specimens than in the other. Month oblique, with rather slender 

 maxillary, which extends to vertical midway between front and middle 

 of pupil, its length from tip to articulation equaling distance from end 

 of snout to front of pupil, and contained 3g to 3f in length of head. 

 Supplemental maxillary bone probably broader than in artedi, from 

 three-fifths to two-thirds greatest width of maxillary. Suborbital bone 

 large, its width 2i to 2§ in its length. Gillrakers very long and slen- 

 der, the longest slightly more than two-thirds length of eye, 1C> + 28 

 in number in each specimen. Front of dorsal slightly nearer tip of 

 snout than base of upper rudimentary dorsal rays. The fins are muti- 

 lated, so that their length can not be given. Adipose fin large, inserted 

 vertically above last anal rays, its height from tip to posterior end of 

 base equaling vertical diameter of eye. Color, silvery. 



This description is based on 2 specimens recently obtained in Great 

 Bear Lake by Miss Elizabeth Taylor and donated by her to the museum 

 of Leland Stanford Junior University. These specimens are each 16 

 inches long and are the only ones received by any museum since Bick- 

 ardson's time. These are described in detail by Dr. Gilbert in the 

 Bulletin of the U. S. Fish Commission for 1891. 



