FISHES OF THE MISSOURI RIVER BASIN. 401 



head moderate; mouth small, terminal, slightly oblique; maxillary not 

 reaching eye ; preorbital broad. Back considerably arched, caudal peduncle 

 deep, its least depth 2 in head. Origin of dorsal iin over ventrals, nearer 

 snout than base of caudal. Color, above densely covered with fine, black 

 specks, giving a general blue-black appearance; sides with a broad plum- 

 beous band two-thirds as broad as eye, darkest and best dciined on caudal 

 peduncle; sides below this band with a few scattered specks anteriorly; 

 lower part of caudal peduncle pale; top and upper parts of sides of head 

 bluish-black ; dorsal, anal, and pectorals with a few dark spocks ; other lins 

 plain. Length, 2% inches. 



Named for Dr. Hugh M. Smith, chief of the Statistical Division of the 

 United States Fish Commission. 

 52. Notropis cayuga Meek. Big Piney River, Cabool, Mo.; Osage River and Lock 

 Fork, Mansfield, Mo.; Niaugua River, Marshiield, Mo. (Meek, 1891); Big 

 Sioux River, Sioux City, Iowa (Meek, 1892) ; Floyd River, Sioux City and 

 Lemars, Iowa (Meek, 1894) ; Dakota River at Jamestown (Woolman, 1896) ; 

 Floyd River, Sioux City; Dakota River and Enemy, Firesteel and Rock 

 creeks, Mitchell; Prairie Creek, Scotland; Choteau and Emanuel creeks, 

 Springfield ; pond at Niobrara ; Bazile Creek, Niobrara ; pond at Verdigris ; 

 pond at Creighton; Norfolk Creek, Norfolk Junction; Elkhorn River at 

 Ewing ; creek at E wing ; ponds and creeks, Long Pine ; Minnechaduza Creek, 

 Valentine; Chadron Creek, Chadron; Mud Creek, Ravenna. 



From the above it will bo seen that this small minnow is one of the most 

 abundant species in eastern South Dakota and Nebraska. The most westerly 

 point at which we obtained it is Chadron, Nebr., and as but a single specimen 

 was found there, its occurrence at that place is probably exceptional. At 

 Valentiue, about 130 miles east of Chadron, it was found in considerable 

 numbers, and eastward from Valentine it was abundant in all suitable places. 



This is preeminently a species of the pools, ponds, and small lakes. 

 While we might not find it, even with careful seining, in the clear running 

 streams, we seldom failed to take it in abundance in any overflown pond or 

 small lake that we found along the streams. It was very abundant in the 

 ponds at Creighton and Long Pine. Choteau Creek, in which it was also 

 abundant, is a slow, sluggish creek, much like a pond in many respects. In 

 such waters as these, when the bottom was of mud, or mud and coarse 

 gravel, and where there was considerable vegetation, I'otamogeton, Chara, and 

 various species of Algw, would we find Xotroph cayuga in greatest numbers. 

 The last week of June seems to be its spawning season in this region; many 

 of the specimens taken at Creighton, J tine 29, were full of ripe spawn. 



Considerable variation in the intensity of the coloration is shown by 

 these collections, the specimens from the cooler, clearer ponds being much 

 darker than those from warmer streams. 



The following description is drawn up from a typical specimen, 21 inches 

 long, from Prairie Creek: No. 1745. Head 3§; depth 4J; eye 31; snout 4; 

 D. I, 8; A. 8; scales 6-35-3, 15 before dorsal; lateral line incomplete, irreg- 

 ularly broken. Body slender, head moderate, back little arched, peduncle 

 long and slender, mouth moderate, somewhat oblique, terminal ; maxillary not 

 reaching eye; eye large. Origin of dorsal slightly behind ventrals, midway 

 between snout and base of caudal ; pectorals short; 1.1 in head, not reaching 

 ventrals; ventrals shorter than pectorals, reaching vent; caudal deeply 

 forked. Color of back dark, covered with fine brownish points, thickest on 

 edges of scales, forming cross-hatching on entire length of back; middle of 

 sides with a broad dark band from base of caudal tin along course of lateral 

 lino across opercle, and meeting its fellow around snout, not on lower lip; 

 under parts pale, except a dark line from anus along base of anal lin and 



F. e. 04 26 



