FISHES OF THE MISSOURI lilVER BASIN. 403 



The very large series of specimens and the numerous localities represented 

 in the present collection show most perplexing variations even in this hasin. 

 As a rule the individuals from any particular stream can he told from those 

 from any other stream. The differences lie chiefly in the relative hluntnesa 

 of the snout, the stoutness of the body, size of eye, size and arrangement of 

 the scales, and in the color. A typical specimen from Glenrock, Wyo., has 

 the head 4; depth 4; eye 3£; snout 4A; D. i, 8; A. 7; scales 6-34-3. One 

 from Floyd River, Sioux City, has the eye somewhat larger (3£), and the 

 snout shorter and more blunt (4) . One from Rapid City, head 4 } ; depth 4£ ; 

 eye 3|; snout 4; scales 6-35-3. All the specimens from this place have 

 short, blunt heads and rather large eyes. One from Belle Fourche agrees 

 with the Rapid City specimens except that the scales are rather smaller, 

 7-36-4. The lot from Fremont has larger scales (6-33-3), sharper snout, and 

 more distinct plumbeous lateral band than those from farther west. The 

 number of scales before the dorsal varies from 14 to 20, the usual number 

 being 15 or 16. This does not seem to be correlated with any other variable 

 character. The teeth, in numerous examples examined, were 4-4, hooked, 

 and with slight grinding surface on two or three teeth. 



55. Notropis scylla (Cope). Osage River, Mo. (as ? Alburnus Hneolatus type, 



Agassiz, 1863) ; Red Cloud Creek, tributary of Platte River (as Hybopsis scylla 

 type, Cope, 1871); upper Missouri region (as CUola chlora type, Jordan, 

 1878) ; Marais des Cygnes (as N. Hneolatus, Graham, 1885) ; South Platte River, 

 Denver (Jordan, 1891a). If all of these references really belong to one species, 

 it would stand as Notropis Hneolatus (Agassiz). 



56. Notropis topeka (Gilbert). 



CUola (Hybopsis) topeka Gilbert, Bull. Washburn Lab. Nat. Hist., vol. 1, No. 1. 

 13, September, 1884. Type locality : Shunganunga Creek, Topeka, Kans, 

 Notropis wneolus Hay, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1887, 245. Type locality: Saline 

 River, Wakeeney, Kans. 

 Hundred and Two River, Bedford, Iowa (Jordan & Meek, 1885) ; Shunga- 

 nunga Creek and Ellis, Kans. (Cragin, 1885a); Smoky Hill River, Wallace, 

 Kans.; north fork of Solomon River, Kirwin, Kans.; Solomon River, Beloit, 

 Kans. (Hay, 1887) ; Sappa Creek, Oherliu, Kans. (Gilbert, 1889) ; Boyer River 

 at Arion, Iowa; Big Sioux River, Sioux City, Iowa (Meek, 1892); Floyd 

 River at Sioux City and Lemars, Iowa ; Salt Creek, Lincoln, Nebr. ; and 

 Blue River at Crete, Nebr. (Meek, 1894) ; Firesteel and Enemy, Rock creeks, 

 Mitchell; Prairie Creek, Scotland; pond at Creighton. 



The localities in which we found this pretty little fish are, as may be 

 noticed, all close together. In Kansas it was found by Drs. Gilbert and Hay 

 considerably farther west. All the waters in which we took it were pond- 

 like, isolated portions of streams which dry up in parts of their course 

 during dry weather. These ponds are partly supplied from small springs, 

 the water is usually rather clear and cool, and there is an abundance of water 

 vegetation. The bottom is mostly soft mud. 



Male: Head3f; depth 34; eye44; snout 3^; interorbital width 2f ; D.i, 8; 

 A. I, 7; scales 6-35-4, about 12 scales before the dorsal; lateral line more or 

 less broken, slightly decurved; body short, compressed, and deep; head 

 rather small, snout blunt; mouth somewhat oblique, suhtcrniinal, lower jaw 

 included; maxillary not reaching eye; back somewhat elevated; caudal 

 peduncle deep, 2 in head; fins moderate: dorsal inserted opposite ventrals, 

 its height 1£ in head; pectorals short, 11 iu head. Color greenish above, 

 orange below; scales above lateral line dark-edged; a rather distinct plum- 

 beous lateral band ; fins all rich red in life. Snout, top of head, and back as 

 far as dorsal fin thickly covered with strong tubercles ; scattered tubercles on 

 sides; scales on ventral surface in front of ventral fins greatly thickened. 



Female: Head a little shorter, fins not so red, and no tubercles. 



Of the 31 specimens from Creighton, all but 8 are females, most of which 



