FISHES OF THE CONNECTICUT LAKES. 29 
The mud chub spawns in early summer, at which time the body of 
the male becomes of a darker hue and the pectoral and ventral fins 
are often of a bright orange color, and there are horny excrescences 
on the snout and top of head. This chub readily takes a hook baited 
with worm, piece of fish, or any kind of flesh, and frequently an arti- 
ficial fly. ; 
6. Bronze Minnow. Leuciscus neogeus (Cope). 
Head 4.11 (3.88 to 4.18) in length without caudal; depth 5 (4.60 to 5.50) ; 
eye 4 (4 to 4.50) in head; snout 4 (3.55 to 4.50) ; dorsal 8; anal 8; scales 85 
(82 to 90). 
Head rather short, broad, and blunt; snout short, equaling eye; eye large; 
mouth large, very oblique, maxillary reaching to nearly below front of pupil, 
jaws even; teeth 1, 5-5, 2. Body stout and chubby; origin of dorsal much 
nearer base of caudal than tip of snout; scales very small; lateral line of about 
17 pores, not reaching a point above insertion of ventrals; dorsal rounded, the 
middle rays longest; pectoral and ventral pointed; caudal deeply forked. 
The above description is taken from a specimen 3.33 inches in length and 
from 8 other specimens collected in pools in a field near Indian Stream August 
4. These 8 were the largest of many collected; they range from about 2 to 3.50 
inches long, and are all females. The pharyngeal teeth are uniformly 5 in the 
main row and 1 or 2 in the other. 
Top of head, snout, and back brownish olive with sharply defined edge from 
upper border of eye to upper base of caudal; a stripe from eye along axis of 
body to base of caudal, terminating in a small distinct black spot; the area 
between the dark of the back and the lateral stripe presenting the appearance 
of a broad lighter stripe from upper posterior border of eye to upper base of 
caudal; a narrow stripe from nape along median line of back, passing each 
side of base of dorsal, reuniting behind and continuing to upper base of caudal; 
entire lower part of body from tip of lower jaw to base of caudal pale; fins 
all dusky; entire fish with a brassy or bronze luster, whence the name bronze 
minnow. Males often with red along the side. 
Distinguished from the red-bellied minnow, the only fish in this region with 
which it could be confounded, externally by the larger mouth and the arrange- 
ment of stripes. In some specimens the sides of back may be somewhat lighter 
than at the margin of the dark color, giving the appearance of a second dark 
stripe bordering the lighter area above the lateral stripe. This is less distinct 
than in the other species, and if broken up into spots at all it is so broken 
anteriorly, instead of posteriorly as in Chrosomus. This stripe-like appearance 
usually terminates or blends with the dark color of the caudal peduncle before 
reaching the base of the caudal fin. Internally this species has well-marked 
diagnostic characters, having a much shorter alimentary tract and 2 rows of 
pharyngeal teeth. 
In our opinion the generic name Phoxinus should be retained for this minutely 
sealed fish, differing so markedly in this and other respects from other species 
designated as Leuciscus. There is a greater difference between the subgenus 
Phoxinus and other members of the genus Leuciscus than there is between 
Leuciscus as a whole (leaving out Phoxinus) and Semotilus. 
The bronze minnow feeds upon small insects, eggs, larvae, worms, 
and vegetable matter. The stomachs of some examined contained 
large amounts of fine alge. It seems to prefer water characterized 
