372 Fishes of Upper Georgia. 



its termination and the beginning of the rudiment- 

 ary caudal rays ; spines larger and rougher than in 

 any of the pi'eceding; anal fin short and deep, of 

 eleven rays (abnormal?) ; fins not black-margined; 

 no definite black blotch on adipose fin ; eye small ; 

 interorbital space rather narrow ; form, coloration, 

 and general appearance of a young Pelodichthys. 

 French Broad R., Tennessee eleutherus Jordan, 1877? 

 bb. Spines shorter and weaker ; pectoral spine straightish, 

 about one-third the length of the head; dorsal 

 spine Sf in head; body much elongated, more so 

 than in any of the others, the depth one-sixth or 

 less of the length; head small, 4^ in length; dorsal 

 spine rather nearer snout than beginning of anal ; 

 jaws nearly equal; dorsal fin scarcely higher than 

 long; distance from snout to dorsal less than one- 

 third of length ; adipose fin with a shallow notch, 

 as in marginatus ; color nearly uniform; tip of 

 dorsal blackish ; anal rays 14 to 16. Illinois. Wis- 

 consin. .... exilis (Nelson, Dec, 1876). 

 bbb. Spines moderate, the serrations weak ; pectoral spine 

 about half length of head ; body greatly'' elon- 

 gated, as in the preceding; head broad, thin, and 

 very flat ; 3£ in length ; dorsal spine much nearer 

 anal than snout; dorsal fin i higher than long; 

 distance from snout to dorsal more than \ of 

 length ; premaxillary band of teeth without back- 

 ward process ; anal rays 16 to 20. Ohio to Penn. 



and N. C marginatus (Baird, 1869). 



** Pectoral fins with S soft rays ; head very small and narrow, 

 with a small eye; the upper jaw much projecting; spines 

 very short and small; that of the dorsal not one-third the 

 height of the fin, and all of them less than one-fourth of 

 the head ; head 4 in length ; anal rays about 14 ; dorsal 

 nearer anal than snout; adipose fin not notched at all; 

 color mottled. Alabama River. leptacanthus (Jordan, 1877*). 

 *** Pectorals with 9 to 11 soft rays, adipose fin notched. 



c. Head little longer than broad, much depressed and 

 flat; barbels rather short; intermaxillary band of 

 teeth with a very distinct backward process ; pec- 

 toral spine coarsely dentate outside, grooved within ; 

 middle of body nearly cylindrical, subcarinate above ; 

 head deep, yet flattened ; 4 in length ; size very large, 

 reaches length of a foot. Platte R. to St. Lawrence 

 R., Ohio Valley, and N. E. . . *flavus (Raf., 1818). 



* = N. occidentalis Gill, 1862. = N '. platycephalus Guuther, 1861. N. occidentalis Gthr., 

 ■is probably N. marginatus. 



