364 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



The more important of these streams are the one at the southeast 

 comer, popularly known as "the inlet," one near the middle of the 

 east side, and one at the northeast corner, known as "Culver Inlet." 



The stream ou the east has been called Aubeenaubee Creek, from the 

 Pottawattoinie chief of that name who once owned the land on the east 

 side of the lake. From this small creek the specimens of the new species 

 were obtained. Aubeenaubee Creek rises in a small marsh and flows 

 through a low, level meadow or prairie region. It is about 2 miles 

 long, 4 feet wide, and averages only 3 to G inches deep, with deeper 

 holes at intervals. Throughout most of its length the stream is over- 

 hung by bushes and briars and is full of sticks and brush. The bed 

 and banks are of black mud with a mixture of sand. In some places 

 the ground is quite boggy. The mid-day temperature of the water in 

 this stream in summer is about 72°. 



The fishes in Aubeenaubee Creek differ almost wholly from those in 

 the lake proper, a fact illustrating clearly the importance of even slight 

 differences in geographic location if accompanied by stable environ 

 mental differences. The jn^iucipal fishes in this creek are Semotilus 

 atromaculatus, Camposto»ia anomaluni, Umbra Ihui, Lucius vermiculatus^ 

 Notropis cornutus, and young Mieropterus salmoides. Craw-fishes were 

 abundant. 



The two darters described as new both occur in Aubeenaubee Creek, 

 and nowhere else, so far as known. The nearest relative of the first of 

 these species {Hadropterus maxinkiicMensis) is H. scierus which, though 

 not occurring in Lake Maxinkuckee, is found in Yellow River, of the 

 Kankakee drainage, only a few miles north, and also in the Tippecanoe 

 River at Deloug, some 5 miles south of the lake, and into which the 

 outlet of Lake Maxinkuckee flows. 



The other darter {EtJteostoma auheenaiihei) here described is given full 

 specific rank, though further investigation may show that its characters 

 possess only subspecific value. It is evidently derived from E. iowce, 

 which is found in many of the streams of western Indiana and is some- 

 what abundant in Lake Maxinkuckee, but is not known to occur in 

 Aubeenaubee Creek. 



Etheostoma iowte, in extending its range from its original center of 

 distribution, in all probability found its way into Lake Maxinkuckee 

 from the Tippecanoe River. Having once become established in the 

 lake, individuals sooner or later began entering its tributary streams. 

 Some of the individuals entering Aubeenaubee Creek, finding the con- 

 ditions easy, remained and bred there, and thus a creek colony was 

 established. It is altogether probable that for some years, possibly 

 many, individuals from the colony would occasionally return to the lake 

 and interbreed with individuals that had never left the lake. And the 

 reverse would also take place — individuals from the lake would prob- 

 ably continue for many years to invade the domain of the creek colony 

 and interbreed with its members. Under such conditions those of 

 the colony going farthest toward the head of the creek were probably 



