BRIEF NOTES ON FISHES. 413 



these minnows in the river by finding remains of several 

 in the stomach of a rock-fish. 



Neither of these minnows find their way into the 

 ditches in the meadows or into Watson's Creek, though 

 they often come up into Crosswicks Creek directly from 

 the river. They are never, however, so abundant here 

 as in the river above tide-water. Cool, clear, constantly 

 running water seems to be their natural home. 



There is yet another group of shiners, which is repre- 

 sented in the streams near by, by four species. The 

 species of this group vary wonderfully in size, as one of 

 our largest shiners the spawn-eater and the very small- 

 est are included in it. This group has no common name 

 by which they are known. The term " minnow " or 

 " minnie " is that invariably applied to the smaller repre- 

 sentatives ; " shiner " to the larger species. 



The largest of the four species in this natural group, 

 and one that is very common in the river, is the so-called 

 " spawn-eater." De Kay says of this species, " It is 

 called ' spawn-eater ' from an idea entertained by fisher- 

 men that it lives exclusively on the spawn of other fishes." 

 If this were true, it would be forced to fast about ten 

 months of each year, which would not suit fishes in this 

 neighborhood, for probably no animal consumes a greater 

 bulk of food in the course of a year than a fish. 



The belief that these minnows are spawn-eaters has 

 no doubt arisen from the fact that the fish has a sucker- 

 like habit of feeling carefully over the bottom of the 

 stream with its peculiar " telescopic " mouth extended, 

 and so sucking up such food as it finds to its liking. 

 The examination of the stomachs of many specimens, at 

 different times of the year, shows that, like the common 

 roach, it feeds very largely on small Crustacea and the 



