Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 371 



scaly ; lower half of opercles bare. General color bluish, or green- 

 ish gray, with many whitish or yellowish spots, which are usually 

 smaller than the eye and arranged somewhat in rows ; dorsal, anal 

 and caudal fins with roundish or oblong black spots; young with 

 the whitish spots coalescing, forming oblique crossbars; a white 

 horizontal band bounding the naked part of the opercle ; each scale 

 with a grayish V-shaped speck. Length 4 feet. 



37. GRAYBACK 



FUNDULUS DIAPHANUS (Le Sueur) 



(Plate 18) 



Fundulus diaphanus is represented in Lake Maxinkuckee by 

 the subspecies menona, the range of which extends from northern 

 Ohio to Mississippi. It is a northern fish, not found far south of 

 northern Illinois. 



At Lake Maxinkuckee this is .known as the Grayback or Grey- 

 back Minnow. It was formerly very abundant, frequently swim- 

 ing in considerable schools near shore, especially in late autumn 

 after the water had become chilled. They remained rather near 

 shore the whole year round, but were not bunched up so much in 

 schools during the summer as during the winter. In 1899 and 

 1900 these fishes were taken in considerable numbers in the seining 

 operations, the total catch amounting to 1,197, and in the autumn of 

 1900 great schools were observed near shore. It was quite abund- 

 ant during the spring and summer of 1901. Of late years they 

 appear to be decreasing in numbers. In 1906 and 1907 they did 

 not appear to be nearly so abundant as formerly. This is probably 

 due to the fact that this is the most desirable fish in the lake for 

 bait, and as it stays near shore, it falls an easy prey to people who 

 seine for minnows. In looking over a haul, people usually pick up 

 the graybacks first and sort them out quite thoroughly. 



The Grayback is a handsome, somewhat chubby fish. Although 

 not strikingly colored the silvery bars make it quite attractive, 

 and it is this, combined with its hardiness, that makes it so 

 valuable as a bait minnow. It will live under all sorts of condi- 

 tions and endure much cold without injury. 



On November 30, 1900, a number of fishes small catfishes, 

 straw-colored minnows, etc., were found in a small pool near 

 Farrar's. The sand had washed up, cutting the pool off from the 

 main lake, and it was frozen almost solid. Most of the fishes, es- 

 pecially the straw-colored minnows, were dead; among the fishes 

 in the pool were 13 graybacks, all females which, on being thawed 



