Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 439 



the line thus broken in several places, chiefly posteriorly; region 

 in front of spinous dorsal, cheeks and breast naked; opercles al- 

 ways partially, sometimes wholly, scaled ; middle line of belly with 

 ordinary scales, sometimes naked anteriorly; no enlarged humeral 

 scale; opercular spine small. 



Color in life: Pale raw umber above, tending to olive, and 

 marked with dark brown along scale margins, darker and forming 

 distinct cross-hatching in 7 blotches; about 13 irregular patches 

 of dark brown or black cross-hatching along lateral line, separated 

 from the markings of the back by a narrow line of whitish ; nape 

 and back mottled and colored by minute black dots fading to brown 

 posteriorly; pectoral rays very faintly barred with brown; caudal 

 fin more distinctly black-barred, showing plainest in the closed 

 fin ; a black line downward and one forward from eye. 



The Maxinkuckee representatives of B. nigrum differ from 

 typical specimens in some important particulars, the principal of 

 which are the following : The less complete lateral line, the naked 

 ante-dorsal region, the less complete squamation of opercle, and 

 the smaller fins. 



This description is based on 19 specimens 40 to 44 mm. long, 

 taken on east side of Long Point in July and August. 



The following is an interesting account of the habits of this 

 little fish : 



"We never grew tired of watching the little Johnny (Boleosoma 

 nigrum Rafinesque). Although our earliest aquarium friend 

 and the very first specimen showed us by a rapid ascent of the 

 river weed how 'a Johnny could climb trees' he has still many 

 resources which we have never learned. Whenever we try to 

 catch him with the hand we begin with all the uncertainty that 

 characterized our first attempts, even if we have him in a two 

 quart pail. We may know him by his short fins, his first dorsal 

 having but 9 spines, and by the absence of all color save a soft yel- 

 lowish brown, which is freckled with darker markings. The dark 

 brown on the sides is arranged in 7 or 8 W-shaped marks, below 

 which are a few flecks of the same color. Covering the sides of 

 the back are' the wavy markings and dark specks, which have 

 given him the name of the 'Tessellated Darter', but Boleosoma is 

 a braver name and we even prefer 'Boly' for short. In the spring 

 the males have the^head jet-black, and this dark color often extends 

 on the back part of the body so that the fish looks as if he had 

 been taken by the tail and dipped into a bottle of ink. But with 

 the end of the nuptial season this color disappears, and the fish 

 regains his normal strawy hue. The head in Boleosoma resembles 



