Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 441 



Color in spirits: Ground color pale straw-yellow, upper part 

 of sides irregularly splotched with black, the splotches tending to 

 form black spots along the dorsal line as follows : One small spot 

 just behind occiput, a large one just in front of origin of spinous 

 dorsal, an ill-defined one about the center and another about the 

 end of the spinous dorsal, two similarly placed in regard to the 

 soft dorsal, and one on the caudal peduncle; lower parts of side 

 with 'a series of black arches, and small spots in the center of 

 arches; belly unspotted; head dusky, irregularly blotched, a dis- 

 tinct spot above each eye and 3 blotches on occiput, these latter 

 forming a sort of trefoil or fleur-de-lis mark; dorsals somewhat 

 irregularly splotched ; in the spinous dorsal there is a tendency for 

 the black to aggregate in the membranes between the spines ; in the 

 soft dorsal this is definite, the interspaces between the rays being 

 black and the intervals between the forks of the rays being dusky ; 

 caudal somewhat irregularly blotched, the blotches tending to form 

 in bars ; pectorals with spots arranged in bars ; ventrals irregularly 

 spotted; anal with a few dark dashes. In -life this fish, especially 

 during the mating season, is one of the most beautifully colored 

 of our fishes ; the bright colors which are removed by alcohol seem 

 to be laid on over the ground colors just described. The follow- 

 ing is given as the life colors : 



Color olive green tesselated above; side with about 8 double 

 transverse bars, each forming a Y-shaped figure ; these sometimes 

 joined above, forming a sort of wavy lateral band; in life these 

 markings are of a clear deep green; sides sprinkled with orange 

 dots; head with olive stripes and the usual dark bars; first dorsal 

 dark orange brown at base, blue above, becoming pale at tip ; sec- 

 ond dorsal and anal of a rich blue green, with some reddish ; caudal 

 greenish, faintly barred ; young and females more or less dull, but 

 the pattern is peculiar. 



All our specimens of both sexes were very dark in color, a 

 feature probably associated with the black bottom of the stream 

 from which they were taken. Many of the specimens died in the 

 water and faded considerably ; the unfaded alcoholic specimens have 

 quite contrastive black and white markings. These specimens 

 were quite badly infested with leeches, which were attached to the 

 various fin-membranes; a number of the specimens had 2 leeches 

 attached. 



This species is so very like //. scierus that the same general 

 description will serve for both, by bearing in mind the few points 

 in which they differ. 



"One of the most simply beautiful of all fishes is the Green- 



