FISHES OF NEW YORK 117 



depth of the caudal peduncle equaling nearly one half of the 

 greatest depth of the body; body compressed, its greatest width 

 less than one half its hight. Head short, its upper and lower 

 profiles tapering equally into the short and not very obtuse 

 shout, which is as long as the eye, and three elevenths as long 

 as the head. Mouth small, slightly oblique, the jaws nearly 

 equal, or the lower slightly included, the maxilla without a 

 barbel, and reaching to below the anterior nostril. The dorsal 

 origin is over, and the ventral origin under, the 12th scale of 

 the lateral line. The dorsal base is two thirds as long as the 

 head; the longest dorsal ray equals the distance from the 

 nostril to the end of the operculum, and the last ray is less than 

 one half as long as the longest. The ventral does not reach 

 to the vent; its length two thirds that 'of the head. The anal 

 origin is under the 24th scale of the lateral line; the anal base 

 is scarcely as long as the postorbital part of the head; the last 

 anal ray is one third, and the longest anal ra^ two thirds, as 

 long as the head. The pectoral is four fifths as long as the 

 head, and reaches to below the llth scale of the lateral line. 

 The caudal is moderate in size and deeply forked, the middle rays 

 less than one half as long as the external rays. D. ii, 7; A. ii, 

 7; V. 8; P. lo. Scales 638 to 394; teeth 44 long, much com- 

 pressed, and with a long oblique grinding surface. Intestines 

 seven to 10 times as long as the body. The lateral line is 

 gently decurved on about the first six scales, thence straight 

 and median to the root of the caudal fin. Color in spirits light 

 brown with a broad silvery band, the fins all pale. Olivaceous 

 green above, translucent in life; sides silvery, with bright 

 reflections; fins unspotted. Length 4 to 7 inches. 



The silvery minnow, or blunt jaw, is found in clear streams 

 from New York to Georgia and Texas, west to the upper 

 Missouri. In the Potomac river occurs a large variety which 

 reaches a length of 7 inches. This variety has a larger eye and 

 a deeper body than the western form. 



The II. S. Fish Commission collectors in the Lake Ontario 

 region obtained specimens at the following localities: Salt 



