92 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



as the head. The anal origin is a little nearer to base of caudal 

 than to origin of pectoral; the base is as long as the head 

 without the snout, one fifth of total to base of caudal, and the 

 longest ray equals one half the length of head. The very low 

 adipose dorsal begins over the anal origin and continues into 

 the caudal; in older specimens it is deeply notched. The caudal 

 is rounded. D. I, 6; A. 16; V. 9; P. I, 9. Length of the speci- 

 men described (no. 35877, U. S. national museum), 6J inches. 

 In spirits the upper parts are grayish brown, and the lower 

 surface of head and body pale. In life the fish is nearly uni- 

 form yellowish brown. 



The stonecat is found from Ontario, throughout the Great 

 lakes region, south to Virginia and Texas, west to Montana and 

 Wyoming. It inhabits the larger streams. Dr Evermann ob- 

 tained two specimens at Nine Mile point, in the Lake Ontario 

 region, June 11, 1893. 



The species has very little value as food on account of its 

 small size. It seldom exceeds 12 inches in length, but it is a 

 very good bait for black bass. The stonecats are much dreaded 

 by fishermen because of the painful wounds sometimes pro- 

 duced by their pectoral spines. There is a minute pore in the 

 axil of the pectoral, which is the outlet of a noxious liquid 

 secreted by a poison gland. When this poison is discharged 

 into a wound, it causes an extremely painful sore. 



Genus SCHILBEODES Bleeker 



Body moderately elongate, rounded anteriorly, compressed 

 posteriorly; head flat; skin very thick, concealing bones of head; 

 superoccipital not joined to the head of the second interspinal; 

 mouth large, anterior, the upper jaw somewhat the longer; awl- 

 shaped teeth in broad bands in the jaws, the band in the upper 

 jaw abruptly truncate at each end and not prolonged into a 

 backward extension as in Leptops and Noturus; 

 branchiostegals nine; dorsal fin nearer to ventrals than to pec- 

 torals, with a short spine and seven rays; adipose fin long and 

 low, adnate to the body and continuous with the caudal fin, the 

 adipose membrane sometimes high and continuous, sometimes 



