O Hilda Luke l-ishcs 317 



retire to deep water." McCurniick {\j2, p. 15) believes the Ked-hi>r»e spawns in 

 sprinij as soon as tlie water is a little warmer ; and says that they spawn at night 

 on the riftles, and often may l>e seen lying in clusters of five or six, obliquely 

 across the current. I<pighard ("jo, p. 15) gives detailed notes on the life history 

 of the sjjccies. In Michigan he found them spawning on gravel of rapids, in 

 conditions similar to those used by the Common Sucker, but they seem to breed 

 only in the larger streams, thirty or forty feet in width or larger. The adults of 

 the two sexes are similar, but the males have pearl organs. Two males crowd on 

 each side of a female during the spawning act. The position is maintained but 

 for an instant, during which there arc sjxiwning vibrations as in the Common 

 Sucker. Evemiann and Clark ('20, X'ol. i, p. 339) .say: "When the warm days 

 of spring return these fish leave the deeper water and run up stream into the 

 shallow, swifter portions. The spring run of the suckers was, in early days, one 

 of the phenomena in Indiana and Illinois which never failed to attract the attention 

 and excite the interest of those who were at all observing." 



Habitat. Forbes and Richardson ('09, p. 91 J found it in Illinois commonest 

 ill creeks and smaller rivers and to some extent in lakes where it showed a prefer- 

 ence for swiftly flowing streams and an avoidance of muddy bottoms. Jordan 

 ('82, p. 828) says it is very common in Lake Erie, and Evermann ('01, p. 342). 

 tliat it occurs in most streams and large lakes within its range. Shelford ('13, 

 p. 119) found it confined to the lower part of Hickory Creek in Illinois, where 

 the stream was largest and with good riffles. It appears to need good, pure water. 

 for it dies in an aquarium if the water is the least bit impure, and it succumbs 

 also to any impurities in its natural environment (I.e., p. 140). 



I-'ood. FoHk-s ('88a, p. 443; Baker, '16. p. 167) found twelve examples of 

 this species fec<ling upon mollusks, larvae of Chirotiotnns, and other mud-inhabiting 

 s|)ccies, r.ntomostraca, some vegetable material (chiefly IVolffia and Chara). fila- 

 mentous algae, and other miscellaneous material. Adamstone ('24, p. 79) dcscriln-s 

 the Umh\ for four individuals of this six-cics found in I-ake Nipigon. May-fly 

 nymphs and .several kinds of aquatic insects had been eaten; also Mollusks and 

 dipterous larvae of Chironomidac and Tabanidae. Clemens ('24, p. no) gives 

 records in tabular form of the food of four Common Red-hor.se specimens averag- 

 ing about 20 inches in length. Ephemcrid nymphs were abundant in all ; and there 

 were many other invertebrates, including entomostracans, chironomids. oligiKhaotc 

 worms, mollusks and protozoans; and some moss was noted. Greeley ('27, p. 38) 

 found the fofxl of a nine-inch fish to be mud containing filaments of algac, n>any 

 •iiatoms, eight chironomid larvae and some Cyclops. 



Distribution Records. DeKay ('42, p. iq8) states tliat it is common in 

 Oneida I.ake. \o. 351. froni a market at Hrewerton obtaineil .Xpril 24. 1915. 

 was said to Ik- from Oneida I-ake. The fish njcasurcd al>out 18 inches in length. 

 One (\o. 151 1 ) was caught in Seneca River near Haldwinsvillc, some twelve 

 miles southwest of Oneida, on Octolwr i, ioi'>. by L. I.. Rofher. Mr. \V. .\. l>rnce 

 reports Rcd-hnrsc, cither one or l)Oth species, to be common in the lake. 



I'.nctnics and Ptsrasr. HcKay ( '.>2. p. 2«i, Caloslotnus aurcolus) mentions 

 that I>akc I>ie specimens obtainol in August and Scpteml)cr were full of worms. 

 Smith ('74. p. r/>5> tells of a crustacean parasite. Lcrnaeoccra calosloini Kroycr. 



