340 Ruoscvdt Wild Life Annals 



Semotilus atromaculatus ( Alitchill). Horned Dace, Brook Chub, AIud 

 Chub, Creek Chub. The Horned Dace is mainly a stream fish and only a few- 

 specimens were taken in Oneida Lake. Those taken were small and the species 

 probably is not abundant enough there to be of importance as bait. 



Breeding. The interesting breeding habits of the dace have been carefully 

 studied by Reighard ('lo, pp. 1125-1135), but only a part of his results have been 

 published. He states that the breeding occurs usually in small streams (p. 11 34), 

 "on bottom of coarse gravel, and usually at the heads of rapids." The male builds 

 the nest by carrying stones for it in his mouth or pushing them along with his 

 head, and then guards it from other males. While the nest is being built females 

 enter it and a complicated spawning behavior takes place in which a relatively small 

 number of eggs are laid, after which the female leaves the nest, and may return 

 again or visit other nests until all her eggs are deposited. The pearl organs on 

 the head of the male are used in combats. Wright and Allen ('13, p. 4) give the 

 breeding season for Ithaca, N. Y., as from April 20 to July, and describes the 

 breeding place as "smaller pebble heaps in quiet water of riffles and gravel bars in 

 lakes." Kendall and Goldsborough ('08, p. 29) say: "The mud chub spawns in 

 early summer, at which time the body of the male becomes orange color, and there 

 are horny excrescences on the snout and top of the head." Hankinson ('08, p. 205) 

 found nests and spawning fish on June i, in southern Michigan and in Central 

 Illinois, and figured (Hankinson, '10. p. 4) the nesting habitat. He has also briefly 

 described the nest ('09, pp. 239-240). He has hatched the eggs in aquaria during 

 April. Evermann ('01, p. 317) states that "During the spring it will be found upon 

 the riffles and coarse gravel bars, where it comes to spawn and where it constructs 

 elaborate and conspicuous nests. When the spawning season is over and the water 

 has become warmer, the Creek Chub will more often be found in the deeper and 

 more quiet pools, where it feeds upon angle-worms, insect larvae, and such other 

 small animals as come in its way." Leonard ('27, p. 39) studied the growth of 

 the Horned Dace. He found that the most rapid growth is during the first year, 

 the rate decreasing considerably after that. 



Habitat. Kendall and Goldsborough ('08, p. 28) describe the haliitat of this 

 species by saying it differs in some respects from that of the Common Chub {Semo- 

 tilus bullaris), more often being found in brooks and streams, especially in quiet 

 "weedy" places and muddy ponds, yet both not uncommonly occur together. Han- 

 kin.son ('13, p. 106) states that it prefers small creeks, and Shelford ('13. p. <p) 

 has called attention to this as one of the pioneer fishes in small streams, and has 

 shown (p. 106) how drouth drives this fi.sh down stream. Evermann ('01, p. 317) 

 says: "In the small streams, where it most abounds, it is often the largest and most 

 voracious inhabitant. It rarely occurs in lakes or jjonds, but may be found in the 

 larger creeks and rivers, though it prefers the .smaller creeks and brooks." I'.llis 

 ('14, ]). 126) records it from water with a temperature of 84° F. 



Pood. Baker ('16. pp. 171, 205) has summarized our knowledge of the food 

 of the Horned Dace, which consists of algae and other vegetable matter, insects, 

 crawfishes and small fishes. Evermann ('01, p. 318) calls attention to the relation 

 of the Chub to the trout, and remarks that Chubs are very Idnd of the e.^gs and 

 frv of the Brook Trout. Hankinson ('10, p. 30) found tlie f 1 to consist of 



