Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 353 



The Straw-colored Minnow spawns early in June ; several speci- 

 mens examined June 6 were found to contain ripe eggs. Another 

 collected May 22 contained numerous immature eggs. An example 

 2\ inches long caught at Long Point June 2, was examined. The 

 egg-mass was thick club-shaped, somewhat sharper behind, ap- 

 parently occupying all the body cavity behind the liver and closely 

 pressed against the air-bladder, almost surrounding it. The in- 

 testine was inconspicuous. The egg-mass was 19 mm. (nearly an 

 inch) long and 7 mm. (a third of an inch) in diameter. The in- 

 dividual eggs were small, pale in color, 305 in number and measur- 

 ing 33 to the inch. They were probably nearly mature. Besides 

 these there were many immature eggs. 



This little minnow is used for bait only when better ones are 

 not available. It is too small and tender to prove entirely satis- 

 factory. Its abundance, however, and the difficulty which anglers 

 coming to Lake Maxinkuckee frequently experience in obtaining 

 larger minnows, result in the use of a good many of this species for 

 bait. For rock bass, crappie and yellow perch it proves pretty at- 

 tractive and effective. 



It is also doubtless of much importance as food for other fishes 

 of the lake. At night, when the bass, rock bass, perch, wallej^ed 

 pike and other species come in near shore to feed, the Straw-col- 

 ored Minnow is one of the species preyed upon most persistently. 

 Many doubtless fall a prey to the waterdogs which creep up among 

 them when crowded in schools near shore in late autumn. 



Head 4 ; depth 5 ; eye large, 3 in head. Scales 5-36 (32 to 38) -4; 

 teeth 4-4. Body moderately stout, little compressed; head rather 

 broad, with rounded angles ; mouth small, inferior, horizontal ; 

 snout very obtuse; 15 rows of scales in front of dorsal; dorsal low, 

 its longest ray ij head. 



Back greenish-olive, scales dusted, darkest on edges, resulting 

 in cross-hatching ; a dark blotch on back in front of dorsal ; median 

 line on back behind dorsal fin black, not reaching caudal fin ; top of 

 head darkish ; side usually pale, silvery, a faint line of dark 

 specks along middle of side, with a series of larger black specks 

 along lateral line ; under parts pale ; an indistinct dark spot usually 

 present at base of caudal fin ; fins all plain. Length 2 to 3 inches. 

 Of 161 examples measured the longest was 2.63, the shortest 1.25 

 inches and the average 1.7 inches in total length. 



