OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 577 



maculatus, tlie moccasin; varies in diflerent localities ami seasons and reMjmblcs P. 

 jibbosus and P. catcsbei. 



appendix (Ichthelis appendix) has a prolonged rounded point to the oiwrculuni. 

 Bkittus tlavescens— a name sufrgested by the writer f<.r a bnttor-yellow siiecifs caught 

 at Safe Harbor, apparently undescribed, resemblin;r a Brittusaiul tin- butt»T-fisli 

 of AVestern waters. Prof. Cope saw the specimen and deemed it new aii<l un- 

 named. 



Family Etheostomid.e. 



This family, recently established, embraces several genera of .small species and ap- 

 pears to be exclusively limited to the fresh waters of the northern poitinns of tho 

 Western Hemisphere. 



Prof. S. S. Haldeman describes two species of Pkiicina, as a sub-geiuis. The P. 

 nebulosa and P. miuima. The Pii.eom A belongs here. The Boleosoma tesscllatum, 

 is abundant near Lancaster, in a small stream emptying into the Conestoga l)elow 

 the Railroad Bridge. Having no swinnning-bladder it is not seen suspended in tho 

 water, but always at the bottom. We have also a species of Etiieostoma, described as 

 new by Prof. E. D. Cope, in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of 

 Philadelphia, for September and October, 1864, from a specimen sent him from tlieCon- 

 estoga, near Lancaster, wliich he named, peltatum, Stauffer. It is a beautiful little 

 fish, with broad black markings over the opercle, and around the eyes. The only other 

 fish belonging to this order found in the county known to me, is the Cotti's viscosus, 

 Hald., found in a few localities, in clear spring water flowing through meadows, boixler- 

 ed by turf and having a shallow pebbly bottom. This fish is rather slimy, and 3 inches 

 long. The spines are stout. Fishes of this genus are properly called bull-heads. Our 

 species was first described by Prof. S. S. Haldeman, in 1840. 



ORDER 11. MALACOPTERI. 



This order embraces fish having all the fin-rays soft and cartilaginous, with the excep- 

 tion of the first in the dorsal and the first in the pectoral, as in the 



Family Silurid^e — Cat-iishes. 



These have the skin naked, mouth bearded with long filaments and a second adipose 

 or fatty dorsal fin. Our cat-fish were formerly embraced in the genus Pimelodus, 

 which are all South American fishes. They are now divided into six genera, of winch 

 we have the 



Aminxjrus lynx, a large headed black species with a rounded caudal tin, and tin higher 

 than long at its insertion, 

 nebulosus. (A. albidus?)-has the anal fin short but broad on the basc-a la'autiful 

 light colored and gracefully shaped cat-fish freciuently taken in the Conestoga. 

 We have two other undescribed cat-fish belonging to the genus 

 ICHTH^LURUS, Raf. (Ictalurus (7.;>.).-J. P. 3IcCaskey, September 9th, 1SG:1 brought 

 me a specimen taken at Shenk's Ferry-nine inches long, of a yellowish or pale 

 olive color, having a silvery reflective and metallic blue on tlie sides, lateral lino 

 straight, dorsal spine serrated, nape of the neck depressed-anal fin wide and 

 lono-, light colored, with prominent veins or blood vessels ramified over the Ims. 

 This I named, Ichth^lurus McCa^kei. The other species, taken by J. B. Kc- 

 vinski, Sept. 1863. Head moderate, body tapering, tail deeply furcated, color 

 dorsally black, sides slate colored, abdomen whitish. The anal fm long and 

 moderately high. From its gyrating motions when di-awn from the water 1 

 should have named it L gyians, but this name is appropriated already to a dis- 



38 



