122 CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY III. 



fish in tbe winter and spring in the markets of Washington and Philadel- 

 phia,^ well as in the markets of those cities in the West which are sup- 

 plied by the fisheries of the Great Lakes. It is probably much more 

 abundant in Lake Erie than M. aureolum is, and it has been frequently 

 confounded with the latter species. I once obtained two specimens, 

 each of nearly twelve pounds weight, in tbe Fox River in Wisconsin. 



In the Ohio River and its tributaries, and in the rivers of the South- 

 west generally, the var. duquesnii is the prevailing form. This variety 

 is more delicately colored than the other, the silvery lustre of the scales 

 is more strongly marked, and the red of the fins is rather more vivid. 

 This form, too, is valued somewhat as a food-fish, although the flesh, 

 like that of all the Suckers, is comparatively coarse, tasteless, and full of 

 bones. The variety duquesnei is everywhere known by the curious ver- 

 nacular name of " Red Horse ", a name possibly to be accounted for by 

 the color of the fins and the form of the head. This variety also grows 

 to a large size. 



The variety lachrymale I only know from specimens obtained in Eto- 

 wah River, Georgia, in company with the variety duquesnei. Nothing 

 distinctive was noticed in regard to its habits. 



The Red Horse prefer rather deep, clear water, seldom ascending very 

 small streams, and then chiefly in the spawning season in May at 

 which time they may be found in great abundance in any rapid of a 

 river or a creek, or below a mill-pond. They are generally caught by 

 nets, traps, or snares, but will frequently bite at a hook baited with a 

 worm. 



In the confinement of an aquarium, the Red Horse are not very hardy. 

 Foul water kills them at once. 



Synonyms. The earliest name given to a Red Horse is that of Cato- 

 stomus macrolepidotus Le Sueur. The specific name mavrolepidotm must 

 therefore be retained for this species. The specific name oneida, given 

 by DeKay to an individual from Oueida Lake, New York, doubtless 

 belongs here, as the var. macrolepidotum is the only member of this 

 genus known to inhabit that part of New York, and there are no serious 

 discrepancies in the rather poor description. 



Ptychostomus robustus Cope may possibly be different; but as its de- 

 scriber has failed to note any distinctive characters which I consider 

 likely to be permanent, I am compelled to refer it here. It is from Yad- 

 kin River in North Carolina. A Ptychostomus congestus is described by 

 Cope and Yarrow from Arizona. It is probably not Girard's species of 



