144 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



reaches a larger size than those of Schilbeodes, and it frequents rivers and 

 channels rather than small brooks, (vwrof, back; ovpd, tail, in allusion 

 to the connection of the caudal with the adipose fin; " means tail over the 

 back." Kafinesque.) 



222. NOTURUS FLATUS, Kafinesque. 

 (STONE OAT.) 



Body elongate; the head depressed, broad, and flat, nearly as broad as 

 long ; middle of body subcylindrical ; tail compressed. Head about 4i in 

 length ; width of head 5 ; depth 5f in length ; distance to dorsal about 

 3 in length. Barbels short. A strong keel on back behind dorsal, lead- 

 ing to adipose fin ; adipose fin deeply notched. Dorsal spine very short ; 

 pectoral spine retrorsely serrate in front, slightly rough or nearly entire 

 behind ; its length 3 in distance from snout to dorsal ; caudal rounded be- 

 hind. Anal rays about 16. Humeral process very short and sharp. Color 

 nearly uniform yellowish brown, sometimes blackish above, fins yellow- 

 edged. The largest species of stone cat, reaching a length of more than 

 a foot. Great Lake region, westward and south to Montana, Wyoming, 

 and Texas; rather common , especially westward, (flavus, yellow. ) 



Noturus flavus, RAFINESQUK, Amer. Month. Mag., 1818, 41, Falls of Ohio River. 



Noturus lutem, RAFINESQUE, Jour, do Pbys., 1819,421, Ohio River; GUNTHER, Cat., v, 104,1864 ; 



JORDAN, 1. c., 99, 1877. 

 Noturus occidentals, GiLL.Proc. Boat. Soc. Nat. Hist., 1862, 45, Platte River; GUNTHER, Cat., v, 



105, 1864. 



Noturus platycephalus, GUNTHER, Cat., v, 104,1864, North America. 

 Noturus flavus, JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 100,1883. 



80. SCHILBEODES, Bleeker. 

 (MAD TOMS.) 



Schilbeodes, BLEEKER, Ichth. Archip. Indici. Prodr. Siluri., 1858, 258, (gyrinus). 

 Rabida, JORDAN & EVERMANX, new subgenus, (furioeus). 



Body more or less elongate, anteriorly subcylindrical, thence more or less 

 compressed. Head depressed. Skin very thick, entirely concealing the 

 bones. Supraoccipital entirely free from the head of the second interspinal. 

 Mouth anterior, rather large ; the upper jaw more or less projecting. Teeth 

 subulate, in a broad baud, in each jaw; the band in the upper jaw is 

 abruptly truncated at each end as in Ameiurus (not prolonged backward 

 by a continuation from the external angle, as in Leptops and Noturus). 

 Branchiostegals 9. Dorsal fin over the posterior half of the interval 

 between pectorals and ventrals, with a short sharp spine and 7 rays. Adi- 

 pose fin long and low, usually more or less connected with the accessory 

 rays of the caudal fin, not free posteriorly, but adnate to the body; the 

 membrane sometimes high and continuous, sometimes notched. Caudal 

 fin very obliquely truncated or rounded, inserted on an equally obliquely 

 rounded base; numerous rudimentary rays present, both above and below 

 the caudal peduncle. Anal fin short, with 12 to 23 rays. Ventrals rounded. 

 Pectoral fins with a sharp spine, of different forms in the different species. 

 Vent at some distance in advance of the anal. Lateral line complete. In 



