204 NEW-YORK FAUNA. 



GENUS STILBE. 



Body compressed. Dorsal and abdominal outlines convex. Head small, with no teeth nor 

 barbels. A short spine before the dorsal Jin, which is short. Anal Jin long. With the 

 other characters of Cyprinus. 



THE NEW-YORK SHINER. 



Stilbe chrysoleccas. 



PLATE XXIX. FIG. 91. 



Cyprinus CTysuleucas, Shiner. MiTCHILL, Report in part, &c. p. 23. 



The New-York Shiner, C. aysoleucas. Id. Tr. Lit. and Phil. Sac. N". Y. Vol. 1, p. ^g. 



Zieuciscus chrysoleucas, New-York Shiner. Stoker, Fishes of Massachusetts, p. 88, 



Characteristics. Greenish above ; sides silvery. Dorsal and abdominal outlines convex. 

 Head very small. Length three to six inches. 



Description. Body much compressed, deep ; one-third of the total length, measured in a 

 line vi^ith the ventrals. Scales deciduous ; on the sides, large, orbicular, with concentric and 

 radiating striae, festooned on the edges. Lateral line deeply concave, following nearly the 

 abdominal outline. Head very small, scaleless ; upper jaw longest ; mouth opening upwards, 

 toothless. Eyes large. Nostrils double ; the posterior largest. Tliree flat branchial rays. 

 Abdominal outline very convex, thin, cultrate. 



The dorsal fin subquadrate, higher than long, highest in front ; the first is a short spine, 

 nearly hidden under the skin, about three lines in length ; the second and third successively 

 longer, and simple ; tlie fourth longest, and with the remainder branclied, and gradually dimi- 

 nishing to the last. This fin is placed over the space between the ventral and anal, its last 

 ray being nearly over the first of the anal fin. Pectorals pointed, feeble, and with fifteen 

 rays. Ventrals long, pointed, and nearly equidistant between the snout and the end of the 

 body. Anal longer than high ; its margin excavated ; tlie first rays longest, the last higher 

 than the penultimate ray ; tlie first two rays simple. Caudal forked, with pointed lobes. 



Color. Back, dorsal and caudal fins greenish. Upper part of the liead dark brown, with 

 metallic green beliind the orbits. Irides pale yellowish ; beneath the orbits, pearly. Oper- 

 cles brilliant yellow, which disappears shortly after being taken from the water. Pectorals 

 and ventrals with faint orange tints. Sides of a briOiant lustrous white, which has suggested 

 the popular name. 



Length, 5-0. Depth, TS. 



Fin rays, D. 10 ; P. 15 ; V. 10 ; A. 14 ; C. 19 |. 



This beautiful little fish, which is usually much smaller than the one whose dimensions are 

 given above, is common in all the fresh-water streams of this and the adjoining States. Its 



