20 FISHES OF PENNSYLVANTA. 


bait for black bass fishing. The species occurs also in the Delaware, 
but for some reason or other is not so attractive to the black bass as 
the Susquehanna river race, 
This stone cat grows to a length of ten inches; it ranges from Penn- 
sylvania to South Carolina, east of the Alleghenies. The dorsal and 
caudal fins have a well-defined black margin, from which originated the 
later name of Noturus marginatus. 
This is the Pimelodus livrée of Cuvier and Valenciennes, and the P. 
lemniscatus of Le Sueur. Cuvier and Valenciennes make the following 
concluding remarks about the species: “The species is probably vivip- 
arous, for the eggs are very large, and contain a well-developed em- 
bryo. The ovary contains many eggs of which the diameter exceeds 
two lines, and moreover they are taken from a small animal, for our ex- 
ample is three inches long.” 
23. Noturus gyrinus Mirca#r. 
The Tadpole Stone Catfish. 
The tadpole stone cat has a short and stout body, sloping rapidly downward from 
the dorsal origin to the tip of the snout; its greatest depth contained four and one- 
third times in total length without caudal; its width contained four and one-half 
times. The head is short, broad and depressed, its width nearly equal to its length, 
which is one-fourth of the total without caudal. The width of the mouth equals two- 
thirds the length of the head; the jaws nearly equal. The width of the maxillary 
band of teeth equals one-third length of head ; there are no lateral backward exten- 
sions. The snout is short, two-sevenths as long as the head. The eye is small, one- 
seventh as longas the head. The maxillary barbel reaches to the base of the pec- 
toral; the outer mandibulary barbel is slightly longer. The nasal barbel is one-half 
as long asthe head. The distance of the dorsal from the tip of snout equals that 
from origin of ventral to end of anal. The base is as long as the snout and eye com- 
bined; the spine is one-third as long as the head, and the longest ray equals length 
of postorbital part of head. The low adipose fin begins over the anal origin, and is 
continuous with the caudal. The ventral origin is under the end of the dorsal base ; 
the tin does not reach to anal origin. The pectoral reaches to below the middle of 
the dorsal. The anal base is one-fifth of total length without caudal; the longest 
ray equals postorbital part of head. The caudal is rounded. The pectoral spine is 
one-half as long as the head. The humeral process is one-third as long as the head. 
D. I, 6; A. 18-15; P. I, 8 Color in spirits dark brown; the belly and under surface 
of head, paler. 
The specimens described, No. 1508, United States National Museum, are from 
three and one half to four inches long. 
This is named the tadpole stone cat. It is the smallest of the genus 
in Pennsylvania. It occurs in tributaries of the Delaware and also in 
streams flowing into the Susquehanna. In general it ranges in the. 
Great Lake region, through the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, and in 
New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Its length does not exceed 
five inches. The species is too small to be of any value, except for bait, 
and on account of its tenacity to life, it is greatly in demand for hook 
and line fishing, especially in the capture of the black bass, for which 
fish it is one of the best baits known. 
