FISHES OF SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN BASIN. 123 
There is little correspondence between the variation of the head and the size of the fish, but ire- 
quently the smaller specimens have the larger head. It will also be noticed from the same table that 
specimens from certain localities have distinctively large or small heads, as the case may be. Thus 
specimens from Sacramento River at Redding and Middle Fork of Feather River at Nelson Point have 
heads smaller than the average, while specimens from Wolf Creek, Indian Valley, South Fork Tuolumne 
River, and St. John Channel of Kaweah River have heads larger than the average. These places are 
all widely separated, except the Wolf Creek and Nelson Point stations, which are both in the Feather 
River basin. , 
The size of the mouth and lips varies greatly. Specimens from North Fork Yuba River at Bullards 
Bar have the lips enormously developed. Those from North Fork Consumne River and Big Silver 
Creek are intermediate between the Yuba specimens and those from Wolf Creek, which are larger than 
the average. Decreasing in size from the latter are specimens from South Fork Tuolumne River, Sacra- 
mento River at Redding, Merced River at Benton Mill, and Middle Fork Feather River at Nelson Point. 
Specimens from Cache Creek and many other stations have lips of about the same size as those from the 
latter point, which seems to be the typical size for the species. Taking specimens of nearly the same 
size from the various stations and arranging them in a decreasing series with reference to the size of the 
lips, we have the following as intermediate between the Nelson Point, or typical specimens, and Olema 
specimens, which have the smallest lips known to the species: Fresno River; American River at Pla- 
ceryille; Clover Creek, Genesee Valley; Stanislaus River, Parrot Ferry; Middle Fork Feather River, 
Beckwith; Pitt River, Canby; South Fork Pitt River; Tule River; Feather River, Oroville; Sacra- 
mento River, Red Bluff; Sacramento River, Knights Landing; Ash Creek, Aden; and Olema Creek 
(tributary to Tomales Bay). This series shows that there is no relation between the size of the lips and 
the portion of the basin, though it may be said that those specimens with the largest lips come from 
the foothill streams tributary to the lower portion of the Sacramento or San Joaquin River. It is worthy 
of note that all variations from below the typical to the largest are found in tributaries of Feather River. 
Olema Creek, where specimens with the smallest lips were found, is not tributary to the Sacramento- 
San Joaquin basin. 
The accompanying outline drawings show the variations in size of lips. The drawings are made 
from specimens of nearly equal size, and for each specimen the outline has been drawn to a scale corre- 
sponding to a body length of 10 inches. 
. 2 
c d 
Fig. 2.—Diagram showing size of lips in Catostomus occidentalis from (a) Wolf Creek, Indian Valley, (b) North Fork Yuba 
River, Bullard’s Bar, (c) Olema Creek, tributary to Tomales Bay, and (d) Middle Fork Feather River, Nelson Point. 
The rays of the dorsal vary from 11 to 14. We have counted 393 specimens from 36 localities in 
the basin. Forty-two specimens have 11 rays in the dorsal, 271 have 12, 86 have 13, and 4 have 14. 
The number of scales in the lateral line varies from 60 to 84, 66 to 71 being the prevailing number. 
There is no relation between any particular variation and the division of the basin in which the 
specimens were taken. One or two peculiarities, however, are worth noticing. Beginning with Middle 
Fork of Feather River at Nelson Point and going south to Big Silver Creek the scales become coarser. 
The next station, North Fork Consumne River at Pleasant Valley, shows the finest scales in the col- 
lection, while the next one after that shows the coarsest. 
B. B. F. 1907—9 
