386 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 
sess more or less dermal pigment and thus are colored much like ordi- 
nary fishes. There are four pyioric cceca, and each species possesses 
tactile ridges. 
KEY TO THE SPECIES OF CHOLOGASTER. 
a. Eye large, contained 5.5 times in the head; species of dark coloration. 
2] 
b. Sides with 3 well-defined longitudinal lines, the middle one broadest; tactile 
papillee very.small /.#:2....o5-.22 522s. <0 ee oe ae cornutus. 
bb. Dark lines present on the sides of the body but much fainter than in cornuius; 
tactile’ papillee large lo: 2.6. sat. Sc 2 ee eee papilliferus. 
aa. Eye very small, contained 10 times in the head; coloration faint-.----. agassizit. 
Chologaster cornutus Agassiz. 
The body of this species is rather slender, its length being contained 
from 5.25 to 6.5 times in its length; head considerably depressed, 3 to 
3.5 in body; mouth large, terminal, oblique, the lower jaw projecting; 
maxillary extending to near front of eye; eye small, about half length 
of snout and so located as to be able to see upward as well as sidewise; 
gill-membranes united and loosely joined to the isthmus, reaching back 
to or covering the vent; pectoral 1.5 in head and 1.4 in distance from 
snout to front of dorsal fin; caudal fin considerably pointed, about 
equal to head; dorsal with 8 to 9 rays, its front nearer base of caudal 
than tip of snout; anal with 8 to 9 rays, inserted almost directly 
under dorsal; scales very small, cycloid and not arranged in regular 
rows; no lateral line; tactile ridges pres- 
ent but very small; about 70 scales in a 
straight line along side from head to 
caudal fin; head naked. Color dark 
brown above, lighter on sides and white 
on belly; side with 3 narrow, well-defined longitudinal dark lines, the 
middle one, which is deepest and widest, extendjng across head and 
eye to tip of snout, upper line nearer to back than to middle line; a 
dark black blotch on base of caudal; remainder of caudal variously 
mottled with black. There is sometimes a white crossbar about the 
middle of the caudal, but this may be reduced to 2 small white spots; 
tip of fin frequently white. In some specimens the back is entirely 
black and the dorsal fin white, spotted with black. The color, no 
doubt, varies much with the conditions. Length of the largest speci- 
men known, 1.8 inches. 
This little fish inhabits the swamps of the southern United States 
from the Dismal to the Okefinokee. It is said to be abundant locally, 
but at present there are very few specimens in the museums, so far as I 
am able to learn. Those examined were from the Dismal Swamp, Vir- 
ginia, and were kindly loaned by the United States National Museum. 
The specimens described as C. avitus prove to be a variation of C. 
cornutus, the difference being chiefly one of color.“ 
Curt 11.—Chologaster cornutus. 
4 Jordan and Evermann, Fishes of North and Middle America, I, 703, 1896. 
