Fishes of Massachusetts. 405 
Levciscus. Klein. 
Generic characters. The anal fin short, as well 
as the dorsal, but without strong rays at the com- 
mencement of either ; no barbules at the mouth. 
` L. crysoleucas. Mitchell. The New York Shiner. 
=~ — "Trans. Lit. et Philosoph. Soc. N. Y. vol. i. p. 459. 
Fauna Boreali-Americana, p- 1 
This ite common species in the ponds through- 
out the State, is taken with the ‘Pomotis vulgaris,” 
“ Perca flavescens,” “ Esos reticulatus,” and “Pi- 
melodus nėbulosus.” It has been described by 
Mitchell, who does not, however, mention its. gen- 
eral size, nor the proportion of its several parts com- 
pared to each other. The following description is 
drawn up from a living specimen of average size: 
Length of the fish, from the tip of the snout to the 
extremity of the tail, six and a half inches; width 
across the body, on a line with the base of the ven- 
trals, two inches; length of the head to the poste- 
rior angle of the operculum, one inch and three 
lines. General color, a beautiful golden; top of the 
head and back, black ; gill-covers a brighter yellow 
than the sides; preoperculum less brilliant than the 
operculum. H ead above somewhat depressed; eyes, 
two and a half lines in diameter ; pupils black ; irides 
yellow ; jaws without teeth. The lateral line, con- . 
sisting of about fifty-six scales, commences just back 
of the superior angle of the operculum, half e inch 
above the base of the pectoral fin, and passing ob- 
e 
