Fishes of the Ohio 
d Zaudal fin lunated ; the divisions acuminate and K 
* Incurved at their tips. ne m E 
“© Anal fin rhomboidal.. sgh 
` Ventral fin horizontal and extending to the middle 
of the base of the Anal. x 2 
_ Pectoral fins ovate, do not attain to the bases of 
the dorsal or the ventral. 
Color. The whole head of a bluish black. ..Back 
dusky, sides and abdomen of an olive or sometimes 
coppery yellow ; fins olivaceous ; the dorsal blotched 
at the base of the rays with jet black... serdi Eos 
Length 3 inches. Diameter $ of an inch. 
D. 1-8; C.20; A. 8; V.7; P. 16. 
Hab. The tributaries of the Mahoning river. © 
Observations. 1 consider myself as extremely 
fortunate in being able to lay before the public a cor- 
rect drawing of this rare fish. Rafinesque made out 
his description of it from a solitary specimen taken in 
a pond near Lexington, Ky. During the last sum- 
mer, I succeeded in taking three, by means of a small 
net, in a spring-run on my farm, in the township of 
Boardman, Trumbull County, and also. had repeated . 
opportunities to watch their peculiar habits. They — 
had formed beds or slight excavations under the ! 
ends of logs and stones, in still water, and were ac 
tively engaged in defending their premises against - 
the approach of other fishes. "This habit first 
me to distinguish them from the common chubs 
which abound in the same locality. The hard, cat- - 
tilaginous lips, the character of the first ray of the 
dorsal fin, the peculiar, globose form of the head, 
well as their habits, will at once distinguish then 
