118 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



brook, 1^ miles above Nine Mile point, June 11, 1893; Mill 

 creek, Sacketts Harbor, July. 2,1894; Cemetery creek Watertown, 

 July 5, 1894. The fish was most abundant at Mill creek. 



The fish spawns in the early spring. It is extensively used 

 for food along with the Notropis hudsonius^ the 'so 

 called " smelt " or " gudgeon." It takes the hook very freely 

 during the spawning season. 



Genus pimephales Rafinesque 



Body rather robust, little compressed; head short and 

 rounded, mouth small, inferior; upper jaw protractile; no 

 barbel; teeth 4-4, with oblique grinding surface, usually only 

 one of the teeth hooked; dorsal over ventrals, its first (rudi- 

 mentary) ray separated from the rest by membrane, not joined 

 to them as usual in minnows, this character most distinct in 

 adult males, in which the skin of the first ray is thickened; anal 

 basis short; intestinal canal elongate; peritoneum black; 

 pseudobranchiae present; scales rather small; lateral line com- 

 plete or variously incomplete. Size small. Breeding males with 

 much black pigment and with large warts on the head. (After 

 Jordan and Evermann) 



67 Pimephales promelas Rafinesque 



Fathead; BlachJiead Minnow 



Pimephales promelas Rafinesque, Ichth. Oliien. 53, 1820; Kirtland, Bost. 

 Jour. Nat. Hist. Ill, 475, pi. 27, fig. 2, 1841; Stoeee, Syn. Fish. N. A. 166, 

 1846; GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Miis. VII, 181, 1868; Jordan & Gil- 

 bert, Bull. 16, IJ. S. Nat. Mus. 158, 1888; Bean, Fishes Penna. 35, 

 1893; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 217, 1896. 



The fathead minnow has a short, deep and moderately thick 

 body, and the head short with a very obtuse snout. The greatest 

 depth of the body is equal to or slightly greater than length of 

 head and is contained from. three and two thirds to four and one 

 fourth times in total length without cauda<l. The least depth of 

 the caudal peduncle equals the length of postorbital part of the 

 head. The head forms about one fourth of the total length to 

 base of caudal; the width of the head equals two thirds of its 

 length. The eye is as long as the snout and two ninths as long 



