976 FISHES — PERCID^. 



Body not greatly elongate, nsaally compressed ; head moderate, snout deourved 

 over a moderate sized sub-terminal mouth, which is horizontal or slightly oblique; 

 scales various, usually rather large, the lateral line continuous ; gill-membranes nearly 

 separate; fins all large, the spinous dorsal usually rather larger than the second, 

 the base of the second dorsal longer than that of the anal; upper jaw not protractile; 

 teeth feeble, usually not appreciable on the palatines and very feeble on the vomer ; 

 species of moderate size, among the most beautiful of all fishes. This genus differs from 

 PcBdlichthys only in having the lateral line complete. 



147. NoTHONOTUs CAMURUd (Cope) Jordan. 



Blue-breasted Darter. 



Poeoilichthys eamurus, Copb, Proo Amer. Philos. Soc. Phila., 1870, 262, 265. 

 Nothonotus camurm, Jobdan, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., x, 1877, 16.— Jordan, Man. Vert., 2d 

 Ed., 1878, 225, and elsewhere. 



Description. — Body stout ; head short ; muzzle abruptly deourved, the mouth some- 

 what inferior ; lower jaw included ; males very dark olive or blackish, with an obscure 

 band of a paler shade; belly paler; breast and throat deep rich blue; sides profusely 

 sprinkled with crimson dots, like a brook trout ; these spots sometimes arranged in short 

 longitudinal series of threes and fours ; series of olivaceous lines along the rows of 

 scales ; first dorsal with a black spot at base in front and a crimson one on the margin 

 between the first and second rays ; second dorsal, caudal, and anal crimson, bordered 

 with yellow, which again is bordered with black or dark-blue on the edge of the fin ; 

 the crimson is deepest next the yellow ; pectoral and ventral fins with a broad, 

 red margin ; females less distinctly marked, olivaceous, somewhat barred ; head 4 ; 

 depth 4i ; D. XI, 13 ; A. II, 8 ; scales 7-53-8. Length 2i inches. 



Habitat, Ohio Valley, Cumberland River, Tennessee ; White Kiver, Indiana ; Mahon- 

 ing River, Ohio ; French Creek, Pennsylvania. Not abundant. 



Habits. — This species is one of the most brilliant and delicate of all 

 our fishes. It is found in clear, cold streams, and thus far nowhere in 

 great abundance. Professor Cope remarks concerning this species and 

 others discovered by him. 



" All of the above species lie on the bottom, frequently beneath stones, with the head 

 only projecting, on the lookout for prey. Ordinarily they lie motionless, except occa- 

 sionally inclining their position and exhibiting their gorgeous colors. The effect of 

 this is heightened by the crystal clearness of the waters of the Southern mountain 

 streams, which reflect as well the beauty of a Southern sky and the noble trees and 

 flowering shrubs that border them in the rich wilderness of the Cumberland Range. 

 Few more attractive spots to the naturalist can be found, aud among its natural treas- 

 ures these peculiar little fishes are among the most curious. All the fishes of this group 

 can turn the head from side to side, and they frequently lie in a curved position or par- 

 tially on one side of the body." 



148- Nothonotus maculatus (Kirtland) Agassiz. 



Etheostoma maoulatum, Kirtland, Bost. Jonrn. Nat. Hist., iii, 1840, 276, pi. ii, fig. 3, 

 Jfothonotus maoulaius, Agassiz, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., i, 1863, 3. — Jordan, Man. Vert. 

 2d Ed,, 1878, 225. 



