74 PEELIMINAEY EEPOET 



Gonus APLODINOTUS Eafinesque. 



Aplodinotus grunniens Bafinesqne. Sheep's-head. Thunder Pnmper, 

 Drum. White Perch. Croaker. 



Silvery in color, some specimens almost white, while others are 

 quite dai'k ; upper parts darker than the lower. Body oblong, snout 

 blunt, the back much elevated and compressed; mouth large, 

 horizontal, the lower jaw not extending beyond the upper. Or- 

 dinary teeth slender and closely crowded in velvety bands ; pharyn- 

 geal teeth well developed, blunt and closely set to each other 

 (paved). Preopercle slightly serrate. Dorsal spines strong and 

 high, covered with scales at the base; anal spines two, the second 

 very strong. Head contained 3^ times in length. Depth about 3. 

 Dorsal IX-1, 30. Anal II, 7. Lateral line with 55 scales. Length 

 2 feet. 



A very interesting fish on account of its power to produce a 

 grunting noise. Rather common in the state. A very large speci- 

 men was taken from a pool in the Little Minnesota Eiver at Brown's 

 Valley and a number were taken from Big Stone Lake near the 

 same place (Woolman & Cox, 1892) ; numerous specimens from the 

 Minnesota' River have been seen in the markets at Mankato, and 

 it is often caught in Lake Washington, near the same place, where 

 its grunting is frequently noticed (Cox, 1891-5); two specimens 

 have been taken from the Bed Lake River at Crookston (Woolman, 

 1892, Report U. S. Fish Comm., 1893). 



Family COTTIDiE. The Sculpins. 



Body elongate, the head very large and much depressed; eyes 

 placed high in the head, the space between them being narrow ; the 

 upper edge of the opercle with one or more spinous processes. 

 Teeth present on the jaws and usually on the vomer and palatines; 

 upper law protractile; maxillary without supplemental bone. Gill 

 rakers short, tubercle-like or even absent. Body naked or covered 

 with scales, prickles or bony plates, never entirely scaled. Lateral 

 line present; pectoral fins large; ventral fins thoracic; pseudo- 

 branchia present; generally 4 to 8 pyloric caeca. 



This family is represented in the state by one genus and one 

 species. 



