No. 548] ORNAMENTATION IN FISHES 473 



The nests discovered were attended only by large fish. 

 The creek chub occurs in most all our mountain brooks, 

 and reaches a maximum length of ten inches, though 

 males five inches long have tubercles. These tubercles 

 are fe%, but quite conspicuous, and occur usually as a 

 pair over each eye and one in front of the latter. Large 

 examples have the scales on the hind part of the back 

 thickened, or but slightly tuberculated. No tuberculated 

 females of either species were secured. 



The true dace (Leuciscus elongatus and L. vandoi- 

 sulus) are represented by the former in streams west of 

 the Alleghanies and by the latter in streams east of the 

 Alleghanies. In both species the spring males have 

 crimson sides and the top of the head minutely, but incon- 

 spicuously, tuberculate. In the eastern species occasion- 

 ally a female will be found with tubercles on its head 

 above, and also similar brilliant coloration to that of the 

 male. 



A few species of shiners (Notropis) present cases of 

 tuberculated males. The silver fin (N. whipplii analo- 

 stanus) of our eastern streams has the body and basal 

 portions of the fin-rays largely covered with small 

 tubercles in the adult male. The adult female is occa- 

 sionally tuberculate. The red fin (N. comutus), found 

 m almost all of our streams, has the adult male very 

 gaudy in spring, its tubercles appearing very conspicu- 

 ously on the muzzle, front and predorsal region. Occa- 

 sionally a tuberculate female is found. In the iron-colored 

 shiner (N. chalybceus), often brilliant in the spring, the 

 males sometimes have the muzzle, front and predorsal 

 with many rather large tubercles. No females with 

 tubercles were found. 



The male of the long-nosed dace {Rhinichthys cata 

 ractce) when fully adult has its snout, top of head, entire 

 back and rudimentary dorsal rays minutely tuberculate 

 in the spring. The adult male of the black-nosed dace 

 (R. at'ronasus), one of our most abundant fishes, has the 

 front and predorsal region minutely tuberculate in spring 



