148 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
fish-culturist works. Only when its food is thoroughly known can we designate it 
as friend or enemy in our streams and lakes. While the feeding habits have been 
given particular attention in the following pages, an account of the embryology and 
postembryonic changes has been included, which may contribute to our knowledge 
of the structure and life history of the species. 
The work was done in the region about Ithaca, N. Y., where the topography is 
such that it produces nearly every type of habitat in which fresh-water fishes may 
be found. Collections were made (especially of the fry) from every stream in Tomp- 
kins County, while the adult fish were taken in the principal streams and in Cayuga 
Lake. 
From cold, spring-fed brooks and sphagnum bogs these streams traverse stretches 
of clay land, where they meander through meadow and alder swamp. Then they 
break in rapids, to wind through glacial drift or spread in thin, warm films over an 
exposed limestone floor. Leaving the upland they enter deep gorges, where they 
leap down in a succession of falls and pools, to emerge in the flat marshland of the 
Cayuga Lake Valley. By sluggish courses through the reeds they at last reach the 
lake, whose shores, in some parts shallow and sandy, in others abrupt and rocky, 
afford an additional range of fish environment. Material was collected at over 60 
points in this region and should give a good index to the habits of this fish over much 
of its range. 
For assistance in this work I am greatly indebted to Dr. G. C. Embody, who 
has given me every opportunity to profit by his knowledge of the region and has 
put equipment at my disposal for every need. I am also grateful to Dr. B. F. 
Kingsbury and Dr. H. D. Reed for their interest in the work and for facilities they 
have afforded me. 
DESCRIPTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF CATOSTOMUS 
The genus Catostomus, family Catostomidse, is typified by having the body 
elongate, fusiform, and rounded, tapering toward each end, and with a rather pointed 
snout. The eye is small and placed high, the suborbitals are narrow, and a fontanelle 
is present above the brain. The mouth, which is so characteristic of the entire family, 
is inferior in position, rather large, and with protractile lips. The lateral line is nearly 
straight, the dorsal fin midway of the body, and the caudal with nearly equal lobes. 
The air bladder is double and the vertebrae number 45 to 47. 
The species Catostomus commersonii, due to its range and abundance, has 
been described repeatedly and has received no less than 14 scientific names. Its 
present name recalls a noted Frenchman, Philebert Commerson, whose collections 
were examined by Lacepede in 1803. Among fishermen it is known also as “fine- 
scaled sucker,” “pale sucker,” “brook sucker,” etc., though the term “white sucker” 
has been adopted by most authors. 1 It differs from others of the genus by the smaller 
size of its scales and the relatively greater girth at the shoulders. In this species the 
depth is contained 4 to 4% in the length, the head is rather large and stout, conical 
and flattish but not concave above, and is contained 4 to 4)^ in the body. The 
general color is olivaceous above, whitish below. Males, in spring, have a rosy 
1 In Pennsylvania the term “white sucker” is applied to Moxostoma, while the true white sucker is called gray or black in 
contrast. In Quebec, however, it is considered white, being called the “carpe blanche.” 
