SALMON INVESTIGATIONS IN IDAHO IN 1895. 
177 
8. Leuciscus balteatus (Kicliardsou). Shiner. 
Tins is oue of the most abundaut minnows on the west coast from (Jregon to liritish (lolumlda; 
in the Oolnmhui basin it is common everywhere excejit in Snake Eiver above Shoshone Falls, where it 
is represented liy the closely related species, Leuciscus hijdrophiox. In the Snake Eiver basin below 
Shoshone Falls it has been obtained at about every place where we have made collections. At the 
Eedtish lakes it is very abundant, and is known as “ shiner.” At Pettit Lake a largo school could 
be called up at any time by throwing bread crumbs, oatmeal, or the like into the lake at our camp; 
while in the shallow water at the head of Pettit Outlet the young were excessively abundant. Among 
the vegetation off the mouth of Alturas Inlet this siiecies was found in great numbers. On September 
9, at a single haul of the seine in 20 to 40 feet deirfch, about a half bushel of this species was taken. 
Many of them w'ere the largest and finest individuals we have seen. 
This fish was found in the stomachs of bull trout, cut-throat trout, and squaw (ish, and doubtless 
forms an important part of the food supply of those species. 
Our collections contain large series of this species, chieily from Alturas and Pettit lakes. 
At one time Dr. Eigenmann thought that a certain definite relation existed between the number 
of anal rays in this siiecies and the altitude of the place from rvhich the particular specimens were 
ofitained; or, as stated by him, “the number of [anal] rays in the species considered \_Lcuciscus 
balteatus] decreases with the altitude.” In the light of fuller data Dr. Eigenmann now agrees with 
us that this generalization is not borne out by the facts. 
As bearing upon this question and as showing the variations in this character among individuals 
from the same locality, the following table will be instructive. lu the first column are given the 
localities from which specimens rvere examined, in the second the altitude of each, in the third the 
total number examined from each locality, and in the following columns the number of examples 
having the number of anal and dorsal rays indicated by the figures at the head of each column. 
Alti- 
tude. 
Total 
number 
of speci- 
mens 
exam- 
ined. 
Anal fin rays. 
Dorsal fin rays. 
Locality. 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15- 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
Aver- 
age. 
8 
9 
10 
11 
Aver- 
age. 
Feet. 
7, 300 
7, 200 
4, 500 
3, 000 
480 
1 
20 
104 
190 
110 
10 
14. 17 
G 
153 
208 
10 
9. 66 
939 
2 
65 
348 
307 
142 
11 
4 
13. 67 
1 
214 
83 
4 
9. 29 
Payette Lake. . 
Indian Valley.. 
2 
o 
12 
2 
9 
21 
5 
5 
5 
3 
1 
1 
1 
12. 90 
1 
14 
0 
'9. 23 
2, 800 
2, 500 
6 
4 
1 
1 
12. 50 
2 
4 
9. 66 
Upper Salmon 
1 
1 
15 
1 
10 
Snake TUyer at 
2, 100 
3 
1 
1 
1 
18. 06 
1 
2 
9. 66 
9. Rhiniclithys cataractce dulcis (Girard). Western Dace. 
The western dace seems to be a rather common species throughout the Snake Eiver basin, both 
above and below Shoshone Falls. The sp>ecios, as now understood, is one of very wide distribution, its 
habitat including not only the headwaters of the Missouri, I’latto, Arkansas, and Eio Grande, and the 
entire Columbia basin, but the headwaters of the Colorado of the West and streams tributary to 
Great Salt Lake, Specimens were obtained by us at Upper Salmon Falls in 1894, and in Alturas Lake, 
Alturas Outlet, Meadow Creek, Warm Springs Creek, and Pettit Outlet. Wo did not see it at Eedfish 
Lake nor is it among the collections from Payette Lake, though it doubtless occurs in those xrlaces. 
10. Ago.sia nubila (Girard). 
Found by us only in Maun Creek near Weiser and in the Little Weiser Eiver at Indian Valley 
in 1894, and by IMr. Williams in Goose Creek at the head of Little Salmon Eiver, near Meadows (1 
specimen) ; apparently not abundant excejit at Indian Valley. 
In their paper upon the fishes collected during the investigations in the Columbia Eiver basin in 
1892 and 189.3, Gilbert &, Evermann called attention to three forms or geographic races of this S2iecies 
centering in western Washington, about Umatilla, and about Spokane, resiiectivcly. The western 
Washington specimens reiireseut tyiiipal Hidn'Zrt, with dark coloration and large scales; the Umatilla 
grouji is characterized hy its paler coloration and largo scales; while the Siiokane grouji may be 
known by the smaller scales, the frequent absence of the barbel, and the different coloration. The 
F. C. B. 1896—12 
