F o o o Q o rn o FOOD AND GAME FISHES - a = o u il Of T s i J ** =5 .1 T* ^!T -= "= < z z O - 3 r l Ld i. ~ > " < 2 i K I f ^ r ^ I OB K g O - ~ tr c ~ m 7 ^ z - *~ "" JS < ^ - " l"~~ re U c : 5 1 i : r^ I = = I I = - - -j-. ^ - ") i AMERICAN FOOD AND GAME FISHES. A POPULAR ACCOUNT OF ALL THE SPECIES FOUND IN AMERICA NORTH OF THE EQUATOR, WITH KEYS FOR READY IDENTIFICATION, LIFE HIS- TORIES AND METHODS OF CAPTURE BY DAVID STARR JORDAN, PH. D. President of Leland Stanford Junior University AND BARTON WARREN EVERMANN, PH.D. Ichthyologist of the United States Fish Commission ILLUSTRATED WITH COLORED PLATES AND TEXT DRAWINGS, AND WITH PHOTOGRAPHS FROM LIFE BY A. RADCLYFFE DUGMORE NEW YORK DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY 1908 COPYRIGHT, 1902, HY DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & CO. //o4 C PREFACE THIS volume upon American Food and Game Fishes is one of a series of books treating of the natural history of North America in its varied and more popular aspects. Its scope includes all the species of fishes north of Panama which are used by man as food or which are sought by anglers for the sport which their capture affords. In its preparation the authors have made free use of their various published writings upon fishes, especially their " Fishes of North and Middle America." They have also made equally free use of the vast store of valuable information contained in the numerous Reports and Bulletins of the United States Fish Com- mission, and the "Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States " by the late Dr. George Brown Goode and associates. The reports of the Fish Commissions of the different States and Canada, as well as the files of the many valuable outing magazines have been consulted. To the many individuals who have assisted us in one way or another we wish to express our thanks and appreciation. First of all we are indebted to the Hon. Geo. M. Bowers, U. S. Commis- sioner of Fish and Fisheries, and to Dr. H. M. Smith, Mr. W. de C. Ravenel, Dr. W. C. Kendall, Mr. E. L. Goldsborough, and Mr. C. H. Townsend, of the Fish Commission, for many courtesies extended and assistance given. The excellent coloured plates in this volume are from the splendid paintings by C. B. Hudson and A. H. Baldwin, and we are able to use them through the kind permission of Mr. Bowers. To Dr. Richard Rathbun, Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, we are indebted for the privilege of using as text figures many of the illustrations from Bulletin 47, U. S. National Museum. The numerous excellent and artistically beautiful photographs of live fishes were all taken by Mr. A. Radclyffe Dugmore, who has, with infinite patience and skill, achieved such marvellous results in photographing wild animals. These photographs were taken by Mr. Dugmore expressly for this work at Key West, Lake Maxin- kuckce, and at the Pan-American Exposition; and it is doubted If such excellence had ever before been attained in this line of live animal photography. To numerous angling and sportsmen friends who have aided us with kindly advice and counsel we are duly grateful. In conclusion we may say that our aim has been to make a book which will prove useful and entertaining to anglers; to com- mercial fishermen and dealers in fish and fishery products; to teachers and others who wish to inform themselves regarding our vast array of food and game fishes; and to the multitude of intelligent men and women who have an interest in Nature and Nature Study. DAVID STARR JORDAN BARTON WARREN EVERMANN April the tenth Nineteen hundred and two TABLE OF CONTENTS PACK Preface v Introduction xxiii How to Identify a Fish xxix American Bait Minnows ...... xxxv Fishing with the Fly xliii Paddle-fishes ( Poly odonti dee) i Sturgeons ( Acipenseridce) 4 Catfishes (Silnridce) 15 Channel Cats 16 Bullheads 23 Mud Cats 31 Stone Cats . 34 Suckers ( Catostomidce ) 36 Buffalo Fishes 38 Carp Suckers 41 Gourd-seed Sucker 44 Mountain Suckers ....... 45 Fine-scaled Suckers 46 June Sucker of Utah Lake 54 Lost River Sucker 57 Razor-backed Suckers 58 Chub Suckers 58 Spotted Sucker 59 Redhorse and Freshwater Mullets .... 60 Big-jawed Sucker 64 Hare-lip Sucker ......... 65 Minnows (Cyprinidce) 67 True Eels (Anguillidce) ....... 76 Common Eel 76 Conger Eels (Leptocephalidce) 81 Mo rays (Murcenidce) 82 Tarpons (Elopidce) 84 Tarpon 85 Bony-fish or Ten-pounder ...... 86 vii Table of Contents PACK Lady-fishes ( Allnilidce) ....... 88 Lady-fish or Bonefish ...... 88 Mooneyes (Hiodoniidce) ....... 90 Milk-fishes (Chanida-) .... . 94 Herrings (OupcidiT) . ...... 95 True Herrings . . ..... 96 True Sardines . ..... 99 Alewiv2s .... 101 Shad .......... 105 Menhadens ... ..... 108 Anchovies (Engraulidce) ....... 12 13 15 16 17 Silvery Anchovies ....... California Anchovy ....... Whitefish, Salmon and Trout (Salmonidce) ... Whitefishes ......... Lake Herrings and Ciscoes ...... 133 Inconnu ... ..... 142 Pacific Salmon ....... . 143 Salmon and Trout . ...... 159 Atlantic Salmon ...... . 163 Sebago Salmon ....... 166 Ouananiche ... ..... 170 Trout of Western America ...... 174 Cutthroat Trout Series ...... 175 Steelhead Trout Series ...... 189 Rainbow Trout Series ..... . 194 Great Lake Trouts ....... 203 Charrs . ........ 206 Graylings (Thymallidcc) ....... 220 Smelts (Argentinida) . ...... 225 Capelins ......... 225 Eulachons ..... . . 227 True Smelts ........ 227 Surf Smelts ......... 231 Blackfish (Dalliidce) ..... . . 232 Pikes (Esocidce) ........ 233 Banded Pickerel and Other Pickerel . . . 234 Common Pike ..... ... 236 Muskallunge ........ 237 Needlefishes (Belonida-) . . . 241 viii Table of Contents PACK Half-beaks (Hemiramphidce) . .. 242 Flying-fishes (Exoccetidtz) . . . 243 Saurels (Scombresocidce) . . . 246 Sand-rollers (Percopsidce) ... . 247 Silversides (Atherinidce) . . .... 248 Mullets (Mugilidce) . 250 True Mullets ........ 251 Dajaos 2^6 Barracuda (Sphyrcenidcf) ....... 258 Threadfishes (Polynemidce) ...... 261 Sand Launces (Ammodytidce) ...... 263 Squirrel-fishes (Holocentridcr) 264 Surmullets (Mullidce) ....... 268 Goatfishes . . . . . . . . - 270 Mackerels (Scombridce) . 272 True Mackerels . . ..... 273 Frigate Mackerels 276 Little Tunnies . . . . . . . 277 Great Tunnies ........ 278 Albacores 282 Spanish Mackerels 283 Petos .......... 288 Escolars (Lepidopidce) 289 Cutlass-fishes (Trichiuridce) ...... 290 Sail-fishes (Istiophoridce) ....... 291 Sword-fishes (Xiphiidce) 293 Papagallos (Nematistiidce) 294 Pampanos (Carangidtz) 296 Leather-jacks ........ 297 Amber-fishes ........ 299 Mackerel-scads ........ 302 Cavallas 34 Moon-fishes 309 Silver Moon-fishes . . . . . . . 311 Casabes 312 True Pampanos 313 Bluefish (Pomatomidce) 320 Sergeant-fish (Raehycentridce) . . . . . . 323 Dolphins (Coryphcenidce) . . . . . . . 324 Mariposas (Lampridce) . 326 IX fable of Content! PAOB Pomfrets (Bramidas) . 327 Fiatolas (Stromateidce) 328 Butter-fishes 328 Basses (Centrarchidce) 332 Crappie and Calico Bass 333 Round Sunfish 337 Mud Sunfish 338 Rock Basses 338 Sacramento Perch 341 Warmouth Bass 342 True Sunfishes 342 Black Basses 355 Perches (Pcrcidce) 360 American Pike-Perches 360 River Perch 364 Robalos (Centropomidce) 368 Sea Basses (Serranida') 370 Striped Bass 372 White Perches 376 Jew-fishes 377 Enjambres 380 Groupers 381 Sea Bass 395 Triple-tails (Lobotida-) 400 Catalufas (Priacanthidce) 401 Snappers (Lutianida:) 403 True Snappers or Pargos 4os Rabirubias 416 Arnillo 418 Escolar Chino 419 Grunts (Hccmnlidcv) 420 Roncos or Grunts 421 Tomtate . 428 Pompon 431 Burros 432 Pigfishes 433 Porgies (Sparidce) 436 Scups 437 True Porgies 438 Sheepsheads ,.441 Table of Contents PAGE Moj arras (G err idee) . 445 Rudder-fishes (Kyphosidce) 450 Chopas ......... 452 Croakers (Sdcenidce) 454 Weakfishes 455 Red Drum 461 Lafayette 462 True Croakers 463 Kingfishes 464 Sea Drums 466 Freshwater Drum . 467 Surf-fishes ( Embiotocidce ) . 469 Cichlids (Cichlidce) 475 Wrasse-fishes (Labridce) 476 Tautog 477 Hog-fish 478 Parrot-fishes (Scaridce) 480 Spade-fishes (llarchidce) 482 Butterfly-fishes (Chcetodontidce) 484 Blue Angel-fish 485 Tangs (Teuthididce) 486 Ocean Tang 488 Trunk-fishes (Ostraciidcz) 489 Cow-fish 491 Head-fishes (Molidce) 492 Rock-fishes (Scorpcenidce) ...... 495 Rose-fish 496 Skil-fishes ( Anoplopomidce) 498 Greenlings (Hexagrammidce) 499 Atka Mackerel 499 Alaska Green-fish 501 Cultus Cod 502 Tilefishes (Latilidce) 504 Hakes (Merlucciidce) 507 Codfishes (Gadidce) 508 Pollacks 509 Tomcods 511 True Codfishes 512 Haddocks 516 Freshwater Ling . . . . . . . . 517 Table of Contents PAGE Codlings or Hakes . .... 518 Flounders ( Pleiironcctida') 520 Greenland Halibut 522 Common Halibut ... ... 523 Bastard Halibuts ........ 526 Winter Flounder 528 Arctic Flounder 530 Starry Flounder ....;. , 531 Window Pane $32 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS COLOR PLATES AND HALF TONES Eastern Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) . . Frontispiece FACING PAGB Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser rubicundus) 10 Short-nosed Sturgeon (Acipenser bremrostris) . . 12 Common Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) . . 22 Yellow Cat (Ameiurus natalis) ... 22 Channel Cat (Ictalurus punctatus) . . 22 Common Redhorse Sucker (Moxostoma aureolum) ... 60 Lake Carp Sucker or Quillback (Carpiodes thompsoni] . . 60 Golden Tench (Tinea tinea}. Introduced . . 68 German Carp (Cyprinus carpio). Introduced ... 68 Common Eel (Angitilla cbrisypa) .... .76 Common Eel (Anguilla chrisypa) .... -78 Tenpounder (Elops saurus) ... 86 Bonefish (Albula vulpes) . . 86 Rock Hind or Cabra Mora (Epinephelus adscensionis) . .120 Salmon jumping a falls . . . . . . . .152 Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) 164 Landlocked or Sebago Salmon (Salmo sebago) . . . .168 Steelhead Trout (Salmo gairdneri) 176 Cut-throat Trout (Salmo clarkii) . . . . . .176 Von Behr Trout (Salmo far io). Introduced . . . .194 Rainbow Trout (Salmo widens) 194 Lake Trout (Cristivomer namaycnsh) 204 Eastern Brook Trout (Salvelimis fontinalis) .... 208 Montana Grayling (Thymallus montanus) .... 222 Golden Trout of Sunapee Lake (Salvelinus aureolus) . . 222 Great Barracuda (Sphyrcena barracuda) 258 Bonito (Sarda sarda); dead 266 Squirrel-fish (Holocentrus ascensionis) . . . 266 King-fish or Cero (Scomber omor us cavalla); dead . . . 286 Spanish Mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus}; dead . . 286 Amber-fish (Seriola lalandi ) ^04 Yellow Jack (Carangus bartholomcei) ^04 Xlll List of Color Plates and Half Tone Illustrations FACING PAGE Runner (Carangus crysos) 306 Cavalla (Carangus hippos') ....... 306 Horse-eye Jack (Ciiriiiigns latus) 306 Moonfish or Look-down (Selene vonier) 310 Moonfish or Look-down (Selene vomer) 312 Oldwife (Trachinotns g/jncns) ...... 314 Pompano ( Trachinotns carolinus) . . . . . .316 Common Pompano, Pampano (Trachinotns carolinns] . . 318 Bluefish (Pomatomns sa/tatrix) 320 Calico Bass (Pom ox is sparoides] ...... 338 Rock Bass (Ambloplites rnpestris) 338 Warmouth Bass (Chtvnobrvltiis giilosus) ..... 342 Bluegill Sunfish (Lepomis pallidns) 35 Red-eared Sunfish (Enpomotis heros) ..... 350 Small-mouth Black Bass (Micropterus dolomieu] . . . 352 Small-mouth Black Bass (Micropterus doloinien) . . -354 Large-mouth Black Bass (Micropterus stilmoiJes) . . 3=>8 Yellow Perch (Perca fla-vesccns) 366 White Bass (Roccus chrysops] 372 Sauger (Sti\osteJion canadcnse) 372 Striped Bass or Rockfish (Roccus tiih\itns) .... 376 Yellow Bass (Morone inter nipta) 376 White Perch (Morone americana) 380 Cony (Petrometopon cruentatus) 380 Rock Hind (Epinephelus adscensionis] ..... 382 Nigger-fish (Bodianus fuk'iis] 382 Nassau Grouper (Epinephelus strijfus') .".... 384 Red Grouper (Epinephelus morio] 386 Red Hind (Epinephelus gittlatiis) ...... 386 Nassau Grouper or Cherna (Epinephelus strict its] . . . 388 Yellow-fin Grouper (Mycteroperca venenosj') .... 390 Jewfish (Promicrops itjiiira) ....... 392 Black Grouper (Mycteroperca boihici") 392 Yellow Grouper (Mycteropcrca o/fax) ... . 394 Gag (Mycteroperca tnicrolepis) 394 Scamp (Mycteroperca phenax} ....... 396 Sea Bass (Ce>itn>pn\/es st rial us] .... . 396 ("jray Snapper or Pargo Prieto (Liitianns i i\c/is) . . . 406 Dog Snapper (l.utianns jocn) 408 XIV List of Color Plates and Half Tone Illustrations FACING PAGE Schoolmaster (Lutianus apodns) 408 Schoolmaster (Lutianus apodus} . . . . .410 Mutton-fish (Lutianus analis) 412 Lane Snapper (Lutianus synagris) 412 Mutton-fish or Pargo (Lutianus minlis\ 414 Yellow-tail (Ocyurus chrysurus) 416 Margate-fish (Hcemulon album] 422 Sailors' Choice (Hcemulon parr a) ...... 422 Margate-fish (Hcemulon album} 424 White or Common Grunt (Hcemulon piumieri} . . . 426 Yellow Grunt (Hcemulon sciurus} 430 Porkfish (Anisotremus virginicus} ...... 430 Black Margate-fish or Pompon (Anisotremus surinamensis) . 432 Gray Snapper (Lutianus griseus} . . . . . .432 Scup (Stenotomus chrysops} 434 Tom-tate (Bathystoma rimator} . , . . . .434 Saucer-eye Porgy (Calamus calamus) , 436 Little-head Porgy (Calamus proridens) ..... 436 Jolt-head Porgy (Calamus bajonado) . 438 Grass Porgy (Calamus arclifrons} ...... 440 Little-head Porgy (Calamus proridens} . 442 Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides} 442 Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus} .... 444 Little-mouth Porgy (Calamus penna} 444 Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides} ...... 446 Broad Shad (Xystcema cinereum} 446 Bermuda Chub (Kyphosus sectatrix} ..... 452 Hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus} ...... 452 Croaker (Micropogon undulatus} ...... 462 Spot (Leiostomus xanthurus} 462 Parrot-fish (Scarus cceruleus} 480 Spade-fish (Chcetodipterus faber} ; young .... 482 Black Angel-fish (Pomacanthus arcuatus) ; young . . . 482 Black Angel-fish (Pomacanthus arcuatus} .... 484 Yellow or Blue Angel-fish (Holacanthus ciliaris}; adult . . 484 Yellow Angel-fish (Holacanthus ciliaris} ; young . . . 486 Rock Beauty or Palmoneta (Holacanthus tricolor) . . . 488 Cowfish (Ostracion tricornis} ... ... 492 Pudding-wife (Iridio radiatus} 49^ XV LIST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS PACK Whitefish, showing parts referred to in descriptions of soft- rayed fishes ........ xxx Small-mouth Black Bass, showing parts referred to in de- scriptions of spiny-rayed fishes ..... xxxii Knot for attaching leader to line for fly fishing . . xliv Overhand Cast ......... xlvi Flip Cast xlvi Wind Cast xlvii Underhand Cast ......... xlvii Switch Cast xlviii Clark's Spey Cast . . i Paddle-fish ......... I Common Sturgeon 8 Lake Sturgeon ......... 10 Short-nosed Sturgeon ....... 12 Shovel-nosed Sturgeon .... . 13 Blue Cat . 17 Channel Cat ...... . 21 Eel Cat ....... . . 22 Black Bullhead ...... . 30 Flathead Cat ...... . 31 Mud Cat . 32 Stone Cat .......... 34 Common Buffalo Fish ....... 39 Eastern Carp Sucker ........ 43 Gourd-seed Sucker ..... . 44 Mountain Sucker ..... . 45 Flannel-mouth Sucker ....... 47 Platte River Sucker ...... . 48 Sacramento Sucker ....... 50 Common Sucker ........ 51 Utah Lake Mullet .... ... 52 Moogadee; Sucker . ... -53 June Sucker of Utah Lake . . 54 Klamath Lake Sucker .... . XVll List of Text Illustrations PACB Tswam ; Sucker 56 Razor-back Sucker 58 Chub Sucker . 59 Spotted Sucker 59 Common Redhorse 60 Hare-lip Sucker 66 Hare-lip Sucker, showing lower lip .... 66 Squawfish 68 Utah Lake Chub 70 Common Chub 75 Tarpon .......... 85 Bony-fish; Ten-pounder 86 Bonefish 88 Mooneye 92 Southern Mooneye 93 Awa or Milk-fish 94 Common Herring 96 Tailor Herring 102 Alewife 103 Glut Herring 104 Common Shad ......... ios Alabama Shad 108 Menhaden 109 Rocky Mountain Whitefish 119 Blackfin Whitefish 139 Humpback Salmon 149 Adult male Blueback Salmon 156 Adult female Little Redfish 157 Adult male Little Redfish, showing condition at end of spawning season 158 Lake Tahoe Trout 180 Utah Trout 182 Rio Grande Trout i8s "^lorado River Trout 186 /aha Lake Trout 187 Jreen-back Trout 188 Yellow-fin Trout 188 Steelhead Trout 190 Rainbow Trout .195 Great Lake Trout 203 xviii List of Text Illustrations PAGB Brook Trout ...... 207 Dolly Varden Trout 210 Sunapee Trout .... . 213 Oquassa Trout ... .... 217 Arctic Grayling . . ... 221 Michigan Grayling 222 Montana Grayling ... . . 223 Capelin ... 226 Eulachon; Candle-fish 227 Pacific Smelt . 228 American Smelt :..... 229 Alaskan Blackfish ... . 232 Common Pike ... . . 236 Muskallunge ... 237 Houndfish; Agujon ...... 241 Common Half-beak ... . 242 Sharp-nosed Flying-fish 243 California Flying-fish . . 244 Trout Perch . . .247 Pescado bianco de Chalco 248 Common Mullet . . .... 252 White Mullet ... .254 Lisita; Mullet ... . 255 Chsenomugil proboscideus . ... 2s6 Dajao; Mullet .... ... 257 Joturo; Mullet . 2 57 Great Barracuda ... . 2 59 Threadfish . . 262 Common Sand Launce . 263 Marian; Squirrel-fish . . . 267 Red Goatfish ... . 269 Mulloides rathbuni .... ... 269 Salmonete ... . ... 270 Common Mackerel . ... 273 Chub Mackerel .... - ... 276 Frigate Mackerel ... ... 277 Little Tunny .... 278 Long-fmned Albacore ... . 282 Spanish Mackerel . . 285 Sierra; Kingfish . 286 adx List of Text Illustrations PAGI Cutlass-fish . 290 Sailfish ..... .... 291 Fez de Gallo ... 294 Leather-jack ......... 298 Pilot-fish 298 California Yeliowtail 300 Rudder-fish 300 Scad ........... 302 Xurel ........... 302 Goggler 303 Hemicaranx amblyrhynchus ...... 303 Moonfish 310 Bumper 312 Round Pompano . 31 =; Mazatlan Pompano 316 Coal-fish 323 Dolphin . 324 Harvest-fish 329 Butter-fish 330 Crappie 334 Round Sunfish 337 Mud Sunfish 338 Sacramento Perch 341 Apomotis symmetricus 344 Red-breasted Bream ........ 346 Long-eared Sunfish 347 McKay's Sunfish ... .... 351 Common Sunfish 353 Walleyed Pike 361 Sauger 363 Yellow Perch 363 Snook 369 White Bass 372 Striped Bass 373 Speckled Hind 385 Black Jewfish . 38^ Guaseta Dermatolepis zanclus . . Mycteroperca boulengeri . . 391 Bacalao ..... . 393 XX List of Text Illustrations PAGK Hypoplectrus unicolor 397 Spotted Cabrilla 396 Rock Sea-bass 398 Squirrel-fish 399 Flasher 400 Pargo Raisero 404 Lutianus viridis . . . . . . . . 406 Cagon de lo alto . . . . . . . . 417 Arnillo 4'8 Escolar Chino 4 '9 Gray Grunt 423 Lythrulon opalescens ........ 430 Pigfish . 434 Common Scup ......... 437 Chopa Amarilla 443 Pinfish . 444 Irish Pompano 448 Hermosilla azurea 451 Common Weakfish 456 Spotted Weakfish 458 Bastard Weakfish 459 Mademoiselle 460 Red Drum 461 Carolina Whiting 465 Black Drum 466 Freshwater Drum 468 Hysterocarpus traski 470 Abeona minima . 470 Cymatogaster aggregatus 471 White Surf-fish . . . 472 Rachocheilus toxotes 473 Hypsurus caryi ......... 473 White Viviparous Perch 474 dinner . 477 California Redfish . 479 Creston Tang; Barbero Negro 487 Ocean Tang . . . . . . . . . 488 Rock Shellfish, Ostracion triqueter ..... 490 Common Trunkfish, Ostracion trigonus . 490 Common Cowfish, Ostracion Iricornis . . . . 491 XXI List of Text Illustrations PAGB Common Trunkfish, Ostracion trigonus . . . . 491 Sunflsh; Mola 493 Rnnzania truncata 494 Rosefish 496 Black Rockfish 497 Coal-fish 498 Atka Mackerel 499 Rock Trout 501 Alaska Green-fish 501 Common Greenling 502 Southern Rock Trout 502 Cultus Cod 503 Pacific Hake, Merlitcciiis prod net us 507 Common Pollack 509 Alaska Pollack 510 Tomcod . 511 California Tomcod ... . . . 512 Common Codfish 513 Haddock 516 Freshwater Ling 518 Summer Flounder 527 Rusty Dab ......... 528 Winter Flounder 529 Arctic Flounder 53 Eel-back Flounder 530 Starry Flounder 531 Window Pane 53 2 Bat-fish XXil INTRODUCTION "Of Recreation there is none So free as Fishing is alone; All other Pastimes do no less Than Mind and Body both possess; My Hand alone my Work can do, So I can fish and study too." THE aim of this book is to furnish that which well-informed men and women, and those who desire to become well informed, might wish to know of the food and game fishes which inhabit American waters. Though primarily a popular treatise, its method is in part technical, for the characters we call "technical" are the ones we can trust in distinguishing one fish or group of fishes from another. These distinctions are the ones established by Nature herself, and the study of natural objects is useful to us in the degree that we are willing to overlook artificial or temporary characters in our search for real ones. Thus to know that a salmon has red flesh and a pike white flesh is to know nothing about either salmon or pike. The real differences appear on comparison of the fins, the teeth, the skeleton, and the facts we have gained as to the origin of the different forms. The use of technical terms therefore finds its justification in that the facts they set forth would be unintel- legible without them. But the technical terms used in describing a fish are no more difficult to understand than those used in describ- ing anything else. Head, snout, maxillary, jaw, fins, and the like are quite as simple as head, nose, arm and foot used in naming the parts of our own body; or petal,- stamen, stem, leaf and pistil in describing a flower. To understand or to be able to study any subject one must necessarily know something of the language of that subject. A book which does not take for granted a certain amount of intelligence on the part of the reader has no excuse for being. This book presupposes on the part of the reader a knowledge of ordinary English, as used by Americans of fairly good education, and a willingness to make an honest effort to find out more about the food and game fishes of our country. XXlll Introduction The aim has been to make a book by the aid of which any one of average intelligence may easily and readily identify any American fish that is used as food or game, and the book is technical only to that extent. For those who do not care for these facts the part of the text which refers to them has been printed in smaller type. The small type is therefore for those who would study fishes with specimens in hand; the large type for those who would read about fishes, whether the fishes themselves are present or not. The second purpose of the book is to give individuality to the different kinds of fishes treated, by some account of their geo- graphic distribution, habits, life histories, commercial and food value, and interest to the angler. These facts and discussions are, indeed, those which are given greatest prominence in the book. About 12,000 different species of fishes are now known, besides a vast and varied assemblage of forms now extinct. These 12,000 species are arranged in about 200 groups called families. The families are of very unequal size, some containing hundreds of species, others but few or even only one. In some cases the group is now at its height, more forms existing than ever before. In other cases one poor little species may be the sole survivor of a once mighty race. Of the species of fishes which are known about one-fourth (3,300) are found in the waters of North America, that is north of the Isthmus of Panama. All of these the present writers have described in detail in a book of four volumes and 3,313 pages, called "The Fishes of North and Middle America," to which those who wish to study our fishes more seriously are referred. The present volume covers the same geographic area, but its treatment is limited to those families containing fishes useful as food or inter- esting to the angler from their display of those qualities we call "game." Not all the species of any family are of equal value as food or game; indeed, many families, containing most excellent food and game species, contain others of no value whatever for either of those purposes. Then again, some species, as the tarpon, possess game qualities in a high degree, but are not valued as food. We have, however, usually included mention at least of all the species of those families any of whose members are game or food for man; and, it is believed, that any one who really cares to XXIV Introduction do so, can, with this book, accurately identify any specimen he may obtain, if it belongs to a family containing any American food or game-fish. We have left out the vast array of little fishes, too small to be worth eating except to bigger fish. These swarm in all waters- minnows and darters in the brooks, silversides and killifishes in the estuaries, anchovies in the surf, and many even in the open sea, the prey of the mackerel, the bluefish, and other pelagic pre- daceous species. We have left out or briefly mentioned rare fishes, those which occasionally appear on our coasts. We have not con- sidered the many strange fishes of the depths, soft-bodied, black in colour, and often provided with luminous spots which serve as lan- terns in the watery darkness. These would be food-fishes if we could get at them, and game-fishes likewise, for they will take the hook at the depth of half a mile, with ferocity and persistence. But the reader of this book will seldom angle for them, and, if he does, he will know how to look elsewhere for their descriptions. Then, too, we omit the groups which lie below the true fishes the lampreys without limbs or jaws, which are not true fishes themselves, but merely fish-like animals that live by sucking the blood of real fishes; the sharks and rays or skates, with large fins and often with large teeth, and a skeleton of cartilage. It is true that lampreys are much eaten in Europe and sometimes in America, for we ourselves have eaten canned lamprey on the Col- umbia River and found it excellent; that from the fin-rays of certain sharks the Chinaman prepares a delicious soup; and that the skate with brown butter, raie au beurre noir, is a delicacy of the French chef. But in the United States none of these is a food-fish. Our people are too well fed to care for the coarse rank flesh of sharks, however much its flavour may be disguised by the ingenious cook. Other coarse-grained fishes, such as the sea catfish, we have omitted or noticed only in passing. There are certain fishes whose flesh contains poisonous alka- loids which, in the tropics, become greatly developed, and, when eaten, producing the dangerous disease called "Ciguatera." These are the file-fishes, trigger-fishes, globe-fishes, porcupine-fishes and puffers. In Hawaii one of these species, Tetraodon gibbosus, is known as Mdki Mdki, or Deadly Death, its flesh being poisonous in the highest degree. In general, however, these fishes cease to XVV Introduction be venomous in the colder waters of our northern coasts. They are by no means food-fishes, and are mentioned here only that they may be avoided. Setting aside, then, all these, the small, the lean, the coarse, the poisonous, the rank, the rare, and the inhabitants of the oceanic abysses, we still have left a royal assemblage of food and game- fishes, and all these are treated in the present volume. Of these, the total number of species is about one thousand, fully one-third of all the food and game-fishes of the world, or nearly one-third of all the fishes of whatever kind known from American waters. A few which may be called unimportant are important to some- body and are therefore included, even though scarcely mentioned in any other work. Thus the great catfish of the Rio de las Balsas in Mexico (1st I an' us balsamis) is important to the natives of Morelos, though unknown to every one else. On the other hand, we may have omitted species important to somebody because they do not concern the reader and have never interested us. The line between those we include and those we pass unmentioned is often a very narrow one which might easily be shifted either way. This book is a treatise on a branch of Ichthyology, and Ichthyology is the science of fishes. The word "fish" is a hard one to define because it is used in science with several different grades of meaning. Ordinarily it is the name of a cold-blooded vertebrate which is adapted for life in the water, and has its limbs, if present, developed as fins, never as fingers or toes. This is the broadest correct definition. It excludes the whales, porpoises and seals, which are warm-blooded mammals, looking like fishes only because they lead a fish-like life. It excludes the frogs and sal- amanders of all grades because even those which have gills and live in the water have fingers and toes instead of fins. But for scientific purposes we usually adopt a narrower definition. We exclude the tunicates, which have no skull and lose the backbone in the course of development. We pass by the lancelets, fish-like certainly, but having neither brain nor skull. The higher group of lampreys is also excluded from the circle of fishes, for the lamprey has no jaws, no limbs, and no trace of the bones to which limbs should be hung. This would leave us, then, the following defin- ition of a fish: A "fish" is a cold-blooded vertebrate adapted for life in the water; breathing by means of gills which are attached to bony or cartilaginous gill-arches; having the skull well-developed XXVI Introduction and with a lower jaw; with the limbs present and developed as fins, or rarely wanting through atrophy; having the exoskeleton developed as scales or bony plates or horny appendages; and with the median line of the body with one or more fin's composed of cartilaginous rays connected by membranes. But a still narrower definition is sometimes necessary, and we may separate from the true fishes the various lower types developed before the formation of the paired fins and jaws of the fishes of to-day. The sharks are not true fishes, for they have no membrane- bones or gill-covers, and the upper jaw is simply the front of the palate, no upper jaw-bones being developed. The same is true of the skates, the chimaera and the lung- fishes. The lung-fish, like the bichir of the Nile, another fish- like creature, not a true fish, has, instead of pectoral fins, long- jointed appendages with a fringe of rays along the side. From the structure, as seen in the bichir (Polypterus bichir}, it is not a great change to the forked limbs of the frog, and it is from air- breathing amphibious fishes like these that the original salaman- ders and frogs of the coal measures were descended. All these forms, as well as the mailed and helmeted monsters of the Devonian, are fishes in the broad sense of the term, but not in the narrow one of "true fishes." A true fish is an aquatic ver- tebrate fitted for life in the water, breathing by means of gills, having brain, skull, and lower jaw, the upper jaw formed origin- ally of at least two pieces (premaxillary and maxillary), one on each side, with developed limbs, the pectoral and ventral fins being composed of fin-rays not attached to an elongate jointed axis. All of those mentioned in this book are true fishes, and each one can verify this definition, although in a few of them the ex- ternal parts or fin-rays of pectoral or ventral limb are lost altogether. The nomenclature and arrangement of species in this work agree essentially with that adopted by the present writers in their "Fishes of North and Middle America," with such changes and modifications as more recent investigations and studies seem to require. Perhaps the most important departure from that work is in the use of fewer trinomial names. This is especially to be noted among the Salmonidce. Usually the Sebago salmon and the ouananiche have been regarded as subspecies of the Atlantic salmon and have been given trinomial names Salmo salar sebago XXVll Introduction and Salmo salar ouananichc. Various subspecies of Salvclimts fontinalis and of the cut-throat, steelhead and rainbow trouts have been recognized. These forms have, in most cases, perhaps, been regarded as subspecies chiefly because they differed but slightly from related forms. Whether a given form should be regarded as a "species" or a "subspecies" is very much a ques- tion of material, both from a geographic and a numerical point of view, as Mr. Robert Ridgway has well said. With greater material, and from properly selected localities, many forms, which have been considered specifically distinct, are shown to be con- specific; and forms that have been regarded as subspecies are in many instances found to be good species or to have no existence at all. The existence of a subspecies implies greater or less geographic or environmental isolation and the presence of intergrading forms. However great the differences may be between two forms, if com- plete intergradation is known to exist, the one is regarded as a subspecies of the other. On the other hand, even though the dif- ferences are slight, if intergrading is not known to exist, they are to be regarded as distinct species. Of the various forms of salmon and trout, which we have formerly regarded as subspecies, but few, if any, are known to intergrade with related forms. Although the ouananiche and the Seba-go salmon do not differ greatly from the Atlantic salmon or from each other, intergradations are not known. We therefore prefer to regard them as three distinct species, which they prob- ably are. The same is true with respect to the various forms of trout in the West; most of those which have been recognized as sub- species are certainly distinct species, while others are of very doubtful validity. Among those whose status is problematical are the Kamloops, Kern River, Shasta and Noshee trouts. They may be species, subspecies or nothing. Investigation of the geographic distribution of the various trout is very much to be desired. While it is not likely the number of species will be reduced, their exact relations need to be made out. XXVlll HOW TO IDENTIFY A FISH IT is easy to know a fish, or even a true fish; but a more interesting question is: What kind of a fish is it? There our difficulty begins. We can readily s~y that a certain specimen is a fish, or even that it is a bass, a perch, a herring, or a trout; but which particular species of the several kinds of bass, perch, herring, or trout is it ? Just what species of fish is it ? This is what every angler, every commercial fisherman, and everyone interested in nature wishes to know, When we get hold of a fish our first desire is to know its name, what species it is. The vague knowledge that a form is something like a perch, a bass, or an eel will not suffice. The works devoted wholly to sys- tematic ichthyology are in the nature of things entirely technical, and they are not easily followed by the untrained student. Though most of our fishes are not difficult of identification, many of them are. There are now known from America north of the Isthmus of Panama more than 3,300 species of fishes and fish- like vertebrates. Many of these are so closely related and the characters separating them so hard to make out, that the difficul- ties are real and not easily to be overcome except by one trained in the methods of systematic zoology. But fortunately such is not the case with the vast majority of fishes, particularly the food and game species. Most of these are fairly easy to identify. A little time devoted to an examination of the specimen in hand and a careful reading of the keys will enable one to locate it. It has been the aim of the authors of the present work to make a book which any angler or intelligent fisherman can use easily and with satisfaction. In the first place, in studying a fish, there are some things regarding its anatomy which one must know. He must know the names of the fins, the parts of the mouth and other parts of the head and body; also something about the different kinds of teeth and the bones upon which they are placed, the different kinds of scales and their arrangement, and how to contrast one character with another. XXIX S&C & Q a g O +- a 3 Be, a c K "* p Cfi P w K; < - u o (* a Q X H a H O SS O a C/3 ffi W3 a i ?- < o o w * >. u O * * ( ^ r t * CU _o 3 E J2"o C , rt C 03 (fl tt 3 v^ O C *- aj C s 0.2 a a o . . 00 O> O i- II C ',o . ^ M o-o rt c u u <: O IL. W 2 MH I < r. a H CO O O K co co CO u c 0-3 J n C X 2 c H VI jj' 11 rt P ^ 0) L 3 3 C VM o nJ _O O ~~ ^ u >. 5? u = . ,S n O Is cr. u 05 O E t^ W xxxu How to Identify a Fish the alternative which is under the same letter doubled, and pro- ceed as before. In a few instances there is a second or even third alternative, the guide letter being written three or four times to correspond, as, for example, "III" in the Key to Families. If you do not know to what family the specimen in hand belongs use the Key to Families at the close of the volume where all the family names are numbered and paged to correspond with their position in the text. When the family is found and its important characters studied, the key following the family diagnosis will lead one to the right genus. If the specimen agrees with the generic diagnosis given, you can be sure that no mistake has been made thus far and the particular species can be determined by the use of the key following. These keys and descriptions may at first seem somewhat difficult but with a little experience they become exceedingly easy to use and understand. In descriptions of fishes certain comparative measurements are made. The length of the head and the depth of the body are always compared with the standard length of the fish, which is the distance from the tip of the snout to the base of the caudal fin. The diameter of the eye, length of snout, maxillary, and mandible, and (usually) the length of fins, spines or rays, are compared with that of the head. In our descriptions of species, we have attempted to bring the principal comparative measurements first. The expressions "head 4 ", or "depth 4", mean that the length of the head in the one case, or the greatest depth of the body in the other, is contained 4 times in the length of the fish measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the last caudal vertebra, the caudal fin being not included. "Eye 5" means that the horizontal diameter of the eye is contained 5 times in the length of the head. "Scales 1 1-85-25" means that there are 1 1 rows of scales between the front of the dorsal fin and the lateral line, 85 scales in the lateral line itself, and 25 scales in an oblique series downward and backward from the lateral line to the origin of the anal fin, or the vent. When the number of pores in the lateral line is fewer than the number of scales, we have usually indicated the fact. The fin formulas are usually shortened as much as possible; thus " D. 10"; "D. V, 9"; or " D. VIII-I3", means that in the first case the fish has a single dorsal fin of 10 soft or articulated rays; in the second XXX ill How to Identify a Fish case a single dorsal fin of 5 spines and 9 soft rays; and the last indicates a fish with two dorsal fins the anterior of which is composed of 8 spines and the other of 1 3 soft rays. Spines are always indicated by roman letters and rays by figures. The abbreviations for the other fin formulas are similarly explained. The measurements given in the text are intended to apply to the average of mature fishes. Young fishes are usually more slender, the head and eye larger, and the mouth smaller than in adults. Those who wish to learn more of what has been written regard- ing American fishes are referred to the present writers' " Fishes of North and Middle America," a work in 4 volumes of 3,313 pages and about 1,000 illustrations recently published as Bulletin 47 of the United States National Museum; to the "Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States " by Dr. George Brown Goode, published in 1884 as a part of the Tenth Census Reports; and to the various Annual Bulletins and Reports of the United States Fish Commission. xxxlv AMERICAN BAIT MINNOWS To-morrow we will go a-fishing ; do thou go now and fetch the bait. Hymir to Thor. THE great majority of the " bait minnows " used by anglers in America belong to the Cyprinidce, which is the carp or minnow family proper. Two or three are catfishes, three or four are darters, one or more species of killifish are used to some extent, the skipjack (Labidesthes sicculus) is used in some places for certain kinds of fishing, and the young of several species of suckers are seen in the live-box of the dealer in " minnows " or in the bucket of the amateur angler. The mud minnow (Umbra limi), which, of course, is no minnow at all, any more than that it is a young dog-fish (Amia calva], as many a fisherman will assure you, may also be found among the species offered for sale. And all these have their advantages, that of Umbra being that it will live and remain vigorous under any kind of treatment ; even the game fish will let it severely alone. Even young bass, perch and blobs may now and then be seen in the live-boxes, and unsophisticated anglers may be inveigled into paying a good round price for them upon the recommendation of the conscienceless dealer who asseverates that they are "just the thing." With these few exceptions, however, all the small fishes used for bait belong to a single family, the Cyprinidce, an exceedingly large family of fishes, usually small in size, found throughout North America, Europe and Asia. The number of species found in each of these three continents is very great, and the total number of known species in the family is very large. In North America alone the family is represented by about 40 genera and 130 species. There is scarcely a stream or lake which has not from 2 or 3 to 30 or more species of this family. The streams of the Upper Mississippi basin are most abundantly supplied; not only are there numerous species, but individuals abound. In the Wabash basin alone not fewer than 30 different species are found. Though most of the minnows are species whose individuals attain only a small size, this is not true of all members of the XXXV American Bait Minnow* family. While our largest minnows in the Eastern States rarely reach a length of more than a foot or 18 inches, there are species in the West, particularly in the Colorado and Columbia rivers, which attain a length of 4 to 5 feet and a weight of many pounds. And they are as true minnows as are any of our small species. The term "minnow" does not mean a small fish or a young fish, but it means a member of the Cypriiiidiv family of fishes, whatever may be its size. The proper name for young fish is fry. Our genera of Cyprinidir are mostly very closely related and are separated by characters which, although reasonably constant are often of slight structural importance. All the species spawn in the spring and early summer and the spring or breeding dress of the male is often peculiar. The top of the head, and often the fins and other parts of the body are covered with small tub- ercles, outgrowths from the epidermis. The fins and l<"w- Pharyngeal teeth of the Rcdfin (Notropis er portions of the body are cornutus), which has the teeth 2, 4-4, 2, hooked and with narrow grind- ing surface. in some genera it is satin-white, yellow, or even black. Young Cyprinidce are usually more slender than adults of the same species, and the eye is always much larger. The young also frequently show a black lateral stripe and caudal spot which the adult may not possess. The fins and scales are often, especially in individuals living in small brooks or in stagnant water, covered with round black specks, which are immature trematodes and should not be mistaken for true colour markings. No progress can be made in the identification of minnows without very careful attention to the teeth, as the genera are largely based on dntal characters. The minnows have no teeth in the mouth, the jaws, tongue, vomer and palatines being entirely toothless. The only teeth which they possess are on the pharyngeal bones, and are known as pharyngeal teeth. often charged with bright pigment, the prevailing col- our of which is red, although American Bait Minnows The pharyngeal bones can be removed by inserting a pin or small hook through the gill-opening, under the shoulder-girdle. The bone may then be carefully cleaned with a tooth-brush, and when dry, examined with a hand-lens and the teeth easily made out. In most cases the teeth will be found to be in two rows, the principal row containing 4 or 5 teeth, and the other row having but i or 2, which are usually smaller. There is, of course, a pharyngeal bone on each side, and both must usually be examined. The 2 sides are usually, but not always, sym- metrical. Thus, "teeth 2,4-5,1' indicates two rows of teeth on each side, on the one side 4 in the principal row and 2 in the lesser row; on the other side 5 in the main row and i in the other. "Teeth 4-4" means a single row of 4 teeth on each pharyngeal bone. In many of our minnows the teeth, or the principal ones, are "raptatorial," that is, hooked inward at the tips. A grinding or masticatory surface is an excavated space or groove, usually at the base of the hook. Sometimes the grinding surface is very narrow and confined to i or 2 teeth. Sometimes a bevelled or flattened edge looks so much like a grinding surface as to mislead a superficial observer. In some cases the edge of the tooth is serrate or crenate. Minnows are found in all sorts of places. Certain species, as the spot-tailed shiner, are confined chiefly to lakes ; others, as the fallfish, are found in the larger streams ; still others, as the creek chub, are found in the smaller streams. In any given stream certain species will be found to frequent the swiftly- flowing waters or the riffles and gravel-bars; others seek the deeper, quiet pools; while yet others will be found among the patches of aquatic vegetation. Collecting bait minnows : There are, of course, all sorts of ways for collecting or securing bait minnows. The great majority of anglers are doubtless in the habit of depending upon local dealers for bait. Every important fishing resort has one or more persons who are in the business and from whom live minnows may be obtained at prices varying from 25 cents to $2.00 a dozen. And there are dealers who keep nothing but desirable minnows, but the average man who handles live bait is not so particular, and in his live-box may be found all sorts of small fish, and some XXXVll American Bait Minnows that are not small, which he recommends in the highest terms to the inexperienced angler. But many anglers, either by preference or from necessity, collect their own bait minnows, and this custom has much to recommend it ; for one can usually secure better minnows. He i'an make his own selections as to species and size, his minnows will be fresher and more vigorous than those from the Saprolegnia- infested live-box, and, moreover, he who collects his own min- nows learns much about their habits and much of nature, which will be no disadvantage to any man. The best and most satisfactory manner of collecting minnows for bait is by means of the Baird collecting seine. These seines can be had of any desired length from H. & G. W. Lord, Boston, but the angler, will of course, keep within the lawful limit of minnow seines. The peculiarity of the Baird seine is that the middle portion is made with finer mesh than the ends and is made into a bag 2 or 3 feet in length. Seines without the bag, but with the finer mesh in the bunt may be had. Various other kinds of nets are used, with varying success, but a Baird seine 15 to 25 feet long will prove most satisfactory. Minnows suitable for live bait can be found in almost any stream or lake that has not been overfished or whose waters are not polluted or made unsuitable for fish by milling, mining, logging or sewage operations. Different species will be found in different streams, some preferring those with colder water, rocky bottom, and swiftly-flowing current, while others have chosen the streams whose waters flow more slowly and are warmer, and whose bottom is of mud or sand or fine gravel. And in the same stream different species will seek out different parts; some prefer the quiet reaches, some the patches of aquatic vegetation, while others delight to dwell in the shallows of the riffles upon the gravel-bars where the water flows swiftly and is well aerated. A similar distribution of species will be noticed in the lakes and ponds. Generally speaking, the species of minnows will be most numerous and individuals most abundant in the warmer streams and lakes. In the experience of many anglers, creek or river minnows are preferable to those from lakes or ponds, particularly if one is fishing for black bass or wall-eyed pike. The best bait species XXXVIII American Bait Minnows are those that are found in the swiftly flowing water of the riffles. Not only are the species better, but the fish are more vigorous and active, and more tenacious of life, as well as more silvery or brightly coloured, which are the points chiefly deter- mining the excellence of a bait minnow, as such. To be effective, a bait minnow must be bright or silvery enough to attract the attention of the fish, it must be active to show that it is alive, albeit in distress or under restraint, and its tenacity of life must be great to enable it to withstand the changed and constantly changing environment and the slight physical injury incident to its being impaled upon the hook. The size of the minnows selected will of course be determined by the kind of fishing the angler wishes to do. In seining for bait minnows a great many small fish will be caught which are not wanted. It would seem that it ought not to be necessary to urge that these should all be returned to the water, but entirely too many bait-gatherers and anglers fail to do so. The seine is hauled out upon the shore, the minnows that are wanted are put into the live-bucket, and the rest of the catch is dumped upon the shore to die. Among the fishes allowed to perish miserably in this way will be found young of many food-and-game species such as both species of black bass, the rock bass, bluegill, and yellow perch, as well as many other species that are either valuable as food or which serve as food for our game fishes. The great scarcity of fish in many streams and small lakes is undoubtedly due in large measure to this wholly inexcusable carelessness and the criminal indifference of those seining for bait. Various sorts of traps are used for catching minnows. The most common and perhaps the most effective is made of wire and constructed after the manner of the ordinary rat-trap, which permits easy entrance but exit from which is difficult. These traps are, of course, baited, usually with small particles or balls of dough, and are set in places which minnows are known to frequent. Minnows may be caught also by means of a small dip-net by properly baiting it and allowing it to rest upon the bottom until the minnows are over it in numbers feeding upon the dough with which it has been baited; then by lifting the net quickly the minnows may be secured. xxxix American Bait Minnows In the absence of all better ways good bait minnows, parti- cularly the fallfish, creek chub, river chub, and redfm may be obtained with hook and line, provided the hook used be very small. The care of live minnows: More bait minnows die from careless handling and disease than are used in actual fishing, but it should be otherwise. With proper attention there should be but little loss with any of the desirable minnows ; most of them are hardy and will do well in confinement. In the first place, a large minnow bucket is better than a small one, and too many fish should not be put in it at one time; crowding should always be avoided. The fish must be handled as little as possible and with extreme care; handling or other treatment which results in rubbing off any scales is sure to prove, fatal very soon. The water should be kept cool and well aerated, either by addition of fresh water by pouring, or by pumping air into the water with a bicycle pump. Before putting minnows in the bucket it should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, so that no germs may be left from fish which may have died in it. If you have a live-box in which you keep on hand a larger supply of minnows, it should receive the same attention. It must be set in suitable water, water that is cool and which has a current, if possible, and must be thoroughly cleaned and disin- fected as often as possible. Probably the vast majority of fish which die in live-boxes and aquariums do so from the attacks of different species of a fungus belonging to the genus Saprolegnia. These are plants "closely related in structure to the algae, and may be regarded as degraded forms which, because of their saprophytic or parasitic habits, have lost their chlorophyl or green colouring matter. This fungus may develop on any part of the fish, though perhaps most abundantly or more frequently on the tail, fins or head, or where scales have been rubbed off. It may be limited to small definite patches, or may spread all over the fish. In general it forms tufts of white, fluffy threads that radiate out from the body. The mycelium of this fungus develops beneath the scales or skin, and by the time it appears on the surface the fish is past recovery. The only way to do then is to destroy all those evidently affected. The others which may be saved should be removed to another tank or vessel and treated to a saltwater bath. xl American Bait Minnows The salt solution should not be too strong; ordinarily about one part of salt to a thousand of water will prove sufficiently strong. Before the fish are returned to the live-box it should be carefully cleaned and set in a different place. It is of course much more difficult to keep minnows in the summer than at any other time ; and as it is also easier to get them then there is no necessity for crowding the live-box. Though there are more than a hundred species of minnows in America and nearly all of them are used to some extent as bait, not more than a dozen or 14 are usually regarded as bait minnows. While the relative values of the different kinds of bait min- nows vary greatly with the locality, nevertheless certain species are recognized by all anglers as particularly suitable for certain game fishes and others for other game fishes. For muskallunge the best and most popular minnows are the fallfish (Semotilus corporalis), large examples of the creek chub (S. atromaculatus), and the river chub (Hybopsis kentucki- ensis). Small suckers are also often used, but perhaps the best of all is the river chub, as it is a hardy vigorous fish which will endure much punishment and is very active and attractive on the hook. Smaller examples of these same species are excellent for both species of black bass. For bass fishing the following additional species are superior live-bait: Storer's chub (Hybopsis storerianus) redfin or common silverside (Notropis cornutus), shiner or spottail minnow (N. hudsonins), the silverfin (N. whipplii), the slender silver- side (N. atherinoides), and the blunt-nosed minnow (Pimephales notatus). In the Potomac and Susquehanna rivers small catfish are extensively used and are very killing. In Maine the gray- back or " shore-fish "( Fundulus diaphanus] is much used. But the style of minnow varies much with the locality and the season. In some places and during some seasons crawfish and frogs are the best lures. Frogs are used in New England and in the Great Lakes region. Crawfish are popular in the Great Lakes and throughout the Mississippi Valley. In the small lakes of northern Indiana, justly celebrated for their black bass, the small- mouth prefers a grasshopper in the summer but in the fall the river chub, blunt-nosed minnow and redfin are the best. The large-mouth does not ordinarily take grasshoppers very readily; xli American Bait Minnows but the various minnows just named, if of somewhat larger size, are very effective. Of course many other kinds of small fishes are used as live- bait in different localities and many kinds of live-bait not min- nows are used, among which the names of many will occur to the angler who reads these pages, grasshoppers, frogs, clams, white grubs, angleworms, dobsons, hellgrammite, and even mice. Perhaps the thorough-going angler will be disposed to scorn all live-bait and use only the artificial fly. And in this he is quite right, for to catch many fish is no longer the desire of the true angler. Only those unworthy the name and whom we no longer respect are disposed to make large catches. Anglers now go a-angling with light tackle and give the fish a chance. They will not catch many fish; the size of the basket is not their aim. They will never take more fish than they can properly use. But they will enjoy fishing only the more on that account. They will get away from offices, counting-rooms, school-books, parlours and five-o'clock teas, out into the open of existence where life is real and where worry and strain and sham are not; where there are green banks and leafy, fragrant woods, singing birds and blue skies. These they will see and feel and enjoy and, returning home, the serious affairs of life will be taken up again with lighter heart and cleaner soul. "It is not all of fishing to fish." FISHING WITH THE FLY* LY FISHING is the art of presenting to a fish a bunch of feathers tied to a hook in such a manner that the fish will believe that the aforesaid bunch is something edible and become "permanently attached" to it. The seductiveness of the presentation of the artificial fly depends greatly on the ability of the fisherman to cause his line to fall gently on the water within reasonable distance of the spot where his prospective victim is lying in wait for something to eat to pass by. Fly fishing is the highest branch of angling. Its appurten- ances are the most artistic of all fishing tackle and its practice utilizes the most graceful of all motions involved in fishing. It is a perpetual joy to its votaries, and, like chess, while the element- ary moves are easily learned, there is always room for improvement. The requisite tackle is simple, beautiful and, comparatively speaking, inexpensive. The man of moderate means is perfectly equipped with a ten-dollar outfit, while the wealthy angler may gratify his artistic taste in the ownership of an equipment costing fifteen times as much and both may meet on the stream on exactly equal terms. The float, sinkers, spoons, bait boxes and swivels of the bait fisherman form no part of the fly-caster's outfit. A light rod with the reel seat below the hand a simple single- action reel, 25 to 60 yards of waterproof enameled fly line, a couple of 6 foot leaders of single silkworm gut, an assortment of flies and a book to hold them, a creel, and a short-handled land- ing-net complete his equipment. He has no bait to procure and no worry, trouble or bother in transporting and keeping it alive; the success of his day's outing depends on his skill, the use of the simple equipment given, and his knowledge of the habits of the fish he pursues. The novice who has never tried to cast a fly will get per- haps as much assistance as he can receive from printed matter out of the following simple instructions: * This chapter has been furnished by Mr. E. T. Keyset. xiiii Fishing with the Fly Take your rod from the case, attach' your single-action reel to the butt of the rod on the same side as the guides, in such a position that with the reel on the under side of the butt the handle will be at the right hand. Join the tip and the middle joint together, keeping the guides of both in line, pressing the ferule gently together, avoiding a twisting motion which is apt to injure the rod; then bring the second joint and butt together in the same manner. Draw 3 or 4 yards of line from the reel and thread it through the guides and tip. Attach the free end of your line to the upper leader loop with a knot as indicated in illustration (i). The advantage of this knot lies in the fact that i Knot for attaching leader to line for fly-fishing. any amount of tension on line or leader will serve only to draw it more tightly, but a slight pull on the loose end (A) will at once release the knot. Make an assortment of three flies, using dark or dull coloured flies for bright days or shallow water and bright gaudy flies for dark days or deep streams. Pass the loop of the fly snell over the leader loops, then bringing the body of the fly through the latter. The leader should be moist and pliant before using; otherwise it will snap when casting and your flies will either decorate some nearby tree-top or sail down the stream entirely unconnected with the rest of your tackle. For casting from a boat or on a comparatively open stream the ordinary over- hand cast which is the simplest may be used. Hold the butt of your rod in your right hand with your reel underneath. Strip sufficient line from your reel to enable your end or dropper fly to come to the butt of your rod. Hold the hook of your dropper fly in the left hand, pulling it backwards on a line with, and sufficient distance below the butt of your rod, to bend the tip in a half circle. Hold your rod almost horizontally, with a slight upward inclination to the tip. Release the dropper fly. The spring of the rod tip will cause the line to spring forward its full length and the flies to light on the water. With the thumb vliv Fishing with the Fly and the fore-finger of the left hand grasp the line above the reel, stripping a couple of feet of it. Raise the rod with a gradual quickening motion until the tip of the rod passes backward over the right shoulder and back of one's head. This will raise the flies from the water and, as they rise, the resistance of the water will take up the slack of the line which has just been stripped from the reel. Rising from the surface of the stream, line, leader and flies will swing over and behind you in a manner similar to a coach driver's whip-lash. Continue the motion of the rod in an elliptical course which will bring the tip forward and to the left until the tip lies again before you at an angle of about 25 degrees. Then let it cease its motion. By this time if the cast is properly made, the line is out straight ahead of you and the flies have dropped on the surface of the water at a point 2 feet ahead of the spot where they lay before making the cast. The trick in making this style of cast is to have the line straight out behind you at the same instant that the rod is at its furthest backward position; for if the forward motion is made before the line is straightened out, it will snap like a coachman's whip and good-by leaders and flies. In practising have a com- panion watch you and shout "forward" at the very instant when the line is at the correct position for the forward cast. A little practice with a watcher to warn will enable you to know in- tuitively what is the correct time to commence the forward motion of the rod. Keep the right elbow close to the body. Let all motion be in the forearm and wrist until flies almost touch the water. Use as much as possible the elasticity of the rod to shoot flies and line forward. Keep the rod tip at an angle of 25 degrees until the flies almost touch the water. Then lower it gently just suf- ficient to allow the flies reaching the surface without splash. If the cast is not long enough, strip a couple more feet of line from the reel and proceed as before until the cast is long enough to suit you or you have as much line out as you can manage. The position of the rod and the actual path of the flies through the air, from the time of leaving the water until touch- ing it again, will be readily understood by referring to Figure 2. No. i is the first position of the rod with the fly resting on the water, No. 2 shows the rod at the end of the backward motion, xlv Fishing with the Fly and No. j) in its position just before the fly drops to the surface of the water. The path of the Hies themselves, from the time they rise from the water until their return to it, is indicated by the dotted lines, the fly moving in the direction of the arrow. Overhand cast. It is not always possible to be able to make this kind of cast without danger of entangling the flies in the brushwood back of you and it is often desirable to be able to drop the flies under a projecting bush or tree. For dropping under an overhanging ob- struction flipping the fly as described when first getting it into the water is a good scheme. The method of making this "flip" cast will be readily under- stood by referring to diagram No. 3, showing relative position of rod and line and the dotted line indicating the path of the flies through the air. 3. Flip cast. A very powerful method of getting one's fly out against a head wind is in swiftly raising the rod from nearly a horizontal to a vertical position and then down and away from one with a forceful switching motion. This throws the line up overhead and then downward and out in front of the caster, the line and the flies cutting through the breeze. This explanation is scarcely as plain as the diagram No. 4. xlvi Fishing with the Fly The underhand cast, as illustrated in cut No. 5, differs from the overhand in that the path of the fly on leaving the water instead of being upward, is brought back by the motion of the rod from position i to 2, about on a level with the reel, and on 4. ' Wind cast." reaching its furthest backward point by the motion of the rod from positions 2 to 3, the fly sweeps upward, forward, and then down- ward to the water, as indicated by the dotted line, in a parabolic curve. Roughly speaking, while the path of the fly in the over- hand cast may be said to describe almost a figure 8 in the air, in the underhand method it moves in an irregular ellipse. \ 5. Underhand cast. The switch casting shown in Figure No. 6 will be more easily understood by reference to the diagram than from the lengthy ex- planation which will be required to describe it. i, 2, 3 and 4 show the various positions of the rod from the time the fly is on the water until the time it is just about to return to the surface. The heavy lines show approximately the shape which the line assumes at the different positions of the rod, while the dotted line indicates the course of the flies which travel in the direction of the arrow points. The switch cast, when mastered, is a method that enables one to get a tremendous amount of line out; it will also require considerable practice. xlvii Fishing with the Fly There are several other very beautiful and useful casts, which nothing but actual practice under an expert will enable one to acquire. By all means fish up stream, if possible. Trout lie with their heads toward the head of the stream, waiting for their food to float toward them. Their vision above and ahead is singularly acute, but extremely poor toward the rear. Cast above them and let the flies float down over them. They are not as likely to see you as if you were in front, and they will not be disturbed by the dirt and debris which you set in motion and which float down stream. 6. Switch cast. In spring and early summer trout may be found in compara- tively shallow water among the ripples. Of course, where the current is very strong in these ripples, or miniature rapids, it may sometimes be desirable to fish for them from up stream, but this practice is to be avoided when possible. The tackle and methods, as indicated above, are identical for both trout and black bass, with the exceptions, while the trout fly rod may run from 9 to io feet in length and for practical purposes weigh from 6 to 7^ ounces, the bass rod should be about 10 feet in length, and requiring more backbone, should weigh from 8 to 10 ounces. Trout and bass flies are almost identical in their patterns, but while trout flies should be tied on sproat hooks ranging in size for ordinary work from 8 to 10, or for clear much /ished streams, on even No. 12, the bass casting flies are tied on Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5. The most useful may be named as fol- lows: Coachman, professor, soldier, grizzly-king, queen of the \vater, and ibis, while the green, brown, yellow and red hackles, together with the white hackle for evening use or on very dark Jays, will be found excellent stand-bys. While for ordinary streams flies tied on 8 to 10 sproat hooks and the regulation single trout leaders will be found satisfactory, xlviii Fishing with the Fly for with worms, this beautiful little fellow will take the fly, his preference being one in which orange or yellow predominates, such as the yellow drake, California red hackle, yellow may or ouana- niche. On a light fly-rod, swinging his broad side against the strain of the line which he makes cut the water in a hissing circle, Mr. Pumpkin Seed will often give the fisher a pleasant afternoon when trout and bass are not rising. Many other species of fresh-water fishes will take the fly, some of them readily and with a rush, others somewhat gingerly. Among those we have taken with the fly may be mentioned "Clark's spey cast" is a difficult, but beautiful cast to make. Mr. Clark, from whom it takes the name, is credited with throwing fifty yards. the crappie, calico bass, rock bass, warmouth bass, bluegill, red-eared sunfish, white lake bass, and yellow perch. And the cisco of Lake Tippecanoe and the small Wisconsin lakes takes the fly beautifully for a few days in June, as has been shown by that excellent and versatile angler, William C. Harris. Pishing with the Fly for work on very clear and much fished waters, when the trout have by actual experience or hereditary knowledge become shy, midges or very tiny flies on No. 12 hooks and very finely drawn leaders will more successfully deceive them. On such streams the English method of dry-fly fishing is often the only style of casting that will put trout in the creel. The usual style of trout-fly fishing consists in wading the stream and making casts in likely places at the foot of riffles, at the edges of stumps, logs and brush and beneath overhanging bushes and banks. The dry-fly fisher, on the contrary, waits until he perceives a rising fish and then presents his fly in such a man- ner that it will float over it. In order to have the flies float, they must be dry, and to keep them dry the angler goes along his way casting them backward and forward through the air, never letting them touch the water until actually presenting them to the fish. This continual swinging enables him to have a quantity of line out and under instant control and also dries the flies after each unsuccessful immersion. Some fishermen drag the flies over the water at the end of each cast, believing that the motion resembles that of an aerial insect endeavoring to escape to land, and flies are often tied with heads toward the hook barb so that, on being drawn over the water, the resistance of their legs and wings will cause them to flutter as if alive. Other anglers declare that the more attractive method is to allow the flies to float quietly, and to enable them to remain on the surface, the bodies of some flies are wound over strips of cork. Trout, black bass, grayling and salmon, are the principal American fishes whose capture may be sought with the fly. Both the grayling and salmon may be dismissed with a word. The former, while game, is found in comparatively few waters. The latter requires expensive tackle, boats, guides, and the rights to fish in the waters which it inhabits rent at so high a figure that com- paratively few fishermen can afford to indulge in the pastime of bringing them to gaff. Trout and bass, like one's poor relations, are always with us, scarcely any portion of this country is without its trout or bass water, and the poorest man may occupy his vaca- tion in submitting the fly to their critical taste. The little sunfish or pumpkin-seed of our ponds and fresh water streams possesses game qualities not generally recognized. Although usually fished xlix THE PADDLEFISHES Family I. Polyodontidce BODY fusiform, scarcely compressed; skin smooth, scaleless; snout lengthened and expanded into a long, thin, flat blade or spatula, the inner part formed by the produced nasal bones, the outer portion with a reticulate bony framework, the whole some- what flexible; mouth broad and terminal, but overhung by the broad spatulate snout; border of mouth formed by the premaxillaries, the maxillaries being obsolete; jaws and palatines with numerous fine, decidous teeth in the young, scarcely evident in the adult; no tongue; spiracles present; opercle rudimentary, its skin produced behind in a long, pointed flap; no pseudobranchiae; gills 4^; gillrakers long, in a double series on each arch, the series divided by a broad membrane; gill-membranes connected, but free from the isthmus; a single broad branchiostegal ray; no barbels; nostrils at the base of the blade and double; a well-developed and contin- uous lateral line, its lower margin with short branches; dorsal fin placed posteriorly, of soft rays only; anal fin similar, somewhat more posterior; tail heterocercal, the lower lobe, however, well- developed, the tail being thus nearly equally forked; sides of the upper caudal lobe armed with small, rhombic plates; pectoral fins moderate, placed low; ventrals many-rayed, abdominal; air-bladder cellular, not bifid; pyloric caeca a short, broad, branching, leaf-like organ; intestine with a spiral valve; skeleton chiefly cartilaginous. This family contains but two known species Psephnrus gladius, a singular inhabitant of the fresh waters of China, and the paddlefish found in the United States. Paddle-fish; Spoon-bill Cat Polyodon spathula (Walbaum) The Paddle-fish is one of the most singular and interesting fishes occurring in American waters. Its home is in the bayous The Paddlefish and lowland streams of the Mississippi Valley from Texas and Louisiana on the south to Minnesota and Wisconsin on the north. It is not uncommon in the Ohio and its larger tributaries, and in the Missouri basin it is found at least as far west as western South Dakota. It is particularly abundant in the streams of Arkansas, the lower Ohio and the Mississippi north to St. Paul. A single example has been recorded from Lake Erie which it doubtless reached through the Wabash and Erie Canal. The paddle-fish reaches an immense size. Mr. William C. Harris, in his "Fishes of North America," records an individual taken in Lake Tippecanoe, Indiana, which was 6 feet 2 inches in total length, 4 feet in greatest circumference, and which weighed 150 pounds; and we have a photogaph of another caught in Chautauqua Lake, whose length and circumference were exactly the same as in the Tippecanoe specimen, but whose weight was somewhat less, it being only 123}^ pounds. Another example obtained in Lake Manitau, Indiana, weighed 163 pounds, which is the largest on record. Still another, a male, caught by us in White River, South Dakota, was 4 feet 5 inches in total length and weighed 18 pounds. Mr. F. R. Mueller, a wholesale fish dealer of Chicago, who has made a specialty of this species, says he has seen examples as long as 4^ feet and weigh- 75 to 80 pounds. He states that the average length is 3 feet and the weight 30 pounds. Mr. Mueller's figures doubtless refer to female fish at spawning time when they are much heavier than the males. In 1817, the distinguished naturalist, Charles Alexandre Le Sueur, described a specimen, 4 feet 8 inches in total length, which he obtained in the Ohio River, but adds that the species grows to somewhat larger size. Dr. Kirtland, in 1845, states that Dr. Engelman of St. Louis examined a specimen, 5 feet 10 inches long, weighing 79 pounds. The shovel of this specimen was \6y 2 inches long and 4 inches wide, 4 inches from the tip. He further states that another example taken at the same time weighed " more than 90, or even 100 pounds." According to Mr. Horace Beach of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, the paddle-fish is not uncommon in the river at that place, where it attains a maximum length of somewhat more than 4 feet and a weight of 30 pounds. The young of the paddle-fish are scarcely, if at all, known. Indeed, we have never seen or heard of an example under 6 or 8 The Paddlefish inches in length, and individuals so small as that are but rarely seen. Specimens under a foot in length are very greatly desired by naturalists. The little that is known regarding the spawning time or place of this fish indicates that, in the lower Mississippi Valley, the spawning season is during March and April, while in the Ohio and northward it is during the latter part of May and June. Among a large number of fish examined at Louisville, Kentucky, during the third week in May, only a few were fully ripe. At that time the fish were running up stream, swimming near the surface, and evidently seeking their spawning grounds, which are thought to be in the ponds and bayous along the river. At this time they are caught in seines lightly leaded so as to fish the surface. At other seasons the paddle-fish may be caught on set-lines. Not until quite recently has this fish been regarded as possess- ing any food value. True, the negroes of the South have long held it in high esteem along with the channel cat and the goujon, but it is only within the last four or five years that it has had a market value. It now finds a ready sale in the markets and at a fair price. Its flesh is firm, like that of the sturgeon, which it resembles also in flavor. Indeed, in some places the meat of the paddle-fish is smoked and sold as sturgeon. But the paddle-fish is valued chiefly, not for its flesh, but for the roe, which is made into caviar. The eggs are greenish-black in colour, about three times the size of shad eggs, and very num- erous. They bring a high price and are said to make a good quality of caviar. The principal centres at which this industry is now carried on are along the Mississippi River in Mississippi and Tennessee, at Louisville, Kentucky and at Lake Pepin. Head, with opercular flap, more than half length of body; head, without flap, | length of body; spatula | to total length, longest in the young. Dorsal fin with 50 to 60 rays; anal 50 to 65; ventral 45. Opercular flap very long and pointed, nearly reaching the ventrals; premaxillary extending to beyond the small eye; gill- rakers very numerous and very slender; paddle broad; caudal fulcra 13 to 20, of moderate size; skin mostly quite smooth, a few small rhombic plates on the tail; ventrals near middle of body, the dorsal fin well behind them; anal larger than dorsal and more posterior, both somewhat falcate; fin-rays slender; a minute barbel at each spiracle; isthmus papillose in the young. Colour nearly uniform pale olivaceous or leaden-gray. THE STURGEONS Family II. Acipcnseridce On the white sand of the bottom Lay the monster, Mishe-Nahma, Lay the sturgeon, King of Fishes. II iaii'atlia '\ Fishing. BODY long, subcylindrical, armed with 5 rows of long bucklers, each with a median carina which terminates in a spine, which sometimes becomes obsolete with age; a median dorsal series and a lateral and abdominal series on each side, the latter sometimes deciduous; between the rows the skin is rough with small irregular plates; head covered with bony plates joined by sutures; snout produced, depressed, conical, or spatulate; mouth small, inferior, protractile, with thickened lips; no teeth; 4 barbels in a transverse series on the lower side of the snout in front of the mouth; eyes small; nostrils large, double, in front of eyes; gills 4; an accessory opercular gill; gill-membranes united to the isthmus; no branchiostegals; fin-rays slender, all articulated; ventral fins with fulcra, many-rayed and' behind middle of body; tail heterocercal, the lower caudal lobe developed, the upper covered with rhomboid scales. Large fishes of the seas and fresh waters of northern regions, most of the species being migratory. Two genera and 20 species are known, although more than 100 nominal species have been described. a. Spiracles present; snout subconic; Acipenscr, 5 aa. Spiracles obsolete; snout subspatulate; Scaphirhynchus, 13 GENUS ACIPENSER LINN^US The Sturgeons A small spiracle over each eye; snout subconic, more or less depressed below the level of the forehead; rows of bony shields distinct throughout, the tail not depressed nor mailed. Of the true sturgeons there are about 16 species, of which 5 occur in our waters. a. Plates between ventrals and anal fin small, in 2 rows, of 4 to 8 plates each ; transmontanus, 5 White Sturgeon; Oregon Sturgeon aa. Plates between ventrals and anal fin large, in i row, or in 2 rows anteriorly and I posteriorly, of i to 4 plates each. b. Space between dorsal and lateral shields with rather large stel- late plates in 5 to 10 series. c. Shields all roughly striated and ridged; colour decidedly greenish; medirostris, 7 cc. Shields not roughly striated nor ridged ; colour grayish ; sturio, 8 bb. Space between dorsal and lateral shields with minute spinules in very many series. d. Last dorsal shield of moderate size, more than | the one before it ; rubicundus, 10 dd. Last dorsal shield very small, less than $ length of the one before it ; brevirostrts, 1 2 White Sturgeon; Oregon Sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus (Richardson) Pacific Coast of America from Monterey, California, north to Alaska, ascending the Sacramento, Columbia and Fraser rivers in numbers in the spring. The white sturgeon, also known under several other names, among which may be mentioned Columbia River sturgeon, Sac- ramento sturgeon, and Pacific sturgeon, attains an enormous size and is one of our largest fishes. The largest examples of which we have record were 13 feet long and weighed 1,000 pounds. These were taken in Snake River, Idaho, whence numerous in- dividuals, weighing 100 to 650 pounds each, have been reported. Formerly very large sturgeon were not uncommon in the Col- umbia River, at Grays Harbor, and elsewhere on our Pacific Coast, but the average size of those caught now probably does not exceed 5 feet in length and 125 pounds in weight. An example, 1 1 feet 2 inches long, was 2 feet across the head, and another, 35 inches long, weighed 7^ pounds. No careful study of the habits of this sturgeon has been made. Until recent years it was known to ascend the larger rivers of our Pacific Coast in great numbers, but, owing largely to destruc- tive methods of fishing in vogue for many years, the species is now not at all abundant. It is doubtless true that the white sturgeon, like most other sturgeons, is anadromous in its habits, living ordinarily either in salt water or in the river-mouths except at spawning-time, when White Sturgeon ; Oregon Sturgeon it ascends the larger rivers for considerable distances, but it is also true that some individuals remain in fresh water throughout the year. They have been taken in Snake River in Idaho at least from March to October inclusive. It is said that they appear at Upper Salmon Falls just after high water in the spring and remain until winter, if not longer. They are most plentiful in spring when the water is muddy. Very little has been recorded regarding the food of this stur- geon, though it doubtless consists largely of small animals and plants which are sucked in through the tube-like mouth. Small fish also seem to form no inconsiderable part of their diet. A young sturgeon, 25 inches long, had 1 1 minnows in its stomach, and in the stomach of larger examples were found several suck- ers, each about a foot in length. In the lower part of the Columbia River the sturgeon are said to feed largely on sardines, smelts, and other small fish, and lamprey eels are said to make excellent sturgeon bait. The season for the sturgeon fishery in the Columbia River extends from April to November. The fish are caught on set- lines, in pounds, and to some extent in gillnets. The usual price is 4 to <=, cents a pound dressed, while the roe brings 25 to 30 cents a pound. The fish are either frozen and shipped East or the flesh is smoked. The roe is made into caviar, the manufacture of which is explained in connection with the con- sideration of the common American sturgeon. Only a few years ago the sturgeon of the West Coast were regarded with great disfavour by the salmon fishermen, who were greatly annoyed by the sturgeon getting in their nets. As they had no commercial value, they were knocked in the head and thrown away. But about 1888 their value began to be appreci- ated, and since that year every effort has been made to obtain them. The catch, however, has never been large, and the stur- geon fisheries of the West Coast are now quite depleted. Head 4 in length; depth 7; dorsal rays 44 to 48; anal 28 to 30; dorsal plates 11 to 14; lateral 36 to 50; ventral 9 to 12. Snout sharp in the young, becoming rather blunt and short in the adult in which it is considerably shorter than rest of head; barbels rather nearer tip of snout than mouth; gillrakers abo 26, comparatively long; first caudal fulcrum, above and below Green Sturgeon enlarged and granular; lower lobe of caudal rather sharp and long, nearly as long as upper. Colour, dark-grayish, scarcely olive-tinged, and without stripes. Green Sturgeon Acipenser medirostris (Ayres) The geographic range of the green sturgeon is approximately the same as that of the white sturgeon. It probably does not occur much south of San Francisco and is not common north of the Straits of Fuca. It is not so abundant as the white sturgeon and does not attain so large a size. Its habits do not differ materially from those of the white sturgeon. As a food-fish, however, it is of very inferior rank; indeed, it is commonly believed to be poisonous, but this belief is without any warrant. Its flesh, however, is dark, has a strong, disagreeable taste, and an unpleasant odour, and is regarded as quite inferior to that of the white sturgeon. In the Columbia River it is said to reach a length of 7 feet and a weight of 350 pounds, though the average size is considerably smaller. In the Sacramento they run from 35 to 150 pounds. This sturgeon is rarely found in fresh water, but is practi- cally limited to salt or brackish waters. It is seen about the river-mouths during August and September. There appear to be no regular fisheries for it, the flesh bring- ing only a nominal price, and the roe not being utilized at all. Head 4^; depth 7^; D. 33 to 35; A. 22 to 28; dorsal plates 9 to 1 1 ; lateral 26 to 30; ventral 7 to 10. Shields with a strongly hooked spine, the surface very rough; space between lateral and dorsal rows of shields with about 5 series of stellate plates in- terspersed with smaller ones; last dorsal shield moderate, more than half as large as next to last; snout sharp in the young, becoming blunt with age, usually rather shorter than rest of head; barbels nearly midway between tip of snout and mouth; gillrak- ers scarcely longer than broad, about 17 in number; upper lobe of tail with some scattered plates; caudal fulcra not enlarged; lower caudal lobe short and blunt, scarcely more than half length of upper; anal fin nearly as long as dorsal and mostly behind it. Colour, olive-green, with an olive stripe on the median line of belly and one on each side above the ventral plates, these stripes ceasing opposite the vent. Common Sturgeon Common Sturgeon Acipenser sturio (Linnaeus) The early records of this country make frequent mention of this sturgeon. William Penn and the botanist, Peter Kalm, were impressed by its large size and immense numbers, and make frequent reference to it in their notes and letters. As late as 1820 thousands of this huge fish might be seen in the lower Delaware. Not until about the middle of the century just closed did the sturgeon begin to receive attention as a food-fish. Mr. John N. Cobb states that nearly all the older fishermen of the Delaware River say that in their boyhood days few, except coloured people, ate sturgeon, though occasionally a family would fry a few steaks and serve them with cream. The roe was considered worthless except as bait for eels or perch, or to feed to the hogs. From 3 to 4 cents a pound were the best retail prices that could be obtained for the meat and usually only 25 or 30 cents could be had for a whole fish. About 1870, however, the meat of the sturgeon began to command a fair price, since which time the price has greatly increased and the abundance of the sturgeon has decreased proportionally. In 1890 the average catch of stur- geon in the Delaware River was 60 per net; since that year the decrease has been gradual and rapid, until in 1899 the catch was only 8 fish to the net. The total catch for the Delaware River in 1890 amounted to 5,023,175 pounds, while in 1897 (the last year for which complete statistics are available), the amount was only 2,428,616 pounds. The taking of the roe for caviar began in this country as early as 1853, and the smoking of sturgeon was begun about four years hiter. In the sturgeon fishery gillnets are used exclusively, and these are always drifted. The fishermen go out 2 or 3 hours before slack water and put their nets overboard. As the sturgeon is a Common Sturgeon bottom feeder, the net is weighted so that it sinks, wooden buoys called "dabs" attached to the cork line by means of ropes being used to mark the location of the net. The fisher- men drift along behind their net, and when a buoy indicates that a fish has been captured, that section of the net is taken in, the fish hauled into the boat, and the net reset. The sturgeon is taken aboard by means of long-handled hooks of round iron. Though of great size, they struggle very little when gilled or when being brought into the boat, and are gen- erally rolled in like a log. The net is usually fished but once a day, and is taken up at slack water, the fishermen returning to camp with the ebb tide. By far the most valuable part of the sturgeon is the roe, from which is prepared the very expensive commercial product called caviar. The manner of preparation is, briefly, as follows: After the eggs have been removed from the fish, they are placed in large masses upon a stand, the top of which is formed of a small-meshed screen. On the under side is placed a zinc-lined trough, about 18 inches deep, 2 feet wide, and 4 feet long. The operator gently rubs the mass of eggs back and forth over the screen, whose mesh is just large enough to let the eggs drop through as they are separated from the enveloping membrane. They thus fall into the trough, from which they are drawn off into tubs through a sliding door in one end of the trough. After all the roe has been separated, the tub is removed, and a certain proportion of the best Luneburg salt is added and mixed with the eggs by careful stirring with the hands. This is the most delicate part of the whole process, and the best results can be obtained by that proficiency which comes from long experience. After adding the salt, the eggs at first become dry, but in 10 or 15 minutes the salt has drawn from the eggs their watery constituents and a copious brine is formed, which is poured off when the tub becomes too full. The salted eggs are then poured into fine-meshed sieves which hold about 10 pounds each, where they are allowed to drain for 8 to 20 hours. The eggs have now become the caviar of commerce, which is put in casks or cans of various sizes. The cask usually holds 135 pounds, the price of which has increased from $9 to $12 in 1885 to $105 in 1899. Head 3^; depth 5!; snout 2 in head; eye very small, about Lake Sturgeon 14 in head; D. 38; A. 27; dorsal plates 10 to 14; lateral 27 to 29; ventral 8 to 11. Shields not strongly striated; stellate plates small, in about 10 rows, with smaller ones interspersed; last dorsal shield more than half length of one before it; snout rather sharp, about as long as rest of head, becoming shorter and blunter with age; barbels short, not reaching mouth, inserted nearly midway between mouth and tip of snout; gillrakers small, slender, pointed, sparse, not longer than pupil; lower lobe of tail rather sharp; anal more than half as long as the dorsal fin and placed mostly below it; anterior rays of pectoral thickened. Olive gray, paler below. Maximum length about 10 feet; weight 500 pounds. This is the common sturgeon of our Atlantic Coast and coastal rivers, and ranges from Maine to South Carolina. It is most abundant in the Delaware and occurs in some numbers in all the larger streams of this coast, particularly in the Hudson, Susquehanna, and James. The species is migratory in habit,spending much time in salt water in or near the bays, and running up the rivers to brackish or fresh water at spawning time. Lake Sturgeon Acipenser rubicund us (Le Sueur) The lake sturgeon is found as an inhabitant of the Great Lakes and the larger rivers connected therewith, Lake of the Woods, and many of the Canadian lakes. It was formerly abund- ant in the upper Mississippi Valley and is still found in some numbers in the Mississippi and in the lower portions of the Ohio, Missouri, and its other large tributaries. It is now perhaps most abundant in the Lake of the Woods, where the annual catch in 1894 on the United States side amounted to 1,0^9,267 pounds. Since then the decrease has been very rapid, until in 1899 the catch was only 197,033 pounds. Among the Great Lakes it is ro LAKE STURGEON, Acipenser rubicuiidus LAKE STURGEON, Acipenser rubicundus Lake Sturgeon most abundant in Lakes Erie and Ontario and least so in Lake Superior, whose deeper, colder water is less favourable for its growth than the more shallow, warmer water of the other lakes named. The lake sturgeon is the largest and one of the most important fishes of the Great Lakes, but it is now much less abundant than formerly. The average length of the examples now taken is less than 5 feet, though examples 6 feet long have been occasionally taken, and rarely individuals 9 feet in length have been reported. The average weight probably does not exceed 40 or 50 pounds, and about 100 pounds is the present maximum weight. It delights to frequent comparatively shoal water where, accord- ing to Milner, it feeds upon the smaller gasteropods, such as thin shelled Physa, Planorbis and l/alvata, and the more firm Limnea and Melantho. Though it is primarily a bottom feeder, it is known that small fishes constitute a not inconsiderable portion of its food. On August 9, 1894, Professor A. J. Woolman examined the stom- achs of 55 sturgeon at Garden Island, Lake of the Woods, of which number 28 contained one or more crawfish, 6 had insect larvae, 6 had mollusks, and 22 were empty. Among the miscel- laneous objects found were a fish-egg in one, a fish-vertebra in another, a hazelnut in one, and gravel in eight! Head 3^; depth 5!; eye 9 to 10 in head; snout about 2; D. 35; A. 26; dorsal shields n to 16; lateral shields 30 to 39; ventral shields 8 to n. Body rather elongate; snout slender and long in the young, becoming quite blunt with age, when it is considerably shorter than rest of head; shields large, rough and with strongly hooked spines in the young, becoming comparatively smooth in old individuals; skin with minute spinules in many series; ventral shields growing smaller with age, and finally decid- uous; anal fin f length of dorsal, beginning near its middle. it Short-nosed Sturgeon Short-nosed Sturgeon Acipenser brevirostris (Le Sueur) The short-nosed sturgeon ranges from Cape Cod southward to Florida, and rarely it has been reported from the coast of Texas. It is more southern in its distribution than the common sturgeon. Though not abundant anywhere, it is taken most frequently from New Jersey southward. Examples are occasionally taken in Indian River and elsewhere on the east coast of Florida, and it is said to be not uncommon in the Suwanee and other rivers on the Gulf coast of that state. This sturgeon is much smaller than the common sturgeon. The largest examples seen by Le Sueur were only 33 inches long, while the largest obtained by Ryder was but 23 inches. It probably does not attain a greater length than 3 feet, and seems to be not much used for food. Its habits so far as known do not differ from those of the common species. Its colour alone is usually diagnostic. The young of the common sturgeon is never dark-coloured, while the characteristic dirty olive-green or brownish, with a shade of green in it, is always seen in the common sturgeon at all stages of its growth. Head about 4; depth 5$-; eye 9 to 10 in head; snout about 3|; D. 41; A. 22; dorsal shields 8 to 11; lateral 22 to 33; ventral 6 to 9. Body elongate; snout very short and obtuse, \ to | length of head; barbels short and simple; skin between rows of shields with many rows of prickle-like plates; shields rather large and smoothish; anal fin about half si/e of dorsal and wholly below it. Colour, dusky or even dark above, paler below. Length 2 to 3 feet. 12 o w o Pi p cc P w O ffi GENUS SCAPHIRHYNCHUS HECKEL Snout broad, depressed, and shovel-shaped; caudal peduncle very long, strongly depressed, broader than deep; rows of bony bucklers confluent below the dorsal fin, forming a complete coat of mail on the tail, which is produced in a long filament beyond the caudal fin, this longest in the young; gillrakers somewhat fan-shaped; no pseudobranchiae. The single species of this genus is an inhabitant of the United States, but others closely related, forming the genus Kessleria, are found in Central Asia. Shovel-nosed Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus (Rafinesque) The shovel-nosed sturgeon is known only from the upper and middle Mississippi Valley. It is probably most abundant in the larger streams of the Central States, especially in the Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. During the month of May it is caught in consider- able numbers at the Falls of the Ohio. At that time it is run- ning up stream and, as it then swims near the surface, the fishermen capture it by means of seines weighted to fish the top rather than the bottom. It is found associated with the paddle- fish and the Ohio shad, which run at the same time. The shovel- nose is also taken on set-lines baited with cut-bait or small fish. According to the books, this species reaches a length of 8 feet, but we have never seen an example even approximating that size. Numerous specimens examined by us in the Wabash and Ohio rivers did not show any exceeding 4 feet in total length. The average length of 62 individuals examined by us at Louisville was 2 feet and the average weight 2\ pounds. The largest example among these was a female, 28 inches long, and weighing 4% pounds. Examples from the Wabash River, seen at 13 Shovel-nosed Sturgeon Terre Haute, were i to 4 feet long and weighed only 3 to 12 pounds! The female shovel-nose, as is the case with all other stur- geons, is usually considerably larger than the male. The flesh finds a ready sale, it being cut into steaks or smoked. The roe, however, is the most valuable part of the fish, and, though the amount furnished by a single fish is not large, it is highly prized, it being made into caviar. Not until recently has it been utilized for this purpose, but now the more progressive fishermen in the Mississippi Valley are careful to save the roe of both the shovel- nose and the paddle-fish, as well as that of the common lake sturgeon. Head 4; depth 8; snout i^; eye very small; D. 32; A. 20; dorsal shields 15 to 20; lateral 41 to 46; ventral n to 13. Body elongate, tapering into a slender, depressed tail, which is extended beyond the caudal (in in a slender filament, very long in the young, but usually lost in the adult; bony shields opisthocen- trous (i. e., with the spine behind the middle), sharply keeled, the series confluent below the dorsal, obliterating the smaller plates between; 2 occipital plates, each with a short keel; a preocular spine and one at the posterior edge of the "shovel"; a few spines on the snout in the young; barbels nearer mouth than tip of snout; none of the fulcra enlarged; dorsal and anal small; the anal little more than half length of dorsal and entirely behind it; gillrakers small and lamellate, ending in 3 or 4 points. Colour, pale yellowish olive. THE CATFISHES Family III. Siluridce BODY more or less elongate, naked or covered with bony plates; head with eight barbels, the base of the longest pair formed by the small or rudimentary maxillary ; margin of upper jaw formed by premaxillaries alone; opercle present, subopercle absent; dorsal fin short, above or in front of the ventrals; a small fatty or^ adipose fin back of the dorsal; front ray of dorsal and ventral spinous; air-bladder large, and connected with the organ of hearing by means of auditory ossicles ; lower pharyngeals separate. The family of catfishes is a large one, the total number of re- cognized genera being more than one hundred, and the number of species nearly one thousand. The majority of the species are fresh-water fishes, inhabiting the rivers of warmer countries, par- ticularly South America and Africa, being especially characteristic of the Amazon region; only a few species are marine and they are mostly tropical. The total number of species known from North and Middle America is one hundred and eight, of which about one-third are salt-water species belonging to the genera Felichthys, Galeichthys, Sciadeichthys, Aspistor, Selenaspis, Netuma, Tackysurus and Cathorops, only the first two of which have species on the United States coast. In the fresh waters and on the coasts of southern Mexico, Central America, and south- ward, are about a score of species of the genera Rhamdia, Pimelo- della and Pimelodus, but none of them is of any importance either for food or as a game-fish. In the United States and Mexico we have about 34 species, only about a dozen of which are of sufficient importance to merit any consideration in the present work. Most of the others are small species known as stone-cats or mad-toms, be- longing to the genera Noturus and Schilbeodes, characterized by the possession of a poison gland at the base of the pectoral spine, and by the connection of the adipose fin with the caudal. Of the 30 species of fresh-water catfishes occurring in the United States, all but 4 are confined to the Atlantic, Mississippi Valley and Gulf States. One species (Ictalurus meridionalis) is known only from the Rio Usumacinta, in Guatemala; another The Catfishes (Anidiirus iliigesi") is known from various parts of the great valley of the Rio Lerma in Mexico, a large stream which flows through Lake Chapala into the Pacific Ocean; another (Istlarius /hi/siviits), is a very large catfish in the basin of the Rio Balsas, described from Puente de Ixtla, in Morelos, Mexico ; and another (Atneiurits pried), from San Bernardino Creek in southern Arizona, also tributary to the Pacific. No species of catfish is native to the fresh waters of the Pacific Coast of the United States, though 2 species, Ameiunts nebiilosus and Amdunis trains, have been introduced from the East and have become very abundant in the Sacramento and San Joaquin. a. Adipose fin with its posterior margin free. b. Premaxillary band of teeth truncate behind, not produced back- ward at the outer angles. c. Supraoccipital bone continued backward from the nape, its notched tip receiving the bone at base of dorsal spine, so that a continuous bony bridge is formed under the skin from snout to base of dorsal; tail forked; Ictalnrns, 16 cc. Supraoccipital not reaching interspinal bones, the bony bridge being more or less incomplete; Anid'nrus, 23 bb. Premaxillary band of teeth with a lateral backward extension on each side ; Leptops, 3 \ aa. Adipose fin keel-like, adnate to the back and continuous with the caudal fin ; Notnnts, 33 GENUS ICTALURUS RAFINESOUE The Channel Cats Body elongate, slender, compressed posteriorly ; head slender and conical; mouth small, terminal, the upper jaw the longer; teeth subulate, in a short band in each jaw; dorsal fin high, with one long spine and usually 6 rays ; adipose fin over posterior portion of anal, which is long, with 2s to 30 rays ; ventral tins, each with one simple and 7 branched rays; pectorals, each with a stout spine, retrorse-serrate within, and about q rays; caudal fin long, deeply forked, the lobes pointed, the upper the longer. Colour, pale bluish, lead colour, or silvery. This genus is confined to the fresh waters of North America and contains four known species, all except one (I. mcridionalis, 16 The Blue Cat which may be an Ameiurns, known only from the Rio Usumacinta in southern Mexico) being important food-fishes. a. Anal fin very long, its base nearly one-third length of body, its rays 31 to 33 ; furcatus, 1 7 a a. Anal fin shorter, its rays 24 to 29. b. Cranial bones lighter, the supraoccipital long and narrow, its upper surface nearly smooth; punctatus, 21 bb. Cranial bones heavy, the supraoccipital broadly triangular, its upper surface finely grooved ; anguilla, 22 Blue Cat ; Mississippi Cat Ictalurus furcatus (Le Sueur) This is the largest and most important of all our catfishes. It is found throughout the Mississippi Valley and the Gulf States in all the larger streams and lakes and bayous. It is particularly abundant along the lower Mississippi, and in the Atchafalaya River in Louisiana, from one to two million pounds being shipped annually from the latter stream. It is not certainly known whether this fish is distinct from the large catfish of the Great Lakes. The blue cat attains an immense size. The largest specimen on record weighed 150 pounds, and was caught in the Mississippi at St. Louis. Examples weighing 80 to 100 pounds have not been infrequent. Very large individuals are not often seen now, however. Of 374 examples weighed and about 2.000 others examined at Morgan City, Louisiana, in 1897, the largest (a ripe female) weighed 35 pounds, but the average weight was The Blue Cat only a few pounds. The species reaches a maximum length of five feet. The most important fishery for the blue cat is in the Atcha- falaya River, and the industry centres chiefly at Morgan City. The methods of the fishery are interesting and merit a brief de- scription. Ordinarily the fishing season extends from September to May, though some fishing may continue throughout the year. Practically all the fishing is done with "trot lines" and "brush lines." The length of the former may vary from a few rods to more than a mile, depending upon the character of the body of water in which it is set. The snoods are usually 18 inches long, and placed 3 feet apart. All river fishing during fall and winter is done at the bottom, while lake fishing is at the surface. The bait used is classed as "live bait" and "cut bait," the former consisting chiefly of fish such as the hickory shad, mooneye, etc., and crawfish. The "shad" are the best bait, and 100 of them are said to be worth 200 or 300 crawfish. Though the crawfish will live longer on the hook, the "shad" is more tempting. "Cut bait" consists of larger examples of these and other fishes cut into the proper size. Eels are said to make ex- cellent cut bait, but are hard to get. Live bait is most used from September to November, inclusive, November being the best month. It is preferred to cut bait at any time, but can be obtained in quantity only in the fall. Live bait is used, however, whenever it can be gotten, and occasionally a fisherman is fortunate enough to secure good supplies during the spring fishing. These fish are influenced in their movements by the tem- perature of the water. During the winter they come farther down the river where the water is warmest, and in the summer they run farther up stream or into deeper water. During the spring rise in the Mississippi hundreds of square miles of the adjacent country become flooded, and then the catfish leave the rivers, lakes and bayous, and "take to the woods." Here the fishermen follow them, and "woods" or "swamp" fishing is resorted to. Short "brush" lines with single hooks are tied to limbs of trees here and there through the forest, in such a way as to allow the hook to hang about six inches under water. The trees selected are usually those along the edges of the "float" roads, and, that he may readily find his lines again, the fisherman ties a white rag to each tree to which he has attached a line. < 18 The Blue Cat The lines are visited daily, or as often as practicable, and the fish are placed in a live-box, where they are kept until the tug- boats from Morgan City make their regular collecting trips. Then they are transferred to the very large live-boxes or cars carried in tow by the tugs, and are taken to Morgan City, where the fish are dressed, put in barrels with ice, and shipped to the retailers in many States of the Union. In spite of popular prejudice to the contrary, the flesh of this catfish is of excellent quality, firm and flaky, of very delicious flavour, nutritious in a high degree, and always commanding a fair price. Of all the catfishes it is the one most deserving of cultiva- tion and popular favour, and which could with profit be introduced into other countries. This, however, would probably not meet with the approval of Punch, if we may judge by the following protest printed in that periodical, apropos the proposed introduction of the catfish into England. ** . t Oh, do not bring the Catfish here! The Catfish is a name I fear. Oh, spare each stream and spring, The Kennet swift, the Wandle clear, The lake, the loch, the broad, the mere, From that detested thing! The Catfish is a hideous beast, A bottom-feeder that doth feast Upon unholy bait; He's no addition to your meal, He's rather richer than the eel; And ranker than the skate. His face is broad, and flat, and glum; He's like some monstrous miller's thumb; He's bearded like the pard. Beholding him the grayling flee, The trout take refuge in the sea, The gudgeons go on guard. He grows into a startling size; The British matron 'twould surprise And raise her burning blush The Blue Cat To see white catfish as large as man, Through what the bards call 'water wan,' Come with an ugly rush! They say the Catfish climbs the trees, And robs the roosts, and down the breeze Prolongs his catterwaul. Oh, leave him in his western flood Where the Mississippi churns the mud; Don't bring him here at all! " The spawning season of the blue cat in Louisiana is during the months of April and May. Out of 374 fish examined at Morgan City, Louisiana, April 22-24, more than 94 per cent, were spent fish or fish ready to spawn. In Louisiana this, the most valuable of all our catfishes, is known as the blue cat or poisson bleu. Elsewhere in the Mississippi Valley it is the Mississippi cat, the great forktailed cat 01 chucklehead cat. Whether the names Florida cat, flannel- mouth cat, etc., apply to this species is not certain, as the blue cat and the large northern catfish (Ameiurns, lacnstris) have not been clearly differentiated. Head 4 to 4' in length of body ; depth 4 to 5; D.I, 6; A. 32 ; distance from tip of snout to origin of dorsal fin 2f in body; greatest width of head \\ in its length; interorbital width 2, equalling width of mouth ; maxillary barbel not reaching beyond head ; humeral process about length of pectoral spine; anal base- nearly \ longer than head, or % length of body ; head small; mouth narrow; eye small, wholly anterior, the middle of the head being behind its posterior margin; dorsal a little nearer snout than adipose fin; caudal deeply forked, the upper lobe usually longer and narrower than the lower. Colour, dull olivaceous blue or slaty, pale or whitish below, without spots anywhere; barbels usually the colour of the body, rarely black. ?0 The Channel Cat Channel Cat; Spotted Cat Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque) Rivers of the Great Lakes region and the Mississippi Valley, and streams tributary to the Gulf of Mexico ; generally abundant in the channels of the larger streams, especially southwestward. The channel cat has frequently been confused with the pre- ceding species, and its geographic distribution and size have not been definitely made out. It is certain, however, that while the blue cat is a fish of sluggish waters and the lowlands, the channel cat prefers the flowing water of the clearer, purer streams. It does not reach so great a size as the blue cat ; the largest the writers have seen was about 2 feet long. It is doubtful if this species exceeds 25 or 30 pounds in weight. It is not nearly so abundant as the blue cat in the Atchafalaya River and elsewhere in the South, but in the Wabash, the Tennessee, Cumberland and Gasconade, it is the more common species. The manner of its capture is the same as for the blue cat. It is a trimmer, more active fish than any of the related species, and, living as it does in clearer, more swiftly-flowing water, it is more cleanly in its habits, and its flesh is rather firmer, more flaky, and possibly somewhat better in flavour than is that of any other catfish. The spawning time in the South begins in early April, while in the Wabash it is in June. Head 4 in length of body; depth 5; body long and slender, the back little elevated; A. 25 to 30; head rather small, narrow, 2 r The Eel Cat and convex above, so that the eye is little nearer the upper than the lower outline; eye moderate, the posterior edge of the orbit at middle point of head; mouth small and narrow; barbels long, that on maxillary usually reaching beyond gill-opening; spines long; humeral process long and slender, more than half length of pectoral spine, which is strongly serrate behind. Colour, light olivaceous or bluish above, paler on sides, the belly white or silvery ; sides usually, perhaps always, with irregular, small, round blackish spots; fins often with dark edgings. <*& _ .^ Eel Cat; Willow Cat Ictalurns angiiilla Evermann & Kendall This interesting catfish was originally described from the Atchafalaya River, but has since been seen by us in the Ohio at Louisville. It does not appear to be a very common species, not more than thirty examples having as yet been noted. It is, how- ever, well known to the Atchafalaya fishermen, by whom it is prized equally with the blue and channel cats. Its spawning time in Louisiana is in April and May. Head 4; depth 4.5; eye 7; snout 2.8; maxillary (without barbel) 3; free portion of maxillary barbel longer than head; 1). I, 6; A. 24; vertebrae 42; dorsal spine 2 in head; pectoral spine 2; width of mouth 2. Head large, broad and heavy; mouth un- usually broad; cheeks and postocular portion of top of head very prominent; interorbital space fiat; body stout, compressed pos- teriorly, back scarcely elevated ; base of dorsal 1.=, in head; longest dorsal ray 1.7=, in head; dorsal spine strong, entire on both sides; pectoral spine strong, entire in front, a series of strong retrorse serrae behind ; humeral process 2.2 in pectoral spine ; ventrals 22 The Bullheads barely reaching anal; caudal moderately forked. Colour, uniform pale-yellowish or olivaceous, no spots anywhere. Length 18 inches or less; weight, 3 to 5 pounds. There is a fourth species of this genus in American waters /. meridionalis, known only from the Rio Usumacinta, in southern Mexico, but nothing is known of its game or food qualities, nor is it certain that the species is not, like Am- eiurus dugesi, a fork-tailed Ameiurus. GENUS AMEIURUS RAFINESQUE The Bullheads Body rather stout, the caudal peduncle much compressed ; head large and wide; mouth \arge, the upper jaw usually the longer; teeth in broad bands on the premaxillaries and dentaries; band on upper jaw convex in front, of uniform width, and without backward prolongation at angle; anal fin of varying length, with 15 to 35 rays; caudal fin truncate in most species, forked in some. Species several, swarming in every pond and sluggish stream in the Eastern United States and the Mississippi Valley; one or more species introduced on our Pacific Coast, where they are now abundant; one species occurring in China. The species are very variable and not easy to identify. The lack of connection between the supraoccipital and the interspinal buckler is the only charac- teristic by which this genus can be separated from Ictalurus. Most of the species are small, but they all possess a certain food value and some reach a large size. The species may be distinguished by means of the following key : a. Caudal fin hinate or forked. b. Anal rays 25 to 35 lacustris, 24 bb. Anal rays 19 to 24; catus, 25 aa. Caudal fin entire, truncate, or slightly emarginate behind. c. Anal fin long, of 23 to 27 rays (counting rudiments), its base more than body ; natalis, 25 23 The Great Lakes Catfish cc. Anal fin moderate, or short, of 15 to 22 rays, its base 4 to 5 in body. J. Lower jaw projecting ; vulgaris, 26 t /i/. Lower jaw not projecting. e. Body rather robust, the depth in adult 3^ to 4^- in length ; head not very flat. /. Pectoral spine long, 2 to 2\ in head; anal rays more than 20; nebulosus, 26 ff. Pectoral spine short, 2\ to 3 in head; anal short, its rays only 17 to IQ, counting rudiments; melas, 30 ee. Body slender and low, varying with age, the depth 5^ to 8 in length; head in adult broad and very flat;.. . .platycephalus, 31 Great Lakes Catfish Ameiurus lacustris (Walbaum) Arctic America and southward, in the Great Lakes and else- where. The Southern habitat (Florida, Louisiana) currently assigned to this species has resulted from a confusion of this species with the blue cat (Ictalurus furcatus), and it is not certain just what its range really is. It is probably chiefly or even entirely confined to the Great Lakes and northward, including possibly the upper Mississippi. Nor is it certain what size this species attains. Very large individuals have been seen by the writers in Green Bay, Wisconsin, weighing 20 to 35 pounds. The large ones noted from the South doubtless belonged to the blue cat. At present the best that can be said is that this species is apparently best represented in the Great Lakes and that it there attains a weight of is to 3=5 pounds. It is a fish of considerable commercial importance, and is usually taken on set lines. It is espe- cially abundant in the northern part of Lake Michigan. In the lakes of British America it is also abundant and its Indian names mean "ugly-fish," while the trappers have called it the "land cod." Head 4 in length ; depth s; D.I, s; A. 2s to 32; P.I, 9. Body rather stout; head broad, ;: its length; interorbital width more than half length of head; width of mouth 2 in head; eye moderate, wholly in front of middle of head; top of head quite flat, so that the eyes are much nearer the upper than the lower surface; bar- bels long, the maxillary barbel reaching beyond head; humeral process short and blunt, about length of pectoral spine; caudal 24 The White Cat ; Potomac Cat deeply forked, the upper lobe rather longer and narrower than the lower; origin of dorsal a little nearer snout than adipose fin; anal base as long as head. Colour, olivaceous slaty, growing darker with age; sides pale, no spots; anal dusky on edge; barbels black. White Cat; Potomac Cat Ameiurus catus (Linnaeus) Delaware River to Texas, most common in the coastwise streams and swamps, especially in the Potomac and about Chesa- peake Bay, and in Florida. It has been introduced into California, where it is becoming abundant. As a commercial fish it ranks with the Great Lakes catfish, and always finds a ready sale at fair prices. The adult fishes are remarkable for their wide head and large mouth. Anal rays 19 to 22, base of anal 4^ to 5 in body. Body stout, slender in young, the head very broad in the adult ; barbels long, except the nasal; caudal fin deeply forked, the upper lobe the longer; humeral process extremely rugose; dorsal fin inserted about midway between snout and adipose tin. Colour, pale olivaceous or bluish, silvery below, without dark spots, but sometimes mottled or clouded. Length 2 feet or less. Yellow Cat Ameiurus natalis (Le Sueur) Great Lakes southward to Virginia and Texas. This catfish is one of the most common and best known fishes throughout its range. It is usually abundant and extremely variable, several different varieties having been recognized, all agreeing in the long anal of 24 to 27 rays and the squarely cut caudal fin. We are not sure that Ameiurus lividiis, the common yellow cat, is not different from the short and chubby original A. natalis. We have seen the latter in the United States National Museum but have never taken it in life. The yellow cat rarely reaches a weight of more than a pound or two, and is usually not distinguished by fishermen from the com- mon bullhead and the black bullhead. All three species frequent similar waters and all are often found in the same stream or lake. 25 The Bullpout ; Common Catfish A. 24 to 27. Body rather short and chubby; head short and broad ; mouth wide, the jaws subequal. Colour, yellowish, more or less clouded with darker. Length 12 to 18 inches. Bullpout; Common Catfish Amcinrns inilgaris (Thompson) Vermont 10 Minnesota and Illinois, chiefly northward; not rare, although by no means the common species as its name would denote. This species closely resembles the common bullhead, not only in structure and general appearance, but in habits as well. It is frequently taken in Lake Champlain and the smaller lakes and ponds of that region, and is of considerable value as a pan-fish. Head 3^- to 4; depth 4^ to 5; A. 20. Body moderately long; head longer than broad, rather narrow forward; mouth wide; barbels long; profile rather steep, evenly convex, the dorsal region moieorless less elevated; lower jaw more or less distinctly projecting; in other respects scarcely distinct from the common bullhead with which it may intergrade. Colour, dark reddish brown or blackish. Length 18 inches. Common Bullhead; Horned Pout Ameinrns ncbnlosus (Le Sueur) Head 3! in length of body; depth 4 to 4,}; eye " t \ in head; snout 2\\ D.I, 7; A. 21 or 22. Body rather more elongate than in the yellow cat or in the black bullhead; head heavy; upper jaw usually distinctly longer than the lower ; humeral process more than half length of pectoral spine, which is rather long; dorsal in- serted somewhat nearer adipose fin than tip of snout; base of anal fin about .[ length of body. Colour, dark yellowish-brown, more or less clouded with darker; sometimes the colour is quite black. Length a foot to 18 inches. 'tn ' This species ranges from Maine westward through the Great Lakes to North Dakota, and southward to Florida and Texas. In the East and North it is the common bullhead or horned pout; in Pennsylvania it is the Schuylkill cat; and everywhere, the small catfish. It is usually abundant in every pond or small lake and in 26 The Common Bullhead ; Horned Pout many streams. It has been introduced into many rivers of the West, particularly the Sacramento, San Joaquin, Gila, Humboldt, and certain small lakes of southern Oregon, in all of which it readily established itself and is now exceedingly abundant. The species is quite variable. While this species does not usually much exceed a foot or 15 inches in length, and one or two pounds in weight, examples are sometimes taken several inches longer, and weighing 4 to 6, or even 7 pounds. "The horned pout," says Thoreau, "are dull and blundering fellows, fond of the mud and growing best in weedy ponds and rivers without current. They stay near the bottom, moving slowly about with their barbels widely spread, watching for anything eat- able. They will take any kind of bait, from an angleworm to a piece of tomato can, without hesitation or coquetry, and they seldom fail to swallow the hook. They are very tenacious of life, opening and shutting their mouths for half an hour after their heads have been taken off. They spawn in spring and the old fishes lead the young in great schools near the shore, caring for them as a hen cares for her chickens. A bloodthirsty and bullying set of rangers with ever a lance at rest and ready to do battle with their nearest neighbour." The following description of the habits of the common bull- head, written as a burlesque by George W. Peck, gives a vivid and truthful idea of the life history and game qualities of this fish: "It seems that the action of the Milwaukee common council in withdrawing the use of the water works from the fish commis- sioners will put a stop to the hatching of whitefish. This is as it should be. The whitefish is an aristocratic fish that will not bite a hook, and the propagation of this species is wholly in the in- terest of the wealthy owners of fishing tubs, who have nets. By strict attention to business they can catch all of the whitefish out of the lake a little faster than the State machine can put them in. Poor people cannot get a smell of whitefish. The same may be said of brook trout. While they will bite a hook, it requires more machinery to catch them than ordinary people can possess with- out mortgaging a house. A man has got to have a morocco book of expensive flies, a fifteen-dollar bamboo jointed rod, a three- dollar trout basket, with a hole mortised in the top, a corduroy suit made in the latest style, top boots of the Wellington pattern, 27 The Common Bullhead; Horned Pout with red tassels in the straps, and a flask of Otard brandy in a side pocket. Unless a man is got up in that style a speckled trout will see him in Chicago first, and then it won't bite. The brook trout is even more aristocratic than the whitefish, and should not be propagated at public expense. " But there are fish that should be propagated in the interest of the people. There is a species of fish that never looks at the clothes of the man who throws in the bait, a fish that takes what- ever is thrown to it, and when once hold of the hook never tries to shake a friend, but submits to the inevitable, crosses its legs and says, 'Now I lay me,' and comes out on the bank and seems to enjoy being taken. It is a fish that is a friend of the poor, and one that will sacrifice itself in the interest of humanity. That is the fish that the State should adopt as its trade-mark, and cultivate friendly relations with, and stand by. We allude to the bullhead. "The bullhead never went back on a friend. To catch the bullhead it is not necessary to tempt his appetite with porter- house steak, or to display an expensive lot of fishing tackle. A pin hook, a piece of liver, and a cistern pole is all the capital required to catch a bullhead. He lies upon the bottom of a stream or pond in the mud, thinking. There is no fish that does more thinking, or has a better head for grasping great questions, or chunks of liver, than the bullhead. His brain is large, his heart beats for humanity, and if he can't get liver, a piece of tin tomato can will make a meal for him. It is an interesting study to watch a boy catch a bull- head. The boy knows where the bullhead congregates, and when he throws in his hook it is dollars to buttons that ' in the near future ' he will get a bite. "The bullhead is democratic in all its instincts. If the boy's shirt is sleeveless, his hat crownless, and his pantaloons a bottom- less pit, the bullhead will bite just as well as though the boy is dressed in purple and fine linen, with knee-breeches and plaid stockings. The bullhead seems to be dozing on the muddy bottom, and a stranger would say that he would not bite. But wait. There is a movement of his continuation, and his cow-catcher moves gently toward the piece of liver. He does not wait to smell of it, and canvass in his mind whether the liver is fresh. It makes no difference to him. He argues that here is a family out of meat. ' My country calls and I must go,' says the bullhead to himself, and he opens his mouth and the liver disappears. 28 The Common Bullhead ; Horned Pout "It is not certain that the boy will think of his bait for half an hour, but the bullhead is in no hurry. He is in the mud and pro- ceeds to digest the liver. He realizes that his days will not be long in the land, or water more properly speaking, and he argues that if he swallows the bait and digests it before the boy pulls him out, he will be just so much ahead. Finally, the boy thinks of his bait, pulls it out, and the bullhead is landed on the bank, and the boy cuts him open to get the hook out. Some fish only take the bait gingerly, and are only caught around the selvage of the mouth, and they are comparatively easy to dislodge. Not so with the bullhead. He says if liver is a good thing, you can't have too much of it, and it tastes good all the way down. The boy gets down on his knees to dissect the bullhead, and get his hook, and it may be that the boy swears. It would not be astonish- ing, though he must feel, when he gets his hook out of the hidden recesses of the bullhead like the minister who took up a collection and didn't get a cent, though he expressed thanks at getting his hat back. There is one drawback to the bullhead, and that is his horns. We doubt if a boy ever descended into the patent insides of a bullhead to mine for limerick hooks, that did not, before his work was done, run a horn into his vital parts. But the boy seems to expect it, and the bullhead enjoys it. We have seen a bullhead lie on the bank and become dry, and to all appearances dead to all that was going on, and when a boy sat down on him and got a horn in his elbow and yelled murder, the bullhead would grin from ear to ear, and wag his tail as though applauding for an encore. "The bullhead never complains. We have seen a boy take a dull knife and proceed to follow a fish line down a bullhead from head to the end of his subsequent anatomy, and all the time there would be an expression of sweet peace on the countenance of the bullhead, as though he enjoyed it. If we were preparing a picture representing ' Resignation,' for a chromo to give to subscribers, and wished to represent a scene of suf- ering in which the sufferer was light-hearted, seeming to recog- nize that all was for the best, we should take for the subject a bullhead, with a boy searching with a knife for a long-lost fish hook. "The bullhead is a fish that has no scales, but in lieu thereof has a fine India-rubber skin, that is as far ahead of 29 The Black Bullhead fiddle-string material for strength and durability as possible. The meat of the bullhead is not as choice as that of the mackerel, but it fills up a stomach just as well, and The Sun insists that the fish commissioners shall drop the hatching of aristocratic fish and give the bullheads a chance." Black Bullhead Amcinrns mclas (Rafinesque) This is our smallest species of Aniciurns, and rarely exceeds 6 to 10 inches in length. It is found in brooks, ponds and lakes, from northern New York westward to Kansas and Nebraska, and south to Texas, and is usually abundant, especially west of the Mississippi. It closely resembles the common bullhead, but can usually be easily distinguished by the smaller anal fin, the light rays and dark membranes of the anal fin, and the smaller size. Its habits are essentially those of the related species. It thrives in small ponds, especially in those with muck bottom, and on this species in Wyoming County, New York, the senior writer made his first experiments in fish-culture. Head 3$ in length of body; depth *\ to 4!; A. 17 to iq. Body very short and deep; head broad Behind, rather contracted anteriorly, the front steeply elevated; pectoral spine short, 2\ to 3 in head; base of anal fin short, only about | length of body; jaws nearly equal; barbels longer than head; humeral process rather long and rough. Colour, almost black, often varying to yellowish 30 The Flatheaded Cat; Brown Cat and brown; anal rays white, in marked contrast with the dusky membranes. Flatheaded Cat ; Brown Cat Ameiurus platycepJialus (Girard) Head 3^-; depth ^\ to 8; A. 16 to 20. Body extremely long, mesially nearly round; head low, flat and broad, especially in old examples, its width 3 to 5 in length of body; upper jaw strongly projecting; dorsal fin high, f length of head, its spine nearer snout than adipose fin; caudal fin emarginate. Colour, clear olive brown, varying into yellowish or greenish; a dark horizontal bar at base of dorsal. Length 15 to 18 inches. This is the most slender species of the genus, and is almost entirely herbivorous as to its food, its elongate intestine being usually well-filled with water plants. It is abundant in the streams of the Carolinas and Georgia from Cape Fear to the Chattahoochee. It is regarded as a good food-fish. GENUS LEPTOPS RAFINESQUE Mud Cats Body elongate, slender, and much depressed anteriorly; head large, very wide, and depressed; skin very thick, entirely con- cealing the skull; eye small; mouth very large, the lower jaw always projecting beyond the upper; teeth in broad villiform bands on the premaxilliaries and dentaries; adipose fin large, its long base over posterior half of anal; anal fin small; caudal 31 The Mud Cat oblong, subtruncaU-. with numerous accessory rays, recurrent above and behind; pectoral with a broad, compressed spine, serrated on both margins, and with a prolonged fleshy integu- ment, obliquely striated. Only one species known. Mud Cat; Goujon Lcptops olii'aris (Rafinesque) Body slender, depressed anteriorly; the head very flat, the lower jaw projecting; barbels short; dorsal spine very weak, half the length of the fin; caudal slightly emarginate; anal short, of 12 to 15 rays; humeral process short. Colour, yellowish, more or less mottled with brown and greenish; paler below. The goujon is a large, coarse fish, said to reach a length of 5 feet, and a weight of 100 pounds. A ripe female examined by us at Morgan City, Louisiana, was 41 inches long and weighed 46 pounds. This fish dressed 27 pounds. Another, 38 inches long, weighed 37 pounds, and still another 57 inches long weighed 36 V pounds. This species is found in all suitable waters throughout the Mississippi Valley and in the Gulf States from Alabama west and south to Chihuahua. It is a fish of the lowlands, and is most abundant in the lower courses of the large streams and in the bayous and overflow ponds of the lower Mississippi Valley. It is perhaps most plentiful in the lowlands of Arkansas, West Tennessee and Louisiana. In the Atchafalaya River it is, next to the blue cat, the most important food fish. It is caught in the same ways during the same seasons, and is dressed and marketed in the same manner. Its flesh is of fine texture and of exellent flavour, and there is no really tM'od reason for the prejudice against it which obtains in many localities. The fact that it is a lame, rather repulsive looking fish, not 32 The Stone Cats any too cleanly in its habits doubtless has somewhat to do with this prejudice. In different parts of its range, the goujon'is known by many vernacular names. In Louisiana it is called the goujon or yellow cat, and the latter name is in common use throughout most of its habitat. In the South it is known as the " pieded cat," Opelousas cat, and mud cat, the last of these being also generally used in the North, where it is also called granny cat. The names Bashaw and Russian cat are sometimes heard, but their origin has not been explained. The goujon is more voracious than the blue cat, and large individuals are apt to feed upon small ones of the latter species when confined in the same live-box. To prevent this, it is said that the fishermen sometimes sew up with wire the mouths of the very large goujon. We have seen, on the Rock Castle River, in Kentucky, the blue cat used as live bait on hooks set for the goujon. Occasionally large catfishes, of this species and the blue cat, crawl into the hollow cypress logs which are usually left in the water until ready to be sawed. The catfish may be unable to pass on through the log, and, being unable to turn around or back out, remains in the log until it is placed on the carriage, and the pres- ence of the fish is then discovered by the saw crashing into it The spawning season of the goujon in Louisiana seems to be during April and the early part of May. As we proceed north- ward it is correspondingly later, being as late as June in the north- ern part of its range. " Don't talk to me o' bacon fat, Or taters, coon or 'possum; Fo' when I'se hooked a yaller cat, I'se got a meal to boss 'em." The Darkey and the Catfish. GENUS NOTURUS RAFINESQUE Stone Cats Teeth as in Leptops, the band in the upper jaw having a backward prolongation on each side from the outer posterior angle; 33 The Stone Cat; Little Yellow Cat adipose fin adnate to the back; a poison gland at the base of the pectoral spine. This genus, which contains but a single species, is close to 5r////M),/('\ (the mad-toms), the species all having the poison gland and the adnate adipose fin, and all being small fish, lurk- ing among weeds in stony brooks. ^ - '. Stone Cat; Little Yellow Cat Notnrns flavns Rafinesque Head about 4^ in length, its width ^\\ depth v|; dis- tance from snout to origin of dorsal about 3 in length; A. about 1 6. Body elongate, the head depressed, broad and flat, nearly as broad as long; middle of body subcylindrical; caudal peduncle compressed; a strong keel on back between dorsal fin and adipose fin, the latter deeply notched; dorsal spine very short; pectoral spine retrorsely serrate in front, slightly rough or nearly entire behind, its length \ distance from snout to origin of dorsal; caudal rounded behind; humeral process very short and sharp. Colour, nearly uniform yellowish brown, sometimes blackish above; fins edged with yellow. Length, a foot or more. Great Lakes region, and westward and south to Montana, Wyoming and Texas, rather common, especially westward. This is the only one of the catfishes with adnate adipose fin attaining sufficient size to give it any food value. Ordinarily it is used as food only in those regions where food fishes are not numerous. Related to the stone cat. are in America, ten or a dozen species of small catfishes belonging to the genus Schilbeodes, and known as mad toms. They are all very small, none of them ex- 34 The Stone Cat ; Little Yellow Cat ceeding three or four inches in length, all have the poison gland well developed, and are able to inflict a very painful wound with the pectoral spine. They live usually in shallow water, in running streams, or lakes, and may often be found hidden under small rocks or other objects affording protection. The species of Schilbeodes occur only in the Eastern United States from Vermont to Florida and west to the Dakotas and south to Texas. Istlarius balsanns is an important food-fish in Morelos and the Mexican States to the Southwest, through which the Rio Balsas flows. In size and appearance it resembles the channel cat. In Jalisco, and in all tributaries of the Rio Lerma and Rio Santiago, Ameiurus dugesi is very common, being in size and value as well as in appearance similar to Ameiurus catus. The Mexicans call all catfishes Bagre. Those in the streams are Bagre del Rio. 35 THE SUCKERS //' CatostomicUz BODY elongate, usually more or less compressed; head rather conical; opercles normally developed; nostrils double: no barbels; mouth usually greatly protractile and with fleshy lips; jaws toothless; lower pharyngeal bones falciform, armed with a single series of numerous comb-like teeth; branchiostegals 3; gill-mem- branes more or less united to the isthmus, restricting the gill- openings to the sides; gills 4, a slit behind the fourth; pseudo- branchiae present; scales cycloid; lateral line decurved, sometimes absent; head naked; fins not scaly; dorsal fin comparatively long (of 10 to 30 rays); anal tin short; pectorals placed low; ventrals abdominal; no adipose fin; fins without true spines; alimentary canal long; stomach simple and without pyloric caeca; air-bladder large, divided into 2 or i parts by transverse constrictions. The sucker family is a large one, embracing some i ^ genera and more than 70 species, 2 of which occur in Eastern Asia, while the others are inhabitants of the fresh waters of North America. The members of this family are very widely distributed over the United States, there being scarcely a State which has not several species, and at least two extend their range far into Canada and Alaska, while others are found southward into Mexico. The family includes not only the species commonly known as suckers, but also those known as icdhorses, buffaloes, quill- backs, and freshwater mullets. Most of the species do not exceed a weight of 4 or 5 pounds, though some of them reach an immense size. As food fishes they do not occupy a high rank. Though the flesh is well flavoured, it is exceedingly full of bundles of small fagot-bones, which are very troublesome to one who attempts to eat it. The great abundance and the large size of many of the species, however , render them of considerable commercial importance, thus entitling them to a place in this work. 30 The Suckers None of the species has any rank as a game fish. They rarely or never take a hook, except on set-lines. The methods employed in their Capture are varied, but haul-seines, gill-nets, pounds and other traps, and set-lines are the kinds of apparatus in most general use. The habits of all the species ?re much the same. They are all bottom feeders, feeding chiefly upon vegetation and the less active and soft forms of smaller animal life such as worms, larvae, and eggs of various kinds. They are all spring spawners, and nearly all have the habit of running up stream at spawning time. Illinois is called the "Sucker State" because its first settlers came up the river in the spring when the suckers were running. Only the genera and species of some commercial importance are considered at length. a. Dorsal fin long, with 24 to 30 rays; air-bladder in 2 parts. b. Fontanelle present; body ovate; scales large. c. Mouth large, more or less terminal, protractile forward. Large species, dark in color ; Ictiobus, 38 cc. Mouth small, inferior, protractile downward. Smaller species of pale coloration ; Carpiodes, 41 lb. Fontanelle obliterated by the union of the parietal bones; body elongate ; ' Cycleptus, 44 aa. Dorsal fin short, with only so to 18 rays. d. Air bladder in two parts. e. Lateral line complete; scales small, 55 to 115 in lateral line. /". Fontanelle nearly or quite obliterated in adult; jaws with hard sheaths; posterior division of air bladder slender; Pantosteus, 45 ff. Fontanelle broad and evident at all stages of growth; posterior division of air bladder broad. g. Nuchal region without a hump, the interneural spines normally developed. h. Mouth small, inferior, with thick papillose lips;. .Catostomus, 46 ////. Mouth very large, terminal, oblique; lips thin and nearly smooth. /'. Gillrakers simple, fringe-like; Chasmistes, 54 ii. Gillrakers broad, shaped like the Greek letter > (delta), their edges entire and unarmed; Deltistes, 57 gg. Nuchal region with a high, sharp-edged hump;. .Xyrauchen, 57 ee. Lateral line interrupted or wanting; scales large, 40 to 50 in a longitudinal series. /. Lateral "line entirely wanting; Erimy\on, 58 jj. Lateral line more or less developed, especially in adult; Minytrema, 59 37 The Buffalo Fishes iJd. Air bladder in three parts. k. Mouth normal, the lower lip entire or merely lobed. /. Pharyngeal bones moderate, the teeth compressed, gradually larger downward ; Moxostoma, 60 //. Pharyngeal bones very strong, with the lower teeth much en- larged, subcylindrical and truncate; '.Pliicopharvnx, 64 hk. Mouth singular, the upper lip not protractile, greatly en- larged, the lower lip developed as two separate lobes.... Lagochila, 65 GENUS ICTIOBUS RAFINESOUE The Buffalo Fishes Body robust; head very large and strong; fontanelle large, well-open; opercular apparatus well developed, the subopercle broad, the opercle strongly furrowed; mouth large, terminal, pro- tractile; mandible strongly oblique; lips little developed, the upper narrow and smooth, the lower full on the sides, but narrow in front; pharyngeal bones rather weak, the teeth numerous; scales large, "thick, and nearly equal over the body; lateral line well developed, slightly decurved anteriorly; dorsal rays numerous, the anterior somewhat elevated; caudal not much forked. Large, coarse fishes, usually dark in colour, inhabiting chiefly the larger rivers and some of the small lakes of the Mississippi Valley. Only four species known, the three following and a fourth from Guatemala. a. Mouth large, terminal, protractile forward; lips very thin; lower pharyngeals and teeth weak; cyprinilla, 39 aa. Mouth smaller, more or less inferior, protractile downward, and with thicker lips; lower pharyngeals stronger, the teeth comparatively coarse and large. b. Back scarcely elevated, the depth 3 to 3} in length. c. Mouth rather'large and oblique, approaching that of /. cyprincllci, more oblique than in the next; ..urns, 40 cc. Mouth small, inferior; mertdionalis, 41 bb. Back elevated and compressed, the depth 2.V to 2} in length; bubalus, 41 The Buffalo Fishes Common Buffalo Fish Ictiobus cyprinella (Cuvier & Valenciennes) This species reaches a length of 3 feet, and a weight of 50 pounds or more. In certain lakes in the Mississippi Valley (notably Lake Washington, Minnesota and the Okeboji lakes in northwestern Iowa) extraordinary runs of very large buffalo fish occur occasion- ally. These runs take place in the spring at the spawning time of the fish, and usually at the time of a heavy rain when the tribu- tary streams are full and the connecting marshes are flooded. Then these fish come up from the lake, in great numbers, crowding the inlets and spreading over the flooded marshes. They remain only a few days, and soon disappear as suddenly and mysteri- ously as they came; but their brief stay has been long enough to permit great slaughter by the farmers of the surrounding country, who kill great numbers with pitchforks, clubs and other primitive weapons, and haul them away in wagon loads. After returning to the lakes nothing more is seen of them until the next spring, or possibly not for several years. In these northern lakes these fish rarely or never take the hook, nor can they be successfully gilled, but in the lower Mississippi Valley they are frequently taken on set-lines baited with balls of dough. In Louisiana, where they are known as the gourdhead buffalo, they are of considerable commercial interest. The flesh, though 39 The Buffalo Fishes nutritious, is coarse and not highly flavoured. This species is also known as the red-mouthed buffalo, and big-mouthed buffalo. Head3.\; depth 2.V to 3^; D. 27 to 29; A. 9; V. 10; scales 7-37 to 41-ix Body stout, moderately compressed, the outline somewhat elliptical, but the back rather more curved than the belly; opercular apparatus very strong, the opercle itself nearly half length of head. Colour, dull brownish-olive, not silvery; fins dusky. Black Buffalo; Mongrel Buffalo Ictiobns urns (Agassiz) This species is close to the common buffalo, from which it can be distinguished by its smaller, more oblique mouth, and its much darker colour. It occurs throughout the Mississippi Valley in the larger streams, it being most abundant in those of the South, where it is said to spawn in March and April. It reaches a weight of 5 to 35 pounds, and resembles the preceding species in habits and food value. In Louisiana it is sometimes called "chopper." Head very stout, about 4 in length, strongly convex; depth 3 to 3}-; eye about equal to snout, <^\ in head; D. 30; A. 10; scales 8-41-7. Body much less elevated and less compressed, the head thicker, larger and less pointed, and the eye much smaller than in the small-mouthed buffalo; back not at all carinated; axis of body above ventrals about at the lateral line, and but little farther from the dorsal outline than from the ventral; mouth large, well forward, considerably oblique, approaching that of the common buffalo; mandible longer than the eye; premaxilliaries somewhat below the suborbital; dorsal fin low and less rapidly shortened than in the next species, the longest ray scarcely half as long as base of fin; anal rounded, its rays not rapidly shortened, the middle ones not much shorter than the longest. Colour, very dark, the fins almost black. Small-mouthed Buffalo; White Buffalo Ictiobus bubal us (Rafinesque) This is the most abundant and best known of all the buffalo fishes. It reaches a weight of 35 pounds or more and 40 The Carp Suckers a length of 3 feet. It is found in all the larger rivers of the Mississippi Basin and in some of the small lakes, where its habits are essentially the same as those of the big-mouthed buffalo, the latter species, however, being less ol a bottom feeder than either of the two others here described. In the South all three species spawn in March and April; as we go northward the spawning season is correspondingly later, it being in May and June in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Head 4; depth 2|; snout 3^; eye 5; D. 28 or 29; A. 10 or ii ; V. 10; scales 8 or 9-35 to 39-5 or 6, 12 or 13 before the dorsal. Body short and compressed, the dorsal strongly arched and subcarinate from occiput to origin of dorsal fin; ventral out- line only slightly convex; head small; mouth small, subinferior, and protractile downward; lips papillose; opercle strongly striate; caudal peduncle deep and compressed, its least depth if in head; axis of body above the ventrals, below the lateral line, and nearly twice as far from back as from belly; fins moderate, the first 7 or 8 dorsal rays lengthened, as long as head, rays of short portion 3^ in head; longest anal ray i^; pectoral short, not reaching base of ventral, if in head; ventrals longer, i.i in head; caudal deeply lunate, the lobes longer than head. Colour, pale, almost silvery; fins scarcely dusky. Ictiobiis meridionalis is a southern species known only from the Rio Usumacinta, Mexico. GENUS CARPIODES RAFINESOUE The Carp Suckers This genus is very close to Ictiobus, the species being smaller, the colour paler, and the dentition weaker, but there are no im- portant technical characters separating the two groups. Of the five species referred to under this genus, one occurs in the Potomac and Delaware and the streams about Chesapeake Bay, one in the St. Lawrence basin, and the other three in the Mississippi Valley and Texas. Only two of the species are of any commercial value. a. Body subfusiform, the depth about 3 in length; carpio, 42 aa. Body ovate-oblong, the back elevated, the depth about 2\ in length. 41 The Carp Sucker /'. Opercles strongly striate. i. Lips thin, silvery-white in life, the halves of the lower lip meeting in a wide angle, as in C cjrpio. d. Head large, the snout blunt, the nostril near its tip; eye large, 3^ to 4 in head.. diffonnis, 42 dd. Head small and pointed, the snout projecting; eye small, 5 to ^ in head thompsoni, 42 /// ///.v, the upper lip very large, pendant, and with s to 8 series of tubercles; lower lip incised to base, the lobes long; horny sheath pretty well developed; dorsal fin not long, nor especially elevated, its origin rather nearer base of caudal than tip of snout; caudal long and strongly forked; anal long and high, reaching base of caudal ; ventrals not reaching vent. Colour, dusky brown, sometimes with a dusky lateral band, sometimes irregularly mottled or barred; snout dark. Length i to 2 feet. Long-nosed Sucker ; Northern Sucker Long-nosed Sucker; Northern Sucker Catostomus catostomus (Forster) The long-nosed sucker is one of the largest of the family, reaching a length of 2 to 2\ feet, and a weight of several pounds. It is found from the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes westward in the Upper Missouri basin and to the Upper Columbia, -thence northward to Alaska; the most widely dis- tributed sucker; but probably not occurring south of 40 north latitude, except in West Virginia where recently obtained by Prof. W. P. Hay. In the Great Lakes and northward this species is a food fish of considerable value. It is usually taken in hoop or trap nets, or gillnets. Its spawning time is in the spring, in most localities as early as May. Head 4\ to 4f; depth 4^ to 6; eye 6 to 8; D. 10 or n; A. 7; scales 14 to 17-90 to 117-13. Body elongate, subterete; head very long and slender, depressed and flattened above, broad at base, but tapering into a long snout, which overhangs the large mouth; lips thick, coarsely tuberculate, the upper lip narrow, with 2 or 3, sometimes 4 rows of papillae; lower lip deeply incised, the lobes shorter than in C. griseus, and the mouth narrower; lower jaw with a slight cartilaginous sheath; eye small, behind middle of head; scales very small, much crowded anteriorly. Males in spring with the head and anal fin profusely tuber- culate, and the side with a broad, rosy band. 49 Sacramento Sucker Sacramento Sucker Catostomns occidcntalis Ayres Streams of California, especially abundant in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. This species was formerly of consider- able importance to the Indians, who caught it in great numbers. It reaches a foot in length. Columbia River Sucker ; Yellow Sucker Catostomus macrocJicilns Girard Columbia River basin and other rivers and lakes of Oregon and Washington, generally abundant; not known from the Snake River basin above Shoshone Falls. It is abundant in the Redfish Lakes of Idaho and in Flathead Lake of Montana. During the spring and early summer it is found in the streams, but in July or earlier it retires to deeper water, entering lakes when- ever opportunity offers. It attains a length of 12 to 17 inches, and is a food-fish of considerable importance, particularly to the Flathead Indians and other Indians in the regions where it is found. Its flesh is sweet, firm and (laky, the fish usually in- habiting cold waters. At the Redfish Lakes in Idaho this sucker was noticed in August and September toward the close of the day swimming about in great schools at the surface of the water, sometimes with their noses projecting. The schools would gather about 50 Common Sucker ; White Sucker the mouth of some inlet and swim slowly about in this way for an hour or more just at sundown. The meaning of this particular habit has not been explained. Head 4 to 4f; depth 5; eye 5 to 6 in head; snout 2; D. 12 to 14; A. 7; scales 12 to 14-65 to 75-10 or n, about 40 before the dorsal. Body rather heavy forward, the caudal peduncle slender; snout blunt, overlapping the horizontal mouth which is quite large, with very large lips, the upper full and pendant, with 6 to 8 rows of moderate papillse; dorsal fin much longer than high; pectoral long and narrow; caudal well forked. Colour, rather dark; a dusky lateral streak; abruptly pale below. - -.--- >W}'-W -**/>.* '!', cgiS Common Sucker ; White Sucker Catostomits commersonii (Lacepede) This is the most abundant sucker in the streams and lakes from Quebec and Massachusetts westward to Montana and Colo- rado and southward to Missouri and Georgia. Specimens from Montana to Colorado have the lips broader and with more numer- ous papillae. In the smaller streams this species reaches a length of but a few inches, while in the larger streams and lakes it attains a length of 1 8 inches or more and becomes a food-fish of consid- erable importance. Though quite bony, its flesh is firm and flaky and very sweet. In some parts of the country this species is caught in large numbers and salted for winter use. It is usu- ally taken by means of seines, traps or gillnets. Utah Lake Mullet In the spring of the year, as the spawning season approaches, they run up the streams in great numbers and spawn upon the riffles. This is, in most parts of its range, in May or June, and the fish is called the "June Sucker." Head 4 to 4; depth 4 to 5; eye 6 in head; snout 2^; D. 12; A. 7; scales 10-64 to 7-9- Body rather stout, varying with age, subterete, heavy anteriorly; head moderate, conical, flattish above; snout rather prominent, scarcely overpassing the mouth, which is large, the lips papillose, the upper with 2 or 3 rows of papillae (4 to 6 in western specimens) ; scales small, crowded anteriorly, larger on the sides and below. Colour, olivaceous; males in spring somewhat rosy; young brownish, more or less mottled and blotched with dark. Utah Lake Mullet Catostomns ardcns Jordan & Gilbert This species is very close to the common sucker, differing chiefly in the larger mouth and lips. Abundant in the Snake River basin above Shoshone Falls and in the lakes and streams of the Great Salt Lake basin. It swarms in myriads in Utah Lake, "the greatest sucker pond in the world." In Heart Lake of Yellowstone Park this fish is infested by a parasitic worm (Ligula catostoini) which is often larger than the fish's viscera. Like all other suckers, this species is a spring spawner, and at that time immense numbers are said to come into the shallow Moogadee water of Utah Lake, Jacksons Lake and other lakes which it inhabits. This species reaches a length of 18 inches or more, and holds rank with the others of the genus as a food-fish. Head 3-f; depth 4^; eye small, 7 in head, j,\ in interorbital width; snout 2\ in head; D. 12 or 13; A. 7; scales 12-70 to 72-12. Body rather long, little compressed, the back broad; head broad, conical; mouth entirely inferior, the mandible nearly hori- zontal; upper lip wide, full, pendant, with 4 to 8 rows of coarse, irregular papillae; lower lip very broad, coarsely papillose, cut to the base; dorsal fin long and low, its anterior rays \ longer than the last; pectorals, ventrals and caudal short; anal long. Colour, black- ish above, paler below, the tins dark; breeding males with the sides rosy. Besides the 7 species described above, 12 others of less im- portance are recognized as occurring in North America. Moogadee Catostomus pocatello Gilbert & Evermann One of these, the Moogadee of the Fort Hall Indians of Idaho, is of some food value. GENUS CHASMISTES JORDAN Head large, broad and flattish above, the sides vertical; eye small, high up, and rather posterior; mouth very large, terminal, the lower jaw in the closed mouth being very oblique; lower jaw long and strong, more than half length of head, its tip, when the mouth is closed, about on a level with the eye; upper jaw very protractile; upper lip thin and nearly smooth; snout usually elevated above rest of head ; the premaxillary spines gene- rally forming a conspicuous nose; lower lip moderate, consisting of a broad flap on each side of the mandible, reduced to a nar- row rim in front, the surface of the lip nearly smooth, without papillae; nostrils large; fontanelle well developed; gillrakers simple, fringe-like; air-bladder in 2 parts. Species of rather large size, inhabiting the Great Salt Lake Basin and the Klamath Lakes of southern Oregon. Six species are recognized, only 4 of which seem to be of any commercial importance. a. Scales moderate, 60 to 65 in the lateral line. b. Scales 9-63-8; dorsal usually 11; nose prominent; Horns, 54 aa. Scales small, 75 to 85 in the lateral line. r. Snout prominent, premaxillary spines strongly protruding, form- ing a prominently projecting snout: sioniias, 55 cc. Snout not prominent, premaxillary spines not forming a pro- minent hump. d. Scales 12-75- 1 1 ; brevirostris. ss dd. Scales 13-80-12 ; copei, 56 June Sucker of Utah Lake C/tdswis/cs Horns Jordan Known only from Utah Lake, where it is exceedingly abundant, 54 Short-nosed Sucker contributing, with Catostomus ardens, to make that lake the "greatest sucker pond in the world." Head sf ; depth 5; eye 6 to 7; scales 9-63-8; D. n ; A. 7; inter- orbital space broad, 2\ in head; width of the open mouth ^\ in head; dorsal elevated in front, its longest ray twice the length of the last and about equal to base of fin; caudal deeply forked, the lower lobe the longer; lower fins small. Colour, dusky above, pale below; back and sides profusely covered with dark punctulations. Length 18 inches or less. Short-nosed Sucker Chasmistcs btevirostris Cope This species is known only from the Klamath Lakes of Oregon. It attains a length of 12 to 18 inches and is a food-fish of some value to the Indians, who know it as the " Yen." Snout z\ to 2f in head; mandible i^ in snout; interorbital width 2\ in head; D. n; A. 9; scales 13-73-12; premaxillary spines not produced to form a hump on the snout; lower lip fold present on the sides of the mandible; each lip with small, inconspicuous, sparse tubercles, in 3 or 4 series on the upper lip; ventrals extending f distance to vent; scales with strong concentric striae. Colour, dark above, silvery on lower part of side and on belly; fins all dusky. Klamath Lake Sucker Chasmistes stomias Gilbert This is another species ot Chasmistes inhabiting Upper Klamath 55 The '1 swam Lake, which is a close rival of Utah Lake for the honour of being the "greatest sucker pond in the world." It is the most abundant species of the genus in the Klamath Lakes. It reaches a length of i 5 to 18 inches and is of great value to the Indians, by whom it is known as " Kahptu." From all other species of the genus, except C. brevirostris and C. copei, it is distinguished by its small scales (14 or 15-76 to 82-11), and from C brevirostris it differs in the deeper head, larger man- dible, more oblique mouth, and by the prominent hump on the snout; mouth inclined at an angle of 40. Colour, dark above, whitish or silvery below, the two colours separated along a definite line travers- ing the side midway between lateral line and insertion of ventrals. Tswam Chasmistes copei Ever man n & Meek This is still another species of Chasmistes, inhabiting the Klamath Lakes. It closely resembles C. stomias, but may be distinguished from that species by its larger head, larger, more oblique mouth, less prominent snout, and very small fins. This sucker reaches a length of 16 or 18 inches and is used as food by the Klamath Indians. The Indian name is "Tswam." Head 3f; depth 4; eye 6; snout 2.V; 1). 10; A. 7; scales 13-80-12. Head very large, cheek very deep; body stout, back scarcely elevated. Colour, upper parts dark olivaceous; under parts whitish; a dark spot in upper part of axil; dorsal and caudal dark ; pectoral dark on inner surface; ventrals and anal plain. 5" GENUS DELTISTES SEALE This genus is close to Chasmistes, from which it differs chiefly in the structure of the gillrakers, the very long, slender head, the small horizontal mouth, and the thicker lips. The gillrakers are broad and shaped like the Greek letter A (delta) and their edges are unarmed and entire; lower pharyngeals weak, with numerous small teeth. The single known species is the Lost River sucker (D. luxatus), which is the most important food-fish of the Klamath Lakes region. It is apparently resident during most of the year in the deeper waters of Upper Klamath and Tule lakes, running up the rivers in March and April in incredible numbers, the height of the run varying from year to year according to the condition of the streams. The Lost River fish are the most highly prized, and are said to be much fatter and of finer flavour than those ascending the tributaries of Upper Klamath Lake. This species reaches the largest size of any of the Klamath Lake suckers, examples over 3 feet in length and weighing several pounds having been examined. It is of vast importance to the Klamath Indians, who, during the spring run, catch it in immense numbers and cure it for winter use. An attempt has been made to preserve the meat in cans, but apparently without success. Oil has been extracted from the heads and entrails, said to be worth 6oc. to 8^c. per gallon. Head 4; depth 4^; snout 2f in head; D. 12; A. 7; scales 12-76 to 81-9. Body elongate; head very long and slender, the snout and cheek especially long; mouth inclined upward at an angle of about 35; fontanelle large; premaxillary spines forming a decided hump on 'snout near its tip. GENUS XYRAUCHEN EIGENMANN & KIRSCH The characters of this genus agree in all respects with those of Catostomus except that behind the occiput is a sharp-edged hump produced by the singularly developed interneural bones, giving the adult fish a very grotesque appearance. 57 Razor-back Sucker ; Hump-back Sucker Only two species are known, both from the Colorado River. Only one of these is of any food value. The other ( X. uncom- tjhgre Jordan & Evermannj is known only from the type, a specimen 7 inches long, and may be the young of X. cypho. Razor-back Sucker; Hump-back Sucker Xyranclicn cypJio (Lockington) Known only from the Colorado Basin, where it is quite abundant and of considerable value. It reaches a weight of 8 to 10 pounds. Head 4; depth 4; D. 13 or 14; A. 7; scales 13 to 15-72 to 77-13. Body stout, compressed, the head low, the profile ascending to the prominent hump; mouth wide, inferior; upper lip with 2 rows of papillae, the lower deeply divided and with 8 rows ; dorsal fin long and low, with concave edge; caudal broad and strong, with numerous rudimentary rays; scales loosely imbri- cated; anterior part of hump scaleless. Colour, plain olivaceous. GENUS ERIMYZON JORDAN The Chub Suckers This genus may be known by the entire absence of a late- ral line and the plain colouration in the adult. The young have a broad black lateral band and arc easily mistaken for Cyprinidce. 5 Chub Sucker Chub Sucker Only one species is known, E. sucetta, the chub sucker or creekfish, which reaches a length of about 10 inches and is widely distributed from the Great Lakes and New England south to Texas. Those in the northern part of the range have been regarded as a subspecies, E. sucetta oblongns. GENUS MINYTREMA JORDAN This genus may be known by the incomplete lateral line and the presence of a small blackish spot at base of each scale on side, these forming interrupted longitudinal lines along the rows of scales. Spotted Sucker The single species is M. melanops, known as the winter sucker or spotted sucker. It reaches a moderate size and is of 59 The Redhorses some value as a food-fish. It occurs in the Great Lakes region and south to North Carolina and Texas, being most common westward. GENUS MOXOSTOMA RAFINESQUE The Redhorses Body more or less elongate, sometimes nearly terete, usually more or less compressed;' head variously long or short; eye usually large; suborbital bones very narrow; fontanelle always open; mouth varying much in size, always inferior in position, the mandible horizontal, or nearly so; lips" usually well developed, the form of the lower varying, usually with a slight median fissure, but never deeply cleft; lips with transverse plicae, rarely broken up into papillae; jaws without cartilaginous sheath; oper- cular bones moderately developed, nearly smooth; isthmus broad; gillrakers weak, moderately long; pharyngeal bones rather weak, as in Catostomus, the teeth rather coarser and strongly com- pressed, the lower 5 or 6 more strongly than the others, which rapidly diminish in size upward, each with a prominent internal cusp; scales large, more or less quadrate in form, nearly equal in size over the body, and not especially crowded anywhere; lateral line well developed, straight or anteriorly curved; fins well developed, the dorsal inserted about midway of the body, its first ray usually rather nearer snout than caudal; anal fin short and high, usually emarginate in the male; caudal fin deeply forked; air-bladder with three chambers. Sexual characters little marked, the males during the spawn- ing season with the lower fins reddened and the anal rays somewhat swollen and tuberculate. 60 COMMON REDHORSE SUCKER, Moxostoma aurcolntn The Redhorses This is a large genus, comprising not fewer than 20 species, all of which occur in the eastern United States in the Atlantic and Gulf drainages. There is no representative of the genus on the Pacific Coast. They inhabit both streams and lakes, but prefer the streams. Their spawning time is in the spring, when they run up the rivers and into the smaller streams, sometimes in very great numbers. The species are difficult to distinguish and have been unduly multiplied by authors. They are less tenacious of life than the species of Catostomus, but equal them in food value. Of the 20 species only about 5 attain a sufficient size to make them of much value for food. The remaining 15 species, which are mostly of small size, are the following: Sucking mullet (M. collapsum), lowland streams of North Carolina; thick-cheeked sucker (M. bucco), Missouri River at St. Joseph; Pedee sucker (M. pidiense), Great Pedee River basin; blue mullet (M. coregonus), Catawba and Yadkin rivers; white mullet (M. album), Catawba and other rivers of North Carolina; green mullet (M. thalassinum), Yadkin River; Texas red-horse (M. congestum), rivers of Texas; Mexican mullet (M. austrinum) Rio Lerma, Mexico; Yadkin mullet (M. robustum) Yadkin River, a doubtful species, perhaps identical with M. macrolepidotum, which occurs from Delaware to the Carolinas ; picconou (M. lesueuri), Albany River, Canada, and elsewhere in the far north, the most northern species, but not well known; Neuse River mullet (M. conns), Neuse and Yadkin rivers, perhaps not distinct from M. breviceps] Tangipahoa mullet (M. pcecilurum), southern Mississippi to eastern Texas; jump-rocks (M. rupiscartes), rivers from North Carolina to Georgia; and jumping mullet (M. cervinum), rivers of the South Atlantic States from the James to the Neuse, abundant about rapids and rocky pools. a. Lips full, the folds broken up into evident papillae; papillosum, 62 aa. Lips plicate, the folds not forming distinct papillae. b. Dorsal fin large, of 15 to 18 rays; lower lip V-shaped, somewhat papillose ; anisurum, 62 bb. Dorsal fin smaller, of 10 to 14 rays. c. Caudal fin with the upper lobe not conspicuously longer than the lower. d. Dorsal fin with its free margin nearly straight; lower fins always red in life ; aureolum, 63 61 White Mullet dd. Dorsal fin with its free margin always more or less incised or concave; lower fins always pale in life. e. Head moderate, 4f in body; back not elevated; macrolepidotum, 1 ee. Head very short and blunt, 5 in body; back elevated;... crassilabre, 63 cc. Caudal fin with the upper lobe more or less produced 61 and falcate bremceps, 64 White Mullet Moxostoma papillosum (Cope) Coastwise streams from the Dismal Swamp to the Ocmulgee River in Georgia; said to be common. Head 4 to 4^-; depth 4 to 4\', D, 12 to 14; scales 6-42-5. Body comparatively stout, the dorsal region somewhat elevated and rounded; eyes rather large, high up and well back, the preorbital space longer than in most species; top of head flat; lips moderate, deeply incised, the folds more broken up than in other species; caudal lobes equal. Colour, silvery; back with smoky shading; lower fins more or less reddish. Length i to 2 feet. White-nosed Sucker Moxostoma anisuntm (Rafinesque) This species reaches a length of \\ feet or more, and is not uncommon in the Great Lakes region and southward in the Ohio basin. Head 3$ to 4 in length; depth 3 to 4; eye 4 to 5 in head; depth of cheek 2 in head; D. 15 to 18. Body stout, deep and compressed, the back elevated; head short, heavy, flattish and broad above; eye rather large, midway in head; muzzle rather prominent, bluntish, overhanging the large mouth; upper lip thin; fins very large, the dorsal hng and high, its height \\ in length of head, its free border straight, the first ray about as long as the fin; pectorals nearly reaching vetitrals; upper lobe of caudal narrow, longer than lower. Colour, very pale and silvery; smoky above; lower fins white or pale red. 62 Common Redhorse Common Redhorse Moxostoma aureolum (Le Sueur) The common redhorse is found from Lakes Ontario and Michigan to Nebraska and south to Arkansas and Georgia. West of the Alleghanies it is everywhere an abundant and-well-known fish. It reaches a length of 2 feet or more and is the most im- portant food-fish of the genus. In the upper Mississippi Valley states it has always been held in considerable esteem by the farm- ers, who were in the habit of snaring, seining, or catching them in traps in great numbers in the spring of the year and salting them for winter use. Like most other well-known species of wide distribution, this sucker has received many common names, among which are the following: mullet, white sucker, large-scaled sucker, and redfin sucker. Head rather elongate, bluntish, broad and flattened above; body stoutish, varying to moderately elongate; lips rather full, the bluntish muzzle projecting beyond the large mouth; greatest depth of cheek more than half distance from snout to preopercle; dorsal fin medium in size, its free edge nearly straight, its longest ray shorter than the head. Colour, olivaceous; sides silvery, paler beneath; lower fins red or orange. Sucking Mullet Moxostoma crassilabre (Cope) Streams of eastern North Carolina, where it is very abundant. It reaches a length of nearly 2 feet, and, in the spring, is taken in large numbers in the shad seines. Among the vernacular names applied to it are redhorse, horse- fish, redfin, and mullet. Head 4f to 5 in length; depth 3^; eye 3! to 4; D. 12 or 13; scales 6-42 to 44-5. Body robust, the back elevated and com- 63 Short-headed Redhorse pressed; head short, broad, flattish above; mouth moderate, the lips lull, the lower truncate behind; snout short, little projecting; dorsal tin elevated in front, its edge much incised, its first ray longer than the base of the fin and about as long as the head; caudal lobes equal. Colour, silvery, with smoky shading above, some of the scales blackish at their bases; caudal and anal with some red; top of head, humeral bar and a broad shade across dorsal tin, dusky. Short-headed Redhorse Moxostoina brcviceps (Cope) Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, abundant in Lake Erie. This species reaches a length of a foot or more. Head 5 to 5^; depth 3^; eye small, 5 in head; D. 12 or 13- scales 6-45-5. Body deep, compressed; head small; snout short and sharply conic, overhanging the very small mouth; form sug- gesting that of the white-fish; caudal fin with the upper lobe fal- cate and much longer than the lower, at least in the adult; dorsal fin short, high, and falcate, the anterior rays \\ to i| times base of fin, the free 'border much concave; anal long, falcate, reaching beyond base of caudal. Colour, silvery, the lower fins bright red. GENUS PLACOPHARYNX COPE Suckers much like Moxostoma in all respects, except that the pharyngeal bones are much more developed and the teeth reduced in number, those on the lower half of the bone very large. 6 to 10 in number, nearly cylindric in form, being but little compressed and with a broad, rounded, or flattened grinding surface; mouth larger and more oblique than usual in Moxostoma, and the lips thicker. Only one species known. Big-jawed Sucker v
  • to 40 feet, but toward evening they would come to the surface and 68 GOLDEN TENCH, Tinea tinea. INTRODUCED GERMAN CARP. Cyprmus carpio. INTRODUCED The White Salmon feed greedily upon various insects that had fallen upon the surface of the water. Their manner of taking these insects is very much like that of the trout. Frequently they would jump entirely out of the water in their eagerness to secure the falling insect. They will rise to the artificial fly quite freely. By using Royal Coachman and fishing as if for trout excellent sport may be had. They rise to the fly promptly, strike quickly, and fight vigorously for a few moments, after which they allow themselves to be pulled in without much struggle. They will rise to the fly best in the evening, but will at any time take the hook baited with salmon spawn. During the spring and early summer the Squawfish run out into the streams, where they seem to prefer to spawn, but in the fall and winter the streams connected with lakes are apt to be deserted by this fish. In the winter it is sought as an article of food, and fishing through the ice for squawfish is one of the popular winter amusements at the Idaho lakes. In these lakes it rarely attains a greater weight than about 4 pounds, and the. usual weight is not over a pound. This fish is highly esteemed by the Indians, hence its most popuhn name. Othe 1 ' names by which it is known are Sacra- mento pike, chub, big mouthj box-head, yellow-belly, and chappau\. Head ^\ to 4; depth 4| to 5-^-; eye 7^ in head, 2\ in snout; snout 3; D, 9; A. 8; scales 15 to 17-70 to 80-8, 42 to 60 before the dorsal ; teeth 2, 4-5, 2, strong and well hooked, but without grinding surface. Body rather robust, with stout caudal pedunde; head long and pointed; mouth large, the max- illary reaching front of pupil; eye small, much larger in the young; lateral line strongly decurved, much nearer belly than back. Colour, muddy, greenish above, sides somewhat silvery, but chiefly dirty yellowish; belly yellowish or pale; in spring the fins are reddish or orange and the scales more or less dusted with dark specks; young with a black caudal spot. White Salmon of the Colorado River Ptychoclieilus Indus Girard This species differs chiefly from the squawfish, which it closely resembles, in the much smaller scales, there being 83 to 6 9 The Utah Lake Chub 90 in the lateral line. There are no other important differences. Colorado basin; very abundant in the river channels as far up as the mountains of Colorado. This is the largest of the American CypriniJiv. It reaches a length of s feet or more, and a weight of 80 pounds, though examples of this extreme size are infrequent. At Green River, Wyoming, individuals of 8 and 10 pounds are not at all rare. It is known variously as the whitefish, white salmon, or salmon, and in the Colorado basin, where species of food-fishes are not numerous, it is a fish of considerable importance. Nothing distinctive is known of its habits or methods of capture. Utah Lake Chub Leuciscns lincatus (Girard) Head 3^; depth 3}; eye 7; D. 9; A. 8; scales 10-55 to 65-5; teeth "2, 5-4, 2,' short and stout, one of them with grind- ing surface. Body robust, elevated anteriorly, the sides com- pressed, although the back is very broad; head broad, the interorbital space flattish; adult with the profile concave, straight or convex in the young; snout broad, elevated at the tip; premaxillary on level of pupil; mouth very oblique, the mandible projecting; maxillary reaching front of eye; scales large, sub- equal, broadly exposed, linn; lateral line decurved; dorsal nearly median, inserted directly over ventrals; caudal evenly forked, the peduncle long and deep; pectoral short, reaching f distance to ventrals; ventrals about reaching vent. Colour, dark, the scales much dotted, the edges quite dark, often forming lines along the rows of scales. Length 12 to is inches. One of the largest and most widely distributed species of the genus, abundant everywhere in the Great Basin of Utah, and 70 The Hornyhead in the Snake River basin above Shoshone Falls. In Utah Lake it is exceedingly abundant, as it is also in Jacksons Lake, Yellowstone Lake and other similar waters, where, owin*g to its large size, it is of some importance as a food-fish. It is said to be very destructive to the eggs of trout, a belief which may be justified by the facts, but we are not aware that the matter has ever been fully investigated. Besides this species of Leuciscus there are in America about 24 other species, all of which are small and of little importance except as boy's fishes. With a few exceptions they are species of the Western States, and are perhaps most valuable to the Indians or in those regions where better fish are rare. Then in Lake Tahoe, the Klamath Lakes, and various other lakes of Nevada, California and Oregon are found three species of the genus Rutilus, closely related to Leuciscus, none of them of much food value. Hornyhead Hybopsis kent:ickiensis (Rafinesque) The hornyhead is found from Pennsylvania to Wyoming and south to Alabama, on both sides of the Alleghanies; everywhere common in the larger streams, seldom ascending small brooks; one of our most widely distributed and best known minnows. In different parts of its range it is known as the hornyhead, river chub, Indian chub, or jerker. Wherever it is found at all, every boy who goes a-fishing is familiar with it. As a game-fish it is the most active and vigorous of its tribe. Any sort of hook baited with an angleworm or white grub is a lure the hornyhead can seldom resist, and he bites with a vim and energy worthy of a better fish. The fight he makes, though it would not wholly satisfy the veteran black bass angler, is quite enough to fill the youthful Walton with unbounded joy and pride. But as his experiences widen his chief interest in the horny- head lies in the fact that it is one of the best of live baits for nobler fish. For muskallunge, pickerel, walleyed pike, and black bass of either species, as alive bait it is not surpassed; large individuals for muskallunge and increasingly smaller ones for the others, those for the small-mouthed black bass being not over 3 to 5 inches in length. 71 The Cone-head Minnow A hardy, active minnow, and of an attractive colour, as a live bait it .is unsurpassed. Head 4; depth 4-^5 D. 8; A. 7; scales 6-41-4, 18 in front of dorsal; teeth 1,4-4,1, or 1,4-4,0, sometimes 4-4. Body stout, little elevated, and not much compressed; head large, broadly rounded above; snout bluntly conical; mouth rather large, subterminal, little oblique, the lower jaw somewhat the shorter; upper lip below level of eye; maxillary not reaching front of eye; barbel well developed; dorsal fin rather posterior, slightly behind insertion of ventrals: caudal broad, little forked; scales large, not crowded anteriorly; lateral line somewhat decurved. Colour, bluish-olive above; sides with bright green and coppery reflections; a curved dusky bar behind opercle; scales above with dark borders; belly pale but' not silvery, rosy in males in spring; fins all pale orange, without black spot; males in spring with a crimson spot on each side of head; adults with top of head swollen, forming a sort of crest covered with tubercles; young with a dark caudal spot. Length 6 to 12 inches. Cone-head Minnow Mylopharodon conocepJialns (Baird & Girard) Head 3^; depth 4; eye 7; snout about 3; D. 8; A. 8; scales 17-74-7. Body elongate, subfusiform, compressed ; head broad and depressed; the snout tapering; mouth horizontal, the jaws about equal, the maxillary extending to the eye; eye small, preorbital elongate; interorbital space as wide as length of maxillary, 3 in head; scales rather small, loosely imbricated ; dorsal fin a little behind ventrals; caudal fin \\ in head, the lower lobe the longer; caudal peduncle very long, 4\ in length of body. Colour, dark, paler below, no red. This minnow reaches a length of 2 or 3 feet and is of some value as a food-fish. It is found only in the Sacramento-San Joaquin basin. Columbia Chub Mylocheilus canrimis (Richardson) The Columbia chub occurs in the streams and lakes of British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon, chiefly in the Columbia River basin and waters about Puget Sound. In the Columbia basin it ascends in Clarks fork at least as far as Flathead Lake, and in Snake River to Shoshone Falls. 72 The Fallfish In the Snake River this minnow is one of the most abundant fishes, and is locally known by the misleading names "fresh-water herring" and "whitefish," and, at one place, they are even called trout. The name "whitefish" for this minnow is rather more than local in its application, as it is used not only on Snake River, but at Flathead Lake and perhaps elsewhere. At the salmon fisheries along the Columbia and Snake rivers it is quite abun- dant, and, after salmon fishing has begun, schools of 30 to 50 or more can be seen at any time. They are particularly attracted by the offal thrown into the river when the salmon are dressed, and by throwing a few salmon eggs into the water, good-sized schools could be called up at any time. This fish seldom attains a greater length than a foot, and is, like most members of the family, a bony species; nevertheless, it possesses some importance as a food-fish. At some places in the Columbia basin it is served as "whitefish" at the hotels, and elsewhere it is peddled over the country as "trout'' or "fresh-water herring." It takes the hook readily and possesses considerable game qualities. The best bait seems to be salmon spawn, but it will bite at almost anything, a piece of liver, a grasshopper, or a fish's heart or eye. It will fight vigorously for a time, and large individuals will often continue the fight until brought to net. Head 4|; depth 4^; eye 5; snout 3^; D. 8; A. 8; scales 12-77-7; teeth i or 2,5-5,2 or i. Body moderately slender; head bluntly conic; interorbital space broad, convex; mouth horizontal or nearly so, the maxillary not reaching front of eye; suborbital bone wide; preorbital elongate; teeth hooked in the young, some of them becoming blunt with age. Colour, dark olivaceous above, yellowish silvery on sides, white or pale beneath; a dark or red- dish lateral band, below which is a pale stripe, under which is a dark stripe which extends about to vent; fins pale; belly and sides with much red in breeding males. Fallfish Semotilus corporalis (Mitchill) Length a foot to 18 inches. Abundant from the St. Lawrence basin to the James, east of the Alleghanies, in clear, swift streams, rock pools, below dams or falls, and in clear lakes; not found west of the Alleghanies. 73 The Fallfish The fallfish is much the largest of our eastern CvpriniJir. ranking with the western and some European forms. Though ordinarily not exceeding a foot or 15 inches in length, examples 1 8 inches or even longer are not rare. An example weighing 3^ pounds has been recorded from Canadian waters, and several ex- amples, each weighing 3 pounds, have been taken in the outlet of Lake Winnepesaukee. The veteran angler, William C. Harris, has taken a 2-pound fish of this species on the artificial fly from Lycoming Creek, Pennsylvania. Many anglers who are familiar with the fallfish speak enthus- iastically of its game qualities. The character of the waters in which it lives and the large size which it attains would readily suggest a minnow of unusual strength and gaminess. The common names which this fish has received are numer- ous. The early Dutch settlers of New York called it corporaalen or corporal, and elsewhere it has been variously called chub, roach, silver chub, or wind-fish. Thoreau says it is a "soft fish and tastes like brown paper, salted." Head 4; depth 4; eye 4^; D. 8; A. 8; scales 8-49-4, 18 to 22 before the dorsal; teeth 2,5-4,2, hooked, without grinding sur- face. Body oblong, robust, little compressed; head large, convex, the snout bluntly conic; mouth large, terminal, somewhat oblique, the lower jaw included; premaxillary below the level of the eye, the maxillary barely reaching front of orbit; eye moderate, rather high up and anterior; a small barbel on maxillary just above its extremity, not at its tip as in most American minnows,' not always evident in the young; scales large, not much crowded anteriorly; dorsal fin somewhat behind middle of body, just behind ventrals, or midway between nostril and base of caudal. Colour, brilliant; steel-blue above, sides and belly silvery; males in spring with the belly and lower fins rosy or crimson; no spots on the fins. 14 The Common Chut Common Chub Semotilus atromaculatus (Mitchill) This fish closely resembles the preceding, from which it may be readily distinguished, however, by the more posterior position of the dorsal fin (midway between middle of eye and base of caudal, and well behind ventrals), the closer crowding of the scales on anterior part of body, and the presence of a large black spot on base of anterior dorsal rays. The scales also are somewhat smaller, the number in the lateral line being' usually 50 to 55. Colour, dusky bluish above, side with a vague, dusky band, black in the young, disappearing in the adult; belly whitish, rosy in males in spring; dorsal fin always with a con- spicuous black spot on base of anterior rays which is bordered with red in the male; a dark vertebral line; scales everywhere edged with dark punctulations; a dusky bar behind opercle; males with snout coarsely tuberculate in spring; young with a small black caudal spot. I The common chub is found from Maine westward to Wyom- ing and south to Georgia and Alabama, everywhere abundant, particularly in small creeks, where it is often the largest and most voracious inhabitant. It reaches a length of a foot or less and is one of the most common species seen on the small boy's string. Its food value is not great, though it serves a useful purpose in many a region where better fish are rare. Moreover, it is an excellent bait minnow for bass, walleyed pike, pickerel, and muskallunge. Among the common names borne by this fish are horned dace, chub, and creek chub. 75 THE TRUE EELS Family VI. Angnillidtz "A youthful ccl resided in a tiny tidal pool; He was lithe as gutta-percha, and as pliable; From his actions and contractions he appeared to be a fool. But his virtue was completely undeniable." Carryl. THE true eels are characterized by their peculiar fine imbedded scales in association with a conical head and a general resemblance to the conger eels. The scales are inconspicuous, narrow and placed in series at angles with each other. The Anguillidcc approach more nearly than most of the other eels to the type of the true fishes. In one respect, that of the minute ova and concealed generation, how- ever, they differ widely from the true fishes. The single genus of this family is Anguilla, with one species in our waters. Common Eel Anguilla chrisypa Rafinesque The common eel is familiar to every one who has lived in Eastern North America, and who has given any attention to things out doors. On our Atlantic Coast it ranges from New- foundland to Mexico and Central .America, and is also abundant among the islands of the. West Indies. It is found likewise along the Gulf Coast. Unlike other eels it ascends freshwater streams long distances, and may be found even in the head- waters of nearly all the rivers of the Atlantic Coast and the Mississippi Valley. It is frequently found in lakes which would seem to be difficult to reach from the sea, but however great the barriers appear to be, it is certain that they have not been in- surmountable, and that the eels got into the lakes from some connecting water. Tin- tvl is really a freshwater fish, whose real home is in the freshwater rivers and lakes, but which runs down to salt 76 CC LJ I ti o in < _i i . Belly nowhere carinated; eye 2\ in head; sc/t'iiops, 93 go Toothed Herring ; La Queche Toothed Herring ; La Queche Hiodon alosoidcs (Rafmesque) This fish is found in the upper Mississippi Valley and north- ward, and is most common northwestward. It prefers the lakes and larger streams. It is a beautiful, attractive fish, reaching a length of 8 to 12 inches. This and the next species, while of little value as food, are of considerable interest to the anglers of the upper Mississippi Valley states. They are eager biters and take indiscriminately the feathered lures, small spoons, grasshoppers, grubs and other natural bait. According to Mr. W. C. Harris, they rise freely to the arti- ficial fly in the early spring months, but seem to disregard it as warm weather approaches, at which time they favour the grass- hopper above all other lures. In middle Canada they are said to take the fly in the latter part of August, and anglers of that section prize highly the sport of casting for them. In these waters this fish is said to leap, when hooked, repeatedly in the air. Head 4^-; depth 3^; D. 9; A. 32; scales 6-56-7. Bodv closely compressed, becoming deep in the adult, the ventral edge everywhere carinated; maxillary reaching beyond middle of eye; caudal peduncle rather stouter than in the next species, and the fin not so deeply forked; back less arched and snout blunter than in the other species, the mouth larger and more oblique, the pec- torals and the ventrals shorter. Colour, bluish above, sides sil- very, with golden lustre. The Mooneye Mooneye Hi o don tcrgisns Le Sueur This fish closely resembles the toothed herring, from which it may best be distinguished by its larger dorsal fin and in having the belly in front of the ventrals not carinated. The mooneye reaches a length of a foot or more, and is found throughout the Mississippi Valley, the Great Lakes region and northwestward at least to the Assiniboine River. It is usu- ally common in the larger streams and lakes, and is a very handsome fish, not valued as food, the flesh being dry and full of small bones. As a game-fish it does not differ materially from the toothed herring. Head 4^; depth 3; eye 3; D. 12; A. 28; scales s-ss-7- Body oblong, moderately compressed; eye large, the maxillary barely reaching its middle; pectoral fin not reaching ventrals; the latter scarcely reaching vent; belly behind ventrals somewhat carinated. but not in front. Colour, brilliantly silvery, olive- shaded above. Southern Mooneye Southern Mooneye Hiodou sclcnops Jordan & Bean In certain southern rivers, the Tennessee, Cumberland and Alabama, is found this species of Hiodon which differs from H. tergisus chiefly in not having the belly at all carinate. Nothing has been recorded as to its habits. Head 4^; depth 4; eye 2^; D. 12; A. 27; scales 50. Body more slender than in the other species, little compressed; not much elevated, the belly nowhere carinated; eye very large; pectoral not reaching ventrals; colouration, clear silvery. 93 THE MILK-FISHES Family XII. CJianidce BODY oblong, compressed, covered with small, firm, adherent scales; lateral line distinct; abdomen broad and flattish; snout depressed; mouth small, anterior, the lower jaw with a small symphyseal tubercle; no teeth; eye with an adipose eyelid; gill- membranes broadly united, free from the isthmus; branchioste- gals 4; pseudobranchise well developed; an accessory branchial organ in a cavitv behind the gill cavity; dorsal fin opposite the ventrals; anal shorter than the dorsal; mucous membrane of the oesophagus raised into a spiral fold; intestine with many con- volutions; colour silvery. The Awa or Milk-fish This genus contains 3 species, only one of which is found in our waters. This is Chtinos chatios, the milk-fish, or awa, a fish of very wide distn! ;;iion. It is found on most sandy shores of the Pacific and Indian oceans. It is very abundant in the Gulf of California and among the Hawaiian Islands, where it is an important food-fish. In the Hawaiian Islands it is found with the ama-ama, or mullet, in the artificial fish-ponds of the old kings. The a\va reaches a length of 2 to 5 feet. 04 THE HERRINGS Family XIII. Clupeidcs BODY oblong or elongate, usually much compressed, covered with cycloid or pectinated scales; belly sometimes rounded, sometimes compressed, in which case it is often armed with bony serratures; head naked, usually compressed; mouth rather large, terminal, the jaws about equal; premaxillaries not pro- tractile; teeth mostly small, often feeble or wanting; gillrakers long and slender; gill-membranes not connected, free from the isthmus; branchiostegals usually free, 6 to 15; pseudobranchiae present; no lateral line; anal fin usually rather long, caudal forked. This is a large family, embracing about 30 genera and 150 species. Most of the species are saltwater, inhabiting all seas, and usually swimming in immense schools. Many species are anadromous, ascending freshwater streams to spawn, and some species remain in fresh water permanently. The northern and freshwater species, as in many other families, differ from the tropical forms in having a larger num- ber of vertebrae. None of the species is considered a game-fish, but many of them are among the most important food-fishes. In American waters the family is represented by 16 genera, and about 38 species, some 10 of which are of commercial importance. a. Scales with their posterior margins entire and rounded; in- testinal canal of moderate length. b. Vomer with teeth ; Clupea, 96 bb. Vomer without teeth. c. Ventral scutes very weak, the belly more or less rounded; ventrals under middle of dorsal; Clupanodon, 99 cc. Ventral scutes strong, the belly compressed; ventrals below or slightly behind front of dorsal. d. Premaxillaries meeting at a large angle, so that the tip of the upper jaw does not appear to be notched; cheek longer than deep ; Pomolobus 101 dd. Premaxillaries meeting in front at a very acute angle, so that the emarginate front of the upper jaw receives the 95 The Common Herring slender tip of the lower; fore part of the cheek very deep, deeper than long;.. .Alosa, 104 ,7,;. Scales with their posterior margins vertical, and pectinate or fluted ; intestine elongate; Brcroortia, 108 GENUS CLUPEA LINNAEUS The True Herrings The true herrings have the body elongate, the vertebrae numerous, the ventral serratures weak, and an ovate patch of small but persistent teeth on the vomer. The few species belong to the northern seas, where the number of individuals is very great, exceeding perhaps those of any other genus of fishes. In America there are but 2 species, both of which spawn in the sea. a. Belly serrate both before and behind ventrals; anal rays 17; licirengns, 96 aa. Belly serrate behind ventrals only; anal rays 14; pallasii, 99 Common Herring Clnpca liarcngns Linnaeus The herring is beyond question the most important of food fishes in the Atlantic, if not in the world. Distributed as it is throughout the whole of the North Atlantic, it affords occupation for immense fleets of fishing boats, and according to an esti- 96 The Common Herring mate made by Professor Huxley, the number taken every year out of the North Sea and Atlantic is at least 3,000,000,000, with a weight of at least 1,500,000,000 pounds. This estimate is probably too low. Carl Dambeck estimates the average yield of herring in Norway from 1850 to 1870 at 1,452,000,000 pounds, and the annual yield on the Swedish coast has been put at 300,000,000 pounds. In 1873 the catch on the Scotch coast was 188,000,000 pounds, which employed 45,494 men, using 15,095 boats. In the same period 15,331 boats were used in the English fisheries. If to these we add the yitld on the coasts of Ireland, Germany, Belgium, France and America, the total is enormous. But 3,000,000,000 herring is probably no greater than the number contained in a single shoal, if it covers half a dozen square miles, and shoals of much greater size are on record. And, according to Professor Huxley, there must be scattered through the North Sea and the North Atlantic, at one and the same time, scores of shoals, any one of which would go a long way toward supplying the whole of man's consump- tion of herring. The herring is found in the temperate and colder parts of the North Atlantic. On our coast it has been found as far south as Cape Hatteras, though it is not abundant south of New England. It rarely enters brackish water, but spawns in the sea. Unlike many other fishes, the herring, as well as other species of Clupeidce, are regarded as particularly delicious at spawning time, and most of the herring fisheries are carried on when the fish are in full roe. The herring fishery in America is entirely a shore fishery. With the exception of a few occasionally taken for bait by the line fishermen on the banks, our herring are all caught in the immediate vicinity of the shore. Although the herring fishery in America has never assumed the importance which it has long held in Europe, the herring is probably no less abundant here than on the other side of the Atlantic. The principal herring fisheries on our coast are north of Cape Cod, and Newfoundland is the most northern point where important fisheries are located. From the Bay of Fundy to Cape Cod the fishing-ground is practically continuous. The herring fisheries are carried on- chiefly by means of brush weirs, gillnets, and torching. The latter method is the most primitive, and is saia to be effectual only after the 97 The Common Herring weather has become cool. Formerly a birch-bark torch, now one of oil, was fixed to the bow of the boat, which is rapidly rowed through the water by several fishermen, while another with a large dip-net is stationed in the bow. The fish rise toward the light in numbers so long as the boat is kept moving rapidly, and large quantities are dipped into the boat. At other times the torch is used to lure the fish into the weirs, the light being then extinguished, and the operation repeated as often as necessary. Gillnets, however, are now the appliances chiefly in use in the herring fishery. They are set at some distance below the surface, and anchored at one or both ends. The quantities caught are very great, frequently sufficient to sink the buoys. The food of the herring consists of small animal organisms, chiefly of two small crustaceans, viz.: copepods, or "red seed," and schizopod crustaceans, or the "shrimp" of the fishermen. Among the enemies of the herring which may be mentioned are the cod, haddock, pollock, hake, dogfish, albacore, squid, por- poises, seals and finback whales, each of which is very des- tructive. As a food-fish the herring is of very great importance. It is utilized in many different ways. The great quantities brought to Gloucester, New York and elsewhere in winter from New- foundland are sold fresh. Those caught on the New England coast are smoked, salted or pickled, packed as sardines or used as bait chiefly in the cod fisheries. On the Maine coast the most important use is as sardines. Head 4^; depth 4^; eye 4; D. 18; A. 17; scales S7J ventral scutes 28+13; vertebrae 56. Body elongate, compressed; scales loose; cheek longer than high; maxillary reaching middle of eye; upper jaw not emarginate, the lower jaw much projecting; vomer with a small ovate patch of small permanent teeth; pala- tine teeth small or absent; tongue with small teeth; gillrakers very long, fine and slender, about 40 on lower arm ' of first arch; eye longer than snout; abdomen serrated in front as well .is In-hind, the serratures weak. Colour, bluish, silvery below, with bright reflections; peritoneum dusky. 98 California Herring California Herring Clupca pallasii Cuvier & Valenciennes The California herring, known in some earlier publications as Clupea mirabilis Girard, is found in the North Pacific from San Diego to Kamchatka and is everywhere known as "herring/' It is scarcely different in size, appearance, or qualities from the Atlantic species. It is found the entire length of our Pacific Coast, being exceedingly abundant northward. All the bays and outlets of Puget Sound are filled with them in summer. South of Point Conception they are seldom seen except in winter. They are so abundant in San Francisco Bay in spring that prac- tically no marke! can be found for them. At San Diego they spawn in the bay in January. Farther north the spawning season is later. They are fattest and bring the best price in early winter. They are smoked and dried, or salted, or sent fresh to the markets. Sometimes oil is expressed from them. The California herring is an excellent food-fish, and large quan- tities are used annually. It reaches a length of 18 inches. Head 4^; depth 4; D. 16; A. 14; scales 52. Lower jaw strongly projecting, the upper not emarginate; belly scarcely corn-- pressed in front of ventrals, serrate only between ventrals and anal; gill-rakers very long and slender; vomerine teeth weaker than in the Atlantic herring; usually a few teeth on tongue and premax- illaries; insertion of dorsal slightly nearer front of eye than base of caudal. Colour, bluish above, silvery on sides and below; perito- neum dusky. * GENUS CLUPANODON LACEPEDE The True Sardines This genus is close to Clupea, which it resembles in form of body and the weak ventral serratures. It differs, however, in having no teeth on the vomer; teeth in jaws mostly weak; scales thin and deciduous ; adipose eyelid present ; gillrakers very numerous. There are about 6 species in this genus, all confined chiefly to the 2 temperate zones, and all closely related to tne 99 California Sardine European sardine, Cl it (\moJon pilcliardus, with which they all agree in richness of flesh. The 3 genera, Clnpca, Clupanodon and Pomolobiis, are all closely related and perhaps should be united. j. Opercle conspicuously striate; side with a series of round black spots; CiTntlcits, 100 aa. Opercle scarcely striate; side without black spots; psendohispanicus, 100 California Sardine Clupanodon ccerulcns (Girard) This excellent food-fish reaches a length of a foot, and occurs on our Pacific Coast from Puget Sound southward to Magdalena Bay. It is abundant on the California coast, and spawns in the open sea. It resembles the European sardine, but has no teeth, and the belly is less strongly serrate. Head 4; depth s; D. 14; A. 17; scales 53; scutes 18+14; ver- tebras about so. Body slender, subtusiform, the back rather broad; ventral serratures very weak; maxillary reaching nearly to middle of eye; mandible little projecting, the tip included; no teeth in mouth ; gillrakers longer than the eye, very slender and numer- ous, close-set, some so or 60 on lower limb of arch; a frill of en- larged scales with dendritic stria: about nape and shoulder; insertion of dorsal considerably nearer snout than base of caudal. Colour, dark bluish above, silvery below; a series of round black spots running backward from level of eye, bounding the dark colour of the back; similar smaller spots above, forming lines along the rows of scales; these spots sometimes obscure or wanting, especially in old examples; tip of lower jaw yellow; lower part of dorsal Yel- lowish; peritoneum black; flesh darker and more oily than that of the herring. Spanish Sardine Clupanodon pseudohispanicus (Poey) This is called sardina de llspana in Cuba and bang in Jamaica. It is found from Pensacola southward and is abundant about Cuba. It is sometimes carried north in the dull" Stream to Woods Hole and Cape Cod. It reaches 8 inches in length and in the West Indies is of considerable value as a food-fish. 100 The Alewives It very closely resembles the European sardine (Clupanodon pilchardus), but is distinguished by the absence of radiating striae on the opercles. From the California sardine it is distin- guished by the smooth opercles, unspotted sides, and the pres- ence of minute teeth on tongue and lower jaw. GENUS POMOLOBUS RAFINESQUE The Alewives This genus is very close to Clupea from which it seems to differ only in having no teeth on the vomer. As here understood this genus contains 4 known species, each of some value as food. a. Teeth present in the jaws, those on tip of each jaw mostly persistent ; chrysochloris, 101 an. Teeth in jaws disappearing with age. b. Peritoneum pale. c. Head long, about 4 in length ; mediocris, 102 cc. Head shorter and heavier, about 4! in length; pseudoharengus, 103 bb. Peritoneum black ; cestivalis, 104 Fresh-water Skipjack ; Blue Herring Pomolobus chrysochloris Rafinesque This species is found in all the larger streams of the Mis- sissippi Valley and has been introduced through canals into Lakes Erie and Michigan. As ordinarily seen it is strictly a fresh-water fish, but along the Gulf coast it enters salt water where examples of large size and excessive fatness are occasionally taken. In Lake Erie it is called "sawbelly," from the ventral scutes. This species reaches a length of 15 inches, rarely takes the hook, and is of very little value as a .food-fish. Head 3!; depth 3f; eye 4^; D. 16; A. 18; scales 52; vent- ral scutes 20+13. Body elliptical, much compressed; head rather slender and pointed, its upper profile straight; lower jaw strongly Tailor Herring ; Hickory Shad projecting, its tip entering the profile; upper jaw emarginate; premaxillary, and often tip of lower jaw, with persistent teeth of moderate size; maxillary large, reaching posterior part of eye; eye large, well covered by adipose eyelid; caudal peduncle slender, the caudal fin well forked; gillrakers comparatively few, short, stout, and coarse, about 23 below angle of arch; opercle with radiating and branching striae. Colour, brilliant blue above, sides silvery with golden reflections; no dark spots behind opercle; peritoneum pale. Tailor Herring; Hickory Shad Pomolobus mcdiocris (Mitchill) This species of herring, which is also known as fall her- ring and mattowacca, is fairly common from Cape Cod to Flor- ida. The name Mattowacca is said to be derived from the Indian name for Long Island, which was Mattowaka or Mattowax. In the Potomac River it is called "tailor shad" or "fresh-water tailor," in contradistinction to the bluefish which is called "salt- water tailor." The centre of abundance of the tailor seems to be in the vicinity of Chesapeake Bay where ii usually makes its appearance in the rivers in the spring before the shad. Northward it does not usually enter streams, but southward it does so regularly. It reaches a maximum length of 24 inches, though examples cf more than 3 pounds' weight are not often seen. This species is caught in great quantities in pound-nets and is hawked about the streets of Washington and other cities in 102 Alewife; Branch Herring the spring, and is often sold as shad to the unsuspecting. Very soon the market for them ceases and they are then used as fer- tilizer. It is also often sold with the alewife and glut herring, i tailor counting as 2 herring. Head 4; depth 5!; D. 15; A. 21; scales 50; scutes 20+16. Head rather long; lower jaw considerably projecting, the upper emarginate; dorsal fin inserted nearer snout than base of caudal. Colour, bluish silvery; sides with rather faint longitudinal stripes; peritoneum pale. Alewife ; Branch Herring 1 Pomolobus pseudoharengits (Wilson) This is known also as wall-eyed herring, big-eyed herring, spring herring, blear-eyed herring, ellwife, Gaspereau, and doubt- less by many other names. It is found on our Atlantic coast from the Carolinas northward and is very abundant. It enters fresh-water streams to spawn and the run usually precedes that of the shad by 2 or 3 weeks. It is found also in certain small lakes in New York tributary to the St. Lawrence and in Lake Ontario where it is exceedingly abundant. It seems to be land- locked in these lakes and is greatly dwarfed in size. In Lake Ontario myriads die every year in early summer. Head 4f; depth j\\ eye j\\ D. 16; A. 19; scales 50; scutes 21 + 14; gillrakers 30 to 40 below the angle. > Body rather deep and compressed; head short, nearly as deep as long; maxillary Glut Herring ; Summer Herring reaching posterior margin of pupil; lower jaw somewhat projec- ting, the upper emargmate; eye large: gillrakers long, but shorter and stouter than in the shad; lower lobe ot" caudal the longer. Colour, bluish above, sides silvery; indistinct dark stripes along the rows of scales; a blackish spot behind opercle; perito- iic'Lim pale. Glut Herring; Summer Herring Porno lob ns cestivalis (Mitchill) This species occurs on our Atlantic coast from New Eng- land to the Carolinas. It is less abundant northward than the alewife and appears in the streams somewhat later than that species. Southward it is sometimes exceedingly abundant, hence the name "glut her- ring." Other names by which it is known are blueback, black- belly, saw-belly, and kyach. As a food-fish it is less valuable than the alewife. Head 5; depth j\. Very similar to the preceding, from which it is best distinguished by the black peritoneum; body more elongate, the fins lower, "the eye smaller, and the back darker; first ray of dorsal not equal to base of fin. GENUS A LOS A CUl/IER The Shad Body deep, compressed, deeper than in i elated American genera; the head also deep, the free portion of the cheek deeper than long; ioa Common Shad ; American Shad jaws toothless; upper jaw with a sharp, deep notch at tip, the premax- illaries meeting at a very acute angle; otherwise as in Pomololnis, to which this genus is closely allied. There are 2 or 3 American species. a. Gillrakers very numerous, usually more than 100 on first arch; sapidissima, 105 aa. Gillrakers less numerous, not more than 70 on first arch; alabamce, 108 Common Shad ; American Shad Alosa sapidissima (Wilson) The shad is found on our Atlantic coast from Florida to New- foundland, its centre of abundance being from North Carolina to Long Island. The principal shad rivers are the Potomac, Susquehanna, and Delaware. In the early history of the country the abundance of the shad excited unbounded astonishment. Nearly every river on the Atlantic Coast was invaded in the spring by immense schools, which, in their upward course, furnished an ample supply of choice food. But through ever-increasing fishing operations the supply gradually diminished until 30 years ago when the Federal and various State governments began hatching the shad artificially. So successful have these efforts been that, notwithstanding greatly increased fishing operations and the curtailment of the spawning-grounds, the supply in recent years has not only been maintained but largely augmented in many streams. One of the satisfactory results of the artificial propagation of useful food-fishes satisfactory because they *are absolutely proved and can- not be questioned has been the introduction of the shad into the waters of our Pacific Coast in which no shad were previously found. 105 Common Shad ; American Shad At various times between 1871 and 1880, 619,000 shad fry were planted in the Sacramento River, and in i88s and 1886 910,000 were placed in the Columbia River. There young shad found the environ- ment congenial, suitable spawning grounds were found, and they have thrived so well that they have spread to San Diego on the South and to Fort Wrangel on the North a distance of more than 2,000 miles. The shad is now one of the most abundant and most delicious food- fishes in the markets of San Francisco and other west coast cities. The shad is an anadromous fish which passes most of its life in the sea, performing annual migrations from the ocean to the rivers for the sole purpose of reproduction. Little is known of its life in the ocean, the places to which it resorts are unknown and but little is known regarding its food. In the spring it ascends to suitable spawn- ing grounds, which are always in fresh water, occupying several weeks in depositing and fertilizing its eggs in any given stream. It appears in the St. Johns River, Florida, as early as November, but not in great abundance until February and March. Beginning with the Savannah and Edisto rivers in January, the run in the different streams to the northward is successively later, the height of the run in the Potomac being in April, in the Delaware early in May, and the Mirarnichi River, in New Brunswick, about the last of May. The main body ascends when the water temperature is 56 to 66, the number diminishing when the temperature is over 66. They come in successive schools, the males preceding the females. Of 61,000 shad received at Washington from March 1910 24, 1897, 90% were males. Toward the close of the season males were extremely scarce. Formerly the shad ascended many streams much farther than they are now able to go, owing to the erection of many impassable dams, beyond which the fish cannot go. As the shad enter the rivers only for the purpose of spawning, the fisheries are necessarily prosecuted during the spawning sea- son, and often upon the favourite spawning-grounds. So great is the demand for this delicious food-fish, and so assiduously do the fishermen ply their vocation with many kinds of gear during the period when, under ordinary circumstances, the fish should be protected, that the shad-fisheries would long since have been a thing of the past had it not been for artificial prop- agation. During the spring of 1900 the U. S. Fish Commission 106 Common Shad ; American Shad planted in the Atlantic Coast streams a total of 241,056,000 young shad. The shad is very prolific. Single fish have been known to yield from 60,000 to 156,000 eggs, though the usual number does not exceed 30,000. The eggs are very small, semi-buoyan-t, and usually require 6 to 10 days for hatching, the time varying with the temperature of the water. Unlike most other fishes shad roe is considered a great del- icacy when fried; and ever since the days of George Washington and John Marshall "planked shad" has been regarded as the acme of success in the preparation of a delicious fish for the table. And a planked shad dinner at Marshall Hall, near Mount Vernon, is quite sure to constitute a feature in the spring programme of many Washington societies. After entering the rivers, the shad take but little, if any, food previous to spawning, but after casting its eggs it will strike at flies or other small shining objects, and it has been known to take the artifical fly. Though there is but one species of shad on our Atlantic Coast it has received almost as many vernacular names as there are rivers which it enters, as Potomac shad, Susquehanna shad, Delaware shad, North River shad, and Connecticut shad; and the people on each particular stream regard their shad as the best; and all are right, for the sweetness and delicate flavour of the shad depend much upon its freshness. The shad one gets from a nearby river are apt to reach the table fresher than those shipped from a distance. The shad is the most valuable river fish of the Atlantic Coast, and, next to the Chinook salmon, the most important species inhabiting the fresh waters of North America. Among all the economic fishes of the United States only the cod and the Chinook salmon exceed it in value. In 1896 the shad catch of the Atlantic seaboard numbered 13,145,395 fish, weighing 50,847,967 pounds, and worth to the fishermen $1,656,580. Head 4^; depth 3; D. 15; A. 21; scales 60; ventral scutes 21 + 16. Body comparatively deep; mouth rather large, the jaws about equal, the lower fitting into a notch in the tip of the upper; gillrakers extremely long and numerous, usually about 40+68, the total varying from 93 to 1 19; fins small, the dorsal much nearer the snout than base of caudal; peritoneum white. Colour, bluish above, sides silvery white; a dark spot behind opercle, and sometimes several along the 107 Alabama Shad line dividing the colour of the back from that of the side, these evident when the scales arc off; axil dusky. The shad reaches a length of 2 to 2\- feet, though the average weight is less than 4 pounds. Alabama Shad Alosa alabamce Jordan & Evermann In the Black Warrior River of Alabama, about Pensacola, and doubtless in other rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, is found a species of shad resembling the common shad but differing from it in not having nearly so many gillrakers, in having a sharper, more pointed snout, smaller notch in the upper jaw, more projecting mandible, and more slender maxillary. It also reaches maturity at a considerably smaller size than the common shad, the various examples seen measuring only 15 inches each in total length. Nothing is known of its habits except that it appears at Tusca- loosa, Alabama, in limited numbers early in April, and that the young have been seen in salt water at Pensacola. GENUS BRKl/OORTIA GILL The Menhadens Body elliptical, compressed, deepest anteriorly, tapering behind; head very large; cheek deeper than long; mouth large, the lower - r tn en z Ld O CO Ld H> Kl _J uj ID I _J CL < LU Q; z D Q- t? UJ $ oc o CL CD c z o o cc D O CD Broad Whitefish; Muksun from which it was supposed to differ in its somewhat more slen- der body, shorter pectoral and ventral, lower dorsal, and smaller scales. The two are probably not distinct. The waters of the Missouri Basin from which whitefish have been reported are the Yellowstone, Madison, Redrock, Beaverhead, Gibbon and Gallatin rivers, Horsethief Springs, and Big Goose Creek, a tributary of Tongue River, Wyoming. Broad Whitefish; Muksun Coregonus kennicotti Milner This species, known also as Kennicott's whitefish, and the Delta whitefish, was described from Fort Good Hope, British America, in 1883. Since then it has been observed in the Meade, Kuahroo, Kuwuk and Yukon rivers of Alaska, and in Great Bear Lake. These localities indicate its known geographic range. The broad whitefish is one of the largest species of the genus. It reaches a weight of 30 pounds, and as a food-fish is held in high esteem. It is said by Dr. Dall to be abundant in the Yukon in both winter and summer, and that it spawns in September when it enters the small tributary streams. Nothing is knov/n as to its game qualities or other habits. Head 5f; depth 4f; eye 5^; D. 1 1 ; A. 14; scales 10-87 to 90-10. Head small and very blunt; mouth inferior, the high blunt snout but little projecting; premaxillaries wide and vertically placed; maxillary reaching slightly beyond vertical at front of eye; preor- bital narrow, its greatest width only i its length, or ^ diameter of eye; gillrakers 6 or 7 + 14, short and slender; tongue with a round patch of weak, bristle-like teeth, resembling those of the inconnu; adipose fin large, a wide strip at base covered with small scales. Colour, probably very dark in life; fins all blackish in spirits, with a bluish tinge. Richardson's Whitefish . Coregonus ricJiardsonii Giinther Only the type specimen of this species is known. It was described from some unknown locality in British America. It is very similar to the common whitefish, also to the broad whitefish, with which it may prove identical. Nothing is known regarding its habits or food-value. 121 Menomince Whitefish Menominee Whitefish Coregonus quadrilateralis Richardson This species is known as menominee whitefish (Lakes Supe- rior and Michigan), round whitefish (British America), frostfish (Lake Champlain and Adirondack lakes), shad waiter (Lake Winnepesaukee), pilotfish (Lake Champlain), chivey (Maine), Chateaugay shad (Chateaugay Lake), and blackback (Lake Michi- gan). The round whitefish is found in the lakes of New England, westward through the Adirondacks and the Great Lakes, thence northward into Alaska, from which it may be seen that this species is the most widely distributed of the American white- fishes. The menominee reaches a length of 12 to 15 inches, and a weight of 2 pounds; the average weight of those taken to market, however, does not exceed one pound. This species, like all others of its genus, spawns in the fall, but nothing distinctive is known of its habits. It is ordinarily found in rather deep water of the lakes, and does not often enter streams. It is not regarded as a game-fish, but as an article of food it ranks with the other smaller whitefishes. Con- siderable quantities are taken each year in Lake Champlain and the small Adirondack lakes, while in Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior still larger quantities are caught, gillnets being the gear usually employed for the purpose. Head s; depth 4^; eye 5^; D. n; A. 10; scales 9-80 to 90-8; maxillary 5^; mandible 3^-; gillrakers about 7+10, 4 to 5 in eye. Body elongate, not elevated nor much compressed, the back rather broad, the form more nearly round than in any other species; mouth very small and narrow, inferior, the broad maxil- lary not reaching to opposite the eye; head long, the snout com- pressed and bluntly pointed, its tip below level of eye; profile not strongly decurved; preorbital wider than pupil; mandible originating under middle of eye; adipose fin small; gillrakers short and stoutish. Colour, dark bluish above, silvery below. i - _ Common Whitefish Common Whitefish t Coregonus clnpeiformis (Mitchill) This important and delicious food-fish is known also as hump- back, bowback and highback whitefish (Lake Superior), and Otsego Bass (Lake Otsego, N. Y.). It is the most important and one of the most abundant of all the whitefishes. It is found throughout the Great Lakes region from Lake Champlain to Lake Superior, and possibly to Lake Winnipeg. It has been reported commercially from Lake of the Woods, Lake Winnipeg and Northwest Territory, but all references to its occurrence west of Lake Superior need verification. Ail specimens of so-called whitefish from Lake of the Woods which have been examined by any ichthyologist belong to a different species the Labrador whitefish (Coregonus labradoricus), and this is doubtless the species which the Canadian Fish Commission re- ports call the " whitefish," when referring to localities west of Lake Superior. The common whitefish lives habitually in the deeper waters of the lakes, coming out into more shallow water at spawning time, which, in the Great Lakes, is from late October into December. While its habits are perhaps better understood than those of any other species of whitefish, there still remain many important facts in its life history which are obscure or little understood. Besides the regular migration from deep water to the spawning grounds in the fall, there appear to be other rather definite movements, as, for example, in Lake Erie, where the species is most abun- dant. During the greater part of the year it seems to be mainly confined to the deeper waters of the eastern part of the lake. From there 2 regular movements occur, one in the spring, the other in the fall, which greatly increase the area of its distribu- tion during a limited period. There is practically no fishing for this species in January, February and March, during which time the whereabouts of the fish is not known. The gillnetters generally begin to set for whitefish early in April, and continue until the end of December following. This deep-water fishing is confined to the eastern part of the lake. The gillnet grounds extend mainly from about 5 miles off shore to the middle of the lake, the depth ranging from about 12 123 The Common Whitefish to 30 fathoms, and the bottom consisting of clay and mud. There is greater or less movement of the fish within these limits, ol which the fishermen have cognizance, and which seems to be influenced by changes in the season and weather. In the early spring the best fishing is said generally to be obtained eastward of Dunkirk, in relatively shallow water, the body of fish working westward and into deeper water as the season advances, and again returning to the deeper water as the winter comes on. It is probable, however, that the early spring distribution in abundance is more widespread than the above would indicate, judging from the extent of territory which the fishermen may then occupy. The extent of the gillnet catch varies greatly with the season, caused partly by the condition of the water and p-irtly by the with- drawal of a portion of the fish, as explained further on. The sea- son opens with a large catch, which continues into May, but then falls away into June, when scarcely any fish can be obtained. This circumstance is attributed by the fishermen chiefly to the formation of a slime on the bottom, which also covers the nets and makes it difficult to handle them. These conditions may persist for a week or two in July, when good fishing revives, especially in the deeper waters, in which the best catches of the year are made, during August and September. The remainder of the season affords much poorer return as a whole than the sum- mer, due, undoubtedly, to the spawning run, which takes a large proportion of the fish away from this region. The two seasonal movements above referred to are both shoreward and toward the western end of the lake, and it is during their continuance that the poundnet catch is made. The spring movement occurs mainly during the latter half of April and in May, although a few stragglers may be found in June. It is felt along both shores as far as the Bass Islands and Kingsville. Ontario, but on the south side of the lake it is most pronounced east of Ashtabul.i. It extends but a short distance onto the western platform, where only small and irregular catches are now obtained about the Bass Islands and Kelleys Island, although for- merly they were more abundant there. The fall movement is much heavier and much more wide- spread than the spring, and is actuated hy the breeding instinct, /hich leads the fish to seek spawning grounds, to a lan.:v extent, at a great distance from their nonnal habitat. It begins on a 12 t The Common Whitefish small scale in September, during which month a few individuals are sometimes captured in the poundnets on the platform. It does not become pronounced, however, until in October and, in- cluding the up and down runs, continues through November and more or less into December, although very few fish are taken during the last mentioned month; that is to say the poundnet catch seems to be obtained chiefly, if not almost en- tirely, from the up run, making it possible that the bulk of the down run keeps farther offshore. The fall run strikes in along both shores the same as the spring, but at the western end of the lake the fish now become widely distributed over the platform, and a large number pass through the Detroit River into Lake St. Clair. There is consider- able difference in the dates of the appearance of the fish at different places, especially on the platform, but this diversity is of only local significance. It is not improbable that during the western movement a certain proportion of the fish also proceed through the deeper waters until they reach the platform, but nothing positive has been learned regarding this matter, as the schools are never followed by the gillnetters as in the case of the herring. After the whitefish reach their spawning grounds on the western platform, they give rise to an extensive local gillnet fishery of very limited duration. During their passage up the Detroit River, mainly in the latter part of October and the early part of November, they are caught by means of seines, and in Lake St. Clair a few are taken in the pound nets. It is interesting to note that during the spawning period a large body of fish still remains in the deeper water, where the gillnetters continue to take them, though in smaller quantities than in the summer and in the early fall. The entire distribution of the spawning grounds of the white- fish in Lake Erie is not known. During the spawning season a part of the fish remain in their normal deep-water habitat, but it is not probable that they spawn there. The regular foil move- ment carries a very large body to the western platform, where many well-defined spawning grounds occur. These are chiefly rocky reefs and shoals, characterized in part by the water-worn surfaces of the common limestone of the region, the so-called honeycombed rock. Hard gravelly and sandy bottoms in some 125 The Common Whitefish places are also said to serve the same purpose, but this fact has not been entirely substantiated. The distribution of the grounds on the platform is from the neighborhood of Kelleys Island to near the Michigan shore, on both sides of the boundary line. Some of the best known are two shoals north of Kelleys Island; the reefs and rocky shores about and in the neighborhood of North Bass, Midde Bass, Rattlesnake and Green islands; the reefs about the Hen and Chickens, Niagara Reef, and occasional patches off the mainland shores. The depth ranges mostly from about 4 to 20 feet, but is sometimes greater. It is in these places that the gillnet fishing is carried on during the spawning time, and mainly here and in the Detroit River that the eggs have been obtained for the artificial propagation of the species, The fish taken in the Detroit River are mostly bound for Lake St. Clair, although the river itself is said to contain one or more spawning places. It seems scarcely credible that the great stock of whitefish which has characterized the deeper waters, where the catch has many times exceeded that of all the remainder of the lake com- bined, can have been maintained solely through the agency of that body of fish which reaches the western platform, and it is possible that extensive spawning areas will sometime be dis- covered farther east. One small ground is known to be located between Dunkirk and Westfield, N. Y., and two others are reported off Port Dover and Port Burwell, Ontario. The spawning time varies somewhat in different years, de- pendent on the conditions of the weather and also with respect to the locality. Our information on this subject is mainly limited to the platform, where the dates have been accurately determined in connection with fishcultural operations, as follows: Ripe eggs have been obtained, but only rarely, as early as the latter part of October, the first being taken generally in the early part of November. Spawning may continue into the first week of December, but the last eggs are seldom secured later than Decem- ber i, generally a few days before that date. The bulk of the eggs have usually been obtained between the loth and 25th of November, but sometimes beginning as early as the 5th or 6th and continuing as late as the 28th, which dates may be consid- ered to mark the limitations of the main part of the spawning season. These figures are based on the averages for several years and for the different grounds where eggs are procured for 126 The Common Whitefish the hatcheries. In any one place the bulk of the spawning may be, and generally is, completed in a much shorter space of time, from 5 to 10 days. They begin to fish for the hatcheries on the Detroit River in the latter part of October, but the fish are not then ripe and are penned until the eggs mature. The general run of the whitefish taken in Lake Erie ranges from about i to 5 or 6 pounds, but seldom exceeds 4 or 5 pounds. This applies to all parts of the lake, but the average size may differ more or less in different places or in the catch by different kinds of apparatus. The species, however, attains a weight of 12 pounds and more, and some have been reported weighing as high as 20 pounds, but these extreme sizes are now practically extinct. Individuals weighing 8 or 9 pounds are con- sidered very large for Lake Erie at the present time. It has been impossible to ascertain satisfactorily the average size of the fish in the catch of any one fishery. In several fares landed by the gillnet tugs at Dunkirk in August, 1894, the average by actual weight was found to be between 2\ and 3 pounds, only a very small number weighing as low as i^- and if pounds, while the largest weighed about 5 pounds. Accord- ing to the statements of the fishermen, the average weight on the platform ranges all the way from 2\ to 4 pounds, these figures, which are only estimates, being based in part upon the poundnet and in part upon the gillnet catch. The dealers would prefer to handle no whitefish weighing less than about i^- pounds, and some would place the minimum size suitable for market as high as 2 pounds. From the observations of fish-culturists, the smallest fish from which eggs may be obtained on this lake weigh from \\ to 2 pounds. In that event the general catch of whitefish on Lake Erie may be expected not to include immature fish, and the minimum size desired for market would about correspond with their earliest mature size, \\ to 2 pounds. It is questionable, however, especially in the case of a rapidly decreasing product, whether its extensive capture in the first year of maturity should be allowed. It is claimed by some that very large quantities of immature whitefish are caught in certain places, but the evidence in respect to that matter lacks confirmation. According to the testimony, comparatively few whitefish weighing under \\ pounds reach the 127 The Common Whitefish platform, the number being somewhat larger in the spring than in the fall, but at no time great enough to make their capture a question for serious consideration. Nothing is definitely known regarding the general distribution and habits of the young, but they are supposed to remain chiefly in the deep waters of the lake. Many are reported to be taken in the herring gillnets in that region, and also in the poundnets on some parts of both the north and south shore, but the men actually concerned in those fisheries deny that the quantity is ever excessive. The subject is important and should he further investigated. As far as known the habits of the common whitefish in other lakes do not differ from those of Lake Erie, and the de- crease in the catch in other waters has been proportionally great. The spawning habits of whitefish confined in pens have been observed. The fish rise to the surface, occasionally in pairs, sometimes, but rarely, in trios of i female and 2 males, the female emitting a quantity of spawn at each rise. The males, always the smaller fish, persistently follow the female and dis- charge milt at the same time the eggs are emitted. Whitefish reach maturity in the 3d or 4th year. A full- grown individual deposits from 10,000 to 75,000 eggs, depend- ing on the fish's size. A rule for determining the approximate spawning capacity is to allow about 10,000 eggs for each pound of the fish's weight. The eggs are ^ of an inch in diameter, and 36,000 make a fluid quart. In nature the eggs of the whitefish are subjected to the at- attacks of many enemies for nearly 5 months. The mud-puppy, commonly known as "lizard" or "water-dog" by the people along the lakes, is especially destructive. During the month of January, 1897, many of these animals were pumped up with the water supply of the Put-in-Bay station. The stomachs of a con- siderable number of them contained whitefish and cisco eggs, the contents of i stomach being 288 whitefish eggs and 4 cisco eggs. Another voracious destroyer of whitefish eggs is the common yellow perch f/Y/vj Jhrccsccns). The deck of a boat has been covered with the eggs of the whitefish and cisco pressed out of the stomachs of perch taken from gillnets the last of November on the reefs, where they had gone to feed on the eggs. The various smaller CyprinLLr and some other fishes, craw- 128 The Common Whitefish fish and wild fowl make the eggs of fishes a considerable por- tion of their diet, those which require the longest period in hatching, of course, suffering most. The artificial propagation of whitefish has long since passed the experimental stage and has attained a high degree of perfec- tion. The work can be carried on with great facility, and its value is especially apparent when it is considered that under natural conditions only a very small percentage of the eggs hatch, while through artificial propagation from 75 to 95 per cent are productive. Practically all the eggs taken for hatching purposes are obtained from fish caught by the commercial fishermen, which would otherwise be lost. In the fiscal year 1897-98 the United States Fish Commis- sion hatched and planted 88,488,000 whitefish fry, and in 1898- 99 152,755,000 fry were hatched and liberated in suitable waters. The whitefishes are by far the most important group of fresh-water fishes of North America, and probably of the world. The common whitefish is the best of the tribe, but some of the others nearly equal it in merit, and all are more or less esteemed as food. Among the fishes of the Great Lakes the common whitefish ranks next in value to the lake herring, lake trout, and wall-eyed pike. In 1897 the catch in the United States amounted to about 8,000,000 pounds, having a value of nearly $300,000. If to this is added the yield of lake herring and other species of whitefish. the aggregate is over 57,000,000 pounds, having a value of nearly $800,000. The market value of the whitefishes taken in 1898 in the British Provinces was reported as $877,000, a sum representing about 18,400,000 pounds. The common whitefish reaches a larger size than any other species of whitefish in the United States. Examples weighing over 20 pounds have been taken, but the average weight is under 4 pounds. Whitefish fishing is done chiefly with gillnets set at or near the bottom in comparatively deep water, although considerable quantities are also taken in pound-nets, trap-nets, and seines. A very large part of the catch reaches the market in a fresh con- dition, although formerly considerable quantities were salted. The leading centres of the trade are Chicago, Detroit, Sandusky, Cleveland, Erie, and Buffalo, whence the fish are shipped frozen or in ice to all parts of the country. 129 The Humpback Whitefish Head s; depth 3; eye 4 to 5; D. 1 1 ; A. 1 1 ; scales 8-74; vertebrae 59; gillrakers usually 10+17 to 19; maxillary 4. Body oblong, compressed, always more or less elevated, becoming notably so in the adult; head small and short, the snout blunt- ish and obliquely truncated, the tip on the level or lower edge of pupil; width of preorbital less than half that of pupil; maxil- lary reaching past front of orbit; gillrakers moderate, about 2 in eye. Colour, olivaceous above, the sides white, but not silvery; lower fins sometimes dusky. Humpback Whitefish Corcgonus nclsonii Bean This whitefish occurs in Alaska from Bristol Bay northward, where it is said to be not uncommon. According to Dr. Bean, Nelson's whitefish has long been known from Alaska, but it has been confounded with a Siberian species, C. syrok, from which it is really very different. The Russian name is Korabati, while the Tenneh tribes of the Yukon call it Kolokuh. Dr. Dall speaks of it as a common species, and says it is rather bony, inferior in flavour, and that it is generally used for dog-food except in times of scarcity. Head 5; depth 4; maxillary 4; D. 12; A. 12; scales 10-88-8; gillrakers 26 in number, their length 2 in eye. Allied to C. clu- peiformis, but distinguished by its arched and compressed back. Colour, plain whitish. GENUS ARGYROSOMUS AGASSIZ The Lake Herrings or Ciscoes This genus is very close to Co re go mis, from which it differs in the larger mouth, and more produced jaws, the premaxillaries being placed nearly horizontally, and the lower jaw projecting decidedly beyond them. The gillrakers are very long and slender, with about 30 on the lower limb of the first arch; vertebrae 55. These characters are associated with greater voracity, and, in general, greater activity of the species. The species of Argyrosomus are numerous in northern parts of Smelt of the New York Lakes Asia, Europe, and America, and all are valued as food, though not held in as high esteem as the species of true whitefishes. a. Body long, herring-shaped; scales small, uniform, the free edges convex. b. Lower fins pale or merely tipped with dusky; scales punctate with dark points. c. Eye large, not much, if any, shorter than the snout in adult, its length 3 1 to 4^ in head. d. Head long, 4 in body; body slender, its depth 5 to 6 in length; distance from occiput to snout 2\ in distance from occiput to dorsal; teeth on tongue; maxillary 3 in head;. oswer/formis, 131 iid. Head long, 4^- in length; distance from occiput to snout nearly half its distance from front of dorsal fin. e. Maxillary 3^ to 3^ in head; gillrakers long and numerous, about 16+30; artedi, 132 ee. Maxillary longer, 2f to 3 in head; gillrakers fewer, about 14+25; hqyi, 136 ddd. Head shorter, about 5 in length; distance from occiput to snout about f distance to front of dorsal fin; pusillus, 137 cc. Eye small, shorter than snout, about 5 in head. /'. Head short, about 5 in length. 'g. Body rather slender, the depth equal to length of head; distance from occiput to snout 2\ to 2f in its distance from dorsal; base of dorsal short ; lucidus, 1 37 gg. Body deep, the depth in adult greater than length of head; dis- tance from occiput to snout 2^ to 2\ in its distance from dorsal; base of dorsal longer; laurettce, 137 ff. Head long, 4 to 4^ in length ; prognathus, 1*38 bb. Lower fins all blue-black; nignpinnis, 139 an. Body short, deep, compressed, the curve of back similar to that of belly; scales large, larger forward and closely imbricated, the free margins scarcely convex tullibee, 140 Smelt of the New York Lakes Argyrosomus osmeriformis (H. M. Smith) This small fish has been recorded only from Seneca and Skanea- teles lakes, New York, where it is known as smelt. It doubtless inhabits others of the deep-water lakes of northern New York. Nothing is known of its habits; and its small size, 10 inches or less, renders it of little value as food. Head 4; depth 5 to 6; eye 4; 0.9; A. 13; scales 9-83-10; maxil- lary 3; mandible 2; gillrakers 20+35, very long and slender, as long as eye. Body very slender, back not elevated; head rather large, its Lake Herring width equal to half its length; eye large, equal to snout; dorsal fin high, its height equal to depth of body, and i- times length of base of fin, its origin nearer base of caudal than snout, its free margin nearly straight and vertical; longest anal ray f length of base of fin; ventral long, equal to height of dorsal, its length equal to -| of distance from ventral origin to vent; ventral origin midway between base of caudal and pupil; adipose fin long and slender, of uniform width which is | its length; mouth large, lower jaw projecting; teeth on tongue. Colour, grayish silvery above, sides bright silvery, white below; tips of dorsal and caudal dark. Lake Herring Argyrosomus artedi (Le Sueur) This important food-fish, named by Le Sueur in honour of Petrus Artedi, the "Father of Ichthyology," the friend and associ- ate of Linnaeus, and perhaps the ablest systematic zoologist of the 1 8th century, is found throughout the region of the Great Lakes, from Lake Memphremagog on the east to Lake Superior on the west, and northward into the Hudson Bay drainage, and to Labrador. Throughout its range it is the most abundant member of the family. It is taken in enormous quantities each year, and in most of the lakes is the object of a special fishery. The quan- tity taken each year in the Great Lakes is greater than that of all other whitefishes combined, but in value of catch and in food value it does not equal the common whitefish. The species is most abundant in Lake Erie, while Lake Michigan ranks second in importance. The lake herring has a large number of vernacular names. The most widely used are lake herring, or merely herring, and cisco, either of which is, in most places, distinctive. In Lake Ontario it is usually called cisco. The etymology of the word is in dispute. One assigned derivation is from a fish peddler named Cisco, who, about 1830, took the fish through the northern part of New York State and sold it to the farmers as "Cisco's herring." "Sisco" is merely a recent variation in the orthography. Other names for this fish in Lake Ontario are herring, blueback, greenback, blueback or greenback herring, and grayback or grayback herring. These different names are simply 132 Lake Herring the fisherman's way of distinguishing individual variations in colour, sex, age or time of run. Usually the fishermen claim that the graybacks run in the spring, and that the spring or early sum- mer is their spawning time. The greenbacks and bluebacks run in the late fall, and are regarded, very naturally, as a better fish than the graybacks. In Lakes Erie, St. Glair, Huron and Superior, as well as throughout Canada, this species is known as herring or lake herring. In Lake Michigan the names Michigan blueback and shore herring are sometimes heard. Unfortunately the name herring is also applied sometimes to other species. The lake herring has the same general habits as the white- fish, but seems to be more widely disseminated during most parts of the year. During the summer and winter it is mainly restricted in Lake Erie to the deeper waters in the middle of the lake, in its eastern half, and along the northern shore east of Rondeau. From the deep-water region there are two great migrations into the shoaler and more changeable portions of the lake. In the spring, when the shoal waters become warmer, the fish emerge from their winter habitat and move shoreward and upon the edge of the platform, evidently in search of food. The volume of this migration is less than that of the fall run, and is more fluctuating and irregular. Their presence is generally first noticed in early April, and occasionally large lifts are made in the latter part of that month, though the best fishery is in May. Some are caught in June, but by the first of that month the bulk has left the United States coast for deeper water, although on the Canadian shore east of Pointe Pelee they remain through- out the summer. During the summer months the gillnet tugs from Cleveland and eastern ports find them in deep water well out in the lake, the best season off Erie, the principal fishing centre, being from July to September. The fall migration corres- ponds in a general way with that of the spring, though the incentive is different. Then large bodies of herring seek spawning beds on the platform, over which they become widely distribu- ted. The distribution of their spawning grounds on the platform is less restricted than those of the whitefish, and the herring are not confined to the reefs and rocky bottoms when discharging their eggs. There are doubtless important spawning grounds east of the platform, though their exact location has not been determined. 133 The Cisco of Lake Tippecanoe The spawning of the lake herring takes place in the fall, chiefly in "November. The average weight probably does not exceed a pound, and the maximum weight 2 pounds. It is usually caught in gillnets and pound-nets. Head 4 to 5 ; depth 4 to 4; eye 4 to 5; snout 4 to 5; D. 9 to 1 1 ; A. 10 to 13; scales 8 to 10-62 to 87-7 or 8; maxillary 3 to 3f ; mandible 2 to 2^-; gillrakers 45 to 58; vertebrae 57. Body long, slender and somewhat compressed; dorsal and ventral out- lines but little arched; head pointed; mouth large, jaws subequal, or the lower somewhat projecting; maxillary long, usually reach- ing to vertical of pupil, its length 2\ times its width; supplemental bone broad, about half length of maxillary; mandible long, but not usually reaching vertical of posterior edge of orbit; middle of upper jaw on level with lower edge of orbit; caudal peduncle slender but not much compressed, its least depth equal to distance from tip of snout to middle of eye; dorsal fin small, its base about 2 in head, its longest ray if in head; pectoral if in head. Colour in life, back dull bluish-green, this colour extending down on sides nearly to lateral line; lower part of sides silvery; under parts white or silvery; dorsal fin usually blackish or bluish-black on distal third, sometimes plain, the membrane often punctate with dark; caudal bluish-black at tip; anal and ventrals pure white; pectorals white, edged with dark above. Sometimes the anal has a few black specks at base and on anterior part, and the snout is often more or less dark. The amount of individual variation in this species is very great. The Cisco of Lake Tippecanoe Argyrosomns sisco Jordan In certain small deep-water lakes in northern Indiana and Wisconsin is a small lake herring described originally from Lake Tippecanoe, Indiana, from which fact it has received its verna- cular name. It has been reported also from Crooked, Shriner and Cedar lakes in northeastern Indiana, and from Geneva, La Belle, and Oconomowoc lakes in Wisconsin. To the angler the cisco of Lake Tippecanoe is by far the most interesting of all the American whitetishes, although, like the mountain herring, the fact that it will rise to the fly or that it can be taken on the hook at all, is not generally known. But its 134 The Alaska Herring praises have been sung by William C. Harris, the veteran editor of The American Angler, and that is praise from Sir Hubert himself. In Geneva Lake, Wisconsin, this fish is an abundant species, and is regarded by local anglers and others who have had ex- perience with it as one of the most attractive and interesting fishes to be taken with rod and line; and the fact that it can be taken only for a few days each year adds zest to sport already fascinat- ing. Only during the last days of May or the early ones of June, when the Mayfly is on the wing, is the cisco seen. Then the anglers go in boats out on the lake where the water is 50 to 100 feet deep and where experience has shown the cisco may be found. Until casting begins not a fish can be seen, nor the slightest ripple upon the water; but no sooner have a few impaled ephemeras dropped upon the surface than the ciscoes begin to appear. They can be seen coming up from the depths, "their pearly sides burnished by the gleam and glint of the afternoon sun." In a moment the water all about the many boats is a- ripple with eager fish, every hook has been taken, and the happy anglers are busy removing the catch and dropping it into their boats. The Mayfly is the lure in almost exclusive use, though Mr. Harris succeeded in taking a few fish with an artificial fly. The great tenderness of the mouth of the cisco does not permit the angler to play his fish except at the almost certain risk of losing it. So far as we have been able to learn this species has not attracted the attention of anglers elsewhere. In the small Indiana lakes in which it is found it comes into the inlets or other shallow water for spawning purposes usually between the middle of November and Christmas. The cisco reaches a length of 14 inches and is regarded as a delicious food-fish. This fish does not differ greatly from the lake herring. The head seems to be longer, the eye smaller and the mandible and the maxillary a trifle shorter. The fish is rather smaller than, the lake herring. The colour is not especially different. Alaska Herring Argyrosomus alascanus Scofield This herring is known only from 3 specimens, i from salt water at Point Hope, Alaska, and 2 others from freshwater at Grantley Harbour, near Bering Straits. 135 The Mooneye Cisco The species reaches a foot in length. It seems most closely related to the lake herring, from which it differs chiefly in the fewer gillrakers. Nothing is known regarding its abundance, distribution, or habits. Mooneye Cisco Argyrosomus Jioyi Gill This fish, which is thus far known only from Lake Michi- gan and, possibly from Lake Superior, does not appear to be an abundant species. Until 1894 only 2 specimens were known, but in that year the investigations of the United States Fish Commission showed it to be one of the principal fishes taken in the deep-water gillnet fishery in the western part of Lake Michigan. Very little is known as to its habits. It seems to be a deep- water species and it is not known to come into shallow water. Examples taken between November 5th and 2Oth were all ripe or nearly so, indicating that to be their spawning time, and its spawning beds are probably in deeper water than those of other species. Among other names by which this species is known are mooneye, cisco, kieye, chub, and Hoy's whitefish. It reaches a length of 12 or 13 inches and is one of the smallest and hand- somest of our whitefishes. From A. prognathus, which jt resembles, Hoy's whitefish may be distinguished by the larger eye, the shorter maxillary and the darker colour. Head 4-V; depth 4$-; eye 4\ to 4f; snout 3! to 3;]; maxillary 2\ to 3, reaching vertical of middle of pupil; mandible 2\\ D. 10; A. ii or 12; scales 8 or 9-73 to 80-7; gillrakers 14+25 or 26, slender, about 2 in eye; vertebrae 56; B. 8 or 9. Body rather slender, compressed, the back somewhat elevated; mouth large, subterminal, the lower jaw shorter than the upper even when the mouth is open; tip of muzzle rather bluntly truncate, some- what as in a true Coregoniis: head rather long, slender, and pointed; suborbital and preorbital long and narrow; distance from tip of snout to occiput 2\ to 2\ in distance from occiput to origin of dorsal fin; fins low; free margin of dorsal very oblique, the length of anterior ray if in head, that of last ray less than The Least Whitefish half that of first; longest anal ray 2f in head, and more than twice as long as the last; pseudobranchiae very large; tongue with traces of teeth. Colour, light iridescent blue on back, with a few fine dark punctulations reaching about 2 scales below lateral line; sides and under parts rich silvery, brighter than in any other of our Coregonince, much as in Hiodon and Albula; top of head light olivaceous; cheeks silvery; dorsal, caudal and pec- torals with some dark on their margins; anal and ventrals white, with some dark dustings; the male perhaps a little richer, more iridescent blue on back, and with the scales a little thicker and less closely imbricated. Least Whitefish Argyrosomtts pusillus (Bean) This is perhaps the smallest of American whitefishes, rarely reaching a foot in length and 4- pound in weight. It has the reputation of being more bony than any other species. Its habitat includes practically all of Alaska except the south-eastern portion. It is little used as food except for dogs. Nothing is known as to its habits. Great Bear Lake Herring Argyrosomus lucidus (Richardson) The herring of Great Bear Lake is little known. The only specimens we have seen are 2 obtained in 1894 by Miss Elizabeth Taylor and donated to Stanford University. These are each 16 inches long and are the only specimens received by any museum since Richardson's time, more than half a centurv earlier. Lauretta Whitefish Argyrosomus laurettce (Bean) This species is known only from the Yukon River northward to Point Barrow where it is said to be not uncommon. Nothing is known regarding its habits. It is close to A. lucidus, but seems to have a longer dorsal fin. 137 The Bloater Whitefish Bloater Whitefish Argyrosomus prognathus (H. M. Smith) The bloater is known also as bloat, longjaw, silver whitefish, and, sometimes, cisco or ciscoette. It is known from all the Great Lakes except Lake Erie from which as yet no specimens have been reported. It is probably most abundant in Lakes Ontario and Michigan, where it has good rank as a food-fish. The flesh is firm and of good flavour. By many people it is scarcely less highly esteemed than the common whitefish. It is highly prized in Lake Ontario where it often brings the same price as C. clupeifonuis; elsewhere it usually sells for a few cents a pound less. When properly cared for on being caught, this fish is delicious, says Mr. Charles H. Strowger. " When salted it keeps well, and does not lose its freshness when cooked. A great deal of prejudice against the longjaw is enter- tained because of the soft and damaged condition in which the fish is usually sold to consumers. It is a fish that ought to be iced as soon as it is taken from the water and kept cold until used, as it easily softens, and on cooking becomes too greasy for ordinary human palates to enjoy. When fresh caught it is equal, in my judgment, to any fish for delicacy of flavour. It is a splendid fish for baking when of full size, but small- sized fish are always of less value and should not be caught." The longjaw reaches a length of 8 to 16 inches and a weight of a pound or less. Very little is definitely known regarding the habits of this species. It seems to be an inhabitant of the deeper parts of the lakes and is not often seen in shallow water. In Lake Ontario it is taken only in depths of 200 to 400 feet. There is much difference of opinion among fishermen as to the spawning time of this fish. Fish with mature roe have been reported as early as May 17, and we have seen ripe fish in late June and July in Lake Ontario. Ripe fish have been reported in July also from Lake Huron. The indications are that the bloater has a prolonged spawning period and that it is somewhat earlier than that of the common white- fish. Scarcely anything is known as to the location of the spawning 138 The Blackfin Whitefish beds, except that they are probably in relatively deeper parts of the lake. Head 4^; depth 3! to 4; eye 5; maxillary 2|; mandible if to i|-; D. 9 or 10; A. "10 to 12; scales 9-75-8; vertebrae 55; gill- rakers about iS+ 2 8. Body oblong, much compressed, back elevated, the body tapering rather sharply toward the narrow caudal peduncle, the aduft having a slight hump as in C. clnpeiformis ; mouth large and strong; snout straight, its tip on a level with lower edge of pupil; maxillary long, reaching opposite pupil, its length 3-^ times its greatest width; mandible very long, projecting beyond upper jaw when the mouth is closed, reaching to or beyond posterior edge of the eye; head rather short, deep and pointed; cranial ridges prominent; dorsal rather high, the longest ray ^ longer than base of fin; origin of dorsal nearer tip of snout than ba^se of caudal. Colour, sides uniformly bright silvery, with pronounced bluish reflections in life; back dusky; under parts pure white without silvery; above lateral line the upper and lower edges of the scales finely punctulate with dark, the central part unmarked, producing light longitudinal stripes extending whole length of body; fins flesh-colour or pinkish in life, the dorsal and caudal usually showing dusky edges; postorbital area with bright golden reflection; iris golden, pupil black. Blackfin Whitefish Argyrosomus nigripinnis Gill The blackfin whitefish is known certainly only from Lake Michigan and Miltona Lake, Minnesota, though it has been re- ported from other small deepwater lakes of Minnesota and Wis- consin. It has also been reported from Lake Superior, but all 139 The Tullibee the specimens of so-called blackfin or bluefm that we have seen from that lake are the longjaw. The blackfm is probably the most abundant fish of commercial importance in the deeper waters of Lake Michigan. It occurs in schools, like other members of the group, and is associated with the lake trout and other deep- water species. The spawning season is the same as that of the common whitefish in November to December. Then the fish come out upon rocky bottom where the eggs are deposited. A favourite resort for blackfin is said to be the Mudhole, a large depression 20 miles east of Sheboygan, in which the depth is about 90 feet. The principal method by which the blackfin is taken is in the gillnets. It is regarded as a good food-fish. It reaches a length of 18 inches, and a weight of one to 2 pounds. Head 4; depth 4; eye 4^; D. 12; A. 12; scales 9 or 10-73 to 77-7 or 8; vertebrae 57; gillrakers about 18+30, rather long and slender, i^ in eye or 2 in maxillary. Body stout, fusiform and compressed; head and mouth large; lower jaw slightly pro- jecting; the maxillary | greater than eye and reaching vertical of front of pupil; distance from tip of snout to occiput about 3^ in distance from snout to origin of dorsal fin; back not arched, profile from occiput to origin of dorsal fin very gently curved; eye rather large, longer than snout; teeth very feeble but appre- ciable on the maxillaries and tongue. Colour, dark bluish above, sides silvery, with dark punctulations; fins all blue-black. This species attains a larger size than any of the other ciscoes, and has a larger mouth than any other except the bloater. It may be readily known by its black fins. Tullibee Argyrosmus tullibcc (Richardson) This species was first described from Pine Island Lake, Cum- berland House, British Columbia. It is now known from Lakes Onondaga (New York), Erie, Superior and Michigan; also from Lake of the Woods, Lake Winnipeg, Albany River, Qu' Appelle River, and other waters northward. It has not been reported from Lake Ontario or Lake Huron. The tullibee attains a length of 18 or 20 inches, and a weight of z\ pounds. It ranks high as a food-fish, but its commercial importance is as yet limited. 140 The Tullibee In the Great Lakes it is not at all common, but in Lake of the Woods it is quite abundant, and considerable quantities are shipped to Sandusky. In the provinces of Assiniboia and Mani- toba the fish is taken in large numbers for local consumption, in gillnets and in traps made of brush and stones. Writing of the tullibee in the lakes of the western territories of Canada, Mr. F. C. Gilchrist, of Fort Qu' Appelle, says: " In September they will again be found gradually nearing the shoal water, feeding heavily, and plump with fat and the now swelling ovaries. Later on they appear to eat little or nothing, and devote all their time to playing until about the 2^th of October, when they have settled down to the business of propagation, which they have finished by November 10. They prefer shallow water close to the shore with clean sand to spawn on, and during the day they may be seen in pairs and small schools, poking along the shores, but at night they come in thousands and keep up a constant loud splashing and flutter- ing, very strange and weird on a calm night. Two years ago I carefully counted the cva from a ripe fish 2\ pounds in weight, and found there were 23,700, closely resembling whitefish eggs in appearance, but somewhat smaller. After spawning the fish are very thin, lank, dull in colour, and quite unfit for human food." Mr. James Annin, Jr., in speaking of the tullibee of Lake Onondaga, says they generally commence running up on to the shoals about November 15, and the season extends into December. They come up to the banks or gravelly shoals and spawn in from 3 to 6 and 7 feet of water. They have never been caught with hook in this lake, and an old fisherman told me that he had tried almost every kind of bait, and had used the very finest gut and the smallest hooks baited with Gammarus (freshwater shrimps) and other kinds of natural food that is he supposed the food was natural to them. At the same time he claims he could see them in large schools lying in the water 8 or 10 feet from the surface. Head 4 to 4^; depth 3 to 3! ; eye 4 to 5; snout about 5; D. 10 to 12; A. ii or 12; scales 9-68 to 71-8; gillrakers 16 to 18+30 1034, i to i in eye; maxillary 3^; mandible 2 to z\. Body short and deep, compressed, the dorsal and ventral outlines similarly curved; head small, conic, and compressed; mouth large, lower jaw project- 141 Bissell's Whitefish ing; middle of upper lip on a level with middle of pupil; maxillary long, moderately broad, reaching anterior edge of pupil, the width about 3 in its length ; supplemental maxillary bone well developed, nearly half length of maxillary, its width 2| in its length; mandible long, reaching posterior edge of pupil; distance from tip of snout to occiput half that from occiput to origin of dorsal tin, which is midway between tip of snout and base of caudal fin; caudal peduncle short, compressed and deep, its least depth about 2\ in head; fins all rather large; height of dorsal \\ in head, its base if in its longest ray; anal base very oblique, equal to longest ray. which is about equal to base of dorsal fin; pectorals and ventrals long, almost equal to longest dorsal ray; scales firm, considerably enlarged anteriorly; free margins of the scales less convex than in other species, often emarginate, especially on anterior part of body; lateral line straight and in a line with upper rim of orbit; tongue with a patch of fine teeth near the tip ; gillrakers numerous, long and slender. Colour, iridescent bluish above, sides and under parts silvery; older individuals darker above, and with more golden reflections on sides; fins all more or less evidently black-tipped; upper edge of pectoral margined with black. From all other whitefishes the tullibee is easily distinguished by the short, deep body and the closely imbricated scales whose margins are scarcely convex or even emarginate. Bissell's Whitefish Argyrosomns bissclli (Bollman) In Rawson and Howard lakes, Michigan, and perhaps in other small lakes of that state, is found a whitefish closely related to the tullibee and possibly intergrading with it; the maxillary seems, however, to be somewhat longer, the scales are smaller, the lower jaw longer, and the supraorbital bone elongate pear-shaped. Nothing has been recorded as to the habits, size or abundance of this fish. Inconnu Stenodns mackcnzii (Richardson) The inconnu is a large, coarse salmonid inhabiting the larger streams of Alaska and northwestern British America. It is known from the Yukon and Mackenzie rivers, and the tribu- taries of the latter below the cascades; locally abundant and reaching a large size, usually 5 to 1 5 pounds, but sometimes 30 142 The Pacific Salmon to 40 -pounds. Its large size and comparative abundance render the inconnu of considerable commercial importance, especially in the Yukon since the great development of the gold-fields of that region. Little or nothing is known of the habits of this species. Head 4-f; eye 6; D. 12; A. 14; scales 100; gillrakers 7+17. Eye less than snout, nearly equalling the narrow interorbital; maxillary reaching the vertical of posterior edge of pupil, its length very slightly more than -| head; supplemental bone long and narrow, nearly as wide as the maxillary, the anterior end notched, the angle above the notch sharply pointed, the lower angle bluntly rounded; the gillraker in the angle very stiff and bony. GENUS ONCORHYNCHUS SUCKLEY The Pacific Salmon Body rather long, subfusiform, and compressed; mouth wide, the maxillary long, lanceolate, usually extending beyond the eye; jaws with moderate teeth, which become in the adult male enormously enlarged in front during the spawning season; vomer long and narrow, flat, with a series of teeth both on the head and the shaft, the latter series comparatively short and weak; palatines with a series of teeth; tongue with a marginal series on each side; teeth on vomer and tongue often' lost with age; no teeth on hyoid bone; anal fin comparatively long, of 14 to 20 rays; pyloric coeca very numerous; gillrakers numerous; ova large and comparatively few. Sexual peculiarities very strongly devel- oped, the snout in the adult males greatly distorted during the breeding season, the premaxillaries prolonged, hooking over the lower jaw, which in turn is greatly elongate and somewhat hooked at the tip; the body becomes deep and compressed, a fleshy hump is developed before the dorsal tin, and the scales become em- bedded in the flesh, and the flesh, which is red and rich in the spring, becomes dry and poor. The American species of this genus, 5 in number, are mostly salmon of large size, ascending the rivers tributary to the North Pacific in America and Asia. The genus is very close to Salmo, differing chiefly in the increased number of anal rays. 143 The Pacific Salmon Concerning the habits and distribution of the salmon we quote (with such modifications as Inter observations necessitate) the fol- lowing, based upon investigations made by Jordan, Evermann. and Gilbert. Of the species of Oih-orln-ncliiis, the bluebnck (O. ncrlui) pre- dominates in Fraser River and in the Yukon River, the silver salmon (O. kisittcli) in Puget Sound, the quinnat (O. tscluicvtsclia ) in the Columbia and the Sacramento, and the dog salmon in most of the streams along the coast. All the species have been seen by us in the Columbia and Fraser River; all but the blueback in the Sacramento, and all in waters tributary to Puget Sound. Only the quinnat or king salmon has been noticed south of San Francisco. Its range has been traced as far as Ventura River. Of these species, the king salmon and blueback salmon habit- ually "run" in the spring, the others in the fall. The usual order of running in the rivers is as follows: ncrhj, Asv//jxvr/.x<7/<7, hisntcli, iforbusclij, hcta. According to early authors, the tsclia- :rr/.sY//j precedes nci'ha in Kamchatka. The economic value of the spring-running salmon is far greater than that of the other species, because they can be cap- tured in numbers when at their best, while the others are usu- ally taken only after deterioration. To this fact the worthlessness of Oncorhynchus /,v/ , vV < * ' ^ i** . "*99B[H -''^ ;vi : ';--V-? {:; frraSSB CUT-THROAT TROUT, Salmo clarkii The Cut-throat Trout The silver trout of Lake Tahoe and the yellow-finned trout of Twin Lakes probably spawn in deeper water. The cut-throat trout and its different derived forms vary greatly in the sizes at which they reach maturity, the chief factors being, of course, the size of the body of water they inhabit and the amount of the food supply. Those species or individuals, dwelling in lakes of considerable size where the water is of such temperature and depth as insure an ample food-supply, will reach a large size, while those in a restricted environment where both the water and food are limited, will be small directly in proportion to these environing restrictions. The trout of the Klamath Lakes, for example, reach a weight of at least 17 pounds, while in Fish Lake in Idaho mature trout do not exceed 8 to 9^ inches in total length or one-fourth pound in weight. In small creeks in the Sawtooth Mountains and elsewhere they reach maturity at a length of 5 or 6 inches, and are often spoken of as brook trout under the impression that they are a species different from the larger ones found in the lakes and larger streams. But as all sorts of gradations between these extreme forms may be found in the intervening and connecting waters the differences have not even subspecific significance. The various forms of cut-throat trout vary greatly in game qualities; even the same species in different waters, in different parts of its habitat, or at different seasons, will vary greatly in this regard. In general, however, it is perhaps a fair statement to say that the cut-throat trout are regarded by anglers as being inferior in gaminess to the eastern brook trout. But while this is true, it must not by any means be inferred that it is without game qualities, for it is really a fish which possesses those qualities in a very high degree. Its vigour and voraciousness are determined largely, of course, by the character of the stream or lake in which it lives. The individuals which dwell in cold streams about cascades and seething rapids will show marvellous strength and will make a fight which is rarely equalled by its eastern cousin; while in warmer and larger streams and lakes they may be very sluggish and show but little fight. Yet this is by no means always true. In the Klamath Lakes where the trout grow very large and where they are often very loggy, one is occasionally hooked which tries to the utmost the skill of the angler to prevent his tackle from being smashed and at the same time save the fish. An instance is on record of a most enthusiastic and skilful angler who required one hour and three-quarters to bring to net 177 The Cut-throat Trout a nine and three-quarter pound fish in Pelican Bay, Upper Klamath Lake. These trout can be taken in all sorts of ways. Trolling in the lakes with the spoon or phantom minnow is the usual method, but they rise readily to the artificial fly, the grasshopper, or a buncn of salmon eggs. In the larger streams they may be caught in any of these ways, while in the smaller streams casting with the fly or with hook baited with grasshopper or salmon eggs is the most successful way. To enumerate the streams and lakes in the West where one may find good trout-fishing would be entirely impracticable; they arc numerous in all the Western States. One of us has found exception- ally fine trout fishing at the Dempsey Lakes in Montana, in and about the Payette and Redfish lakes in Idaho, in Pacific Creek, and in the Klamath Lakes. Near Redfish Lake, in Idaho, is a small lake known as Fish Lake. Its area is about 25 acres. It is nearly circular in form, very shallow, and 9000 feet above sea-level. In this little lake a particularly beautiful form of cut-throat is exceedingly abundant. In August they could be taken on the artificial fly as rapidly as one could cast, averaging more than one per minute. They bit vigorously, and were very gamy, often jumping 2 or 3 times out of the water. In this region the best fishing in the small streams is in the spring and up to late July. In the small lakes it con- tinues good through the summer. In the streams somewhat larger, summer fishing is fairly good, but not until October is it at its best. But while some seasons are better than others, the angler will quite certainly always find good cut-throat trout fishing at whatever season he cares to try it. The typical cut-throat trout (Salmo clarkii) may be described as follows: Head 4; depth 4; D. 10; A. 10; cceca 43; scales small, in 150 to 170 cross series. Body elongate, compressed; head rather short; mouth moderate, the maxillary not reaching far beyond the eye; vomerine teeth as usual set in an irregular zig-zag series; teeth on the hyoid bone normally present, but often obsolete in old examples; dorsal fin rather low; caudal fin slightly forked (more so in the young). Colour, silvery olivaceous, often dark steel colour; back, upper part of side and caudal peduncle pro- fusely covered with rounded Mack spots of varying sizes and shapes, these spots often on the head, and sometimes extending on the belly; dorsal, adipose, and caudal fins covered with sim- ilar spots about as large as the nostril; inner edge of the man- dible with a deep-red blotch, which is a diagnostic mark; middle 178 The Yellowstone Trout of side usually with a diffuse pale rosy wash, this sometimes quite bright, and extending on to side of head; under parts silvery white. The red blotches or washing on the membrane joining the dentary bones of the lower jaw are usually constant, prob- ably always present in the adult, and constitute a most important character. This species has been called Salmo mykiss in various publi- cations by the writers and others, but the true Salmo mykiss is allied to Salmo salar, and has never been taken outside of Kamchatka. Yellowstone Trout Salmo lewisi (Girard) The Yellowstone or Lewis trout inhabits the Snake River basin above Shoshone Falls, and the headwaters of the Missouri. It is abundant throughout this whole region in all accessible waters, and is particularly numerous in Yellowstone Lake. As already stated the trout of Yellowstone Lake certainly came t into the Missouri basin by way of Two-Ocean Pass from the Upper Snake River basin. One of the present writers has caught them in the very act of going over Two-Ocean Pass from Pacific into Atlantic drainage. The trout on the two sides of the pass cannot be separated, and constitute a single species. Silver Trout Salmo gibbsii Suckley In the tributaries of the Columbia, between Shoshone Falls and the Cascades, in the lakes and larger streams, there is a trout which may be called the silver trout. It is particularly common in the Des Chutes River, and in the Payette Lakes in Idaho. Examples about 15 inches long taken in Big Payette Lake, Septem- ber 27, had the spots small, half circles, few below middle of side; rosy wash on side and opercles, brightest in the male; scarcely any red on throat; belly silvery, back dark-greenish; scales about 140 to 145. On this date, while sailing across this lake, trout could be 179 Lake Tahoe Trout; Truckee Trout; " Pogy ; " "Snipe" seen jumping in various places; usually as many as 15 or 20 could be seen at any moment. They would take the trolling-spoon readily, and proved very gamy fish. ' Lake Tahoe Trout; Truckee Trout; "Snipe" Salnw Jicnshawi Gill & Jordan This interesting trout is found in western Nevada and neigh- bouring parts of California in the region comprised in the basin of the old post-Tertiary Lake Lahontan. It is known from Lakes Tahoe, Pyramid, Webber, Donner and Independence; also from the Truckee, Humboldt and Carson rivers, and from most streams on the east slope of the Sierras. It is also found in the head- waters of the Feather River, where it has probably been introduced. The Tahoe trout reaches a weight of 3 to 6 pounds, is a food and game fish of considerable importance, and is often seen in the San Francisco markets. It spawns in the spring, entering the shallow water of the streams for that purpose. Head j?f; depth 4; D. 1 1 ; A. 12; scales 2710 37-160 to 184- 27 to 37, usually about 170 in a longitudinal series; caudal fin short, rather strongly forked. Colour, dark green in the pure waters of Lake Tahoe; pale green in the salty waters of Pyramid Lake; side silvery, with a strong shade of coppery red; back about equally spotted before and behind, the spots large and mostly round; spats on side rather distant; belly generally with round spots; head with large black spots above, some even on snout and lower jaw; dorsal and caudal fins spotted; a few large spots on anal; red dashes on lower jaw present; young less spotted. 180 Silver Trout of Lake Tahoe Silver Trout of Lake Tahoe Salmo taJiocnsis Jordan & Evermann In the deep waters of Lake Tahoe is found a trout of im- mense size, known to the anglers who are familiar with that lake as the silver trout. So far as known this trout is never seen in the shallow water, but remains at considerable depths, and spawns in the lake itself. It is a large, robust fish, profusely spotted, the spots often oblong, and the general colouration more silvery than in the ordinary Tahoe trout. An example, the type of the species, 2 feet 4 inches long, and weighing 7\ pounds, caught by Mr. A. J. Bayley, presented the following characters. Head 4 1 1 5 -; depth ^f; eye y|; D. 9; A. 12; Br. 10; scales 33- 205-40, 140 pores; P. if; maxillary if. Body very robust, com- pressed, unusually deep for a trout, the outline elliptical; head large; eye small, silvery; mouth large, maxillary reaching well beyond the eye; scales small, reduced above and below; caudal fin slightly lunate, almost truncate when spread. Colour, dark green above; belly silvery; side with a broad, coppery shade covering cheek and opercles; sides of lower jaw yellowish; fins olivaceous, a little reddish below; orange dashes between rami of lower jaw moderately conspicuous; back, from tip of snout to tail, closely covered with large, unequal black spots, those on nape and top of head round; posteriorly the spots run together, forming vari- ously shaped markings, usually vertically oblong, which may be regarded as formed of 3 or 4 spots placed in a series, or with i or 2 at the side of the other, the longest of these oblong markings being not quite as long as the eye; spots on side of head and body very sparse, those on head round, those behind vertically oblong; belly profusely covered with small black spots which are nearly round; still smaller round spots numerous on lower jaw; spots on caudal peduncle vertically oblong or curved; dorsal and caudal densely covered with oblong spots, smaller than those on body; anal with rather numerous round spots; pectorals and ventrals with a few small spots, the first ray of each with a series of small, faint spots; adipose fin spotted. 181 The Utah Trout Utah Trout Sal mo virginal is (Girard) In all suitable streams and lakes of the old Lake Bonneville basin, of which the waters of the Great Basin are the present vanishing remnants, is found a trout which is profusely and finely spotted, the spots being numerous anteriorly as well as poste- riorly; scales a little larger than usual, in 140 to iso lengthwise series, and anteriorly less crowded than in the trout of the Rio Grande, or in the green-backed trout. In partly alkaline waters, such as in Utah Lake, this trout reaches a very large size, ex- amples of 8 to 12 pounds being not uncommon. In these waters it is very pale in colour, the dark spots being few and small, and mostly confined to the back. The Utah trout is found in the streams and lakes of Utah west of the Wasatch Mountains, especially in Bear, Provo, Jordan and Sevier rivers, and in Utah Lake, where it is a very abundant and important food-fish. Jordan's Trout ; Spotted Trout of Lake Southerland Salmo jonfani Meek In Lake Southerland, west of Puget Sound, is found a black- spotted trout of the cut-throat series which, in colour, seems to resemble the Utah trout. It is, according to Professor D. G. Elliot, a "beautiful and exceedingly gamy trout, taking the fly readily even as late as October, a great leaper when hooked, and fights d I' entrance. In appearance it resembles 182 Long-headed Trout of Crescent Lake gairdneri crescentis of the neighbouring lake, being fully as bril- liantly coloured, but can be at once distinguished by its orange or orange-red fins, red on the jaw, the number and blackness of its spots, and the darker back and top of head. At no stage of its existence that I have seen, from fmgerlings to fish weigh- ing over 4 pounds, is there any silvery lustre, but the colours are all bright-hued, some even metallic. It is one of the most attractive of its tribe, and I have had them leap after taking the fly, in such rapid succession and with such dartings about the lake, that it was impossible to imagine where they would next appear. I believe it spawns in the spring, as in the middle of October, the eggs of the females we caught were not enlarged, and showed no indication of the approach of the spawning season." Head 3|; depth 4$; eye 5$ ; snout 4^; maxillary if; scales 146; D. 10; A. ii ; Br. 10 or n. Body elongate, not much com- pressed; head short, maxillary not extending far beyond orbit; origin of dorsal fin midway between tip of snout and base of caudal. Long-headed Trout of Crescent Lake Salmo bathoecetor Meek According to Professor Elliot, who collected the type of this species, this is a deepwater fish, keeping always near the bot- tom, never coming to the surface at any time, and, of course, not taking the fly, or indeed the spoon, or any kind of lure. The only way it can be captured is by the set-lines sunk within a foot of the bottom, and it seems there are only a few places in the lake where it can be caught even by this means. It is a brightly coloured fish, but lacks some of the iridescence of the speckled trout of Crescent Lake, which it otherwise resembles. Head 31 to 3$; depth 5 T V to 5! ; eye 6f to 7! ; snout 3$; maxillary if; D. 10; A. n; scales 150 to 152; gillrakers 7 or 8+ 1 1 to 13; Br. 9 to n. Body slender, head much pointed; maxillary very long and very slender, reaching considerably beyond orbit; teeth on jaws, vomer and palatines large, the dentition strong; mandible very strong; gillrakers short and thick. Colour, much as in the speckled trout of Crescent Lake, but lighter; head, 183 Salmon Trout of Lake Southerland body and tail profusely spotted with black; ventrals and pectorals dark; no red on lower jaw. This trout differs from Sal mo crescentis in being more slender, in having the back much less elevated, the head more slender and pointed, the gillrakers shorter, and the maxillary straighter, narrower and longer. It is probably more closely related to the steelhead trout series than to the cut-throat series, and perhaps should be placed as a subspecies of Salmo gairdneri. Salmon Trout of Lake Southerland Salmo dcclivifrons Meek The general colour of this trout closely resembles that of the blueback trout of Crescent Lake. It is, however, some darker, and has no spots except on the caudal fin. The upper ante- rior profile is also much more curved. Head 3^; depth 4f; eye 5|; snout 4.}; maxillary if; scales 148; D. 10; A. n; Br. 10; gillrakers 7+10. Body elongate, back elevated, anterior profile much decurved; tip of snout below axis of body; gape nearly horizontal, more so than in other trout; max- illary reaching beyond eye; dentition strong. Colour, dark blue above and on side to lateral line posteriorly, becoming abruptly silvery; belly nearly white; no spots on head or body or elsewhere except few on caudal fin; upper margin of lower jaw black, a dark blue patch on cheek, extending obliquely upward and backward to near upper edge of opercle; pectorals, ventrals and anal yellowish. Known only from Lake Southerland where it is occasionally taken and where it is called "Salmon trout," according to Profes- sor Elliot, who collected the type. He says, "it is easily recog- nizable, not only by the sharply curved upper outline of the fore part of the body, but also by its quite different style of colouration, which resembles somewhat that of the blueback of Lake Crescent. "As there is no water connection between these 2 lakes, and Lake Southerland is 75 feet lower than Crescent Lake, and, moreover, the fish of that lake having no communication with the sea on account of a very high precipitous fall a short dis- tance from its outlet, it cannot be supposed that these two 184 Rio Grande Trout forms are in any way identical. Out of a large number of trout caught by me in Lake Southerland only 2 or 3 of this form were procured, and they were all of small size. This could not be the fault of the lake, which is exceedingly deep and nearly 3 miles in length. It is a gamy fish, takes the fly, leaps out of the water, and is a good fighter for its size." It reaches a length of 10 inches. Rio Grande Trout Salmo spilurus (Cope) This trout is known only from the upper Rio Grande basin and southward into the mountains of Chihuahua. It is abundant in most mountain streams, but irrigation operations in Colorado and New Mexico have proved very destructive to it on account of the small fish running up the ditches and out upon the fields where they perish. Del Norte and Wagonwheel Gap, Colorado, used to afford excellent trout fishing. The trout were abundant, of good size (2 to 2\ feet), and were very gamy. Head 3^; depth 4; D. n; A. 10; scales 37-160-37. Head rather short, its upper surface considerably decurved; interorbital space transversely convex, obtusely carinated, the head more convex than in any other species; mouth large, maxillary reaching past eye; teeth on vomer in 2 distinct series; dorsal fin low in front, high behind, the last ray more than f height of first; last ray of anal rather long; caudal witi. its middle rays about as long as the others. Colour, back anu sides profusely covered with round black spots, most developed posteriorly, few on the 185 Colorado River Trout head, most numerous on the caudal and adipose fins; side with pale blotches. Very much resembling the Colorado River trout except that the scales are considerably larger and less crowded anteriorly. Colorado River Trout Salmo pleuriticus (Cope) In all the headwaters of the Colorado is found another re- presentative of the cut-throat trout series. It is abundant through- out western Colorado and in all clear mountain streams in Arizona. It is common in the Eagle and Gunnison where it reaches a good size and is a game-fish of very high rank. Opercle short, 4| to 5 in head; scales small, 185 to 190 in lateral line. Close to typical Salmo clarkii, but the black spots gathered chiefly on posterior part of body, the head being nearly immaculate. The colour is extremely variable, but the lower fins are usually red, sometimes orange; usually a red lateral band. A large, handsome and variable trout, sometimes profusely speckled, sometimes with large spots, and occasionally with strong golden shades. 1 86 Waha Lake Trout Waha Lake Trout Salmo bouvieri (Bendire) This curious and interesting trout is known only from Waha Lake, Idaho, a small mountain lake without any present surface outlet. These trout reach a weight of 3 pounds though examples of that size are not often seen. The usual size is 6 to 7 inches. They do not take the fly well until the middle of the summer, as the water of Waha Lake is uncommonly cold. Then they rise readily and are as game as most lake trout. The food- quality of this trout is said to be unsurpassed. Professor J. M. Aldrich, of Moscow, Idaho, who has had much experience with the Waha trout, speaks in the highest praise as to its delicacy and delicious flavour. Head 4; depth 4f; eye 4; D. 10; A. n; Br. 12; scales 173; maxillary 2\. Similar to typical Salmo clarkii, but with dark spots only on the dorsal, caudal and adipose fins, and on the caudal peduncle behind front of anal, where the spots are very profuse, smaller than the pupil; anterior regions dusky-bluish, not silvery; red blotch on throat very conspicuous; head shorter and deeper than in the typical cut-throat trout, the snout shorter and blunter, not longer than the eye; opercle and preopercle less convex; caudal moderately forked. 187 Green-back Trout Green-back Trout Salmo stomias (Cope) This trout is known only from the headwaters of the Platte and Arkansas rivers and is abundant chiefly in the smaller streams and brooks and in the shallow waters of lakes. It is the common species in Twin Lakes, Colorado and in the waters about Leadville. It is a small, black-spotted trout, not often exceeding a pound in weight, closely resembling the typical cut-throat trout, but differing chiefly in the much greater size of its black spots which are mainly gathered on the posterior half of the body. Mouth small; scales small, about 180; back deep green, sides sometimes red; flesh deep salmon coloured. Yellow-fin Trout Salnw niacil^naltli Jordan & Evermann This interesting and beautiful trout is known only from Twin Lakes, Colorado, where it occurs in company with the green- 188 Yellow-fin Trout back trout. The 2 are entirely distinct, the size, colouration and habits being notably different. The yellow-fin reaches a weight of 8 or 9 pounds while the other rarely exceeds a pound. The former lives on gravel bottom in water of some depth while the latter is a shallow-water trout running into small brooks. The yellow-fin trcut is apparently derived from the Colorado River trout which may be descended from the Rio Grande trout which, in turn, is probably derived from the green-back trout of the Arkansas. As a game-fish the yellow-fin trout has attracted much attention from local anglers by whom it is very highly regarded. It is taken chiefly by trolling, though it rises promptly to the fly and is a splendid fighter. Head 4; depth 4^ to 5; eye 5^; snout 4!; D. 12; A. n; Br. 10; scales 40-184-37, about 125 pores. Head long, compressed, the snout moderately pointed; mouth rather large, maxillary if to 2 in head; hyoid teeth present; scales small, irregularly placed. Colour, light olive; a broad shade of lemon-yellow along side; lower fins bright yellow; no red anywhere except on throat; posterior part of body, a'nd dorsal and caudal fins profusely covered with small dark spots smaller than the nostril; head and anterior part of body with few spots or none. KEY TO SPECIES OF STEELHEAD TROUT SERIES: a. Scales rather small, averaging 150 to 155. b. Sides bright silvery, usually with a broad flesh-coloured or rosy lateral wash, brightest on opercles. Sea-running forms, reach- ing a large size ; gairdneri, 190 bb. No silvery or rosy anywhere. Probably not sea-running; cresccntis, 191 aa. Scales larger, about 130 to 145. c. Sides very" silvery and bright silvery below; a broad band of bright light rose colour; spots few; hamloops, 192 cc. Sides" little silvery; under parts white, not silvery; no rosy lateral band ; beardsleei, 193 i8q Steelhead Trout Steelhead Trout Salmo gairdncri Richardson This species is variously known as the sleelhead, Steelhead trout, salmon trout, and hardhead. It is found in all coastwise streams from the Santa Ynez Mountains, Santa Barbara County, California, north to British Columbia and probably to Sitka. It is especially abundant in the lower Columbia, ascending the Snake River as far as Augur Falls, and the Pend d' Oreille probably to Metaline Falls. It is more or less common in all the shorter coastal streams and is said to be abundant in the Russian and Klamath rivers. The Steelhead is more or less anadromous in its habits, being migratory like the salmon, and ascending rivers fully as far. The spawning season of the Steelhead seems to be a prolonged one and varying greatly with the locality. In the headwaters of Salmon River, Idaho, where there are important spawning beds, spawning takes place in May and early June. In Payette River they spawn a fortnight earlier, and in the shorter tributaries of Snake River from April 15 to May 10. Still lower down the Columbia basin they probably spawn increasingly earlier. Of 4, 179 steelheads examined during the last week in September, and the first half of October, at The Dalles, Oregon, 1,531 were males and 2,648 females; 476 males and 900 females were well developed, and probably would have spawned in 4 to 6 weeks. The remaining 2803 apparently would not have spawned until the next spring. The run of steelheads in the lower Columbia is heaviest from August to November. They reach the Sawtooth Mountains early in May and the headwaters of Payette River early in April; while they reach that portion of Snake River between Weiser and Lower Salmon Falls early in September and remain until spring before they spawn. 190 Speckled Trout of Crescent Lake In the streams tributary to the northern portion of Puget Sound they arrive in September and October while they do not usually appear in numbers about Seattle until 2 months later. The steelhead is a large and very important food-fish. The average size of those reaching the Sawtooth Mountains is about 8 pounds, the extremes being 2 and 14 pounds. The maximum weight of the species is probably about 20 pounds, and in streams where it is resident it does not usually exceed 5 or 6 pounds. Unlike the Pacific salmon the steelhead does not die after once spawning, though some individuals probably do. Except during a period follow- ing the spawning season, the steelhead ranks as one of the very best of food-fishes. Great quantities are taken every year in the Columbia and either canned or sold fresh. The shipments of steelhead trout to the East have rapidly increased during recent years until they are now very large. The steelhead ranks very high as a game-fish and trolling for steelheads in the bays, sounds and river-mouths along our Pacific Coast affords excitement and pleasure exceeded among the Salmonidce only by trolling for chinook salmon. When in fresh water the steelhead does not bite well except where it is resident, but in waters in which it is permanently resident it takes the trolling spoon well and will also rise to the artificial fly; and its large size and gameness make it a fish much sought after by those who have the opportunity. The steelhead is propagated by the United States Fish Com- mission with marked success. The Commission has introduced it into Lake Superior and its tributary waters in which it found a congenial home and in which catches of some very large steelheads have been recently made. Speckled Trout of Crescent Lake Sahno crescent is Jordan & Beardslee In Crescent Lake, Clallam County, Washington, is a trout which has been regarded as a subspecies of the steelhead. It reaches a length of 27 inches or more, and a weight of 8 or 10 pounds, and is regarded as an excellent game-fish. It is very close to the steelhead, from which it differs chiefly in colour, which, in alcohol, is very dark steel-blue above, be- IQI Kamloops Trout ; Stit-tse coming paler below, and nearly white on belly anteriorly where only the margins of the scales are punctate; no silvery anywhere; lower jaw dusky; a large black blotch on cheek between sub- orbital and premaxillary; sides, top of head, back, and dorsal and caudal fins with few small dark spots; pectorals dusky, slightly spotted at base; anal somewhat dusky, without spots; ventrals dusky with a few spots in the middle; adipose fin with a few spots; lower fins all tipped with paler, probably yellowish red in life; spots all very small and not confined to posterior part of body. Kamloops Trout ; Stit-tse Saljno kamloops Jordan This is an interesting trout found in Kamloops, Okanogan, Kootenai and other lakes tributary to the Fraser and upper Columbia rivers. It is locally abundant, and is a fine large trout, slender in form, graceful in appearance and movement, some- what different from the common steelhead, but not distinguished by any technical character of importance, and probably intergrading fully with the latter. It is said to be a very fine game-fish, which is taken chiefly by trolling with the spoon. Head 47}; depth 4^; D. 1 1 ; A. 11 or 12; scales 30-135 to 146- 26, 65 before the dorsal; gillrakers 6-fii or 12; Br. 11 + 11. Body elongate, somewhat compressed; maxillary extending beyond eye, its length not quite half head; snout slightly rounded in profile, the profile regularly ascending; teeth moderate, some of those in the outer row in each jaw somewhat enlarged; opercles striate, not much produced backward; dorsal lin rather low, its longest ray slightly greater than base of fin, \\ in head; anal fin rather larger than usual in trout, its outline slightly concave, its. longest ray greater than base of fin, and little more than half head; caudal fin rather broad, distinctly forked, its outer rays about twice length of inner; pectoral rather long, \\ in head; ventrals moderate, \\ in head; gillrakers comparatively short and few. Colour, dark olive above, bright silvery below, the silvery colour extending some distance below the lateral line, where it ends abruptly; middle of side with a broad liuht-rose-colored band, covering about \ total depth of fish; back above with small black spots about the size of pin heads, irregularly scattered, and somewhat more numer ous posteriorly; a few faint spots on top of head; dorsal and 10? Blueback Trout of Crescent Lake caudal fins rather thickly covered with small black spots similar to those on back, but more distinct; a few spots on adipose fin which is edged with blackish; lower fins plain; upper border of pectoral dusky; a vague dusky blotch on upper middle rays of anal. Blueback Trout of Crescent Lake Sal mo beards led Jordan & Scale One of the most interesting trouts, recently brought to the attention of anglers and ichthyologists by Admiral Beardslee, is the blueback or Beardslee trout of Crescent Lake. This lake is in Clal- lam County, Washington, in the northern part of the Olympic Mountains, 700 feet above the sea, and the blueback trout is known only from it. This trout lives in deep water. Examples caught by Admiral Beardslee in October were taken at depths varying from 30 to 50 feet. Others caught on April 18 were taken at a depth of 30 to 35 feet, and so far as we have learned it has not been secured in shallow water. The best sea- son for getting this trout seems to be in the spring, probably April to June inclusive, though good catches have been made in October. It is taken only by trolling with the spoon, or, at least, chiefly in that way. They may be taken by trolling with a baited hook, a strip of trout belly being the bait used. Probably various other lures would prove successful. The blueback has the reputation among those who have had the pleasure of catching it of being a very great game-fish. Admiral Beardslee says they fight hard until brought near the surface, when they give up. When landed they are generally puffed up with air, a condition following their quick transference from considerable depths to the surface. Examples taken in the spring and put in pools in moun- tain streams with other trout died very soon, while the others lived. A ic-pound fish taken by Miss Sara Beazley, of Columbia, Missouri, "made a fierce and prolonged fight, racing along with the boat for a long distance and making several desperate and out-of-the-water leaps and plunges to get away. Miss Beazley followed the plan of rowing along slowly, stopping rowing altogether for a few moments, and then starting off again slowly. 193 Blueback Trout of Crescent Lake Both large fish were taken just as the boat started up, after one of three brief stops, during which the troll had gone down to a greater depth than when the boat was in motion." The blueback trout reach a large size. Four examples caught by Admiral Beardslee weighed, 6, n, ii, and 1 i pounds re- spectively. One taken by Miss Beazley measured 29^ inches long and weighed strong 10 pounds. Another caught by Mr. Ben. Lewis, and forwarded by Mr. M. J. Carrigan, of Port Angeles, to Stanford University, was 32 inches long, and weighed 14 pounds. Head 3!; depth about 4; eye 4! in head, if in snout; snout 3f; D. 10; A. n; scales 24-130-20 , about 70 series in front of dor- sal, counting along median line, or 60 if rows along upper side are counted; Br. n; gillrakers 8+13, rather long and slender. Head pointed, mouth rather large, maxillary extending to posterior margin of eye, if in head, with about 20 teeth; preorbital very narrow, the maxillary almost touching the orbit; several large teeth along side of tongue; no hyoid teeth; teeth on vomer in zig-zag series; origin of dorsal at middle of length; origin of anal midway between that of dorsal and base of caudal; caudal broad, nearly truncate. Colour, on the back a deep dark-blue ultra- marine of a peculiar transparency, dotted with small round black spots about the size of a pin head; side abruptly brighter, with many scales silvery; lower parts white; sides, top of head, dor- sal, and caudal Jins covered with very small spots; pectorals and ventrals nearly colourless, without spots; adipose fin with 2 spots; no red on lower jaw. The flesh is light lemon-colour before cooking, during which process it whitens. It is devoid of the oily salmon flavour, and is very excellent. KEY TO SPECIES OF RAINBOW TROUT SERIES: a. Scales well imbricated; upper ray of pectoral usually more or less spotted. b. Scales comparatively large, 120 to 150 series. r. Scales decidely large, in 120 to no series; body elongate; no red on throat. Brook forms, mostly of small size; sea-run examples occasionally large; confined to streams of the Coast Ranges. ti. Mouth moderate. Coastwise streams of California; / 'rid.' us, I9S or 7 subspecies. Perhaps it is just as well to recogni/e most, if not all, of these subspecies as full species. This is certainly best in all cases where intcrgrading has not been proved. a. Back unspotted, strongly marbled with dark olive or black. b. Colour, dark olive; side with numerous red spots; foniiihilis, 207 206 Brook Trout; Speckled Trout bb. Colour, pale grayish; very few red spots; agassi^n, 210 aa. Back not marbled with darker. c. Back with red or orange spots like those on sides; parkei, 210 cc. Back unspotted, the red spots confined to the sides; maxil- lary usually not reaching beyond the eye. d. Gillrakers numerous, 6+12 to 16; head rather large, 4 to 4^ in body; body rather stout; belly orange in breeding season. e. Gillrakers longer and straighter than in the next, f length of eye, 7+14 in number; alipes, 212 ee. Gillrakers quite short, not length of eye, about 6+12 in number; aureolus, 213 dd. Gillrakers fewer, 6+n, small; head small; 4^ to 5 in length; body slender ; oquassa, 2 1 7 Brook Trout ; Speckled Trout Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill) "And when the timorous Trout I wait To take, and he devours my Bait, How small, how poor a thing I find Will captivate a greedy Mind; And when none bite, the Wise I praise. Whom false Allurement ne'er betrays." The game-fish which has been most written about and which is, perhaps, best and most widely known among the anglers of 207 Brook Trout ; Speckled Trout the world is undoubtedly Salve/inns fontinali*. It is one of the most beautiful, active, and widely distributed of American trouts. Its natural range is from Maine to northern Georgia and Alabama in the Appalachian Mountains, and westward through the Great Lakes region to Minnesota; and in Canada from Labrador to the Saskatchewan. It has been extensively introduced into many waters in which it was not native, in the eastern and upper Mississippi Valley States, in the Pacific and Rocky Mountain States, and in many foreign countries as well. With the possible exceptions of the rainbow and steelhead trouts it is the hardiest member of the salmon family and will make a brave struggle for existence even in an unfavourable en- vironment. Not every stream, however, can be stocked with this species; the temperature of the water must not be too high, nor the flow too sluggish, although a high temperature is not wholly prohibitive, if there is a strong current resulting in the proper aeration of the water. The best streams are those with a gravelly bottom, clear shallow water, steady, fairly strong cur- rent with occasional rapids, deeper pools and eddies, abundant natural food, and banks overhung with bushes which afford more or less protection. The brook trout spawns in the fall when the water is grow- ing colder. The season extends from late August in the Lake Superior region to October and November or even later in New England, New York and southward. At spawning time the fish will push far up even the smallest creeks where the spawning beds are selected upon gravel bottom in shallow water. There the eggs will lie until the next spring anywhere from 90 to 210 days when the water begins to grow warmer and the eggs begin to hatch. The number of eggs produced varies with the age and size of the fish, yearlings usually producing 150 to 250, two-year-olds 350 to 500, and older ones 500 to 2500. The size of the brook trout varies greatly; in small streams they may be mature at a length of 6 or 8 inches and a weight of but 2 or 3 ounces, while in larger bodies of water and with an abundant food supply they reach 18 inches or even more, and a weight of several pounds. Forty years ago brook trout weighing 4 to 6 and 8 pounds were not uncommon. o8 Brook Trout; Speckled Trout But as the trout streams everywhere came to be fished more and more, the trout became smaller and smaller, until now it is a rare trout that escapes the angler's fly until he has reached a greater weight than a pound or two. The trout are rapidly disappearing from our streams through the agency of the lumberman, manufacturer, and summer boarder. In the words of the late Rev. Myron W. Reed, a noble man, and an excellent angler, "This is the last generation of trout- fishers. The children will not be able to find any. Already there are well-trodden paths by every stream in Maine, New York, and in Michigan. I know of but one river in North America by the side of which you will find no paper collar or 'other evidence ot civilization. It is the Nameless River. Not that trout will cease to be. They will be hatched by machinery and raised in ponds, and fattened on chopped liver, and grow flabby and lose their spots. The trout of the restaurant will not cease to be; but he is no more like the trout of the wild river than the fat and songless reed-bird is like the bobolink. Gross feeding and easy pond-life enervate and deprave him. The trout that the children will know only by legend is the gold-sprinkled living arrow of the white water; able to zig-zag up the cataract; able to loiter in the rapids; whose dainty meat is the glancing butterfly," The brook trout is exceedingly variable and many local varieties have been described. The following description will apply well only to typical examples. Head 4^; depth 4^; D. 10; A. 9; scales 37-230-30; gillrakers about 6+1 1. Body oblong, moderately compressed, not much elevated; head large, but not very long, the snout bluntish, the interorbital space rather broad; mouth large, the maxillary reach- ing beyond orbit; eye large, somewhat above axis of body; cau- dal fin 'slightly lunate in tjae adult, forked in the young; adi- pose fin small; pectoral and ventral fins not especially elongate. Colour, back more or less mottled or barred with dark olive or black, without spots; red spots on side rather smaller than the pupil; dorsal and caudal fins mottled with darker; lower fins dusky, with a pale, usually orange, band anteriorly, followed by a darker one; belly in the male often more or less red; sea- run individuals (the Canadian "salmon trout") are often nearly plain bright silvery. 209 Dublin Pond Trout Dublin Pond Trout Salvelinus agassizii (Garman) In certain ponds or lakes in New Hampshire, notably Dublin Pond, Lake Monadnock, Centre Pond, etc., is found a trout whose colouration is pale grayish, and with fewer red spots, thus resembling the lake trout. Otherwise it does not appear to differ from the brook trout, except that the young are said to be rather more slender, the caudal notch slightly deeper, and the sides more silvery. The young are much darker than the adults. This trout reaches a length of 7 or 8 inches. Dolly Varden Trout Sahclinns parkci (Suckley) This interesting charr is found in the streams and lakes of Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and California, south to the Sacramento basin, and northward in coastal streams to the Aleu- tian Islands. It is found only in Pacific drainage. Though res- ident in fresh water, and scarcely at all migratory, it often descends to the sea, and is frequently taken in salt and brackish waters. In small mountain brooks at Unalaska and elsewhere dwarfed forms occur. This is the charr which has been known in the books until recently as Salvelinus malnia, under the belief that it was identi- cal with the malma of Walbaum from Kamchatka; but recent investigations have shown the American fish to be distinct from the Kamchatkan species. 2IO Dolly Varden Trout In Montana this charr is called salmon trout, in Idaho it is the bull trout, and elsewhere it is charr, western charr, Oregon charr, or Dolly Varden trout, the last being one of the few book names of fishes which have come into general use. This interesting trout is one of the best known species in the West. It reaches a length of 2 to 3 feet, and a weight of 5 to 12 pounds. An example 26 inches long weighed 5 pounds and i ounce. Like its eastern relative it is a voracious fish, feeding freely upon whatever offers, and especially fond of minnows, of which it devours great numbers. At Lake Pend d'Oreille, where the bull trout is an abundant and popular game-fish, we have found 2 species of minnows and one miller's thumb all in the stomach of one fish. It has been our pleasure to fish for the Dolly Varden trout in many different waters, among which we recall with particular satisfaction the Pend d'Oreille River from the Great Northern Rail- road to the international boundary, Lake Pend d'Oreille at Hope and Sand Point, the Redfish Lakes and Upper Salmon River, high among the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho, and in a little stream near Unalaska, in which dwells a dwarfed Dolly Varden of unusual beauty. During July and August, as well as in early spring, it may be caught in any of these waters. In the smaller lakes it is most abundant about the mouths of the inlets, but the best fishing is usually in the streams, as the fish there will rise to the fly more readily, and are usually more gamy. Anything will serve as a lure artificial fly, grasshopper or any other insect of fair size, small minnow, a piece of fish or other meat, salmon eggs, trolling spoon or frog, and even the bright coloured leaves of the painted cup or other flower. The gameness of the Dolly Varden trout varies greatly with the character of the water and the season, just as with any other game-fish. Those taken in lakes are apt to be sluggish, but when taken in cold streams, with a good, strong, steady current, or in the rapids where the water tumbles and boils, then the Dolly Varden displays the superior game qualities which show its kinship with its eastern and better known congener. Head $ to 3$; depth 4$ to 6; eye 6| to 7; snout 3 to 4; maxillary if to 3; D. n; A. 9; scales 39-240-36; pyloric coeca large, 45 to 50; gillrakers about 8+12. Body rather slender, the 211 Long-firmed Chair back somewhat elevated, less compressed than in Salvelinus foutinalit; he. id large, snout broad, flattened above; mouth large, the maxillary reaching past the eye; fins short, the caudal slightly forked or almost truncate. General colour, olivaceous, the sides with round red or orange spots nearly as large as the eye, the back with similar but smaller spots, and without reticulations, a feature of colouration which at once distinguishes this from all other American trout; lower fins coloured much as in S. fonf/nj/is, dusky, with a pale stripe in front, followed by a darker one. Sea-run examples are silvery, with the spots pale or obsolete. Long-firmed Charr Salvelinns alipcs (Richardson) In northern Europe, from the Swiss lakes and the lochs of Scotland northward, in all cold waters, is found the Saibling or European charr, Salvelinns a/p/niis. This charr is represented in America by several forms, most of which have usually ranked as subspecies. The first of these is the long-fmned charr which in- habits the lakes of Greenland and Boothia Felix about Prince Regent Inlet. In this charr the body is elongate, the head moderate, the snout long and pointed, with the lower jaw projecting beyond the upper; teeth small; maxillary long and narrow, reaching beyond the eye; preopercle very short, with a very short lower limb; opercle and preopercle very conspicuously and deeply striated; tins much developed, the dorsal much higher than long; pectoral very long, reaching more than halfway to ventrals, which are very long; caudal well forked. Greenland Charr Salvelinits stagnalis (Fabricius) This is another charr occuring in the waters of Greenland, Boothia Felix and neighbouring regions. Body rather elongate; pectoral short, \\ in head, not reaching half-way to ventrals; dor- sal about as high as long, the longest ray i \ in head; gillrakers 5; slender and nearly straight, the longest 2\ in eye. Colour, dark green, with lighter irregular green streaks, silvery below; sides everywhere with pale pink spots, the largest 212 The Arctic Chan- Smaller than eye; upper fins greenish, the lower fins pink. Sea- run examples nearly plain silvery. This trout reaches a length of i to 2 feet and is a food-fish of considerable importance to the natives of that region. Arctic Charr Salve linus arcturns (Giinther) This charr is known only from Lake Victoria, Floeberg Beach, in lat. 82 34', and is the most northern Salmonoid known. It has the body rather slender, head small, snout obtuse, mouth moderate, the maxillary in the male reaching to posterior edge of orbit; teeth small; a band of hyoid teeth; caudal moderately forked; head 4^; depth 5; D. 1 1 ; A. 10; Br. n; pyloric coaca 31 to 44. Colour, dull greenish, silvery or reddish below; lower fins yellowish; probably no red spots. Sunapee Trout ; American Saibling Salvelinus aureolas Bean The golden trout of Sunapee Lake was not known to anglers until about twenty years ago, and it was not described and named until 1888. Through the interesting writings of Dr. John D. Quackenbos and others its name is now a familiar one to anglers everywhere, though but few have a personal acquaint- ance with the fish in its native waters, for this beautiful trout has a very restricted habitat. So far as known it is native only 213 Sunapee Trout ; American Saibling to Sunapee Lake, New Hampshire, and Flood Pond, near Ells- worth, Maine, but through fish cultural operations it has been in- troduced into a number of other lakes. The water of both Sunapee Lake and Flood Pond is ex- ceptionally pure and cold, the bottom temperature varying from 38 to 52, according to the depth, as giving by Dr. Quacken- bos. The maximum depth of each is over 100 feet, the bottom is of white sand and gravel, and there is in each an abundance of Crustacea and other fish-food. These are the environing conditions which have made the Sunapee trout a fish of surprising beauty and gracefulness. According to Dr. Quackenbos who has a more intimate ac- quaintance with this fish than any other who has written about it, the distinguishing characteristics are as follows: "The presence of a broad row of teeth on the hyoid bone between the lower extremities of the first 2 gill-arches; the absence of mottling on the dark sea-green back, and the excessively developed fins; in- conspicuous yellow spots without areola: a square or slightly emarginate tail; a small and delicately shaped head; diminutive, aristocratic mouth, liquid planetary eyes, and a generally graceful build; a phenomenally brilliant nuptial colouration, recalling the foreign appellations of 'blood-red charr,' 'gilt charr,' and 'golden saibling.' As the October pairing time approaches, the Sunapee fish becomes illuminated with the flushes of maturing passion. "The steel-green mantle of the back and shoulders now seems to dissolve into a veil of amethyst, through which the daffodil spots of mid-summer gleam out in points of flame, while below the : lateral line all is dazzling orange. The fins catch the hue of adjacent parts, and pectoral, ventral, anal, and lower lobe of caudal, are marked with a lustrous white band. " It is a unique experience to watch this American saibling spawning on the Sunapee shallows. Here in all the magnificence of their nuptial decoration Hash schools of painted beauties, c : rcling in proud sweeps about the submerged boulders they would select as the scenes of their loves the poetry of an epi- thalamium in every motion in one direction, uncovering to the sunbeams in amorous leaps their golden-tinctured sides, gemmed with the fire of rubies; in another, darting in little companies, the pencilled margins of their fins seeming to trail behind them 214 Sunapee Trout ; American Saibling like white ribbons under the ripples. There are conspicuous dif- ferences in intensity of general colouration, and the gaudy dyes of the milter are tempered in the spawner to a dead-lustre cad- mium cream or olive chrome, with opal spots. The wedding garment nature has given to this charr is unparagoned. Those who have seen the bridal march of the glistening hordes, in all their glory of colour and majesty of action, pronounce it a spec- tacle never to be forgotten." That so conspicuous a game and food-fish could have been aboriginal to Sunapee Lake, and for 100 years have escaped the notice alike of visiting and resident anglers, persistent poachers, and alert scientists is accounted for, as suggested by Dr. Quacken- bos, by its habit of remaining almost constantly in deep water, by its spawning on mid-lake reefs late in the fall when angling is out of season and the locality of the beds dangerous of access, and by its comparative scarcity prior to the introduction of black bass in 1868. Quoting still further from Dr. Quackenbos, to whom we are indebted for our account of this fish, "the Sunapee saib- ling takes live bait readily, preferring a cast smelt in spring, when it pursues the spawning Osmerus to the shores. As far as is known, it does not rise to the fly, either at this season, or when on the shoals in autumn. Through the summer months it is angled for with a live minnow or smelt, in 60 to 70 feet of water, over cold bottom, in localities that have been baited. While the smelt are inshore, trolling with a light fly-rod and fine tackle, either with a Skinner fluted spoon, No. i, or a small smelt on a single hook, will sometimes yield superb sport, as the game qualities of the white trout are estimated to be double those of fontinalis. "The most exhilarating amusement to be had with this charr, after the first hot June days, is in trolling from a sailboat with a greenheart tarpon rod, 300 feet of copper wire of the smallest calibre on a heavy tarpon reel, and attached to this a 6-foot braided leader with a Buell's spinner, or a live minnow on a stiff gang. The weight of the wire sinks the bait to the requisite depth. When the sailboat is running across the wind at the maximum of her speed, the sensation experienced by the strike of a 4 or 5-pound fish bankrupts all description. A strong line under such a tension would part on the instant; but the ductility of the wire averts this accident, and the man at the reel end of the 215 Sunapee Trout ; American Saibling rod experiences a characteristic 'give,' quickly followed by the dead-weight strain of the frenzied Salmonoid. To land a fish thus struck implies much greater patience and skill than a suc- cessful battle, under similar circumstances with a 5-ounce 6-strip and delicate tackle. The pleasure is largely concentrated in the strike, and the perception of a big tish ' fast.' The watchful- ness and labour involved in the subsequent struggle border closely on the confines of pain. The ductile wire is an essentially dif- ferent means from a taut silk line. The fish holds the coign of vantage; when he stands back and with bulldog pertinacity wrenches savagely at the pliable metal when he rises to the surface in a despairing leap for his life the angler is at his mercy. But, brother of the sleave-silk and tinsel, when at last you gaze upon your captive lying asphyxiated on the surface, a synthesis of qualities that make a perfect fish when you disen- gage him from the meshes of the net, and place his icy figure in your outstretched palms, and watch the tropaeolin glow of his awakening tones soften into cream tints, and the cream tints pale into the pearl of the moonstone, as the muscles of respira- tion glow feebler and more irregular in their contraction you will experience a peculiar thrill that the capture neither of ouana- niche, nor fontinalis, nor namaycush can ever excite. It is this after-glow of pleasure, this delight of contemplation and specula- tion, of which the scientific angler never wearies, that lends a charm all its own to the pursuit of the Alpine trout. "Finally there can be no doubt as to the economic value of the American saibling. It is one of the most prolific of our Sal- monoids, the female averaging 1200 eggs to the pound, and cast- ing spawn when only 2 ounces in weight. It is also a singularly rapid grower where smelt food abounds. The extreme weight proved to have been attained is about 12 pounds, although ac- counts exist of much larger specimens weighing from is to 20 pounds. As a rule the greater the altitude the smaller the fish, but the more intense the colouration. This charr is exceptionally hardy and easy to propagate. The eggs bear transportation over the roughest roads without injury." According to Mr. Merrill, of Green Lake, the saibling fry remain perfectly healthy at a temperature which proves very trying to brook trout fry; both the eggs and the fry display wonderful hardiness under the most trying circumstances. 216 Oquassa Trout; Blueback Trout The young are persistent hiders; any crevice in the bank or lump of clay affords a hiding place. When fed, they will emerge and rise for their food, but will immediately hide again. In feeding, they remain near the bottom, darting up after their food and going back quickly. They are much cleaner feeders than either trout or salmon, picking up all the food that sinks, allowing none to waste. Dr. Quackenbos recommends it in the highest terms to fish culturists and regards it as "facile princeps, from its rush at the cast smelt to the finish at the breakfast table." Oquassa Trout ; Blueback Trout Salvelinus oqnassa (Girard) The blueback trout is the smallest and one of the most handsome of the charrs. It rarely exceeds a foot in length and a few ounces in weight, and is known only from the Rangely Lakes in western Maine. Although quite different in appearance, it shows no important structural differences separating it from the European saibling. Formerly this fish was very abundant, running up the streams in October in immense numbers running up at night and drop- ping back before morning, so that none was to be seen in the day time. Then the fish were small, only 6 to 10 inches in length, and 4 to 6 to the pound. Now they are very scarce, and the few that are caught are much larger, sometimes weighing as much as 2\ pounds. Head 5; depth 5; eye 3^; D. 10; A. 9; scales about 230; gill- rakers about 6+ 1 1. Body elongate, considerably compressed, less 217 Lac de Marbre Trout; Marston Trout elevated than in the other species of charrs, the dorsal outline regularly but not strongly curved; head smaller than in any other trout, its upper surface flattish; mouth quite small, the maxillary short and moderately broad, scarcely reaching posterior edge of orbit; jaws about equal; scales small, those along the lateral line somewhat enlarged; pectoral and ventral fins not elongate; caudal fin well forked, in small ones more so than in other species, but more nearly "square" in large individuals; no concentric striae on opercles. Colour, dark blue, the round red spots much smaller than the pupil, and usually confined to the sides of the body; sides with traces of dark bars; lower fins variegated, as in 5. fontinalis. In lakes of Arctic America, about Discovery Bay and Cumber- land Gulf, is found another charr, Salvelinus oquassa naresi (Giinther), usually regarded as a subspecies of the Oquassa trout, from which it does not differ greatly. It reaches a length of a foot or more. Nothing is known of its habits. Colour, green- ish above, sides silvery or deep red, with very small red spots, much smaller than the pupil; lower fins deep red, the anterior margins yellowish white; dorsal fin reddish posteriorly. Lac de Marbre Trout ; Marston Trout Salvelinus marstoni Carman This interesting charr was described in 1893 by Professor Samuel Garman, from specimens sent him from Lac de Marbre, Ottawa County, Province of Quebec. The distribution of this trout has not been determined. If it is identical with the so-called red trout of Canada, as seems prob- able, it will doubtless be found in most of the suitable waters north of the St. Lawrence and tributary to it. Besides the speci- mens which Professor Garman had from Lac de Marbre, which is near Ottawa, t other examples have been obtained from one of the lakes of the Laurentides Club in the Lake St. John district, others from Lac a Cassette, in Rimouski County, only a few miles from the St. Lawrence, and, more recently, many fine examples were secured by Mr. J. W. Titcomb from Lake Saccacomi and the Red lakes in Maskinonge County, township of St. Alexis des Monts, Quebec. These red trout were at first thought to be bottom feeders, and that they would not rise to the fly, but they are now known 218 Lac de Marbre Trout ; Marston Trout to take the fly readily, and must be classed among the most beautiful and active of American game-fishes. It is regarded by Professor Garman as allied to the Oquassa trout, from which it differs in the longer maxillary, stronger den- tition, deeply notched caudal fin, larger size and different colouration. It seems even more closely related to specimens which have been identified by Dr. Bean with Salvelinus rossi of Richardson, which may be identical with the Greenland charr. Little or nothing has been recorded regarding its game qualities, but its trim appearance and rich colouration, together with the cold water in which it lives, would indicate a fish well worthy the attention of anglers. * Head 5; depth 6; eye about 5; snout 3f; interorbital 3^; D. 13; A. 13; V. 9; P. 14; Br. 11 + 12; vertebrae 60; gillrakers 8+14. Body subfusiform, compressed, pointed at the snout, slender at the tail; mouth large; maxillary straight, extending almost to pos- terior edge of eye, bearing strong teeth nearly its whole length; teeth on intermaxillary and mandible stronger; a series of 4 strong hooked teeth on each side of tongue; operclethin, with few striae; scales very small, apparently about 230 in the series immediately above lateral line, and more than 250 in a row 5 or 6 scales above this; dorsal and anal slightly emarginate; pectoral and ventral small, base of the latter slightly behind the middle of that of dorsal; caudal peduncle very slender; caudal lobes pointed, the notch very deep. Colour, back dark brown, unspotted, with an iridescent bluish tint; dorsal dark, clouded, without spots or bands; pectoral, ventrals and anal orange in the middle, yellowish or whitish toward bases and at their margins; dark colour of back shading into whitish tinged with pink below lateral line; ventral surface white, no doubt reddish in breeding season; head black on top; cheeks silvery, whitish beneath; caudal fin yellowish toward base, brown distally; faint areas of lighter tint suggest a few spots of red in life along lateral line; flesh pink. It reaches a length of a foot or more. 2iq THE GRAYLINGS Family X] /T I. TJiymallidcB THE graylings agree very closely with the Salnwuiilce in external characters and in habits. They differ notably in the structure of the skull and the presence of epipleural spines on the anterior ribs. The parietal bones meet at the middle and separate the frontals from the supraoccipital bone. The conventional statement that the graylings are intermediate between the whitefishes and the trout is not born out by the skeleton. The family contains one genus and about 5 species, all beautiful fishes of the rivers of cold or Arctic regions, active and gamy and delicious as food. The French call the grayling " un umble chevalier " and say he feeds on gold. "And some think he feeds on water-thyme, for he smells of it when first taken out of the water; and they may think so with as good reason as we do that the smelts smell like violets at their first being caught; which I think is a truth." (Izaak Walton.) And St. Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, calls the grayling "the flower of fishes." GENUS THYMALLUS CUVIER Body oblong, somewhat compressed, not much elevated; head rather short; mouth moderate, terminal, the short maxillary extend- ing past middle of the large eye, but not to its posterior margin; teeth slender and sparse on the maxillaries, premaxillaries and lower jaw; vomer short with a small patch of teeth; teeth on the palatines; tongue toothless or nearly so; scales small and loose; dorsal fin very long and high; caudal well forked; air-bladder very large; pyloric appendages 15 to 18. Three species, all very closely related, have been recognized in American waters. 2.20 Arctic Grayling; Poisson Bleu Arctic Grayling 1 ; Poisson Bleu Thym&llus signifer (Richardson) The Arctic or Alaska grayling is known from the Mackenzie, Kowak and other rivers of Alaska, and is said to abound in most clear cold streams even to the Arctic Ocean. It reaches a length of 18 inches and is an excellent food and game fish. Head 5^-; depth 4|; eye 3; maxillary 6; D. 24; A. 1 1 ; scales 8-88 to 90-11; coeca 18. Body elongate, compressed; head rather short, subconic, compressed, its upper outline continuous with anterior curve of back; mouth moderate, the maxillary extending to below middle of eye; jaws about equal; scales moderate, easily detached, lateral line nearly straight; a small bare space behind isthmus. Colour, dark bluish on back, purplish-gray on sides; belly blackish- gray, with irregular whitish blotches; 5 or 6 deep blue spots anteri- orly; head brown, a blue mark on each side of lower jaw; dorsal dark gray, blotched with paler, with crossrows of deep-blue spots, edged with lake red; ventrals striated with purplish and whitish. 221 Michigan Grayling Michigan Grayling TJiymallus tricolor Cope The Michigan grayling is known from various streams in the southern peninsula of Michigan and from Otter Creek, near Keweenaw, in the northern peninsula. It was formerly very abundant in the Au Sable and Jordan rivers, and other streams of northern Michigan, but through the destructive and wholly in- excusable methods by which the lumbering and logging operations have been carried on in that region these streams have been ruined and the grayling practically exterminated. The Michigan grayling began to receive the attention of naturalists, fish-culturists, and anglers about 25 years ago, but no great success was ever attained in its artificial propagation. With anglers it has been held in very high esteem. "There is no species sought for by anglers that surpasses the grayling in beauty. They are more elegantly formed and more graceful than the trout, and their great dorsal fin is a superb mark of loveliness. When the well-lids were lifted, and the sun's rays admitted, lighting up the delicate olive-brown tints of the back and sides, the bluish-white of the abdomen, and the mingling of tints of rose, pale blue, and purplish-pink on the fins, they dis- played a combination of colours equaled by no fish outside the tropics." Mr. Fred. Mather describes the colouring of the grayling as follows : " His pectorals are olive-brown, with a bluish tint at the end ; the ventrals are striped with alternate streaks of brown and pink ; the anal is plain brown ; the caudal is very forked and plain, while the crowning glory Is the immense dorsal, which is dotted with large, brilliant-red or bluish purple spots, 322 GOLDEN TROUT OF SUNAPEE LAKE, Salvelinus aureolus MONTANA GRAYLING, Thymallus montanus Montana Grayling surrounded with a splendid emerald green, which fades after death the changeable shade of green seen in the peacock's tail." Head about 5; scales 93 to 98; D. 21 or 22, lower and smaller than in T. signifer. Colour, brilliant, purplish-gray; young more silvery; sides of head with bright bluish and bronze reflections; anterior part of side with small, irregular, inky-black spots; ventral fins ornate, dusky, with diagonal rose-coloured lines; dorsal with a black line along its base, then a rose-coloured one, then a blackish one, then rose-coloured blackish, and rose coloured, the last stripe continued as a row of spots; above these is a row of dusky-green spots, then a row of minute rose-coloured spots, then a broad dusky area, the middle part of the fin tipped with rose; anal and adipose fins dusky; central rays of caudal pink, the outer rays dusky. Montana Grayling- Thymallus montanus (Milner) The Montana grayling is known to occur only in streams emptying into the Missouri River above the Great Falls, prin- cipally in Smith or Deep River and its tributaries, in the Little Belt Mountains, in Sun River, and in the Jefferson, Gallatin and Madison rivers and their affluents. Like all other grayling it prefers cold, clear streams of pure water, with sandy and gravelly bottoms. The spawning season of the Montana grayling is in April and May, depending upon the temperature of the water. The United States Fish Hatchery at Bozeman, Montana, obtains eggs of the grayling in Elk Creek, tributary to Red Rock Lake. At the approach of the spawning season the fish go up the Jefferson, through Beaverhead and Red Rock rivers, to Red Rock 22.5 Montana Grayling Lake, 14 miles in length, and through the lake itself to the in- lets at its head. After spawning they return through the lake to the rivers below, none stopping in the lake whose waters seem wholly unsuited to them. At spawning time Elk Creek is fairly alive with grayling on the gravelly shallows, where their large and beautiful dorsal fins are to be seen waving, clear of the water, in the manner of sharks' fins on a flood tide. The artificial propagation of the Montana grayling was begun at Bozeman in 1898 and, under the able direction of Dr. James A. Henshall, the superintendent, has proved very successful. In 1899, 5,300,000 eggs were taken and 4,567,000 fry were hatched and liberated. The number of eggs varies from 2,000 to 4,000 to the fish. As to game qualities, Dr. Henshall regards the Montana gray- ling as fully the equal of the brook trout, or red-throat trout, putting up as good a "fight, and often leaping above the surface when hooked. It takes the artificial fly, caddis larvae, grass- hoppers, angleworms and similar bait. The best artificial flies to use are those with bodies of peacock had, or yellow-bodied flies, as: Professor, Queen of the Water, Oconomowoc, and Lord Baltimore; or Grizzly King, Henshall, Coachman and the like. Small flies should be used, on hooks Nos. 10 to 12. Grayling may be taken from May to November, the best time being in the summer. The average size of this fish is 10 to 12 inches in length and 4- to i pound in weight. The largest Dr. Henshall reports were 20 inches long and weighed 2 pounds. At present good grayling fishing in Montana can be had in the tributaries of the Smith or Deep River in the Little Belt Mountains, and in the upper parts of the Gallatin, Madison and Jefferson rivers. The best fishing is near the upper canyon of the Madison, and in Odell, Red Rock and other creeks at the head of Red Rock Lake, the sources of the Jefferson. 124 THE SMELTS Family XVII. Argentinidce THE smelts are small fishes, marine or anadromous, some of \hern inhabiting deep water; all but one genus confined to the waters of the Northern Hemisphere. There are about a dozen genera with some 15 species, and they may be regarded as re- duced Salmonidce, smaller and in every way feebler than the trout, but similar to them in all respects except in the form of the stomach. Most of them are very delicate food-fishes. a. Ventral fins inserted in front of the middle of the dorsal; mouth large. f , b. Scales very small, arranged in the male in villous bands; pec- toral broad, of 1 5 to 20 rays ; M allot as, 225 bb. Scales large, similar in both sexes; pectoral moderate, of 10 to 12 rays. c. Teeth feeble, those on tongue very weak; scales small, ad- herent ; Thaleichthys, 226 cc. Teeth strong, those on tongue enlarged, canine-like; scales moderate, loosely attached Osmerus, 227 aa. Ventral fins inserted under or behind middle of dorsal; mouth rather small. d. Jaws with minute teeth; similar teeth on tongue and palate; maxillary reaching past front of eye; Hypomesus, 230 GENUS MALLOTUS CUVIER The Capelins Body elongate, compressed, covered with minute scales, a band of which, above the lateral line and along each side of the belly, are enlarged, and in mature males they become elongate- lanceolate, densely imbricated, with free, projecting points, form- ing villous bands. In very old males the scales of the back and belly are similarly modified, and the top of the head and the rays of the paired fins are finely granulated. Mouth rather large, the Capelin ; Lodde maxillary thin, extending to below middle of eye; lower jaw pro- jecting; lower fins very large; pectorals large, the base very broad; gillrakers long and slender. Capelin; Lodde Mallotus villosns (Muller) The Capelin is found on both coasts of Arctic America, south to Cape Cod and Alaska. It is also found on the Kamchatkan coast, and is generally abundant northward. It is a most delicious little fish, much valued in the far north. The eggs of the capelin are deposited in the sand along Arctic shores in incredible numbers. They are washed up on the beaches, and in about 30 days they are hatched. The beach then becomes a quivering mass of little fishes, eggs and sand, from which the little fishes are borne into the sea by the waves. GENUS THALEICHTHYS GIRARD This genus is intermediate between Mallotus and Osmenis, differing from the latter in its rudimentary dentition, and in its small adherent scales. All the teeth are very feeble, slender and deciduous, although occasionally present on all the bones of the mouth; no permanent teeth on the tongue; scales smaller than in Otineriis, and more closely adherent, larger than in Mallotus, and similar in the 2 sexes. One species. Eulachon; Candlefish Eulachon ; Candlefish Thaleichthys pacificus (Richardson) The Eulachon is found from Oregon northward, ascending the Fraser and other rivers in spring in enormous numbers. An ex- cellent panfish, unsurpassed by any fish whatsoever in delicacy of the flesh, which is far superior to that of any trout; remarkable for ex- treme oiliness, but the oil has a very delicate, attractive flavour. The oil is sometimes extracted and used as a substitute for cod- liver oil, but it is solid and lard-like at ordinary temperatures. When dried these fish have been used as candles, a wick having been placed in them. Colour, white, scarcely silvery; upper parts rendered dark iron- gray by the accumulation of dark punctulations. Length, 10 to 12 inches. GENUS OSMERUS LINN^US The Smelts Body elongate, compressed; head long, pointed; mouth wide, the slender maxillary extending to past middle of eye; lower jaw projecting; preorbital and suborbital bones narrow; fine teeth on maxillaries and premaxillaries; lower jaw with small teeth, which are larger posteriorly; tongue with a few strong, fang-like teeth, largest at the tip; hyoid bone, vomer, and palatines with wide-set teeth; gillrakers long and slender; scales large and loose; dorsal small, about midway of body, over the ventrals; anal long; ver- tebrae 40; pyloric creca few and small. > 227 The Pacific Smelt Small fishes of the coasts of Europe and northern America, sometimes ascending rivers; the flesh of all very delicate and highly valued as food. Five or 6 species and subspecies in our waters. a. Vomer with a cross-series of small teeth; small, weak species spawning in the sea ; tlhilcichlhys, 228 aa. Vomer with 2 to 4 strong, fang-like teeth; species stronger in habit, ascending streams. b. Maxillary not reaching posterior margin of eye; depth 6 to 6^- in length ; colour plain ; mordax, 229 bb. Maxillary reaching posterior margin of eye; depth si; colour brilliant ; dentex, 230 Pacific Smelt Osmcriis tJialcicJitliys Ayres This interesting little fish is found on our Pacific coast from San Francisco northward to Bristol Bay in Alaska, and is usu- ally common. It is a weak, feeble species, its flesh soft and not keeping well, but of excellent flavour. Colour, olivaceous, the sides silvery and somewhat translucent. Length 8 or 9 inches. 7.-' American Smelt American Smelt Osmerus mordax (Mitchill) This is the smelt of America. It is found along our Atlantic Coast from Virginia to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, entering streams, and is often land-locked. It is abundant in Lakes Champlain and Memphremagog, and in many other lakes in New England, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. It enters our rivers and brackish bays during the winter months for the purpose of spawning, when it is caught in immense numbers in nets and by hook and line. In 1622 Capt. John Smith wrote: "Of smelts there is such abundance that the Salvages doe take them up in the rivers with baskets, like sives"; and Josselyn, 55 years later, wrote: "The frostfish [O. mordax] is little bigger than a Gudgeon, and are taken in fresh brooks; when the waters are frozen they make a hole in the ice, about % yard or yard wide, to which the fish repair in great numbers, where, with small nets bound to a hoop about the bigness of a firkin- hoop, with a staff fastened to it, they take them out of the hole." Great quantities are taken along the coast and usually after being frozen, are shipped to the larger cities. Those which have not been frozen are termed "green" smelts, and are much more highly esteemed. The principal food of the smelt consists of shrimps and other small crustaceans. Colour, transparent greenish above, sides silvery; body and fins with some dark punctulations. The smelt does not usu- ally exceed 8 or 10 inches in length, but it sometimes exceeds a foot in length and a weight of a pound. 229 Rainbow Herring Examples from Sebago Lake recently obtained by Dr. Ken- dall measure 12 inches in total length, and even larger ones occur in the Belgrade Lakes of Maine. In Wilton Pond, Kennebec County, Maine, is a land-locked smelt which has been recognized as a subspecies of the common smelt under the name Osmerus mordax spectrum. It seems to be distinguished by a somewhat shorter head and more slender body. In Cobbosseecontee Lake, Maine, is found another subspecies, O. mordax abbotti, which has the head still shorter and the bodv more slender; maxillary reaching posterior margin of pupil. These subspecies are of doubtful validity. Rainbow Herring Osmerus dent ex Steindachner On both coasts of Bering Sea and south to northern China this smelt is found. It is a brilliantly coloured little fish with the flesh of firmer texture than in other species. About Bristol Bay it constitutes an important part of the food of the natives. Colour, pale olive on back, the scales edged with darker; side above lateral line purple, changing below to blue, and then to violet and gold; under parts silvery, with rosy sheen, the belly satiny- white; fins plain, slightly golden. GENUS HYPOMESUS GILL The Surf Smelts Body rather elongate, moderately compressed, covered with thin scales oi moderate size; head rather pointed; mouth moderate, the short maxillary not quite reaching middle of eye, its out- line below broadly convex; lower jaw projecting; teeth minute, on jaws, vomer, palatines, and tongue; ventrals inserted directly under middle of dorsal, midway between eye and base of cau- dal. Small fishes of the North Pacific. 230 Surf Smelt; Pond Smelt Surf Smelt Hypomesus pretiosus (Girard) This smelt attains a length of a foot and is found on the coast of California and Oregon from Monterey northward, usually abundant and spawning in the surf. A firm-fleshed and fat little fish of delicious flavour, scarcely inferior to the eulachon. Colour, light olivaceous; a silvery band along the lateral line. Pond Smelt Hypomesus olidus (Pallas) This delicious and excellent little food-fish is abundant on both coasts of Bering Sea southward to Japan and the Aleutian Islands. It spawns in fresh-water ponds, and is exceedingly abundant about St. Michaels. From the surf smelt, which it closely resembles, it is distinguished by its higher fins, the longest dorsal ray being only 6 in body; pectoral reaching f dis- tance to ventrals, their length 5 in body; ventrals 6 in body. Colour, dusky, little transparent. 331 THE BLACKFISH Family XVIII. Dalliida THIS family contains but one genus and a single species, Dallia pectoralis Bean, known as the Alaskan blackfish. It is found only in the streams and ponds of northern Alaska and Siberia, abounding in sphagnum ponds and found in countless numbers "wherever there is water enough to wet the skin of a fish." It forms one of the chief articles in the food of the natives Alaskan Blackfish who use it also as food for their dogs. It feeds largely upon small plants, worms and crustaceans. Its vitality is extraordinary. It will remain frozen in baskets for weeks and, when thawed out, will be as lively as ever. Turner mentions one swallowed frozen by a dog, thawed out by the heat of the dog's stomach, and vomited up alive. Length about 8 inches. 232 THE PIKES Family XIX. Esocidce BODY long, slender, not elevated, more or less compressed posteriorly, broad anteriorly; head long, the snout long and de- pressed; mouth very large, its cleft forming about half length of head; lower jaw the longer; upper jaw not protractile; premax- illaries, vomer, and palatines with broad bands of strong cardi- form teeth which are more or less movable; lower jaw with strong teeth of different sizes; tongue with a band of small teeth; head naked above; cheeks and opercles more or less scaly; gill- openings very wide; gill-membranes separate, free from the isthmus; branchiostigals 12 to 20; scales small; lateral line weak, obsolete in the young, better developed in the adult; pseudo- branchiae glandular, hidden; air-bladder simple. Fishes of moderate or large size, inhabiting the fresh waters of Europe, Asia and North America. There is but a single genus with 7 species, one of them cosmopolitan, the others all confined to North America. The species are all noted for their greediness and voracity; "mere machines for the assimilation of other organisms." They are all excellent food-fishes and the larger ones are good game-fishes. GENUS ESOX L/NN^US The characters of the genus included above with those of the family. The 7 species may easily and readily be identified by means of the following key: a. Cheek entirely scaly; branchiostegals 11 to 16. b. Opercles entirely scaly; dorsal rays n to 14; colour greenish, barred or reticulated with darker. c. Branchiostegals normally 12 (n to n); scales 105 to 108; dorsal rays n or 12; anal rays n or 12; snout short, middle of eye nearer tip of lower jaw than posterior mar- gin of opercle; species of small size; the fins unspotted. d. Head short, 37 in length of body; snout 2\ in head; eye 2| in snout. Colour, dark greenish, the side with about 20 distinct curved blackish bars; fins pale; americanus, 234 233 Banded Pickerel JJ. Head longer, 3}- in length of body; snout 2\ in head; eye 2\ in snout. Colour, light greenish, the side with many narrow curved streaks of darker, these usually distinct, ir- regular, and much reticulated; fins plain; venniculatus, 234 tv. Branchiostegals 14 to 16; scales about 125; dorsal rays 14; anal 13; middle of eye midway between tip of lower jaw and posterior margin of opercle. Colour, greenish, with many narrow dark curved lines and streaks, mostly hori- zontal and more or less reticulated; fins plain; reticiilatns, 235 bb. Opercles without any scales on the lower half; dorsal rays 16 or 17. Colour, grayish, with many whitish spots, the young with whitish or yellowish crossbars; dorsal, anal, ana caudal spotted with black; a white horizontal band bounding naked portion of opercle. Size large; Indus, 236 aa. Cheeks as well as opercles with the lower half naked; bran- chiostegals 17 to 19. d. Sides grayish, with round or squarish blackish spots, not coalescing to form bands; masquinongy, 237 dd. Sides brassy, with narrow dark cross-shades, which break up into vaguely outlined dark spots; ohiensis, 239 ddd. Sides grayish, unspotted or with very vague dark cross- shades ; immaculatus, 240 Banded Pickerel Eso.v amcricanns Gmelin This small pickerel, reaching a length of about a foot, oc- curs only east of the Alleghany Mountains, from Massachusetts to Florida, the westernmost record being Flomaton, Alabama. It is abundant in all lowland streams and swamps of this region. It takes the baited hook readily but is too small to be of much food or game value. Easily known by the complete scaling of cheeks and opercles and in having 12 or 13 branchiostegals. Little Pickerel ; Grass Pike Esox vennicnlatns Le Sueur The grass pike occurs abundantly throughout the middle and upper Mississippi Valley and in streams tributary to Lakes Erie and 234 Common Eastern Pickerel ; Green Pike ; Jack Michigan. It is not known from east of the Alleghanies nor from Texas. Throughout most of its range it is generally common in all ponds, bayous and small sluggish streams, preferring those waters in which there is much aquatic vegetation. It rarely exceeds a foot in length which precludes it being more than a boy's fish. Br. ii to 13; scales 105. Colour, green or grayish; side with many curved streaks, sometimes forming bars, but more usually marmorations or reticulations, the colour extremely variable, some- times quite plain; sides of head usually variegated; a dark bar downward and one forward from the eye; base of caudal sometimes mottled; other fins usually plain. Common Eastern Pickerel; Green Pike; Jack Esox reticulatns Le Sueur This species is found from Maine to Florida, Louisiana, Arkan- sas and Tennessee, common everywhere east and south of the Alleghanies. In Maine it was probably native only in the south- western portion of the state, but through the agency of man it is now abundant in practically all the lakes in the southern third of the State, and it is found in some lakes further north. In the other New England States this pickerel is a common and familiar inhabitant of nearly every lake and pond. The same is true of the ponds and lakes of New York, New Jersey and eastern Penn- sylvania. The most southern record is from Crooked Lake, Orange County, Florida. The most western record is from Mammoth Springs, Arkansas, and other tributaries of White River, it being common in the Ozark region. This species attains a length of 2 feet, and a weight of several pounds. In some places it is a game-fish of considerable importance. It is fished for in all sorts of ways. In New England and elsewhere perhaps the most common method is "skittering," using a piece of perch belly, a minnow, a small frog or a frog-leg. In trolling, as in skittering, almost any lure is effective. It will also take the artificial fly, particularly if it be large and bright in colour, and if used some- what as in skittering. In winter many pickerel are taken through the ice by using live minnow bait. 235 Common Pike ; Great Lakes Pike ; Pickerel As a food-fish the pickerel occupies a fair rank. Its flesh is firm and flaky and possesses a pleasant flavour, though it is a little dry. Br. 14 to 16; D. 14; A. 13; scales 125; cheeks and opercles entirely scaly. Colour, green of vary-ing shades; sides with golden lustre, and marked with numerous dark lines and streaks, which are mostly horizontal, and by their junction with one another pro- duce 'a reticulated appearance; a dark band below eye; fins plain. Common Pike; Great Lakes Pike; Pickerel Esox Indus Linnaeus This is the most widely distributed and most important species of the family. It is found in all suitable fresh waters of northern North America, Europe and Asia. In North America it is found from New York and the Ohio River northward. It is not found on the Pacific coast, except in Alaska. In the small lakes of the upper Mississippi Valley, and in the Great Lakes it is generally common. It is a common fish in Canada, where it is called " eithinyoo-cannooshoeoo " by the Creek Indians. It reaches a length of 4 feet and a weight of 40 pounds or more. Its great size and fairly good game qualities make it a fish which is much prized by many anglers. It is taken in the vari- ous ways by which the eastern pickerel is captured, from which its habits are not materially different. In Europe it is more highly esteemed than with us. Walton devotes an entire chapter to it, concluding with directions how to "roast him when he is caught," and declaring that "when thus prepared he is ' choicely good ' 236 The Muskallunge too good for any but anglers and honest men." In Manitoba it is the jack-fish, according to Mr Ernest Thompson Seton. One of the best streams for great pike fishing of which we know is the Kankakee. In this sluggish river and its connecting lakes this fish is quite common, and reaches a very large size. The largest example of which we have any record as being taken in the Kankakee weighed 26^ pounds. Br. 14 to 16; D. 16 or 17; A. 13 or 14; scales 123; cheeks entirely scaly; upper part of opercle scaly, the lower half bare. General colour, bluish or greenish-gray, with many whitish or yel- lowish spots, which are usually smaller than the eye, and arranged somewhat in rows; dorsal, anal and caudal fins with roundish or oblong black spots; young with the whitish spots coalescing, forming oblique crossbars; a white horizontal band bounding the naked part of the opercle; each scale with a grayish V-shaped mark. Muskallunge Esox masquinongy Mitchill Whence and what are you, monster grim and great ? Sometimes we think you are a "Syndicate," For if our quaint cartoonists be but just You have some features of the modern "Trust." A wide, ferocious and rapacious jaw, A vast, insatiate and expansive craw; And, like the "Trust," your chiefest aim and wish Was to combine in one all smaller fish, And all the lesser fry succumbed to fate, Whom you determined to consolidate. Wilcox. 237 The Muskallunge The muskallunge is native to all the Great Lakes, the upper St. Lawrence River, certain streams and lakes tributary to the Great Lakes, and in a few lakes in the upper Mississippi Valley. It also occurs in Canada north of the Great Lakes. It does not seem to be at all abundant anywhere, as the number taken each year in any one of the lakes is small. It is perhaps most com- mon in Lakes Michigan and Erie, and among the Thousand Islands. This species is known by many different common names, most of them being variant spellings of the Indian name " nos- cononge. ' Among those which deserve mention are: muskallunge, muscalonge, muscallonge, muscallunge, muskellunge, musqtiellunge, masquinongy, maskinongy and great pike. Muskallunge is the spel- ling which now seems to be most usually followed. The muskallunge reaches a length of 8 feet, and is a mag- nificent fish, by far the largest of its family, reaching a weight of loo pounds or more. "A long, slim, strong and swift fish, in every way fitted to the life it leads, that of a dauntless marauder." As a game-fish the muskallunge is regarded as one of the greatest, though the interest in catching a fish of this species is doubtless due more to its immense size than to any extraordinary game qualities. Nevertheless, it is a good fighter, and able to try the skill of the most expert angler. It is an extremely vora- cious fish, and 80 pounds of muskallunge represents several tons of minnows, whitefish and the like. The usual method of taking the muskallunge is, of course, by trolling, a stout line, heavy hook and large minnow being used. The best live bait species are the fall-fish, river chub and creek chub; medium-sized suckers are also frequently used. Br. 17 to 19; D. 17; A. is; scales 150. General form that of the common pike, the head a little larger; cheek and opercle scaled above, but both naked on their lower half; scaly part of check variable, usually about as wide as eye, scales on cheek and opercle in about 8 rows; eye midway between tip of lower jaw and posterior margin of opercle. Colour, dark gray, side with round o r squarish blackish spots of varying size OP a ground colour of grayish silver^ 23* Chautauqua Muskallunge Chautauqua Muskallunge Esox oJiiensis Kirtland The muskallunge of Chautauqua Lake and the Ohio basin differs greatly in appearance from that of the Great Lakes. As the 2 forms are not known to intergrade and as their habitats are entirely distinct, they are best regarded as distinct species. The Chautauqua muskallunge is known chiefly from Chautauqua Lake, though specimens have been reported from a few other places in the Ohio Valley, viz: the Mahoning River, the Ohio at Evansville, and Conneaut Lake. In the early part of the last century when Rafmesque wrote about the fishes of the Ohio River, the muskallunge was apparently more frequently seen in that river than now. In Chautauqua Lake it is by all odds the most important fish, whether considered from the standpoint of the commercial fisherman or that of the angler. For more than 10 years the State of New York has been propagating this species with notable success, the total number of fry hatched from 189010 1898 being 18,325,0x30. These fry have been planted chiefly in Chautauqua Lake, but large and frequent plants have been made in other waters of New York. Many have been put in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, and now the angler among the Thousand Islands may expect to find there not only the Great Lakes muskallunge but this species as well. As a game-fish the Chautauqua muskallunge occupies a high rank, due, doubtless, more to its immense size than to actual fighting power. It is usually taken by trolling either with the spoon or a good-sized minnow. In September the spoon is used; later the minnow becomes more popular. Writing of this species in 1818 Rafinesque said: "It is one of the best fishes in the Ohio; its flesh is very delicate and divides easily, as in salmon, into large plates as white as snow. It is called salmon pike, white pike, white jack, or white pickerel, and Picareau blanc by the Missourians. It reaches a length of 5 feet." Dr. Kirtland says that "epicures consider it one of the best fishes of the West," and another affirms that "as a food-fish there is nothing superior to it. It ranks with the salmon and speckled trout, and surpasses the black and striped bass. The meat is almost as white as snow, fine-grained, nicely laminated, 239 Great Northern Pike and the flavour is perfect." The quality of the flesh improves upon keeping, and is very much more juicy and of better flavour after a day or 2 on ice. Colour, nearly uniform dark olive-green on back; upper f of side rich brassy green with some metallic green; about 2^ faint nar- row darker vertical bars extending somewhat below lateral line; lower third of side paler and more brassy, the vertical bars widening into broad darkish blotches, these most greenish on posterior third of body; top of head very dark green; scaled part of head brassy- green, lower part of side of head less brassy and less greenish, it being more silvery, especially on lower part of opercle; rim of lower jaw dusky greenish, rest of lower jaw and throat white; fins dark olive, with numerous darker greenish spots; iris grayish br,own. The crossbars are rather broad and do not break up distinctly into diffuse spots, and the fin spots are greenish rather than black. The general colour is a rich greenish brassy with very indistinct darker green crossbars. Great Northern Pike Esox immaciilatus (Garrard) This muskallunge is known only from Eagle Lake and other small lakes in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. From the Great Lakes muskallunge it differs in having the body entirely unspotted, or with vague, dark cross shades. The tail is a little more slender and the fins are a little higher. This form has not been studied critically and its relations to E. masquinongy and E. ohiensis have not been clearly made out. THE NEEDLEFISHES Family XX. Bclonidcs VORACIOUS, carnivorous, saltwater fishes, bearing a superficial resemblance to the Gar pikes; genera 4 (only 2 in American waters) and species about 50, the majority American. Their habits are ordinarily much like those of the pikes, but when startled they swim along the surface of the water with extraordinary rapidity, skimming the surface, sometimes leaping from the water with a sculling motion of the tail, sometimes remaining out of the water for long distances, but striking it at short intervals with the caudal fin. When thus leaping the large species of the tropics are said to be a source of danger to incautious fishermen, sometimes piercing with their long sharp snout the naked bodies of the savages. Owing to the green colour of their bones, they are not much used as food, though their flesh is excellent. This family contains 2 genera, Tylosurus and Athlennes, the former with several species, the latter with but i. The only species deserving mention are the common neeedlefish (T. notatus), the billfish (T. marinus), and the houndfish or agujon (T. raphi- doma). The agujon, of which we present a figure, is an abun- dant and important food-fish about Porto Rico. It reaches a length of 3 to 5 feet and is a vigorous, active fish, sometimes dangerous in its leaps from the water, and much dreaded by the fishermen. The young sometimes stray northward to New Jersey. 241 THE BALAOS OR HALF-BEAKS Family XXI. HcmirampliidcB HERBIVOROUS fishes of warm seas; mostly shore species, a few pelagic. They feed chiefly on green algae and, like the related forms, swim at the surface, occasionally leaping in the air. Species of rather small size, rarely exceeding a foot in length. Genera about 7; species about 75. Within our limits there are 4 genera and about 1 1 species. Most of them are of some food value. This family is doubtfully distinct from Exo- ccetidce and the 2 should be combined. The genus Chriodorus contains a single species (C. aflierin- oides) which occurs among the Florida Keys. It is abundant at Key West. It reaches a length of 10 inches and is an ex cellent little panfish. The genus Hyporhamphus contains numerous species in all warm seas. They are all known as half-beaks and swim in large schools usually near shore, where they feed chiefly on green algae. There are 3 species in our waters, all small and not much used as food, though the flavour is excellent. The com- mon half-beak (H. roberti), of which we give a figure, occurs on both coasts of America, north to Rhode Island and Lower California. It reaches a foot in length. The balaos (genus Hemifamphus) have the body compressed and the sides nearly parallel and vertical. There are 2 species in our waters, both occurring in the West Indies. The genus Euleptorhamphus has the body more slender and more compressed, and the pectoral fins longer. Only i species, found in the West Indies, and reaching a length of 2 feet. 242 THE FLYING-FISHES Family XXII. Exoccetida FIVE genera and about 65 species of carnivorous or herbiv- orous fishes, abounding in all warm seas, mostly pelagic, swimming near the surface, and skipping, sailing or flying through the air, sometimes for considerable distances. In our waters there are about 20 species, only the following deserving any special mention in this work. The most common species off our Atlantic Coast is Parex- occetus mesogaster, which also occurs among the Hawaiian Islands. It reaches a length of 7 inches. The sharp-nosed flying-fish ( Fodiator aciitits), of which we present a figure, is found on both coasts of tropical America. It is common in the Gulf of Cali- fornia, and is a good food-fish. The common flying-fish (Exoccetus -volitans) inhabits all warm seas, on our coast north in summer to Newfoundland. The California flying-fish (Cypsilurus calif ornicus), of which we show a figure on next page, occurs from Point Conception to Cape San Lucas. It is very abundant in summer, and is found in great schools about the Santa Barbara Islands. This is the only flying-fish occurring on our Pacific Coast north of Cape San Lucas. It reaches a length of 18 inches, being the largest flying-fish known, and having the greatest power of flight. Where it goes in winter has not been determined, as it has not been seen out- 24.1 The Flying Fish California Flying-fish (Cypsilnrns calijornicusj side of Cnlifornian waters. It is an excellent food-fish, and is sometimes taken by thousands off Santa Barbara. Whether flying-fishes really fly, or merely soar or sail, is a question which has been much discussed. Competent observers have asserted positively that they have a real flight, while others, equally competent, maintain that the movement of the flying-fish in the air is unaccompanied by any vibration of the pectoral fins, and is sustained only so long as is possible from the impe- tus given upon emerging from the water. Probably the differences in opinion are largely explained by the fact that the different observers have studied different species. Some species, at least the larger ones, have a real flight; the pectoral fins vibrate, and the flight can be prolonged almost indefinitely. We have often seen the fins vibrating just as do the wings of a bird, and Dr. James E. Benedict and others have caught flying-lish in nets when in the air, and have plainly seen the pectoral fins still vibrating. Some of the smaller species seem to move quite differently. and it may be that they do not really fly. The senior author of this work dissents from this common view expressed above, and does not believe that the pectoral tins have any large power of motion of their own, but that they quiver or vibrate only when the muscles of the tail are in action. He has, with Dr. Charles H. Gilbert, had, at Santa Rosa Island, California, the best possible opportunity to observe the motion of Oypsr/ttnts