i8o 



The Nematognathi, or Catfishes 



nical character of the genus is the backward continuation of the 

 supraoccipital, forming a bony bridge to the base of the dorsal. 

 The great blue cat, Ictalurus furcatus, abounds throughout the 

 large rivers of the Southern States and reaches a weight of 150 

 pounds or more. It is an excellent food and its firm flesh is read- 

 ily cut into steaks. In the Great Lakes and northward is a very 

 similar species, also of large size, which has been called Ictalurus 



FIG. 143. Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque). Illinois River. 



Family SiluridcB. 



lacustris. Another similar species is the willow cat, Ictalurus 

 anguilla. The white channel-cat, Ictalurus punctatus, reaches a 

 much smaller size and abounds on the ripples in clear swift 

 streams of the Southwest, such as the Cumberland, the Alabama, 

 and the Gasconade. It is a very delicate food-fish, with tender 

 white flesh of excellent flavor. 



Horned Pout. The genus Ameiurus includes the smaller brown 

 catfish, horned pout, or bullhead. The body is more plump and 

 the caudal fin is usually but not always rounded. The many 

 species are widely diffused, abounding in brooks, lakes, and 

 ponds. Ameiurus nebulosus is the best-known species, ranging 

 from New England to Texas, known in the East as horned pout. 

 It has been successfully introduced into the Sacramento, where 

 it abounds, as well as its congener, Ameiurus catus (see Fig. 

 229, Vol. I), the white bullhead, brought with it from the Potomac. 

 The latter species has a broader head and concave or notched tail. 

 All the species are good food-fishes. All are extremely tenacious 

 of life, and all are alike valued by the urchin, for they will bite 

 vigorously at any sort of bait. All must be handled with care, 

 for the sharp pectoral spines make an ugly cut, a species of 



