How to Identify a Fish 



He must in some cases examine the stomach, air-bladder, 

 pyloric coeca, gillrakers and branchiostegals. But though some of 

 these names are long, none of them is difficult to understand and 

 the characters are usually easy to make out. 



In the accompanying drawing of a whitefish the important 

 parts of the external anatomy are indicated by name. The white- 

 fish will serve as a type of the great group of soft-rayed fishes to 

 which belong many of the most important families of our game 

 and food fishes. 



And the small-mouth black bass, of which a drawing is 

 here given, will answer the same purpose for the spiny-rayed 

 fishes, a still larger and, in many respects, more important group. 



With the aid of these two figures one can easily learn about 

 all the external anatomical or other characters used in the present 

 work in the identification of fishes. 



These parts are common to most fishes and their names once 

 learned will be found easy to remember. Near the close of the 

 volume will be found a very complete ''Glossary," of terms more 

 or less technical, for the use of those who find words with which 

 they are not familiar. 



There is also near the close of the book (pp. 541-545), 

 a "Key to the Families of Fishes" which must be used by those 

 who do not at once recognize the family to which the fish 

 under consideration belongs. 



All the keys in this work are arranged on the "alternative" 

 basis, which means that either the one or the other of two 

 contrasted statements will be true. The first statement to be 

 considered in using any of the keys is lettered "a", " b ", or " c ", 

 etc., and the alternative is "aa", "bb", or "cc", etc., the number- 

 ing letter being always written double in the alternative. With 

 fish in hand read what is said under "a" ; if that be true of your 

 fish, read the first subdivision under "a" which is " b ". So 

 long as what is said under the single letter applies to your fish 

 you read on from one subdivision to another until a letter is 

 reached under which there are no subdivisions when you will be 

 brought to a family, generic or specific name. Turn to the page 

 indicated by the figures following this name and you will there 

 find the family, genus or species (as the case may be) to which 

 your fish belongs fully described. Whenever the statement under 

 the single letter is found not to be true of your fish, you then read 



xxxi 



