OPEEATIONS IN CALIFORNIA IN 1873. 379 



Perch, (Smithsonian Collection, No. 146.*) — The perch is very abun- 

 dant, indeed. It resembles in color and shape the white perch of the 

 Potomac, but is rather deeper and shorter. Those that I saw in Feb- 

 ruary were about six inches long by three inches in depth. Their flesh 

 is excellent, and they are highly prized as food both by white men and 

 Indians. The perch spawn in May around the margin of the lake. 

 Millions of young perch are seen in June. 



Shapaulle, (Smithsonian collection, No. 152.) — This fish is a cyprinoid, 

 and is the same as the Sacramento pike, or the California white-fish, of 

 which several specimens have been forwarded to the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution in my collections on the Sacramento and McCloud Eivers. It 

 averages in weight about five or six pounds, though some have been 

 caught as heavy as thirteen pounds. Their flesh is white, soft, and bony, 

 and they are only a medium table-fish. I was told that they spawn in the 

 sand and gravel in the creeks in May ; but, from the fact that they are 

 caught in great quantities during this month with the hook and line, I 

 am inclined to think they spawn earlier, perhaps as soon as the begin- 

 ning of March. 



Mitch. — This is a small, light-colored, and slender fish, about a foot in 

 length, and very full of bones. The whites do not consider them fit to 

 eat. The Indians eat them, bones and all, and appear to like them. 

 They run up the streams in the spring to spawn in countless numbers. 

 It is not unusual to see one or two acres of ground covered with hitch, 

 which the Indians have dried for food. 



Suckers, (Smithsonian collection, No. 152.) — These resemble the com- 

 mon suckers of other localities. They are poor food, except the large red- 

 finned suckers, which are esteemed tolerably good eating. They spawn 

 on the sand-beaches of the lake and also in the tributary streams. They 

 dig holes for their nests as large round as a bushel-basket and from six 

 to twelve inches in depth. They run up the creeks in March, and prob- 

 ably spawn about that time. 



Chy, (Indian name;) silver sides, common name; (Smithsonian collec- 

 tion, No. 148.) — This fish is quite small, and is said to be all bones. They 

 run up the creeks to spawn in May and June in vast numbers. The 

 Indians eat them, but they are not valued by the whites. 



Roach, spotted sunfish. — These fish are edible, and are seen in vast 

 quantities around the sand-beaches in May, when they probably spawn. 

 They are not of much account. 



Mud-fish, or mud-sucker. — This fish is a short, thick fish, of a bluish 

 color. Its flesh is soft, and is of no value. It is supposed to spawn in 

 May around the beaches and among the tules. 



Black-fish. — I could not obtain a specimen of this fish to examine, 

 but I heard different persons say that it was a very excellent fish for the 

 table. Some ranked it next to the trout, while others placed it below 



* The numbers attached to the names of the fishes refer to my catalogue of the speci- 

 mens collected for the Smithsonian Institution. 



