AMEIURUS — bullheads; horned pout 183 



to be found only on the bottom. Our records indicate that 

 this fish spawned in May in 1898 (Craig). The spawning 

 season in the Wabash is said by Dr. Jordan to begin in June. 

 The channel-cat is taken very frequently in bait nets and 

 baskets, the former being called by the fishermen " fiddler-nets. " 

 These are baited usually with " dough-balls," made by mixing 

 flour and water, allowing the paste to sour, and then baking it; 

 or, in summer, with " roasting ears" of corn which become sour 

 after soaking in water for a day or so. The sour smell of either 

 the dough or the corn is said to be especially attractive to this 

 fish. Separate statistics of the fisheries of this species are not 

 available, although it may be said to constitute the bulk of the 

 catfishes (not including bullheads) of the annual Illinois River 

 catch, which was 241,000 lb in 1899.* 



Genus AMEIURUS Eafinesque 



bullheads; horned pout 



Bocfy moderately elongate, robust anteriorly, the caudal peduncle much 

 compressed. Head large, wide. Supraoccipital bone extended backward, 

 terminating in a more or less acute point, which is entirely separate from the 

 second interspinal buckler, leaving a gap in the bony bridge from occiput to 

 dorsal fin. Mouth large, the upper jaw in most species the longer. Teeth on 

 premaxillaries and dentaries in broad bands, of equal breadth and without 

 backward prolongations at the angles. Anal fin of varying length, its rays 

 17 to 35. Caudal fin short, truncate, or only slightly emarginate in typical 

 species, more or less deeply forked in those species (as A. lacustris) which 

 approach the genus Ictalurus. Color various, usually darker than in Ictalurus, 

 species found in Illinois being yellow, brown, black, or mottled. 



Species numerous, swarming in every pond and sluggish 

 stream in the central and eastern United States; one species 

 found in China. All of the local species except the one first 

 described (A. lacustris) are smaller than the channel-cats, not 

 often exceeding 12 inches in length. All are of value as food 

 fishes. 



Key to the Species of AMEIURUS found in Illinois 



a. Caudal fin deeply forked ' lacustris. 



aa. Caudal fin rounded, truncate or slightly emarginate. 



b. Anal rays 24 to 27, including rudiments, usually 25 or 26; caudal fin rounded 



posteriorly; color waxy yellow to greenish, sometimes blackish above.... 

 . natalis. 



* Statistics of the Illinois Fishermen's Association. 



