274 FISHES OF ILLINOIS 



Great Lakes it lives in spring and summer in shallow water 

 near the shore, seeking a greater depth in fall. It is much the 

 largest, and also commercially the most important, of all the 

 American perches, and has but few rivals as a food fish among 

 our fresh-water species. Its flesh is white and firm, and of a 

 flavor to satisfy the most fastidious. It is also a game fish of 

 the first quality, in the opinion of most anglers, and but little 

 inferior to the black bass. It is one of the most important fishes 

 propagated by the United States Fish Commission, and the 

 output in 1900 from a single station, that at Put-in-Bay, was 

 nearly ninety millions. 



The catch of this species in the Mississippi Valley has fallen 

 off greatly in recent years, amounting to only 210,000 pounds 

 for seventeen states in 1899, whereas in 1894 Minnesota alone 

 produced 651,000 pounds. The product of the Illinois River 

 in 1899 was 11,000 pounds. 



The pike-perch is said to spawn in April in Lake Erie. In 

 1898 it spawned at Havana, on the Illinois River, between April 

 1 and 15. The eggs are small, only about half as large as those 

 of the whitefish, and the young begin to practice their carnivo- 

 rous instincts upon each other when only about ten days old. 

 The species is hardy and prolific, and it is a desirable fish for 

 clean lakes and clear rivers, provided these contain a continuous 

 abundance of otherwise useless fish for its food. 



STIZOSTEDION CANADENSE GRISEUM (De Kay) 



gray pike; sauger; sand-pike 

 (Map LXXXIII) 



De Kay, 1842, New York Fauna: Fishes, 19 (Lucioperca grisea). 



J. & G., 526 (canadense, part); M. V., 135; B., I, 54 (Lucioperca canadensis, part); 



J. & E., I, 1022; N., 36 (griseum); J., 43 (canadense) F. F., I. 3, 31, 33 (Stizoste- 



thium); F., 63 (canadense); L., 26 (canadense). 



Length 1 to V/i feet; body slender, only moderately compressed, the 

 profile straight or weakly arched predorsally; depth 5.2 to 5.5; greatest width 

 % of greatest depth; depth caudal peduncle 2.4 to 3 in its length. Color 

 olive-gray, the sides brassy to orange, mottled with darker; first dorsal with 

 two or three rows of large, round, inky-black spots as large as pupil; no black 

 blotch at back of spinous dorsal; soft dorsal with 4 or 5 irregular rows of 

 rather indistinct dusky blotches; a large black blotch at base of pectorals; 

 caudal yellowish, barred with dusky. Head tapered and depressed more 

 than in last species, 3.4 to 3.6; width of head 1.9 to 2; interorbital space 4.6 

 to 5.1; eye 1 to 1.2; nose 3.2 to 3.7; maxillary past back of pupil, 2.1 to 2.2; 



