STURGEON-SPEARING. 175 



CHAPTER VII. 



STURGEON-SPEARING MANSUCKER CLAMS. 



THE Sturgeon found in North-western waters 

 differs only in some unimportant specific dis- 

 tinctions from the one living in the pond of the 

 Zoological Society's Gardens, in the Regent's 

 Park. Accipenser transmontanus is the name 

 given by Sir J. Richardson to sturgeon that 

 frequent rivers that flow into the St. Lawrence, 

 on the east side of the Rocky Mountains, but 

 unknown in streams that fall into the Arctic 

 Ocean. On the western side sturgeon abound 

 in the Columbia, Fraser, and most other rivers 

 as far north as lat. 53 N. It is certainly not a 

 handsome fish to look at, reminding one of a 

 shark in armour; yet, clad as, he is from head 

 to tail in bony mail, every movement is easy 

 and graceful. 



Sp Ch. Five rows of plates encase the body : 

 the row along the back is most prominent, and 

 contains fifteen shields. The cheeks are flat, the 



