34 FISHES OF ILLINOIS 



two inches long and only an eighth of an inch in depth had filled 

 itself with no fewer than sixteen very young minnows. 



Gars are of practically no commercial value. Rafinesque says 

 that their flesh may be eaten and describes the method of skinning — 

 by splitting in a zigzag line between the bony plates. Dr. Dean 

 has seen gars, with the bill cut off and the skin removed, exposed for 

 sale in the markets at Washington, D. C. They are, however, 

 almost universally thrown away by fishermen, and by most their 

 destruction is rightly sought by all means that offer. Gar skins 

 have been used to a small extent in the arts, for covering picture 

 frames, purses, and fancy boxes, the rhombic plates being very 

 hard* and taking a fine polish. A very few skins are saved for this 

 purpose each year. 



LEPISOSTEUS PLATOSTOMUS Rafinesque 

 (short-nosed gar) 



Rafinesque, '20, Ichth. Oh., 72. 



G., VIII, 329 (platystomus) : T- & G-. 91 (platystomus) ; M. V., 36 (platystomus) ; 

 J. & E., I, 110; X., 51 (pla'tystomus); J., 69 (platystomus) ; F., 85 (platystomus); 

 F. F., II. 7, 464 (platystomus); L., 8. 



Length 2 to 3 feet; depth 8 to 10 in length including beak, 6.7 to 8.2 

 (usually less than 7.5) in distance from eye to base of caudal; length of 

 caudal peduncle normally equal to greatest depth of body. Color dark 

 olive-green above, lighter toward lateral line; sides lustrous olive-buff, 

 shading to light olive-yellow toward tail; belly white, the scales edged 

 with fine dark dots; an evident dark spot and usually two or three 

 fainter ones on caudal peduncle; fins olive-buff", dorsal, caudal, and anal 

 each with several more or less distinct roundish black spots (more 

 distinct in young) ; iris crossed by a dusky band which also crosses the 

 opercle and is continuous with a broad but faint lateral band ; color 

 ation of very young (1 to 3 inches) generally much darker than in the 

 preceding species, the black side stripe broad and extended more or less 

 completely to belly. Head (inchiding beak) 3 to 3.9 in length; beak 

 comparatively short and broad, its greatest width about 2^ and its least 

 width about 5^ in its length; length of beak contained 3.6 to 5.3 times 

 in distance fr'om eye to caudal; eye 2 to 2.4 in interorbital space. 

 Dorsal rays 8 ; anal 8 (occasionally 9) ; length of pectorals 7 to 8 in 

 distance from eye to caudal. Scales 9 or 10, 60-64, 6 or 7 ; a specimen 

 (Ac. No. 24416) 3 inches long with lateral pores forming an open groove 

 on posterior half of body. 



The short-nosed gar is generally common throughout the Mis- 

 sissippi Valley, being most abundant, as is the preceding species, in 



* It is said that breastplates formerly made from gar skins by Caribbean savages 

 would turn a knife, spear, or hatchet. (Rep. U. S. Fish Comm., 1902.) 



