FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER 



oil, but the Alaskans use it, when dried, in place 

 of lamps or candles, by applying a match to its 

 tail and sticking the head into a crude candle- 

 stick. It burns freely, and gives sufficient light 

 for domestic purposes, — hence its name, " candle- 

 fish." 



There are four species of smelts that are found 

 in the waters of the northern States, two of which 

 are permanently landlocked in New England 

 waters. The most numerous of the anadromous 

 forms is the capelin or noddi, which is more 

 abundant north of Cape Cod than elsewhere ; the 

 eggs of those that visit the Arctic shores are 

 washed upon the beaches in great quantities, and 

 when they are hatching, it is said, " the beach be- 

 comes a quivering mass of eggs and sand." This 

 species is the Mallotus villosus, the generic name 

 being from the Greek, " villous," and the specific 

 from the Latin, villosus, " hairy." When found 

 in New England waters, it may be known by the 

 dusky olive color of the back, and the grayish sil- 

 ver of its sides and belly. The skin on the head 

 and the rays of the paired fins are thickly strewn 

 with fine granules, and the gill-covers are dotted 

 and silvery. 



The smelt of the New England markets is 

 known locally as the common or " American 

 168 



