30 



rugose, radiated, keeled and spincscent behind. Iris yellovr 

 oblong. See Lesueur's description. 



9rth Species. Shovelfisii Sturgeon. Jiccijienscr iilaHryn- 

 chus. Eturgeon pelle. 



Head one fifth of total length, flattened, snout flat oval, hard- 

 ly obtuse, rough above, eyes round. Body pentagonal smooth, 

 pale fulvoLJs above, white beneath. Tail elongated mucronate: 

 16 dorsa! scales, lateral rows with 40, abdominal rows with 12. 



A sii guTar species, very common in the Ohio, Wabash, and 

 Cumberland in the spring and summer, but seldom reaching as 

 high as Pittsburgh. It appears in shoals in March, and disap- 

 pears in August. It is very gocd to eat and bears many names, 

 such as Spade-fish, Shovel-fish, Shovel-head, Flat-head, Flat- 

 nose, &c. having reference to the shape of its head, which is 

 flattened somev/hat like a spade. It is also found in the Mis- 

 sissippi and Missouri, where the French call it La pelle or Poi- 

 son pelle^ which has the same meaning. Size from two to three 

 feet, greatest weight 20 lb. Body rather slender, with small 

 bluish dots on the back and whitish on the sides. Dorsal scales 

 brownish, radiated, punctuated, and spinescent. Lateral scales 

 dimidiated, serrated behind, the posterior smaller: the abdom- 

 inal nearly similar, hardly serrated. Two roscrils on each side 

 before the eyes, the posterior larger oblong obliqual. Eyes 

 round black, iris coppered. Mouth with eight lobes and ver- 

 rucose. Tail veiT^ long, one fifth of total length, the upper lobe 

 scaly above, slender and with a long filiform terminal process. 

 All the fins trapezoidal, the dorsal falcated with 25 rays and 

 nearly opposite to the anal. Pectoral large 45 rays. Abdom., 

 inal 20. Anal 14. Tail, inferior lobe 18, superior 60. 

 2d Subgenus. Steuletus. 



Only three rows of scales, one dorsal and two lateral. 



98th Species. Fall Sturgeon. Accipenser serothnus. E« 

 turgeon tardif. 



Head conical two ninths of total Ienp;thj snout short obtuse, 



eyes somewhat oblong. Body cylindrical entirely fulvous brown, 



belly white. Tail short and truncate obliquely. Dorsal scales 



17, two of which behind the dors?d fin, lateral rows with about 



- -^0 scales. 



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