Valley of the River Rouge, fyc. 271 



fact connected with the reptilian character of the class of fish to 

 which the genus belongs. Before being cooked they are thrown 

 into the hot ashes of the fire for a few seconds, until the slimy- 

 skin peels off, after which they are fried with pork-grease and 

 taste much like eels. When bathing in Sugar-bush Lake great 

 numbers of small chub crowded round me, and a Cat-fish of some 

 size nibbled at mv les^. 



2. Perca flavescens, Cnvier. (Yellow Perch). — This fish was 

 numerous in the same lakes as the Cat-fish, and also in a lake 

 about three miles east of Hamilton's Farm, communicating with 

 the Devil's River. It did not reach any size nor did it take a bait 

 very freely. In these beautiful lakes, with their clear water, it is 

 most interesting to watch the habits of the various small fish 

 congregating round the shores, amongst which the perch is con- 

 spicuous from its striped sides. 



2. E&ox bareus! Agassiz. (Pike). The specimen which I preserved 

 was caught in the small lake previously mentioned in the 11th 

 Lot, 3rd Range, Montcalm, and agrees ve*y well with the des- 

 tription of E, Boreus in Agassiz's "Lake Superior" p. 317, with the 

 exception that the lateral line is very indistinct instead of being 

 "very distinct." It does not agree with E. luciits as described by 

 Yarrel, though it does in most particulars with the description of 

 that species given by Richardson in "Fauna Boreali Americana.'* 

 It had a small leech-like parasite adhering to its side. The ave- 

 rage weight of those we caught was two pounds, and the length 

 eighteen inches. The largest taken in Bevin's Lake, measured 

 twenty-four inches in length, eight and a half inches round the 

 body over the pectoral fins r and weighed four pounds. The mouth 

 is very tender and tears very much when hooked, but they will 

 bite freely even though struck and lost several times. They fre- 

 quently jump over the bait if it is pulled too rapidly through the 

 water. We used as bait fat-pork, squirrel, leucisci, pieces of trout, 

 frogs, and the animals of Anodonta, all of which they took rea- 

 dily, often biting at Chub (Leucisci) even ten inches long. 

 Before a thunder storm they rushed up to the bait, but would not 

 bite at it. We also captured them in gill-nets made of pack-thread 

 and set at night with stakes. They would bite through the fine 

 gimp of our tackle if it got between their teeth and frequently 

 escaped in that manner. It was amusing to see the shoals of 

 small fish throw themselves desperately out of the water when one 

 of these voracious pikes rushed amongst them. Pike were nume- 



