The Drum Family 233 



in Louisiana, and as bubbler, croaker, thunder- 

 pumper, and other names in various sections of 

 the country. It was first described by Rafi- 

 nesque, in 18 19, from the Ohio River. He 

 named it gruniiiens, meaning " grunting," from 

 the grunting sound it makes, in common with 

 other members of the drum family, when taken 

 from the water. It inhabits the Great Lakes 

 and other smaller lakes in the vicinity, extend- 

 ing along the Mississippi Valley to Louisiana, 

 Texas, and Mexico. 



The fresh-water drum is somewhat elliptical 

 in outline, with quite a hump over the shoulders, 

 with a depth of about one-third of its length, 

 while its head constitutes more than a fourth 

 of the length of the body. The single dorsal 

 fin has the appearance of two. The ear-bones 

 (otoliths) are quite large and resemble porcelain 

 in their peculiar whiteness, and have a sem- 

 blance of the letter " L " seemingly cut on them. 

 From this circumstance they are known as 

 " lucky-stones," and are often carried by boys as 

 pocket-pieces. 



It is of a grayish silvery hue, dark on the 

 back, fading to white on the belly. In the lakes 

 of the North it has several oblique dusky streaks 



