ameiurus — bullheads; horned pout 183 



only on the bottom. Our records indicate that this fish spawned in 

 May in 1898 (Craig) . The spawning season in the Wabash is said by 

 Dr. Jordan to begin in June. 



The channel-cat is taken very frequently in bait nets and baskets, 

 the former being called by the fishermen "fiddler-nets." These are 

 baited usually with "dough-balls," made by mixing flour and water, 

 allowing the paste to sour, and then baking it ; or, in summer, with 

 "roasting ears" of corn which become sour after soaking in water 

 for a day or so. The sour smell of either the dough or the corn is said 

 to be especially attractive to this fish. Separate statistics of the 

 fisheries of this species are not available, although it may be said to 

 constitute the bulk of the catfishes (not including bullheads) of the 

 annual Illinois River catch, which was 241,000 lb in 1899.* 



Genus AMEIURUS Rafinesque 

 (bullheads; horned pout) 



Body moderately elongate, robust anteriorly, the caudal peduncle 

 much compressed. Head large, wide. Supraoccipital bone extended 

 backward, terminating in a more or less acute point, which is entirely 

 separate from the second interspinal buckler, leaving a gap in the bony 

 bridge from occiput to dorsal fin. Mouth large, the upper jaw in most 

 species the longer. Teeth on premaxillaries and dentaries in broad 

 bands, of equal breadth and without backward prolongations at the 

 angles. Anal fin of varving length, its rays 17 to 35. Caudal fin short, 

 truncate, or only slightly emarginate in typical species, more or less 

 deeplv forked in those species (as A. lacustris) which approach the genus 

 A talurus. Color various, usually darker than in Ictalurits, species found 

 in Illinois being yellow, brown, black, or mottled. 



Species numerous, swarming in every pond and sluggish stream 

 in the central and eastern United States; one species found in China. 

 All of the local species except the one first described (/I. lacustris) 

 are smaller than the channel-cats, not often exceeding 12 inches in 

 length. All are of value as food fishes. 



Key to the Species of AMEIURUS found in Illinois 



a. Caudal fin deeply forked lacustris. 



aa. Caudal fin rounded, truncate or slightly emarginate. 



b. Anal rays 24 to 27, including rudiments, usually 25 or 26; caudal fin rounded 



posteriorly; color waxy yellow to greenish, sometimes blackish above. . . . 

 natalis. 



*Statistics of the Illinois Fishermen's Association. 



