.1 Mfssissirrf si'ooxnii.i. F/sur.ny 



IL'I 



Photo by Diciijlil Franklin 



THE DAYS CATCH 



THE SPOONBILL FISHERY OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI 



Bi/ Louis Hii.ssdl.of 



LAST sprinii' the Musciiin sent ;iii cxpctlit ion to the Stale of Mississippi 

 to collect material for an cxhihitioii lii'ou]) of the paddlcfisli or 

 sp()onl)ill-cat. Tiiis is one of the most sinjiular fishes found in 

 American water>. Ihe name i)a(l(llefish is fjixen it in allusion to thi' 

 cxtraonlinarx , lon^, pa(ldle-shap(4l jaw or "nose." It is a lar<!;e fisii, often 

 reaching a leni^th of six feet and a weight of one hundred and sixty 

 l)ounds. It is found only in the water-ways of the Mississippi valley, 

 ranging as far north as the (Jreat Lakes. 



From the name spoonhill-cat hy which it is often known, one might 

 think it a catfisli; hut it is not a catfish. It is a ganoid, or a meinher of 

 that ancient grou]; of fishes which includes the sturgeon and a few other 



