68 



TJie Avicricaii Angler 



that anglers predicate the continued 

 friiitfiilness of such waters. Where- 

 ever it gets a foothold in the smaller 

 streams, it means good-bye to the trout, 

 owing to the fondness of the chub for 

 the spawn and young fry of S. font Jun- 

 ius. But compensatory nature gives the 

 angler consolation in that whatever 

 stream the black bass lives and thrives, 

 it means destruction to the chub, for 

 which the bronzebacker has an excess- 

 ive hungering. So great is the terror of 

 a school of chubs when in the vicinity of 

 feeding bass, that I have seen eight and 

 ten-inch fish huddled affrighted in water 

 not deep enough to cover their dorsal 

 fins ; and, on more than one occasion, I 

 have observed large chub stealing, as it 

 were, up the shallow water near the 

 banks, to escape the onslaught of their 

 voracious enemies. This occurred near 

 Philadelphia, in the Schuylkill river, a 

 water, twenty-five years ago, that was 

 celebrated for, and swarming with, large 

 chub, sunfish and channel catfish, all of 

 which have been nearly exterminated 

 by the black bass. 



In the identification of the common 

 chub, i'. atroinactilatus, the angler wilj 

 note the black spot which appears to be 

 always present at the base of the dorsal 

 fin, in front, and that this fin is inserted 

 midway between the pupil of the eye 

 and the base of the caudal fin ; the 

 length of the body is three and three- 

 quarter times greater than the length 

 of the head, and four times that of the 

 depth of the body ; the dorsal fin has 

 seven rays, and the anal eight ; the 

 barbel is small and not present in the 

 young fish, on which is a distinct, yet 

 dusky band, ending in a black spot at 

 the base of the tail fin. In the adult 

 fish the color is dusky blue above, the 

 belly and sides silvery with grayish 

 blendings. In the spawning season, 

 the male becomes rosy on the belly, 



and the black spot on the dorsal fin is 

 encircled with red. 



Another of the larger chubs, Hybobsis 

 kcntuckicnsis — the generic name signify- 

 ing "gibbous" and "face" — is popular- 

 ly" known as the " jerker or nigger chub." 

 Its range of habitat is from Pennsyl- 

 vania to Dakota, and south to Alabama, 

 and it is not often seen by the trout 

 angler, but more frequently by the bass 

 fisherman, as it lives in the rivers, and 

 is rarely found in small brooks. It 

 seldom grows over ten inches, and the 

 young are successfully and frequently 

 used as lures for the black bass, pike 

 and pickerel. A dark bar will be found 

 behind the gill cover, but no black 

 spot at base of dorsal fin, hence it can 

 be readily distinguished from the 

 common chub, 5. atromaculatiis, but 

 care should be taken not to confuse it 

 with 6'. corporalis, the large Eastern 

 chub, which is also without the dorsal 

 spot. It may also be readily distinguish- 

 ed from the two previously described 

 species by the trend of the lateral line, 

 which is nearly straight, while those of 

 the others curve downward rather 

 abruptly over the pectoral fin, and 

 then go straight, or nearly so, to the 

 base of the tail fin. The length of the 

 body is four times that of the head, and 

 the depth is four and a half to the 

 length of the body. It may be further 

 identified by its color, which is bluish- 

 olive, with coppery reflections on its 

 sides, and pale orange colored fins. 

 Both of the two preceding fishes de- 

 scribed are whitish or silvery on the 

 sides and belly, with plain fins. In the 

 spring, this fish undergoes a sort of 

 metamorphosis, not only in coloration, 

 but in form ; the top of its head be- 

 comes swollen into a crest which is 

 covered with coarse tubercles, from 

 whence comes its name "horned-chub "; 

 a deep red spot also appears on each 

 side of the head, the fins become pink- 

 ish and the belly a deep rose color. 



(To be Continved.) 



