paradise key safford. 411 



The alligator gar. lepisostetjs tristoechus. 



This is a voracious fish remarkable for its armor plating of enam- 

 eled rhomboid scales. The accompanying illustration (fig. 26) was 

 made from a field sketch by Master Stewart Loveland, of Home- 

 stead, of a specimen 25 inches long, weighing 3 pounds, speared by 

 him near Paradise Key. This species sometimes reaches enormous 

 dimensions. A specimen in the State Museum at Springfield, Illi- 

 nois, is 7 feet 2 inches long. It is widely distributed in streams flow- 

 ing into the Gulf of Mexico, and also occurs in the fresh waters of 

 Cuba. Many stories have been told of its ferocious nature and un- 

 canny habits ; it takes the place of the predacious sharks in the fresh 

 waters of our country. Although it does not rank high as a food fish, 

 it is sold in the markets of Tampico, Mexico, and other Gulf ports. 



The family to which the alligator gar belongs (Lepisosteidae) is 

 essentially American, like the mudfish (Amia) to be described be- 



Fig. 26. — Alligator gar, Lepisosteus tristoechus, from a field sketch by Stewart 

 Loveland of specimen speared by him near Paradise Key. One-sixth nat. 

 size. 



low. Fossil species of the genus, however, are found in the Eocene 

 of Europe as well as in that of America. 



THE MUDFISH, OR DOGFISH, AMIA CALVA. 



This species is found in swamps, lakes, and rivers bordering the 

 Gulf of Mexico, extending up the Mississippi and its tributaries as 

 far north as the Great Lake region. It is especially abundant in 

 swamps and sluggish waters abounding in aquatic vegetation, prefer- 

 ring rather shallow water, and feeding principally at night. Gamy 

 and voracious, it is " one of the hardest fighters that ever took the 

 hook." It frequently comes to the surface to breathe, especially in 

 stagnant water; and can be kept in a rain barrel for a long time 

 without change of water. It is said to survive periods of drought 

 by burying itself in the mud. The male builds the nest and guards 

 it after the eggs are laid; he is a good father, even accompanying 

 and protecting the # schools of young after they leave the nest. It is 

 not highly esteemed for food, but is often eaten in the South. The 

 mudfish is chiefly interesting on account of its close resemblance 

 to ancient types of ganoid fishes. It is the only surviving relative 



