﻿THE 
  WHITEFISH. 
  

  

  DESCRIPTION, 
  COMMON 
  NAMES, 
  ETC. 
  

  

  The 
  common 
  whitefish 
  {Coregonus 
  clupeiformis) 
  is 
  emiiieutly 
  a 
  lake 
  

   fisli. 
  It 
  exists 
  throughout 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  region, 
  and 
  is 
  especially 
  

   abundant 
  in 
  lakes 
  Erie, 
  Huron, 
  Michigan, 
  and 
  Superior. 
  The 
  eastern 
  

   limit 
  of 
  its 
  range 
  is 
  Lake 
  Champlain, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  Lake 
  Winnipeg, 
  

   and 
  possibly 
  farther 
  west. 
  It 
  is 
  landlocked 
  in 
  Otsego 
  Lake, 
  New 
  York. 
  

   Eflbrts 
  to 
  introduce 
  it 
  into 
  new 
  waters 
  in 
  the 
  States 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Coast 
  

   and 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  region 
  have 
  not 
  as 
  yet 
  been 
  successful. 
  

  

  Its 
  body 
  is 
  rather 
  long 
  and 
  compressed, 
  and 
  the 
  back, 
  especially 
  in 
  

   adults, 
  is 
  arched 
  in 
  front; 
  the 
  greatest 
  depth 
  is 
  about 
  one-fourth 
  the 
  

   body 
  length. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  small 
  and 
  short, 
  contained 
  about 
  5 
  times 
  in 
  

   the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  body; 
  the 
  snout 
  is 
  blunt; 
  the 
  mouth 
  is 
  small 
  and 
  

   nearly 
  horizontal 
  with 
  the 
  lower 
  jaw 
  included; 
  the 
  maxillary 
  is 
  short 
  

   and 
  broad, 
  reaching 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  under 
  the 
  pupil; 
  the 
  mandible 
  extends 
  

   to 
  a 
  point 
  under 
  the 
  posterior 
  edge 
  of 
  eye. 
  The 
  eye 
  is 
  small, 
  its 
  diam- 
  

   ter 
  being 
  about 
  one-fifth 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  head. 
  The 
  rays 
  in 
  both 
  the 
  

   dorsal 
  and 
  anal 
  fins 
  number 
  11. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  rows 
  of 
  scales 
  along 
  

   the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  varies 
  from 
  about 
  82 
  to 
  92, 
  with 
  about 
  11 
  above 
  

   the 
  lateral 
  line 
  and 
  8 
  below. 
  The 
  gillrakers 
  number 
  about 
  28, 
  of 
  which 
  

   10 
  are 
  on 
  t\e 
  upper 
  arm 
  of 
  the 
  gill-arch; 
  the 
  longest 
  are 
  contained 
  

   about 
  twice 
  in 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  eye. 
  The 
  general 
  color 
  of 
  this 
  fish 
  is 
  a 
  

   satiny 
  white, 
  with 
  a 
  faint 
  olive-green 
  shade 
  on 
  the 
  back. 
  The 
  fins 
  are 
  

   uniformly 
  white, 
  except 
  the 
  caudal, 
  which 
  normally 
  has 
  a 
  dark 
  edge. 
  

  

  This 
  fish 
  has 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  common 
  names 
  in 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  its 
  range. 
  

   It 
  is 
  the 
  whitefish 
  par 
  excellence 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  Canada. 
  As 
  

   found 
  in 
  Otsego 
  Lake, 
  New 
  York, 
  it 
  is 
  inappropriately 
  called 
  "Otsego 
  

   bass." 
  In 
  allusion 
  to 
  its 
  humped 
  back 
  it 
  is 
  called 
  "high 
  back 
  white- 
  

   fish," 
  "bowback 
  whitefish," 
  "buffalo-back 
  whitefish," 
  and 
  other 
  similar 
  

   names, 
  m 
  Lake 
  Superior. 
  

  

  While 
  more 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  than 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  

   member 
  of 
  the 
  group, 
  many 
  phases 
  in 
  its 
  life 
  are 
  still 
  obscure, 
  as 
  it 
  

   remains 
  in 
  deep 
  water 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  time. 
  Besides 
  the 
  regular 
  annual 
  

   movements 
  of 
  the 
  schools 
  to 
  the 
  spawning-grounds, 
  there 
  are 
  other 
  

   well-marked 
  migrations 
  in 
  some 
  lakes. 
  Whether 
  these 
  depend 
  on 
  food, 
  

   temperature, 
  enemies, 
  or 
  other 
  causes, 
  is 
  not 
  known. 
  Owing 
  to 
  its 
  

   small, 
  weak 
  mouth, 
  it 
  is 
  seldom 
  taken 
  with 
  a 
  baited 
  hook. 
  It 
  subsists 
  

   on 
  minute 
  animal 
  food, 
  chiefly 
  crustaceans, 
  moUusks, 
  and 
  insect 
  larvae. 
  

   The 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  fry 
  and 
  young 
  fish 
  is 
  almost 
  wholly 
  small 
  crustaceans. 
  

  

  119 
  

  

  