Alexander. — The Paddle-fisk 75 



the seine being dragged along, he shoots up toward the 

 top of the waters so close to the twine that its bill is 

 pushed through one of the meshes where it remains prac- 

 tically motionless until hauled up by the fisherman. We 

 know of the existence of no other species of fish which 

 are sufficiently docile to submit to this mode of capture. 

 To be sure, the paddle or bill conspires to make its cap- 

 ture in this manner easy, but if they possessed one-half 

 the activity of almost any other species of fish they could 

 not be taken in this manner, since their bill is so smooth 

 that it does not become entangled in the coarse twine of 

 which the seines are made. In spite of being so very in- 

 active, these fish cling tenaciously to life, and live a long 

 time out of water, probably fully as long as a catfish un- 

 der similar conditions. It is hardly necessary to say that 

 the seines, fished in this manner, rarely ever capture any 

 other species of fish, although catfish and the various spe- 

 cies of game fish are fairly numerous in White Lake and 

 are readily taken in seines when hauled out upon the 

 surrounding shores or up under a "round-up." 



The spoonbill cat taken from White Lake average much 

 smaller than those taken from other bodies of water in 

 that vicinity. The fish taken from this lake are also more 

 uniform in size and much lighter in color than those taken 

 from other waters of the State, even than those taken 

 from smaller lakes connected with White Lake. 



We estimate the average weight of the fish taken from 

 White Lake to be from eight to ten pounds each, and 

 each female having eggs suitable for caviar will produce 

 from one to one and a half pounds of roe, — it being only 

 on rare occasions that one is caught which contains over 

 two pounds. 



In the investigation by our Fisheries Department in 

 the study of spoonbill cat conditions in White Lake, about 

 the middle of February of this year, it was found that 

 very few females had already deposited their eggs. How- 

 ever, no fully matured milt was found in any of the 

 males captured. The roe from the fish found in this lake 

 is only suitable for caviar from about November 15th or 



