366 ZOOLOGY. 



AMIA OCCIDENTALIS, DeKay. 



Western Mud-fish ; Dog-fish. 



SP. CH. Base of caudal fin without spot of any kind. Head constituting nearly the fifth of the total length. Insertion 

 of ventrals nearly equidistant between the base of the caudal and the extremity of the snout. Anterior margin of the anal 

 fin nearly equidistant, also, between the base of the pectorals and the posterior edge of the caudal fin. 



SYN. Amia occidentals, DEKAY, New Y. Faun. IV, 1842,269 ; pi. xxxix,fig. 125. Cuv. & VAL. Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, 

 1846,429. GRD. Gen. Rep. Fishes, 350. 



At the time I was in Minnesota I considered that these fish belonged to but one species the 

 last and consequently made no special notes regarding the present kind. I think it probable 

 that upon future investigation they will prove to be the same. 



ACCIPENSER TRANSMONTANUS, Richards. 



Columbia River Sturgeon. 



SYN. Acdpenser transmontanus, RICHARDS. Faun. Bor. Amer. Ill, 1836,278, pi. xcvii, fig. 2. DEKAY, New Y. Faun. IV, 

 1842, 317. STOHER, Synops. 1846, 248. GRD. in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. VIII, 1856, 137. 



This sturgeon is very common in the Columbia and its larger branches. At Fort Dalles they 

 arrive at about the middle of February, and are caught with hooks by the natives in moderate 

 numbers. I suppose that, owing to the low stage of the river, they are not able to overcome 

 the Dalles falls until about the middle of May. They are taken late in the season high up on 

 Snake river, and I have heard of a single individual which was there taken near Fort Boise 

 which was fifteen feet in length. They are excellent eating, and are for that purpose justly 

 prized by the Indians, who sell them, when scarce, at very high prices, charging a half dollar 

 frequently for a small piece, scarcely weighing over a pound ; indeed, the natives will 

 frequently give a good pony in trade for a large sturgeon. 



An individual obtained for me at Fort Dalles had the back slate-brown ; spots on top of the 

 head, dingy white ; iris, golden bronze ; chin and belly, white. 



CHIMAERA COLLIEI, Benn. 



Elephant-Fish ; the Skooma. 



SP. CH. Head constituting about the sixth of the total length. First dorsal fin sub-triangular ; the upper margin, which 

 is directed posteriorly, being crescent-shaped, whilst the posterior margin, properly so to be called, is horizontal and parallel 

 with the back, to which it is united by a thin membrane. Second dorsal quite low and elongated, its origin being nearly 

 opposite the insertion of the ventrals, which is nearly halfway between the apex of the snout and the origin of the caudal 

 fin. Its upper margin is undulating. Either lobe of the caudal tapering regularly away towards the tip of the tail, the 

 lower lobe extending somewhat further back. Skin perfectly smooth ; brownish above ; dull white beneath ; the back and 

 sides exhibiting numerous dull white rounded spots, variable in size. 



SYN. Chimaera colliei, BENN. in Zool. Beechty s Voy. to the Pacif. 1839, 71. Plate xxiii, figs. 1 and 2. RICHARDS. Faun. 



Bor. Amer. Ill, 1836, 285. GRD. Gen. Rep. Fishes, 360. 

 Elephant-fish, VANCOUVER. 

 Skooma, NISQUALLY INDIANS. 



The elephant-fish is truly a curiosity to those who have never before seen it. It is quite 

 abundant on Puget Sound, where it is known to many of the natives as the skooma. The first 

 I obtained I caught at night on a hook baited with a piece of pork or other common bait. A 

 few days afterwards I caught another, in shallow water, with my hands. They rarely attain a 

 greater length than fourteen inches, and are quite oily and not ill-flavored when cooked. By 

 the Indians they are highly esteemed as food. 



