Pisces. 173 



arrowy rush and vigor of a trout, the untiring strength and 

 bold leap of a salmon, while he has a system of fighting 

 tactics peculiarly his own. I consider him, inch for inch 

 and pound for pound, the gamest fish that swims."- J. A. 

 HENSHALL. 



The Catfishes. The catfishes are scaleless ; they have 

 long, tapering barbels ("feelers") around the mouth; the 

 mouth is wide, and the head low and flat, adapting the fish 

 for a groveling life, skimming along the bottom. The 

 dorsal and the pectoral fins each have for the first ray a 

 very strong, stiff spine, with a jagged edge, by means of 



FIG. 108. CATFISH ; CHANNEL CAT. 



which they inflict painful and probably poisonous wounds. 

 They seem to be lovers of muddy streams, and lead a 

 rather sluggish life. They abound in the Mississippi Val- 

 ley, where some species reach a weight of 1 50 pounds. 

 They are esteemed as food, as the flesh is of fair quality 

 and unusually free from bones. 



The Suckers. In this fa-mily are a number of forms, 

 such as the various suckers, the buffalo fishes, and carps, 

 including some carps that have been introduced from 

 Europe. The scales are large, with smooth borders ; such 

 scales are called cycloid scales. They all have a scaleless 



