128 



NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part I. 



ORDERS OF FISHES. 



Skiif.ks of fishes. 



the male having a milt and the female a 

 roP. The roe is comjtosed of a niiillitude 

 ofetrffs, which the female deposits in some 

 suitable place. After their extrusion, 

 they are iiii])re^mated by the male, and 

 left to hatch, without the further aid or 

 care of tlie parents 



Fishes are long-lived animals, and their 

 fecundity is very remarkable. We have 

 authenticated accounts of a pike iiaving 

 lived '2G0 years, and a carp 200 ; and 

 Leuvvenhoek computed the nuniberof eggs 

 in the roe of a cod fish to be 3,6'^6,760, 

 and in that of a flounder to be 1,357,400. 



In a country like Vermont, situated «o 

 remote from the ocean, and watered only 

 by small fresh water streams and lakes, a 

 very great variety or abundance offish is 

 hardly to be expected ; and yet it is a no- 

 torious fact, that when the country was 

 new all our waters swarmed with fishes 

 of various kinds. Salmon and Shad were 

 taken in the greatest plenty and perfec- 

 tion in Connecticut river; and the for- 

 mer together with the salmon trout, 

 were ab'indant in lake Champlain, and in 

 most of the streams connected witii it. In 

 the spring of the year, when these fishes 

 were ascending our streams to their 

 breeding places, they could be taken at 

 the falls and rapids in scoop-nets, or in 

 baskets fastened to poles, in almost any 

 quantities desired. Brook trout, weigh- 

 ing from one to three pounds, were plen- 

 tiful in nearly all our streams and ponds. 

 But with the clearing and setlling of the 

 country tliesc kinds of fishes have dimin- 

 ished till the three former have become 

 extremely rare, and the latter, though 

 still numerous in many parts, are seld(nn 

 taken exceeding half a pound in weight. 

 For the production of bliis state of things 

 several other causes have o|)erated be- 

 sides their diminution by fishing. The 

 salmon and shad have probably been 

 driven from our waters, chiefly by the 

 erection of dams across nearly all our 

 streams, which prevent their ascent to 

 their favorite spawning j)laces. Freshets, 

 also, which have become more sudden 

 and violent since the country has become 

 cleared, have swept out the logs and other 

 obstructions, whicli formed their places of 

 resort and C(jncealmenf, and have thus 

 tended not only to diminish the number of 

 our tishes, but to prevent their attaining 

 so great magnitude as formerly. Those 

 fishes of our lakes which do not ascend 

 far up our streams to deposit their spawn, 

 have not been so much affected by these 

 causes. These, however, though still ta- 

 ken in consid(>rable quantities, are not so 

 abundant as formerly. 



Cuvier divides fishes into two sub-clas- 

 ses. I. Osseous Fishes, or such as have 

 hard, solid bones. II. Ciirtiluginovs Fish- 

 es, or such as have cartilage in the place 

 of bones. Most of our fishes belong to 

 the first of these divisions. The follow- 

 ino; is a Catalogue of Vermont Fishes, ar- 

 ranged in the order in which they are de- 

 scribed in the suljscqucnt pages. 



I. OSSEOUS, OR BONY FISHES. 

 Order I. — Acanthopterygii. 



Fcimihj I. — Pcrcidx. 

 Perm ■serralo-gTmulnta, Common Perch. 

 fAicio-Perca avifricana, Pike Perch. 

 Pomolis vulgaris. Common Sun Fish. 



" incgalotis, Big Eared Sun Fish. 

 Ccnlrardius aneus. Rock Bass. 

 " fiisciatus, Hhick Bass. 



Etheostoma caprodcs [icig Fish. 



Family II. — Sciciiidcc. 

 Cortina oscula, Sheep's Head. 



Ord.H.— Malacopterygh Abdominalrs 



Family I. — CyprinidcE. 



Catastomus cyprinus,CaTp Sucker. 

 " obloiigus, Lake Mullet. 

 •' teres, Sucker. 



" nigrican!-. Black Sucker. 

 •' loii.gLrosl.ru m,hnng Nosed Suckef. 

 Lcuciscus jjulchcll us,Common Dace. 

 " crysoleuc(is,ish\uer. 

 " utroiiasus, Brook Minnow 

 llydrargyrafusca, Mud Fish. 



Family II. — Esocida. 

 Esox estor., Common Pike. 



" reticulaUts, Pickerel. 



Famih/ III. — Sduridrc. 



Piinclodus iiilgaris. Horned Pout. 

 " nf:La!o:?ils,r>a]\ Pout. 



" cirnu.'^iu^, Cat Fish. 



Family IV.—Salmonida:. 



Salmo siiJar, Salmon. 



" iimnai/cush, Naiiuivcush, or Longe, 

 " fontinatis. Brook Trout. 



Osmeriis e/jerlinuis. Smelt. 



Coregnnus albvs, White Fish. 

 Family V — CI tip idoi. 



Jllosn rulgaris. Shad. 



Hiodon dodalus. Winter Shad. 



Lepisosteus oxyuru>,5i\l Fish. 



" lineatus. Striped Bill Fish. 



Ord. II.-MALACOPrERYGII SjBBRACIIlATl 



Family, Gadidcc. 



Lota maculosa, Ling. 



" cowpressa, Eel-pout. 



'Order IV. — Maiacopteryoii Apode*. 



