Chap. 5. 



FISHES OF VERMONT. 



133 



THE SHEEP S HEAD. 



THE CARl' SUCKER. 



small and crowded ; pieoperciiliim denlated ; bran- 

 chial rays seven ; anal fin shurt, with ihe second 

 spine robust and strong. 



p. 252. 

 body 



THE SHEEP'S HEAD. 



Corvina oscula. — Le Sueur 



Scicna oscula. Le Su., Jour. A. N. Sci., ii 



Description. — Back elevated 

 deep, tliick througli the abdomen, and 

 compressed to an edge alonjj the back, 

 and slender near the tail ; head declining; 

 snout short, rounded, with three small 

 openings at the end, and large pores near 

 the tip of the lower jaw ; month rather 

 small, lips distinct; teeth in both jaws co- 

 nic and crowded, the outer series largest; 

 eyes large, round, and near the snout; 

 nostrils double, the posterior much the 

 largest, and very near the eye ; head and 

 opercula covered witli scales; preopercu- 

 lum coarsely serrated ; base of 2d dorsal, 

 pectoral, anal and caudal fins covered 

 with scales; the [) rays of the first dorsal, 

 1 ray of the 2d dorsal, the first ventral and 

 two first anal rays, spinous ; the 1st dorsal 

 and 1st anal spine very short, the 2d large 

 and stout; scales rough. Color brown- 

 ish gray above, sides silvery, and pearly 

 white, or cream color, beneath ; head 

 with livid purple reflections; dorsal, pec- 

 toral, anal and caudal fins brownish ; ven- 

 trals yellowish; lateral line parallel to the 

 arch of the back, and visible on two-thirds 

 of the length of the tail; tail rounded; 

 height of the second dorsal nearly uni- 

 form, the posterior reaching the base of 

 the caudal ; depth of the fish contained 3 

 times in the total length. Length of the 

 specimen before me 171^ inches ; greatest 

 depth just behind the pectorals 5.^. 



Rays Br. 7, F. 16, V. m, D. I)— 1131, 

 A. 2|8, g. 18. 



History. — This fish is quite common 

 in lake Champlain, and is here generally 

 known by the name of Sheep's Head. It 

 is also found in the western lakes and the 

 Ohio river, vv-here it is more commonly 

 called the White Perch. This fish, taken 

 from the Ohio river, is said to be fat, ten- 

 der, and well flavored ; but otirs is lean, 

 tough, and bony, and seldom eaten. It 

 received its vulgar name from its resem- 

 bling in appearance the Sargns ovis, 

 which is also called Sheep's Head on ac- 

 count of its ' arched nose and smuttv 

 face ;' but the resemblance is in appear- 

 ance only, for while the latter is consid- 



ered one of tlie most delicious fishes for 

 the table, the former is seldom carried to 



the table. 



Ord. I1-Mai,acoptervg^i abdoiminales. 

 Soft raijed abdominal fishes. 

 The Malacopterygii are distinguished 

 by having nearly or quite all of the 

 fin-rays soft and branching as in the 

 trout, and the order abdorninales embraces 

 the soft-rayed fishes, whose ventral fins 

 are situated far back upon the abdomen, 

 as in the trout, sucker and pickerel. 



I.— CYPRFNIDTE, OR CARP FAMILY. 

 Genus Catastomus. — Le Sueur. 

 Generic Characters. — Back wjih a single 

 dorsal fin ; gill membrane three rayed ; head and 

 0[)eiLnila smooth ; jaws toothless and retractile; 

 mnulh beneath the ^nuul ; lips plaited, lobed, or 

 cariinculaled, suitable for sucking; throat with 

 pectinated teeth. This Genus embraces the 

 Suckers of the Uni'.ed States, of which there aro 

 about 20 species. 





THE CARP SUCKER. 

 Catastomus cyprhius .^' — Le Sueur. 

 Jour. Acad. Sci. Phil., vol. I. p. 91, plate. 

 Description. — Form gibbojis ; back 

 arched, thin and sharp ; belly thick and 

 flattened between the pectoral and ven- 

 tral fins. Head small and sloping ; snout 

 short ; eyes rather small, pupil black, iris 

 golden yellow; nostrils large and double; 

 mouth small and lunated. Color light 

 silvery brown, with golden reflections 

 above, approaching to yellowish white, or 

 cream color below. Scales very large, 

 excepting along the base of the dorsal fin, 

 of a semi-rhomboidal form, and beautiful- 

 ly radiated ; the lateral line first bends 

 downward, then nearly straight ; 40 scales 

 on the lateral line and 13 in the oblique 

 row, extending from the beginning of the 

 dorsal to the middle of the ventral fin. 

 Fins brownish flesh-color, all the rays 

 coarse ; the dorsal commences at the 

 highest part of the back, a little forward 

 of the ventrals, and terminates nearly 



* This species was removed by Cuvier from the 

 genus Catasloiuus, of Le Siicnr, to his own sub- 

 .^enus Labeo, which is distinguished from the Ca- 

 tastomus by the greater length of the dorsal fin. 



