134 



NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part I. 



THE I.AKK Mri.l.KT. 



THE SUCKER. 



over the middle of tlie anal, three or four 

 of the first rays being much elongated, the 

 others short; the anal fin slight!)- luna- 

 ted, the caudal forked with pointed lobes. 

 Tlie swimming bladdder divided in three 

 sacks, connected by tubes. Length of tlie 

 specimen before ine from the snout to the 

 extremity of the tail Iti inches, — to the 

 tail i:^, to the vent 10, — 1o the middle of 

 the gill opening 'A.H ; greatest depth 5 ; 

 greatest thickness 2}^; heioht of the front 

 part of tlie dorsal 4^ ; length of the dor- 

 sal .5, scale on the side .8 by .7. 



Rays, Br. 3, P. 16, V. 10, D. 28, A. 9, 

 C. 18. 



History. — This fisli, thougli said to be 

 common further south, is only occasion- 

 ally taken in our waters, and here varies 

 friim 1 to :5 or 4 pounds in weight. It is 

 considered a very good fish for the tabk% 

 but like the others in this family it is 

 wanting in firmness. 



THE LAKE MULLET. 



Catastomus oblongus. — Mitchell. 



Cyprinus ublonijrus — Mitchell. Tr.ins. Lit. and I'liil. 

 Soc. ot JN. Y., 1—459. 



Description..' — Form gibbous ; back 

 arched ; body deep and thick ; head sliort 

 and smooth ; mouth under, small and 

 toothless ; gill openings narrow. Color 

 above dark brown, ligliler with bronzy re- 

 flections on the sides, and dirty cream- 

 color beneath ; scales large with radiating 

 striae, and arranged in about 13 longitu- 

 dinal rows on each side ; lateral line me- 

 dial and nearly straight, hut not very con- 

 spicuous. Dorsal fin brownish, the other 

 fins lighter and usually more or less rud- 

 dy ; pectorals, situated low and far for- 

 ward upon the throat; veutrals under the 

 middle of the dorsal ; the anal reaching 

 the base of the caudal ; tail deeply forked ; 

 swimming bladder in three sacks con- 

 nected by tubes. Length of the specimen 

 before me 2-j inches, depth in front of the 

 dorsal 6, thickness 3, height of the dor- 

 sal 3.2. Weight (i; lbs. 



Rays, B. 3, P. 17, V. 9, D. 16, A. 9, 

 C. 18. 



History. — This fish is described by 

 Dr. Mitchell under the name of the Chub 

 of J\'cw York. It is here very generally 

 known by the name of Mullet, under 

 which name several species of lake suck- 



ers are confounded, although it belongs 

 to a family of fishes entirely distinct from 

 the real Mullet. This is one of our most 

 common fishes, and in the spring and 

 early part of summer is caught with the 

 seine in large quantities, both in lake 

 Champlain and in the mouths of its lar- 

 ger tributaries. The flesh of this fish is 

 rather soft, and is considerably filled with 

 the knots of fine bones so common to this 

 fiunil}', and yet it is regarded as a very 

 good fish for the table. There are various 

 methods of cooking it, but it is generally 

 most highlj' esteemed when baked. The 

 fish grows to a larger size, and is taken in 

 lake Champlain in larger quantities than 

 an}' other species of this family. Their 

 usual length is from 15 to 2U inches, and 

 their weight from 2 to 5 pounds. But 

 individuals are often taken which are 

 much larger, weighing, in some cases, 9 

 or 10 pounds. The usual price, when 

 fresli, is from 3 to 4 cents a pound. 



THE SUCKER. 



Cdtastovius teres. — Mitchell. 



Cyprinus t/:rC5 -Milclicll. Trans. Lit. and riiil.Soc 

 of N. y., 1-459. 



Description. — Body lentrthcncd, thick 

 and subc3'lindrical, the head one-si.\th the 

 total length ; color blackish brown above, 

 darkest on the head, often tinged with 

 green ; sides brownish, often with golden 

 reflections from the scales ; belly white, 

 and sometimes yellowish ; dorsal and 

 caudal fin brown; the other fins ruddy, or 

 yellowish brown. Head rather small, and 

 with the cheeks and opercula smooth ; 

 eyes small, iris golden, but very dark in 

 some specimens ; nostrils large, double 

 and very near the eye in front. Scales 

 of middling size, radiated, with 17 in the 

 oblique row extending from the anterior 

 base of the ventral to the posterior ray of 

 the dorsal, the middle scale being crossed 

 by the lateral line which is straight in 

 the middle of the body, and contains 61 

 scales. Pectoral fins situated very near 

 the gills, the dorsal on the middle of the 

 back, and about as long as high ; the ven- 

 trals rather small, under the middle of the 

 dorsal ; the anal far back, reaching the 

 base of the caudal, and its length con- 

 tiiined 2^ times in its height ; the tail 

 forked ; all the fin rays coarse, particu- 

 larly those of the anal fin. The swini- 

 mmg bladder in two sacks connected by 

 a tube. Length of the specimen before 

 me 22.^ inches, from the snout to the pos- 

 terior edge of the gill covers 4.4, from the 

 gill to the base of the tail along the later- 

 al line 1."). Its greatest depth 5.4, thick- 

 ness 3, and its weight 5^ lbs. 



