138 



NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT 



P^RT I. 



THE PICKEKEL. 



THE BIII.L POUT 



fourth the total length, flattened or con- 

 cave on the upper part, and of a dark bot- 

 tle green color ; large pores on the head 

 and lower jaw ; upper jaw broad, flatten- 

 ed and tliinncd down to an edge at tlie 

 extremity ; lower jaw reflected and long- 

 er than the U[)per ; tongue truncated at 

 the extremity ; teeth on the tongue, vo- 

 mer, palatine bones and jaws, of dilferent 

 sizes, and either straight or hooking in- 

 wards ; eyes lateral, close to tlie crown, 

 and mid-way between tlie gill opening 

 and end of the snout; pupil surrounded 

 by a golden line and grayish iris. Scales 

 small, often emarginate, and towards the 

 back marked with bright lines in the form 

 of the letter V. Lateral line nearly 

 straight, nearer the back than belly, and 

 formed by a deep notch in every 3d or 4th 

 scale; usually several irregular rows of 

 these notclied scales on the sides resem- 

 bling lateral lines. Fins all marked with 

 brovvnish and yellow, and usually more 

 or less ruddy except the dorsal ; pectoral 

 and ventral fins small ; the posterior at- 

 tachment of tlie ventrals medial ; vent 

 under the front part of the dorsal, and 

 anal fin under the posterior part ; tail 

 forked. Preopcrculum irregular, narrow 

 in the middle ; operculum quadrangular, 

 scaly on the upper part; subopercultnn 

 narrow, and a little longer than the oper- 

 culum ; interoperculum small and mostly 

 concealed. Length of the specimen be- 

 fore me 17 inches — to the pectorals 4, 

 ventrals 8. anal 11 A, 



Rays, Br. 1.5, T. 13, V. 10, D. 18, 

 A. 16, C. 19. 



History. — This species is very com- 

 mon in lake Cham])lain and all its larger 

 tributaries. It is generally known in 

 Vermont by the name of Pic/icrcl. About 

 the north end of the lake and in Canada 

 generally it is called the P/Ac, on account 

 of its resemblance to the English Pike. 

 Indeed the resemblance is so close tliat 

 Dr. Richardson regards them as identi<^al, 

 and has described our Pike in his Fauna 

 Boreali Americana under the name of the 

 foreign species, Esox liiciii.s, but they arc 

 generally regarded by naturalists as dis- 

 tinct species. This fish grows to a large 

 size, frequently exceeding 30 inches in 

 length, and weighing 10 or 12 pounds. 

 It is very voracious, and devours great 

 numbers of reptiles and small fishes. It 

 is taken both with the hook aild seine, 

 and is considered a very good fish for the 

 table. The fishermen say that there is 

 another fish of this family in lake Cham- 

 plain, which they call the Mnsl.cilons^^- If 

 so, it is probably the fish which Richard- 

 son (Fauna Boreal/, p. 127 J calls E. cstnr, 

 Maskinonge. 1 lately received one which 



was sent me as a Maskalonge, but which 

 proved to be only a plump specimen of 

 the Common Pike. 



THE PICKEREL. 



Esox reticulatus. — Le Sueur. 



Jiiurnril .Academy Nat. Sci., I — 414. 

 Storer's lleport, Fishes of Aluss. , p. 97. 



Description. — Color variable from 

 greenish brown to brilliant golden, but in 

 all cases marked with irregularly distrib- 

 uted longitudinal lines ; beneath white. 

 Snout obtuse ; gape of the mouth great ; 

 lower jaw longer than the upper; teeth 

 in front of the lower jaw small, on the 

 sides large and pointed. Eyes moderate 

 in size, pupil black, iris yellow ; nostril 

 double; fins greenish; the pectoral and 

 anal reddish after death ; dorsal fin longer 

 than the anal; pectorals commence on a 

 line with the 16th branchial ray ; vent 

 large, 2 lines in front of the anal fin ; 

 from the dorsal fin to the commencement 

 of the caudal 2 inches. Length of the 

 specimen from which the above descrip- 

 tion was made 16 inches ; head about one 

 fourth the length of the body ; width of 

 the head in front of the eyes equal to half 

 its length. 



Rays, B. 17, D. IS, P. 13, V. 11, A. 17, 

 C. Vd.—Slorer. 



History. — This is the Common Pick- 

 erel on tlie east side of the Green Moun- 

 tains in V^ermont, as the preceding spe- 

 cies is on the west side. It is found in 

 Connecticut river and most of its larger 

 tributaries, and it has multiplied exceed- 

 ingly in several ponds to which it has 

 been transported by the inhabitants in the 

 neighborhood. This is the Common Pick- 

 erel of Massachusetts and the other New 

 England states. 



lII.-S[LURIDiE OR CAT-FISH FAMILY. 

 Genus Pimelodus. — Laccpcde . 

 Generic Characters. — Body covered with a 

 naked skin ; no lateral armature ; jaws and often 

 [lalaiine bones furnished with teeth, but there is 

 no band of teeth on the vonipr parallel to that on 

 llie upper jaw. The f<]im of the head varies ex- 

 ceedinnly, as well as the number of cirri. Two 

 dorsal fins, ihe second adipose. 



THE BULL POUT. 



Pimcloilns vulgaris. 



Silurits calus, Witch. Trans. Lit. Phi. Society of 

 iNew York, pnge 4H3. 



Description. — Body without scales, 

 covered with a mucous skin, ta])cring and 

 cylindrical ; head large, broad, depressed, 

 color above dark, approaching to black ; 

 sides dark olive, or fuliginous, the color 

 rubbing oft' or becoming lighter after be- 



