Chap. 5. 



FISHES OF VERMONT. 



149 



THE ROUND-NOSED STURGEON. 



THE SHARP-NOSED STURGEON 



Genus Acipenser. — Linnmis. 

 Gnneric Characters. — Body elongated, which, 

 with the head, is provided with rows of radiated 

 bony prominences ; snout pointed, conical ; mouth 

 placed on the under surface of the head, tubular, 

 and without teeth 



ROUND-NOSED STURGEON. 

 Acipenser rvbiamdus. — Le Sueur. 



Description. — General color bluish 

 gray above, white with brushes of ruddy 

 beneath ; all tlie fins of a brownish hpe, 

 and slightly ruddy, with the outer margin 

 whitish ; form rounded, elongated and ta- 

 pering regularly to the caudal ; head roun- 

 ded ; snout short and rounded ; upper 

 part of the head with a bony covering : 

 three rows of small and slightly develop- 

 ed bony tubercles without sp.ines extend- 

 ing the whole length of the body, one on 

 the back, and one on each side along the 

 lateral line. Plates or tubercles on the 

 lateral line 31 or 32; also a few plates be- 

 tween the dorsal and anal, and the cau- 

 dal ; but there are no ventral rows as 

 there are in the o.ri/rliijnc/ius and most other 

 species. Eyes rather small, prominent, 

 iris dark golden ; nostrils double and 

 large ; four equal cirri suspended in a 

 transverse line between the mouth and 

 end of the snout, but nearest the latter, 

 being 2 in. from tlie snout and 2^ from 

 tlie mouth ; cirri 2.^ inches long, round, 

 the size of a goose-quill at the base, and 

 tapering to a point; color brownish white 

 e.xcepting their points, which are red ; 

 mouth under side of the liead, tubular, 

 ovate, 3 in. by 2 in., and capable of 2 in- 

 ches protrusion. All IJie fins thick. The 

 anal commences 4i in. behind the vent, 

 and a little behind the middle of the dor- 

 sal. Color of the intestines dark; stom- 

 ach a thick sack resembling a fowl's giz- 

 zard. Length of the specimen before me 

 4 ft. 2 inches ; weight 26.^ lbs. Length 

 of the head to the total length as 1 to .5 ; 

 distance between the eyes 4 in^ from the 

 eyes to the end of the snout 4.^ ; from the 

 nose to the commencement of the dorsal 

 37 inches. 



History. — This fish is quite common 

 in lake Champlain, and grows to a very 

 large size. It is fre(]uently taken in tlie 

 seine measuring more than 6 ft. in length, 

 and weighing J 00 pounds of more. Its 

 flesh, tliough not generally very much 

 esteemed, if properly cooked is very good 

 eating. When eaten fresh it is usually 



cut into slices and fried in butter, with 

 suitable seasoning ; but whether eaten 

 fresh or salted, the skin should always be 

 taken off before it is cooked, as the oil 

 contained in that imparts a disagreeable 

 flavor. The Indian method of capturing 

 the Sturgeon in lake Champlain, according 

 to Charlevoi.K (Travels, Vol.1 — ill')i was 

 as follows : ' Two men placed themselves 

 in the two ends of a canoe. The one behind 

 steered and the other stood up holding a 

 dart in one hand, to which one end of a 

 long cord was fastened, and the other end 

 fastened to the canoe. When he saw a 

 Sturgeon within his reach, he threw his 

 dart and endeavored to strike where there 

 were no scales. If the fish was wounded 

 he dnrted off, drawing the canoe pretty 

 swiftly after him, but usually died after 

 swimming about 150 paces, and was then 

 drawn in by the cord.' 



THE SHARP-NOSED STURGEON. 



Aajjenser oxyrhynchus. — Mitch et.l. 

 Description. — Body elongated, taper- 

 ing ; form pentagonal, with the angles 

 covered with rough, radiated bonj' plates, 

 each having a saddle-like base and a spur- 

 like process arising from its centre and 

 hooking backward, and usually termina- 

 ting in a sharp point ; the rest of the skin 

 roughened by small scabrous patches of 

 bony matter, resembling the spiculte of 

 minute crystals ; head encased in a bony 

 covering, and lengthened into an acute, 

 conical snout ; mouth on the under side 

 of the head, ovate, toothless, and protrac- 

 tile ; four cirri depending in a cross row 

 between the mouth and the end of the 

 snout, a little nearest the latter. The 

 operculum is a single radiated bony plate ; 

 eyes rather sm.ill, the anterior part of the 

 orbit just midway between the point of 

 the snout and the posterior margin of the 

 operculum ; nostrils before the eyes, dou- 

 ble, lower orifice much largest. Color 

 grayish brown above, yellowish white be- 

 neath. Bony philes 12 between the en- 

 casement of the head and the dorsal fin, 

 one of which rests upon the base of the 

 dorsal, and is usually without a spine ; be- 

 tween the dorsal and the caudal is usual- 

 ly' one large plate and two or three smal- 

 ler ones ; lateral plates variable, but gen- 

 erally 28 ; ventral plates from 8 to 10 ; 

 the spur-like processes longest and most 

 pointed in the smaller specimens ; usual 

 length from 2 to 3 feet. 



