34 FISHES OF ILLINOIS 



inches long and only an eighth of an inch in depth had filled 

 itself with no fewer than sixteen very young minnows. 



Gars are of practically no commercial value. Rafinesque 

 says that their flesh may be eaten and describes the method of 

 skinning by splitting in a zigzag line between the bony plates. 

 Dr. Dean has seen gars, with the bill cut off and the skin re- 

 moved, exposed for sale in the markets at Washington, D. C. 

 They are, however, almost universally thrown away by fisher- 

 men, and by most their destruction is rightly sought by all means 

 that offer. Gar skins have been used to a small extent in the 

 arts, for covering picture frames, purses, and fancy boxes, the 

 rhombic plates being very hard* and taking a fine polish. A 

 very few skins are saved for this purpose each year. 



LEPISOSTEUS PLATOSTOMUS EAFINESQUE 



SHORT-NOSED GAR 



(MAP VI) 



Rafinesque, '20, Ichth. Oh., 72. 



G., VIII, 329 (platystomus); J. & G., 91 (platystomus) ; M. V., 36 (platystomus) ; 



J. & E., I, 110; N., 51 (platystomus); J., 69 (platystomus); F., 85 (platystomus); 



F. F., II. 7, 464 (platystomus); L., 8. 



Length 2 to 3 feet; depth 8 to 10 in length including beak, 6.7 to 8.2 

 (usually less than 7.5 )in distance from eye to base of caudal; length of caudal 

 peduncle normally equal to greatest depth of body. Color dark olive-green 

 above, lighter toward lateral line; sides lustrous olive-buff, shading to light 

 olive-yellow toward tail; belly white, the scales edged with fine dark dots; 

 an evident dark spot and usually two or three fainter ones on caudal peduncle; 

 fins olive-buff, dorsal, caudal, and anal each with several more or less dis- 

 tinct roundish black spots (more distinct in young) ; iris crossed by a dusky 

 band which also crosses the opercle and is continuous with a broad but faint 

 lateral band; coloration of very young (1 to 3 inches) generally much darker 

 than in the preceding species, the black side stripe broad and extended more 

 or less completely to belly. Head (including beak) 3 to 3.9 in length; beak 

 comparatively short and broad, its greatest width about 2% and its least 

 width about 5^ in its length; length of beak contained 3.6 to 5.3 times in 

 distance from eye to caudal; eye 2 to 2.4 in interorbital space. Dorsal rays 

 8; anal 8 (occasionally 9); length of pectorals 7 to 8 in distance from eye to 

 caudal. Scales 9 or 10, 60-64, 6 or 7; a specimen (Ac. No. 24416) 3 inches 

 long with lateral pores forming an open groove on posterior half of body. 



The short-nosed gar is generally common throughout the 

 Mississippi Valley, being most abundant, as is the preceding 

 species, in the southern part of its range. It is distributed in 



* It is said that breastplates formerly made from gar skins by Caribbean savages would 

 turn a knife, spear, or hatchet. (Rep. U. S. Fish Comm., 1902.) 



