1 88 .SALMONIDJ^ 



THE OTSEGO BASS. 



OTSEGO LAVARET. 



Ooregonus Otsego — Dekay. Salmo O^Ae^/o— Dkwitt Clinton. 



Otsego Bass. 



Through the kindness of my esteemed friend^ Mr. Cooper, 

 of Cooperstown, I have had an opportunity, during this present 

 spring, of carefully examining and dissecting this exceedingly 

 beautiful and interesting fish, as well as of testing its qualities on 

 the table. 



It is very closely cognate to the last-mentioned species, but is 

 unquestionably distinct ; diflPering in size, form, in the number 

 of fin-rays, slightly in the gill-covers, and so far as I could dis- 

 cover without a microscope, entirely in the dental system. 



Although a deep fish, it is not nearly so much so as the Atti- 

 hawmeg ; the finest specimen which I inspected, measuring 

 eighteen and a half inches in length, and ten inches in circum- 

 ference at the origin of the dorsal fin ; the depth at the 

 same point was a fraction under four inches, not being much 

 less than a fifth of the whole length, including the dorsal. The 

 gill-covers differed in form, in having the posterior free margin 



