FAMILY OF THE SILURID.E. 193 



SILIJRID^. 

 THE CAT-FISH. 



Huron Pimelode. Sllurus, PimdoduK, (7rpno.5"s- -Richardson. 



Channel Cat-fish. 



This singular and hideous family of fishes is distinguished 

 from the others of the same ordei', by the skin being either 

 naked or protected by large plates, but always destitute of true 

 scales. The intermaxillaries are suspended under the ethmoid 

 bone, and form the border of the upper jaw, while the labials 

 are lengthened out into barbels, or are simply rudimental ; it 

 has, also, a second adipose dorsal fin. First rays of tlie dorsal 

 and pectoral fin spinous. 



This family contains twenty-five or thirty species peculiar to 

 America, Avhich are generally known as Cat-fish, Bull-heads, 

 Bull-pouts, &c. They inhabit the larger lakes and rivers espe- 

 cially, but are found in all the waters of North America. 



