FISHES OF THE WEST. 329 



They are considered by many a fine food fish. [See Northern 

 Inland Fishes.] 



STURIONID^. 



Rock Sturgeon. — Acipenser rubicu7idus. Le Sueur. 



This is the sturgeon of the great lakes and all the larger West- 

 ern waters. They are well known. They differ in some respects 

 from those of the Hudson River and other rivers of the Eastern 

 States, and do not attain to such immense size. They are a good 

 fish when properly cooked. The long projecting sucker mouth 

 situated almost under the centre of the head will sometimes suck 

 in from the bottom the angler's baited hook, in which case one 

 might as well try to snub an old log. It is possible, however, to 

 coax him to move occasionally, and then you may, and you may 

 not, succeed in bringing him to gaff. A friend once had a tussle 

 with one for over an hour, but finally conquered, concluding that 

 as a game fish, the sturgeon was not a success. 



Shovel-Nosed ^■^vrgy.o^ .—Scaphirhynchops platyrhynclnis. Cope. 



This curious fish is found only in the Mississippi and its larger 

 tributaries. It is certainly a strange looking fish. Its striking 

 characteristic is its long, horny, spade-like snout, which is from 

 eight to eighteen inches in length, and from two to three inches 

 wide, and its immense toothless mouth. In large specimens the 

 mouth is sufficiently large to admit of a man's head. The head 

 and shoulders are very large, from which the body tapers gradually 

 to the caudal fin, where it is not more than two inches in diameter. 

 The tail is forked ; wide and hetrocereal, said to be the only fresh 

 water species living possessing this paleontological characteristic. 

 In Lakes Pepin and St. Croix they swarm in countless numbers. 

 How far towards the Gulf they extend has not been ascertained. 

 They are eaten by Indians and half-breeds generally. The whites 

 sometimes corn and smoke them. When thus cured, they are 

 quite palatable. They weigh from ten to forty pounds. 



SALMONID^. 

 Mackinaw Trout, or Great Lake TxovX.—Sahno namaycush. Pennant. 

 Special characteristics. Head one-quarter total length ; muz- 

 zle pointed ; scales small and oval ; nostrils double ; jaws and 



