THE KNELT ANT) ITS ALLIES 241 



species is Ameiurus 1 catus? the bull-head or horn-pout. 3 

 It was with reference to this species that Thoreau wrote 

 that they are "a bloodthirsty and bullying race of rangers, 

 inhabiting the river-bottoms, with ever a lance at rest and 

 ready to do battle with their nearest neighbor." The 

 stiff, jagged rays of the pectoral fins can make severe 

 wounds. The great catfish of the Mississippi River, 

 which may weigh up to 90 kilogrammes, is known as 

 Ameiurus lacustris.^ This, as well as most other species 

 of catfish, is much prized as food. 



FIG. 224. The brook sucker. After Goode. 



The suckers are characteristic North American fish, 

 abundant in every creek, and consequently known to every 

 lover of woods and brooks. Characteristic is the form of 

 lips, which are thick and drawn down at the corners. 5 They 

 are rather sluggish fishes, and feed on small aquatic insects 

 and suck up mud. They are not generally esteemed as 

 food, inasmuch as their flesh is coarse and very full of 

 bones. In the Mississippi valley, however, they are so 

 abundant and large that they are of some commercial 

 importance. 



, not curtailed. 2 Cat. 8 Fig. 223. 



4 Living in lakes. 5 Fig. 224. 



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