THE LAMPREYS 323 



life. It is often found attached to shad, sturgeon, sharks, cod, 

 halibut and mackerel. It fastens to its victim beneath the 

 pectoral fins, tears at its flesh with its rasping circles of teeth 

 and sucks its blood ' until the flesh becomes as white as 

 paper." Beyond doubt, these creatures destroy a very con- 

 siderable number of valuable food fishes. Fishermen charge 

 to the account of the Lamprey the raw spots and sores fre- 

 quently found upon the bodies of sturgeons. 



Formerly the Lamprey was greatly esteemed by the peo- 

 ple of Massachusetts as a food "fish." In the Merrimac 

 River it was captured in great numbers, and salted down for 

 winter use. While this industry, and its object, have both 

 greatly decreased, in some portions of Connecticut the Lam- 

 prey is yet taken, as often as it can be found, and thankfully 

 consumed. The species specially mentioned varies in length 

 from 2 to 3 feet, but the Brook Lamprey, and all the fresh- 

 water species are much smaller. Fortunately, none of the 

 fresh-water species are so injurious to fishes as the Sea 

 Lamprey. 



According to Jordan and Evermann's "Fishes of North 

 and Middle America," there are in American waters ten 

 species of lampreys, and two of their very near, but still lower, 

 relatives, the Hag -Fishes. They are scattered at intervals 

 from Alaska to New England, in brooks, rivers, lakes, estu- 

 aries and various other bodies of shallow water. They are 

 most accessible in fresh water, on a stony or gravelly bottom; 

 and whenever in such a situation you find an eel-like creature 

 holding fast to a stone by the suction of a big flat mouth 

 on the end of its head, know of a surety that it is a Lamprey. 



