352 THE ANIMALS OF THE UNITED STATES 



which occasionally comes to the surface of the water to take in large gulps of air. 

 Not less noteworthy is the bony pike (Lepidosteus osseus), one of the few 

 survivors of the enamel-scaled fishes so numerous in past epochs of the earth's 

 history. 



The spoon-beaked sturgeons, Scaphirhynchus, of which two species inhabit 

 the Mississippi system, and the rivers and lakes of the western States, while the 

 others are restricted to Central Asia, are of special interest on account of their 

 presenting a geographical distribution very similar to that of alligators and several 

 groups of mammals. 



It may be added that American waters are also inhabited by true sturgeons 

 {Acipenser). In the picturesque piece of water known as The Lake of the Woods 

 — which lies mainly in the British Province of Ontario, although its southern shore 

 is situated in Minnesota, and, therefore, belongs to the United States — and the 

 neighbouring waters, is found the species commonly known as the great lake 

 sturgeon (A. rubicundus), which attains very large dimensions. Till about 1892 

 sturgeon swarmed in this lake, but in that year the fishery began to assume con- 

 siderable proportions, while between 1893 and 1896 it had become of great 

 value. In 1893 the catch of sturgeon in American waters was no less than 

 1,300,000 lb., while Canada secured 350,000 lb., so that the total was 1,650,000 lb., 

 the value of the American catch being estimated at $26,000. In 1909 the total 

 catch fell to 53,316 lb., although in the two preceding years it was three times as 

 large, Canada securing 83,900 lb. in 1907, against 80,122 lb. by the United States. 

 In spite of the diminished output in 1909 as compared with earlier dates, it is 

 reported that during the last few years the catch of sturgeon has been on the 

 increase, but this is probably due to closer fishing. In 1893 the American yield of 

 caviare was 97,500 lb., valued at 819,500; in 1909 it was reduced to 346 lb., valued 

 at $519 ; the Canadian caviare in the same year was 383 lb. 



