ferARP OR PERCH. 43 



river is called the carp an excellent fish, ancL which 

 affords a good deal of sport. In the Delaware river 

 the sucker has larger scales than those caught else- 

 where. As a general thing the sucker is not es- 

 teemed highly as a table fish, nor is there usually 

 much sport in fishing them. They suck in the bait, 

 and thus nibble at the hook. They are not very 

 lively when pulled up, and unless cooked immedi- 

 ately their flesh grows soft. 



Buffalo Carp, or Perch. 



This is an inhabitant of the Mississippi, Missouri, 

 and Ohio rivers, and is also found in some of the 

 other large rivers of the West. He resembles the salt 

 water porgy in appearance, though in reality more 

 plump and round. He is of a smutty silvery color, 

 and usually varies in size from ten to fifty inches in 

 length, though in the Mississippi he grows larger. 

 He is easily taken, and the tackle required is a strong 

 flax or hemp line, with a stout bent hook of the size 

 Nos. 1 or 2 salmon. The sinker should be heavy 

 enough to carry your bait to the bottom. The bait 

 used for the Buffalo carp is soft cheese. To fasten 

 it properly to your hook, you must work it up with 

 common cotton batting, or raw cotton. He is easily 

 caught, and is extensively sold in the market in 

 western river towns, being a very good table fish. 



Why this fish is called a perch, we are unable to 

 trace, or to ascertain, as it has not the least resem- 

 blance to any other individual of the perch family. 



