36 NATURAL HISTORY. 



The Silurus (silurus glanis), plate 20, fig. 4, is 

 recognized by its naked skin and broad mouth, armed 

 with six barbed cirri, of which the upper two are longer 

 than the others. The head is broad, the back raised ; 

 the color dark green above, on the sides the same, spotted 

 with black, the under surface yellowish. This fish in- 

 habits all the streams and lakes in Northern Europe and 

 Asia. Its common size is three feet, but it often grows 

 to six feet in length, and its weight exceeds a hundred 

 pounds. It swims slowly, as its fins are disproportion- 

 ately small, and, instead of pursuing or seeking after 

 prey, lies in ambush, waiting its approach. Two are 

 mostly found together, and quietly floating near the 

 shore, watch the other fish that come by night to their 

 spawning-places, and swimming stealthily round the un- 

 suspecting victims, seize them before they have an oppor- 

 tunity to escape. They are taken with the hook and 

 line. Their flesh is white, juicy, and without bones; 

 their growth is very tardy, and so tenacious of life that 

 they are very hard to kill. 



The Cat Fish belongs to this species. 



The Cuirassier (cataphractus callichthys) is covered 

 entirely with bony plates, resembling a coat of mail, has 

 four cirri, very small teeth, and the pectoral fin has a 

 strongly articulated spine for the first ray. The color is 

 bluish-green ; the mouth has a peculiar structure, some- 

 thing like that of the frog. Its length is scarcely nine 

 inches, lives in the brooks of South America, and when 

 the water dries up, creeps into the mud. The flesh is 

 much esteemed, and for making soup is considered supe- 

 rior to that of the turtle. 



The Malapterurus (silurus electricus) has a very 

 broad head and slender body ; it resembles the toad fish 



