AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 457 



any wounded fish coming in contact with liim; it has often been 

 observed that the tyrant pike, though starving, forbears to devour 

 tlie tench. He has large fins, small, smooth scales, a red circle 

 surrounding the eyes, which are of a golden color, and there 

 hangs from either angle of his mouth a little barb; in his liead 

 are two stones that physicians make use of, but have not commu- 

 nicated for what purpose. They are generally found in large 

 stagnant waters, with muddy bottoms; weigh from eight to twelve 

 pounds, and are considered in England one of their best fresh 

 water fish. 



TJie Emhiotaca, a viviparous fish, known in California, that have 

 slightly attached to the back bone a long, light, clear and trans- 

 parent violet bag, in which are found an immense number of 

 minute fish, resembling the mother in color when born; they are 

 perfectly adapted to gain their own living in the water. 



The Crawfish^ {Jlstici,) found in the Little Genesee river, are 

 migratory in their habits, and exceedingly destructive. When 

 swimming up any stream, if they come in contact with a dam too 

 high to pass over, they undermine it, by burrowing under the 

 bottom planks, and are capable of removing many bushels of 

 earth in a night. On account of their depredations, the owners 

 of the immense dam in that river have been once compelled, it is 

 said, to rebuild it. The crawfish found in the Mammoth Cave, 

 Kentucky, have the rudiments of eyes, but no cornea or optic 

 nerve; darkness having destroyed the sense of sight. I think I 

 can so graduate the light, when I get them, as to change the rudi- 

 ments of eyes into sight-seeing eyes of their progeny. 



The Carribi. — This is a small and exceedingly voracious fish, 

 found in Venezuela. It resembles the golden carp in the brilliant 

 orange hue of its scales; they are four inches long, and have a 

 large mouth, which opens in the same manner as a bullet mold, 

 and is well filled with broad, sharp teeth, similar to a shark. 

 Whenever they bite they take away a piece of flesh. They will 

 attack a man, or animal, and strip the limb of flesh in a very few 

 minutes. The taste of blood spreading in the water, attracts 

 them in myriads. 



From experiments that I have tried in the artificial breeding of 

 fish, I am convinced that the ova of all varieties may be carried, 



