﻿33 
  

  

  BUFFALO 
  FISH. 
  

  

  The 
  introduction 
  of 
  tho 
  Bufialo 
  Fish 
  is 
  the 
  uuful 
  filled 
  

   promise 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  Commission^ 
  but 
  I 
  trust 
  that 
  this 
  will 
  

   be 
  accomplished 
  during 
  the 
  coming 
  spring, 
  as 
  T 
  believe 
  that 
  

   this 
  fish 
  -will 
  be 
  a 
  very 
  valuable 
  acquisition 
  to 
  our 
  fresh 
  

   waters, 
  especially 
  for 
  the 
  more 
  stagnant 
  ponds, 
  which 
  will 
  

   not 
  support 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  game 
  fishes, 
  and 
  those 
  ponds 
  too 
  

   limited 
  in 
  capacity 
  to 
  supply 
  natural 
  food 
  for 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  

   of 
  fish. 
  

  

  The 
  Buffalo 
  Fish 
  is 
  readily 
  domesticated, 
  and 
  can 
  be 
  fed 
  

   on 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  refuse 
  from 
  a 
  farm. 
  In 
  this 
  opinion 
  I 
  am 
  

   sustained 
  by 
  Dr. 
  E. 
  Sterling, 
  who 
  is 
  a 
  well 
  known 
  and 
  compe- 
  

   tent 
  icthyologist. 
  Dr. 
  Sterling 
  writes 
  me: 
  '' 
  I 
  see 
  that 
  you 
  

   are 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  introducing 
  the 
  Lake 
  Mullet, 
  or 
  Buffalo 
  

   Sucker, 
  {Catoslomus 
  aurcolus 
  — 
  Lesseur.) 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  commonly 
  

   called, 
  and 
  I 
  thiuk 
  you 
  are 
  right. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  rapid 
  grower, 
  and 
  

   attains 
  here, 
  in 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  years, 
  the 
  weight 
  of 
  7 
  to 
  lbs. 
  

   It 
  domesticates 
  as 
  readily 
  as 
  tho 
  European 
  Carp, 
  will 
  feed 
  

   off 
  the 
  garbage 
  of 
  the 
  kitchen, 
  and 
  is 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  best 
  table 
  

   fish 
  of 
  the 
  two." 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  '-'Some 
  years 
  

   ago 
  a 
  Hungarian 
  in 
  my 
  father's 
  employ 
  planted 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  small 
  Mullet 
  in 
  a 
  narrow 
  deep 
  pond 
  of 
  four 
  acres. 
  The 
  

   stream 
  supplying 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  surface 
  character, 
  so 
  much 
  so 
  that 
  

   for 
  weeks 
  in 
  tlie 
  hot 
  weather 
  no 
  water 
  was 
  supplied 
  by 
  it 
  to 
  

   the 
  pond 
  ; 
  yet, 
  the 
  fish 
  flourished 
  all 
  the 
  same. 
  They 
  were 
  

   fed 
  on 
  whatever 
  came 
  handy 
  from 
  the 
  house, 
  grew 
  rapidly, 
  

   and 
  became 
  so 
  tame 
  as 
  to 
  approach 
  at 
  the 
  sight 
  of 
  any 
  one 
  

   coming 
  near, 
  especially 
  to 
  feed 
  them. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   third 
  season, 
  many 
  had 
  become 
  quite 
  largo, 
  weighing 
  over 
  

   live 
  pounds, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  cold 
  weather 
  were 
  considered 
  

   delicious 
  food." 
  Thus, 
  it 
  will 
  bo 
  .seen 
  that 
  by 
  the 
  transfer 
  of 
  

  

  