80 



Northern and Central. 



Lepomis gibbosus, Lepomis ischyrus, Labidesthes sicculus, Percopsis gut- 

 tatus, Rhinichthys astronasus, Pimephales promelas, Catostomus teres. 



(Seven species.) 



Southern and Central. 

 Roccus interruptus, Etheostoma asprigene, Hadropterus phoxocephalus^ 

 Lepomis notutus, Lepomis humilis, Lepomis symmetricus, Notropis jejunus, 

 Notropis lutrensis, Placopharynx carinatus, Ictiobus eyprinellus, Ictalurus 

 marmoratus, Litholepis tristoechus, Scaphirbynctiops, platyrhynchus, Polyo- 

 don spathula. 



( Foui teen species. ) 



Southern. 



Etheostoma fusiforme, Etheostoma flabellare, Diplesium blennioides, Le- 

 pomis garmani, Centrarchus macropterus, Elassoma zonatum, Gambusia 

 patruelis, Chologaster papiliferus Platygobio pailidus, Erieymba buecata. 



(Ten species.) 



ECONOMIC RELATIONS. 



Oar most valuable food fishes are found chiefly in the perch and salmon 

 families; in the former the common perch, the sauger, (or "jack salmon"), 

 the wall-eyed pike, the crappies, and the two black bass; and in the latter, 

 the white fish, the lake trout, and the lake herring. 



But little inferior tothe perches are the two principal members of the pike 

 family — the common pike and the muskallunge. inferior but always salable 

 species are found among the cat-fishes, the sucker family, and the smaller 

 sun-fishes — the largest species of the first and the three buffalo- fishes being 

 more generally and widely marketed than all other species together. Our 

 river carp, a nearly worthless fish, included with the suckers, is not at all to 

 be confounded with the European carp, the two belonging, in fact, to different- 

 families. The sturgeon, the sheepshead, the white bass, the striped bass, 

 most of our sun fishes, and the burbot of the lakes are also generally eaten. 

 Indeed, even the dog-fish and the shovel-fish are esteemed for food in some 

 localities. 



Briefly, we may say that of our one hundred and thirty-two native fishes, 

 about twelve are of a superior quality; six at least, — the white-fish, the lake 

 trout, the two pike perch, and the two black bass, — being among the best of 

 all fresh water fishes. Eighteen others are of fair and always merchantable 

 quality, and at least a dozen more are really to be classed as edible, although 

 they are not always eaten. 



Besides these forty or more directly useful species, nearly all the others are 

 to be considered indirectly valuable, as afPoi-ding indispensible food to the 

 edible kinds, especially to the best of these, the most highly prized game 

 fishes. While it may be an open question whether some of the poorer food- 

 fishes on our list do not more harm than good by appropriatiug food which 

 would otherwise maintain a large number of their betters, the absolutelj' in- 

 jurious species — those which inflict injury and render no benefit, direct or in- 

 direct, in return — are only the two lampreys and the three gars, the first be- 

 ing parasites and the others predaceous species which are never eaten them- 

 selves, either by fishes or by men. 



I think that no one, with these facts in mind, can for a moment doubt that 

 the native fish fauna of Illinois is well worthy of careful study and of most 

 solicitous protection. Its value, present and prospective, now little under- 

 stood, will become more and more evident as the people of the State become 

 better educated in our local natural history, and will, in fact, rapidly appre- 

 ciate as food becomes more costly, and as the intelligent and well directed 

 efforts of our State Fisli Commission bear their necessary fruit. It is the 

 writer's own opinion that the preservation and improvement of oar native 

 tishes, already adapted to our climate, waters, and peculiar conditions of life 

 afford a far more promising field of practical fish culture than the importa- 

 tion of foreign species, except, perhaps, the European carp. 



Champaign, III., December 30, 18S4. 



