55 



ee. Anal spines 3; com pressed Hshes SERRANiDiE. 



aa. Lateral line extending to tip of middle ray of caudal fin Sciaexid^. 



5. Ventral tins I, 3, or I, 4; slit behind the fourth gill small or wanting; scaleless. 



COTTID^. 



AA. Chin witii a median barbel; body elongate; dorsal and anal Hns elongate; scales em- 

 bedded Gauid^. 



Family Pktromyzoxtid.e (The Lampreys.) 



Icfittnjoimjzon concohir (Kirtland). — Silvery Lamprey. (.">) 

 Taken five times from the Illinois river and once from the Wabash river at Mt. Carmel. 



lc}ithy(i)nyzoit casUtncus (iirard. (4) 

 One example of this species was obtained at Pekin, 111., April 16, 1880. 



L(tinpctra irihicri Unge. — Hrook Lamprey; Small Black Lamprey. (3) 



We have records of the occurrence of this species at Cairo, Pekin and Peoria; also found 

 several times tjy Ur. Jordan in small streams of Illinois. 



Family Polyitdontid.e (The Paddlefisiies). 



Polyodon sixtthuUi (Walbaum). — Spoonbill Cat; Spoonbill: Paddlefish. 



This fish feeds upon the minute animal and plant life of the water. Its snout probably 

 serves as a delicate sense organ. 



Formerly abundant in all large streams, but now apparently decreasing greatly in num- 

 bers. Now found only sparingly in the larger streams tributarj' to the Mississippi and in 

 aojacent ponds and lakes. 



Family' Acipenserid.e (The Sturgeons). 



Aclpndser nihicundus Le Sueur. — Lake Sturg-eon; Rock Sturgeon: Red 

 Sturgeon. 



The red sturgeon is usually a rather sluggish fish. The color changes with age, the 

 young being drab and the adults green or red. 



Formerly abundant in rivers and in Lake Michigan, but rarely taken now. Occurs five 

 times in our collections, being listed from tributaries of the Mississippi and from the Great 

 Lakes. 



Satphirhynchus platorynchns (Rafinescxue). — Shovel-fish: Shovel-nose Stur- 

 geon: White Sturgeon. 



The broad nose and long filament of the tail make this fish strikingly different from the 

 common sturgeon. 



Not uncommon in the Ohio and Mississippi rivers; frequently taken from the Ohio at 

 Evansville, Ind., by fishermen, by whom it is considered worthless for food and thrown 

 away ; rare in the Illinois river. 



Family Lepisosteid.e (The Gars.) 



Lepisosteus osseus (Linnajus). — Long-nosed gar. 



Grows to a length of five feet. Abundant; predaceous, preying upon fish entangled in set 

 nets; possibly, also, to some extent a scavenger. These fishes undergo certain decided 

 changes with age. Until they reach a length of about 9 inches they arc provided behind with 

 a slender membranous tilament which is a process of the dorsal lobe of the heterocercal tail. 

 This filament has a rapid, wave-like motion, which is continued with but brief interruptions 

 while the fish is at rest. At about the time of the disappearance of the caudal filament the 

 black side stripe, which up to ttiis time extends from the tip of the snout to the caudal, begins 

 to break up into oval spots, while similar oval spots begin to appear on all the fins, on the 

 mid-dorsal line, and on either side of the body. Those on the body vanish in later life, the 

 ones below tlie lateral line disappearing first. 



Abundant and widely distributed, being found in all parts of the State excepting Lake 

 Michigan. Principally found in the larger streams, though frequently caught in the smaller 

 ones, where it is found in pools. 



Li'iiisDntcitx platostDinus Rafinesque. — Short-nosed Gar. 



Length 3 feet. In habits like tlie preceding, though the two species are not usually 

 abundant in the same localities. Difficult to distinguish from the young of the next species. 

 A young specimen, 1'4 inches in length, has been observed in the act of catching and eating a 

 minnow not nmcli smaller (Meredosia, 1900). 



Particularly abundant about Havana and Meredosia; absent in our collections from the 

 Rock and Wabash basins. Otherwise distributed about as /,. osseits. 



Lcpi.sostciiK trista'chiis (Block it Schneider). — Alligator (Jar. 



Length 8 to 10 feet. Said by river men to be a dangeous antagonist; also destructive of 

 netting when caught. Found occasionally in the Illinois, Mississippi and Ohio rivers. 



