113 



But little inferior to the perches are the two principal members 

 of the pike family — the common pike and the muskallnnge. Infe- 

 rior but always salable species are found among the cat-fishes, the 

 sucker family, and the smaller sun-lishes — 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 con- 

 founded with the European carp, the two l)elonging, in fact, to dif- 

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

 striped bass, most of our sun-hahes, 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 na- 

 tive 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 affording indis- 

 pensable 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 appropriating food which would otherwise 

 maintain a large number of their betters, the absolutely injurious 

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

 indirect, in return — are only the two lampreys and the three gars, 

 the first being parasites and the others predaceous species which 

 are never eaten themselves, 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 care- 

 ful study and of most solicitous protection. Its value, present and 

 prospective, now little understood, will become more and more evi- 

 dent as the people of the State become better educated in our local 

 natural history, and will, in fact, rapidly appreciate as food becomes 

 more costly, and as the intelligent and well-directed eff'orts of our 

 State Fish Commission bear their necessary fruit. It is the writer's 

 own opinion that the preservation and improvement of our native 

 fishes, already adapted to our climate, waters, and peculiar condi- 

 tions of life, afford a far more promising field of practical fish 

 culture than the importation of foreign species, except, perhaps, the 

 European carp. 



Champaign, III., December 30, 1884. 



F. C. 



