20 



The catfish is very voracious and, though a carnivorous fish, 

 will eat grains of farina, pellets of dough and maize mush. It 

 is a rapid grower, and small specimens in captivity soon out- 

 grow their desirability as aquarium fish. At the end of the 

 third year this fish is perhaps fully matured. The ripe eggs 

 are of the size of large pin heads and are of an orange color ; 

 the very young fishes look like little black toad tadpoles. The 

 spines are strongly developed at an early age. The old fish 

 accompanies the brood for a certain time, always swimming 

 around the swarm of young in order to keep them together. 

 When alarmed the parent dashes off, followed by the whole 

 swarm. 



Schilbeodes gyrinus {Mitch.). 



Stone Catfish. 



In the genus Schilbeodes the adipose fin is low and generally 

 joined to the caudal fin; it comprises a number of small fishes. 

 Our species is distinguished by its confluent adipose and caudal 

 fins, giving the fish the appearance of having a sort of broad 

 eel tail. It grows to a length of three and one-half or four 

 inches. The general color is brownish, without blotches. 

 Jordan in the ' ' Manual ' ' says that it has a black lateral 

 streak, sometimes with two other streaks above this. I have 

 found none with this feature ; it is the lateral line itself which 

 looks darker in color. The head is broad and deep, the anal 

 fin has fifteen to sixteen rays. The pectoral spines are entire 

 or grooved behind, never serrate. 1 When carelessly handled 

 the fish will not be soon forgotten, as the sting from these 

 spines hurts like a wasp's sting and sometimes results in a 

 swelling of the finger lasting for a day or more ; there appears 

 to be a poison gland behind the pectoral, as in some foreign 

 Siluroids. 



The eyes are small, beadlike and at night glisten like ada- 

 mant, indicating a more nocturnal habit. These fishes are 

 called stone catfishes, but they prefer still, muddy water. I 

 have obtained them from Greenwood and Wawayanda Lakes, 

 and the Ramapo and Hackensack River valleys. In the 



1 D. S. Jordan. B. Synopsis of Siluridae of the fresh waters of North 

 America. Bulletin X, National Museum, 1877. 



