790 FISHES — SILTJEID^. 



JPimelodus coeruleicens in. paxt, of Kafinesquh, Eibtland, and otheTs; the big "Chan- 

 nel Cats " all belong to this species. 



Description. — Body moderately stout , head narrow, longer than broad ; mouth moder- 

 ate, the upper jaw the longer ; barbels long; pectoral spines short and stout, dentate ; 

 caudal fin strongly furcate, but less so than in the Channel Cats ; anal flu very long ; 

 color dark, sometimes mottled with paler; anal 35 or 36. Head 4^ in length ; its width 

 5. Length, 2 to 6 feet. 



Habitat. — Great Lake region to Texas and Florida, abundant in the larger streams and 

 lakes. 



Diagnosis. — This species may be known from the other Amiuri by the 

 forked tail. The form is stouter and the colors darker than in any of the 

 species of Ichthsdurm. 



Habits. — This species is the common Cat-fish of the lake fishermen, in 

 contra-distinction to the Bull-head, as A. catus is usually called. In the 

 Ohio it is the Mississippi Cat. It is found only or chiefly in the larger 

 bodies of water, and reaches a very great size. It is valued as food, al- 

 though the flesh is rather coarse and flavorless, I have seen specimens 

 of nearly a hundred pounds weight, and have heard of Oat-fish weighing 

 two or three hundred pounds, but I presume them to have been weighed 

 by guess. 



16. Amiubus NATALI8 (LeScur) Gill. 



Catfish; Tellow Cat. 



a. var natalis. 



Pimelodus natalia, LbSueur (1819), Mem. du Museum, t, 154. — Storkk (1846), Synopsis, 



405. 

 Amiwui natalia, Gill (1862), Proo. Bost. Soo Nat. Hist., 44. — Gunthbr (1864), Cat. 



Fishes Brit. Mas., v, 101.— Jordan (1877), Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., x, 86. 

 Fimelodue puma, Girard (1859), Proo. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 160.— Jordan (1878), Man. 



Vert., Ed, 2, 331. 



b. Tar. Uvldus. 



Silurue lividus, EAFiNEeQUB (1850), Quart. Journ. Sci. Lit. and Arts, London, 48 (et var. 



fuscatus). 

 Pimelodus lividua, Rafinesque (1820), Ich. Ohiensis, 65. 

 Amiurus lividua, Jordan (1876), Man. Vert., 302.— Jordan and Copeland (1876), Check 



List, 159. 

 Pimelodus felinus, Girard (1858), U. S. Pao. R. R. Expl., x, 209. 

 Amiurus felinus, Gill (1862), Proc. Bost. Soo. Nat. Hist., 44. — Cope (1870), Proo. Am. 



PhiloB. Soo , 485 —Jordan and Copeland (1876), Check List, 1^9. 

 Pimelodus catus, Girard (1859), Proo. Phila. Aoad. Nat. Sci., 160 (not of DeEay and most 



authors). 

 Amiurus catus, Cope (1870), Proo. Am. Philos.Soc, 484.— Jordan and Copeland, Check 



List, 159. 

 Pimelodus cupreoides, Girard (1859), Proc. Aoad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 159, 



