794 FISHES — SILURID^. 



Soc, 486.— Jordan (1876), Man. Vert., 301.— Jordan and Copeland (1876), Check 



List, 159. 

 Pimelodus vulpeoulua, Girard (1859), Proo. Acad. Nat. Soi. Fhila., 160. 

 Amiurua vulpeeulus, Gill (1863), Proc. Bast. Soc. Nat. Hist., 44. 

 Amiurua mispillienaU, Copk (1870), Proc. Am. Philos. Soc, 486. — Jordan and Copkland 



(1876), Check List, 159. 



Description. — Body rather elongate ; head rathei bioad, the front modarately steep, the 

 slope frum snout to dorsal being nearly an unbroken line; upper jaw longer than lower; 

 anal fin with 31 or 33 rays, its base ii in length of body ; dorsal spine usually inserted 

 rather nearer adipose fin than snout ; head 4 ; depth 4 to 4^ in length ; color dark yel- 

 lowish brown, varying to black, the belly white, with a tinge of yellow. Length 1 to 

 2 feet. 



Habitat, Great Lake region to Maine and South Carolina, the commonest Cat-fish 

 northward and east of the Alleghany Mountains. 



Diagnosis. — The common Bullhead may be known by the presence of 

 21 or 22 anal rays, a projecting upper jaw, and a truncate or a very slightly 

 emarginate caudal fin. 



Habits. — This is the commonest of the Cat-fishes in Lake Erie and its 

 tributaries, abounding in every brook and pond. In the Ohio River it 

 is very much less common, its place being taken by the closely related 

 melas and xanthocephalus. It does not reach a large size, but is a very fair 

 food fish. 



Thoreau speaks of the Horned-pout as a dull and blundering fellow, 

 like the Eel, vespertinal in its habits, and fond of the mud. It bites de- 

 liberately, as if about its business. They are extremely tenacious of life, 

 opening and shutting their mouths for half an hour after their heads 

 have been cut ofi. A blood-thirsty and bullying race of rangers, inhab- 

 iting the river bottoms, with ever a lance in rest, and ready to do battle 

 with their nearest neighbor. I have observed them in summer, when 

 every other one had a scar upon his back, where the skin was gone, the 

 mark of some fierce encounter. Sometimes the fry, not an inch long, are 

 seen darkening the shore with their myriads. 



The following vigorous description of the habits of Amiurus catus, and 

 of its claims on the attention of the Fish Commission, is from the editor 

 of the Milwaukee Swn. Although written as a burlesque, it gives a 

 vivid and truthful idea of the " game " qualities of the Bull-head : 



It seems that the action of the Milwaukee common coanoll in withdrawing the use of 

 the water works &om the fish commissioners will put a stop to the hatching of white 

 fish. This is as it should be. The white fish is an aristocratic fish that will not bite a 

 hook, and the propagation of this species of fish is wholly iu the interest of wealthy 

 owners of fishing tubs, who have nets. By strict attention to bnsiness they can catch 

 all of the white fish out of the lake a little faster than the State machine can put them in. 

 Poor people can not get a smell of white fish. The same may be said of brook tront. 



