918 FISHES — ATHERINID^. 



reticulations, relieved with irregular, yellowish spots not placed in rows. 

 Our fishermen say that the Muskallonge is spotted with black, and the 

 Pike with yellow." 



'Habits. — The Muskallonge is much less common than the Pike, and is 

 found almost exclusively in the deep waters of the lakes, " except for a 

 few days in spring, when it runs into the mouths of rivers to spawn ." 

 It reaches an immense size. Dr. Kirtland mentions one more than five 

 feet in length, and weighing over sixty pounds. The largest one of 

 which I have a record was six feet long and weighed eighty pounds. It 

 is highly valued for food. Dr. Kirtland informs us that " epicures con- 

 sider it one of the best of fishes of the West," and Mr. J. L. Beaman af- 

 firms that "as a food fish there is nothing superior to this. He ranks 

 with the Salmon and Speckled Trout, and surpasses the Black and 

 Striped Bass. The meat is almost as white as snow, fine-grained, nicely 

 laminated, and the flavor is perfect." 



The Muskallunge is as voracious as the Pike, and eighty pounds of Mus- 

 kallunge represents several tons of Minnows, White-fish, and the like. 

 It is not a common fish. Its great size and voracity perhaps account for 

 this. " It is a long, slim, strong, and swift fish, in every way formed for 

 the life it leads, that of a fierce and dauntless marauder." (Hallock.) 



FAMILY XIII. ATHERINID^. THE SILVER8IDES. 



Body elongated, more or less compressed, covered with rather small cycloid or crenate 

 scales ; sides with a bright, distinct silvery band in all known species ; lateral line ob- 

 solete ; teeth small, sometimes wanting ; premaxillaiies protractil a or not ; gill-mem- 

 branes separate, free from the isthmus ; pseudobranohise present ; dorsal fins well sepa- 

 rated, the anterior of a few feeble spines ; ventrals subabdominal, of one spine and five 

 soft rays ; vertebrae numerous, Small, carnivorous fishes of warm regions, usually 

 swimming in schools near the shore ; a few species in permanently fresh water ; genera 

 about seven ; species forty -five. Only one of the American species inhabiting fresh 

 water. 

 a. Mouth very oblique ; the upper j iw plane above, concave within ; the lower jaw 

 correspondingly convex, the very protractile premaxillaries forming a peculiar 

 roof -like beak Labidesthes. 59, 



Genus 59. LABIDESTHES. Cope. 



LaUdesthes, Cope, Proc. Amer. Philos. Soo. Phila,, 1870, 455. 

 Type, Chirostoma eicmlum, Cope. 

 Etymology, labia, a pair of forceps ; estheo, to eat. 



Silversides, with the premaxillary bones prolonged anteriorly into a roof shaped 

 beak of elongate form, reaching posteriorly to the line of the orbit, extremely pro- 

 tractile; teeth in several series; lower jaw as long as upper; no palatine teeth ; body 



