REPRINT OF ORIGINAL TEXT 137 



jaws and tail. It is found in the Ohio ; but is by no 

 means common. It reaches six feet in length. Its 

 flesh is not very good to eat, rather tough and strong 

 smelling, like that of some strong sturgeons. The 

 individual which I observed was caught at the falls, 

 and was 30 inches in length, with the upper jaw 5 

 inches long, while the lower jaw was only four 

 inches : The upper one has three furrows and juts 

 over the lower by a thick curved obtuse point with 

 four small openings or nostrils, although there were 

 two other oblong nostrils in obliqual furrows, at the 

 base before the eyes. This does not appear in L. 

 Platostomus. Lower jaw straight with a membrane 

 between the lateral lines. Teeth unequal straight 

 very sharp and on a single row. Breadth of the 

 jaws one eighth of the length. Iris large and gilt. 

 Head rough nearly square, covered with six broad 

 plates, two of which on each side, and of a fulvous 

 grey colour. Body cylindrical covered with the 

 usual hard scales in oblique rows ; but not two scales 

 exactly alike either in shape or size ; they are gen- 

 erally elongated obliquely with the two longest 

 lateral sides straight, the upper one concave and the 

 lower one convex, but these is a row of obcordated 

 ones on the back. All the fins fulvous, the pectoral 

 lanceolate acute with 12 rays, the abdominal lanceo- 

 late acute and with only 6 rays. Dorsal and anal 

 trapezoidal elongated, serrated by scaly rays anteri- 

 orly. Caudal fins with 12 rays, one sixth of total 

 length, covered with a few large black spots, of a 

 lanceolate shape, with an oblique flexuose base decur- 

 rent beneath and acute at the end, serrated both 

 upwards and downwards, and serratures extending 

 on the [III. 171] body. Lateral line not obsolete, 



