532 AMERICAN FISHES. 
named Psephurus gladius and differs from the American fish by its long 
snout being conic and not spatuliform, by its very small eyes, and by the 
development of six large plates or fulcra along the upper edge of the tail-fin. 
It is said to attain occasionally a length of at least twenty feet. 
In striking contrast with the Sturgeons is the Paddle-fish, which, in some 
respects, is not dissimilar, but in others very different. The appearance of 
the body is not much unlike, but the skin is naked, and the trunk between 
the pectoral and ventral fins notably shorter. The great peculiarity is in 
the head, which is straight above and ends in a broad thin oar-like snout 
which widens towards'the rounded end ; the mouth is broad and deeply cleft, 
and the jaws in the young have small teeth. The scientific name, Polyodon 
spathula, was given in allusion to a couple of these characteristics, Polyodon 
describing the many small teeth of the young and sfathu/a the shape of the 
snout. Among the popular names are Paddle-fish, Spadebill, Spoonbill 
Cat, and Duckbill Cat. The only point of agreement between the fish 
and a Catfish is the naked body, and because of this agreement the 
name Cat with a descriptive prefix has been applied to the fish. The 
Paddle-fish is a native of the Mississippi Valley, and also occurs rarely in 
Lake Erie. In some of the reaches of the valley, as about Louisville, it is 
a very common fish. It attains a length of about five or six feet. 
PADDLE-FISH: SEEN FROM BELOW. 
Although once contemned as a food-fish, it is now regarded at some 
places, as at Louisville, “the most valued of all the fishes found there,” 
and “now it is more sought after than any other species in the Mississippi 
basin.” It is for its roe that it is most esteemed, but its flesh is also re- 
garded with favor, and that favor has increased in recent years. 
The utilization of the roe only began “a few years ago,” according to Dr. 
Evermann, and that product is now regarded as “by far the most valuable 
part of the fish. The eggs are a greenish-black in color, about three times 
the size of shad eggs, and are very numerous. In converting them into 
caviar they are run through a wire screen to separate them from all the fat 
