474 Fisuing 1x AMERICAN WATERs. 
CHanxneEL Cat.—<Abdominal,—Malacoperygit. 
This fish is equally good for game and the table. The fish 
from which we made the above copy of a drawing was taken 
in the Chickasaw River near Meridian, Mississippi, by B. F. 
Moore, Jun. It is also known there as the croaker and blue- 
cat. 
There is a scarecly perceptible lateral line running from 
eills down the centre of each side to tail, above which the 
color is blue, as are also the superior fins, the lower ones be- 
ing nearly white, and the sides are light bluish-gray to an 
inch below the lateral line, the abdomen being satiny white. 
; ventral, sey- 
Pectoral fins, ove spinal and eight soft rays; 
en soft rays; anal, thirty soft rays, rooted in an adipose 
membrane; caudal, eightecr soft rays, very forked; first 
dorsal spinal, aud six soft rays; second dorsal, adipose; two 
barbels or feelers, one each side of upper lip, length of tail 
about one-fifth of the fish; two very short barbels on the top 
of the head; four barbels on the chin, two each side; branchi- 
ostegous rays, three; head one-sixth of the whole length. 
Mouth very small for a catfish; with brush-like teeth on up- 
per and lower lips, and card-like teeth on the upper and low- 
er sides of throat near the maw; four gill-rays, and a sem- 
blance of a tongue filling the entire lower jaw; eyes large; 
throat and breast always white. Runs in smuil streams from 
one to five pounds in weight; but in the Upper Missouri 
River, where they are regarded as superior to any other fish, 
the trout included, they attain to fifteen pounds, and even 
more. It is there called by some the lady-cat, because of its 
