FISHES 
the bays and rivers in the vicinity of Toronto. It is 
one of the most voracious of our fishes, feeding upon 
all forms of small fry and insects, and where abun- 
dant is very destructive to the more valuable forms 
of fish life. Its flesh is said to be soft, nauseous and 
quite uneatable. In May and June the Dogfish 
resort to weedy bays and marshes, where they spawn, 
the parent fish remaining with the eggs until they are 
hatched, and afterwards protecting the young for 
some time. The female is larger than the male, 
sometimes reaching a length of twenty-four inches, 
while the male rarely exceeds eighteen. 
TELEOSTEI. (The Bony Fishes.) 
ORDER NEMATOGNATHI. (Catfishes.) 
SritvRmDAE. (Catfishes.) 
4. Common Catfish. Bullhead. Ameiurus nebu- 
losus (Lesueur). This species reaches a maximum 
length of about eighteen inches and a weight of four 
pounds; the average of those taken in our waters is, 
however, much less. It is the common Catfish of 
the Province, occurring abundantly in all quiet 
streams, ponds and bays, especially in those having 
amud bottom. Early in June, when about to spawn, 
the Catfishes select a spot in quiet, shallow water 
near aquatic weeds, and there they make a nest, from 
eight inches to one foot in diameter, by clearing out 
a slight depression in the mud or sand. In this 
nest about two thousand eggs are deposited, over 
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