CHAPTER LX 

 THE ORDER OF THE PADDLE-FISH 



SELACIIOSTOMI 



THE PADDLE-FISH. 



To some persons, the big Paddle-Fish,' or 

 Shovel-Nosed "Sturgeon," as it is more com- 

 monly called, is one of the wonders of fresh water. ~ 

 Here we find a case of what naturaUsts call " spe- 

 cialization " which has gone to an astonishing ex- 

 treme. This is a scaleless fish, with a body very 

 much like a shark, and a half-cartilaginous, shark- 

 like skeleton. It has a low-browed, armor-plated 

 head that runs forward into a broad, thin paddle 

 of bone, one-third the length of the entire fish. 



Beyond doubt, this remarkable implement is 

 used in turning up the mud and gravel of the bot- 

 toms of the streams in which the owner li'ves, in 

 searching for food. It is unfortunate that we 

 never can see it in action, and still more so that 

 this fish has not yet been kept successfully in 

 aquaria. Mr. Charles H. Townsond says that in 

 captivity they always injure their paddles against 

 the sides of their tanks, and do not live longer than 

 two or three weeks. 



' Po-ly' o-don spath' u-la. 



In "American Food and Game Fishes," Drs. 

 .Jordan and E\'ermann give a number of size rec- 

 ords of this fish which will be a surprise to 

 many persons who, like the writer, have seen and 

 handled only medium-sized specimens. The 

 figures given show length in inches, and weight 

 in pounds. 



Lake Manitou, Ind., heaviest on record . 

 Lake Tippecanoe, Ind. (W. C. Harris), 



length 



Chautauqua Lake, N. Y., length 



St. Louis (Dr. Engelman), length . . . 

 White River, S. Dakota (,J. and E.), 



length ,53 



18 



The latest record is interesting as showing the 

 light weight of what was a long, but very slender 

 specimen. .Judging from all available evidence, 



^ This fish and the one next noted was 4 feet in 

 girth. 



UNDER VIEW OF THE PADDLE-FISH. 

 439 



