THE MOON-EYE. 613 



of the Mississippi; the second is found in the Ohio Valley and northward to the Upper Missouri 

 and Saskatchewan ; the third is confined to the rivers of the Southern States. None of the 

 species occur east of the Alleghanies. They are little valued as food. 



The Moon-eye — Hyodon tbegisus. 



The Moon-eye is a handsome and gamy fish, taking the hook readily, and feeding upon minnows, 

 crustaceans, and insects. It reaches a weight of one to two pounds. In Lake Pepin, according to 

 Dr. D. 0. Estes, "in some seasons they seem to be quite plenty, and at others but very few are 

 seen. On the whole, I have always regarded it as a rare fish. They are vigorous biters, and are 

 as gamy as the striped bass {Boecus saxatilis). They take freely the minnow or fly, and are one of 

 the smartest of fishes. They wiU come up, taste of a fly, let go and be gone before the angler has 

 time to strike. Therefore, to be a ' Moon-eye ' fly-fisher, one must be very sharp and not read a 

 book while casting, as I once knew a man to do. As to his being a food-fish there is not a single 

 doubt. I ate one this very morning for my breakfast, and it was excellent, the bones being far 

 less in number and of larger size than in the herring." 



