ESOCID*. 



159 



unfortunately took no notes at tlie time. According to the best of 

 toy recollection, however-, it was a longitudinally spotted fish, and if 

 80, was probably a stray "Northern Pickerel, which had. found his way 

 down the canals, from the basin of -the St. Lawrence, into that of the 

 Hudson. 



And this, which would at first seem a highly improbable, if not 

 impossible hypothesis, becomes at once reasonable, when the fact is 

 known that three, at least, of the fish peculiar to the great lakes and 

 to the waters of the St. Lawrence have found their way into the 

 Hudson, and its tributaries since the opening of the various canals, 

 and are now taken abundantly within the State of New York — these 

 are the greater Black Bass, Gristes Nigricans; the Oswego — not to 

 be confounded with the Otsego — Bass, Corvina Osada ; and the 

 Rock Bass, Centrarckus JEneus. 



Any of these species, in order to reach the Hudson, must descend 

 the canals, and take advantage of the moment when the- boats are 

 passing through the locks, and the gates opened — ^which, wheu we 

 consider the commotion of the water, the splashing, hubbub, and con- 

 fusion which occurs at such times, is in itself sufficiently extraordinary, 

 and seems to go far toward proving that fish, except as regards feeling, 

 are much less shy than is commonly believed, and toward abolishing 

 the idea that they are driven out of their favorite rivers by craft or 

 steamboats. 



If one species, however, can succeed in passing these numerous 

 obstacles, there is nothing to prevent another from. doing likewise ; 

 and it is in no respect more difficult to believe that the Northern Pick- 

 erel should so make his way to our southern waters, than that the 

 varieties of Bass above-mentioned should — as it is well-established 

 that they have done— introduce themselves as an indigenous fish in the 

 same. 



From what I h.ave personally seen, therefore, of the Common Pick- 

 erel, Esox Reticiklatus, I am a good deal inclined to doubt the tales I 

 have heard of its great size ; and, until I shall be satisfied, on personal 

 examination, am unwilling to credit him with a growth exceeding six 

 or seven pounds.^ 



This fish, as will appear from examination of the cut, follows the 

 type of the Mascalonge, in the elongation of the snout, the curvature 



