E*»x Qtstun. Mitchill in Araev. Monthly Magazine, Vol. *,' 

 page 321. 



Upper jaw longer than the lower and the head one fourth of 

 total length and narrow: body cylindrical, dorsal and anal fin* 

 with 8 rays, aldominal fins with 6, tail unspotted nearly trun- 

 «ate, lateral line obsolete. 



I bave enly seen the bead of this fish, which was taken in the 

 M»skingum. It is evidently tbe same fish described at length, 

 by Dr. Mitchill under tbe old Linncan name of Esox ossciis and 

 found in Lake Oneida; although his description is very minute 

 in some respects, be has omitted to mention tbe colour of the 

 body, shape of the fins, and many other peculiarities. I refer 

 to his description, and shall merely add its most striking dis- 

 crepancies from the former species. Length forty inches, up- 

 per jaw ten inches with two creoked teeth at the end, lower ja^r 

 nine inches, teeth of three size* crewded on the jaws. Scale* 

 rhomboidal. Abdominal fins nearly medial. Tail with IS 

 rays, serrated above and below. 



2d Subgenus. Atractosteus. 



Body fusiform or spindle shaped, dorsal and anal fins quite op-' 

 posite. The name means bony sfiindle. 



90th Species. Alligator Garfisu. Leaisosfrm ferox. 

 Lepisoste leroce. - — ■ 



Jaws nearly equal, as long as the head, about one eighth of 

 total length and broad: body fusiform one! brownish; dorsal 

 and anal fins opposite, tail obliqual oval, lateral line obsolete. 



This is a formidable fish living in the Mississippi, principally 

 in the lower parts, also in Lake Pontchartrain, the Mobile, Red 

 River, &c. It has been seen sometimes in the lower parts of 

 the Ohio. It reaches the length of eight to twelve feet, and 

 preys upon all other fishes, even Gars and Alligators. Mr. 

 John D. Clifford told me that he saw one of them fight with an 

 alligator five feet long and succeed in devouring him, after cut- 

 ling him in two in its powerful jaws. My description is made 

 from a sketch drawn by Mr. Clifford, and a jaw bone preserv- 

 ed in his Museum. These jaws are from twelve to eighteen 

 inches long, and irom four to six inchc * broad. They are crowd- 

 ed with teeth, unequally set, not two ©» which are alik.e in size, 



