42 THE FISHES OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, 



bark of the root, from which an essential oil is distilled highly valued 

 in medicine. Specific gravity, - 6. 



53. Sumac (Rhus typhina). — Common on rocky, poor soils through- 

 out Canada, and readily springs up on neglected lands after the primal 

 forests are cleared off; attains a height of 20 feet, and 8 inches in dia- 

 meter ; the wood is soft, aromatic, of sulphur yellow, makes beautiful 

 veneers, and is used in dyeing. The bark of this and the other varieties 

 is also used in dyeing and tanning. 



THE FISHES OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. 



BY THE REV. GEO. SUTHERLAND. 



Prince Edward Island rises in the midst of waters long famed for the 

 abundance and fine quality of their fish. Although not so plentiful as 

 in years long gone by, they still frequent our shores in vast shoals ; 

 many of them pass up and down our rivers and streams ; and afford 

 a health}' occupation and a valuable means of subsistence to a large 

 number of our population. They include many of the richest and most 

 palatable fish to be found in any quarter of the globe. 



Fishes are vertebrate animals, with gills fitted for breathing under 

 water — of cold red b] ood — and with fins and extremities fitted for swim- 

 ming. They are divided into two great classes : — 1. Those with a 

 skeleton of cartilage and with bony points or plates on the skin. And — 

 2. Those with a skeleton of bone and with horny scales. The second 

 class is by far the most useful and important, as well as the most 

 numerous. It is the highest type of fish. 



I. — Fish of Cartilage Skeleton. 

 Five kinds are met with on our coasts, viz : the Skate, the Dogfish, 

 the Thresher, the Shark, and the Sturgeon. 



1. The Skate or Ray. Two or three species of Skate are found. 

 These fish are flat, with broad pectoral fins. Their eyes are above the 

 mouth, their nostrils below it. They are characterised by a long slender 

 tail. In one species, the Sting Ray or Skate, the tail is armed with a 

 sharp bone with which it inflicts wounds. The pectoral fins or wings 

 are sometimes used as food, but the fish is little prized. 



2. The Dog-fish is a small, active, voracious fish about the size of a 

 salmon, and allied to the shark, which it greatly resembles. It has a 

 projecting snout, is tenacious of life, drives off the herring and destroys 



