REVIFW OF LOCAL FISHES 39 



The Sea Catfish is in no other way remarkable, but the Gaff- topsail 

 Catfish has very long band-like barbels extendinp; from the corners of its 

 mouth, and long filaments extending from the spines in the back jind 

 breast fins. The Sea Catfish is an abundant omnipresent fish further 

 south, entering inshore waters otherwise almost barren of fish life. It 

 is very active and hungry at night. Of our remaining four fresh-water 

 species the small connnon Homed Pout may be distinguished by its 



SEA CATFISH 



unforked tail fin. It reaches a length of eighteen inches and is abundant 

 everyhwere, but especially in still waters. The Channel or Spotted 

 Catfish, abundant in the streams of the Mississippi, is the most prized 

 food of any catfish, and has been locally introduced. It may be told by a 

 continuous bony bridge under the skin from the top of the head to the 

 back fin, or more readily by small round dark spots which are almost 

 always present on the sides. The giant Mississippi Catfish, locally 

 introduced, reaches a length of five feet and a great girth. Small in- 

 dividuals may be told from the smaller native White Catfish by the 

 larger anal fin. The White Catfish extends north to New York in coast- 

 wise streams. The anal fin has twenty-five to thirty-two rays in the 

 Mississippi, nineteen to twenty-two in the White Catfish. 



In most sections of the country, catfish are not esteemed as food, 

 but whenever taken from clear, cool water, they are palatable, and 

 when properly cooked, even delicious, resembling the eel somewhat in 

 texture and flavor. Catfishes are especially adapted for stocking ponds 

 and sluggish streams with muddy bottoms, waters not suited to game 

 fiehes. The Mississippi catfish reaches the largest weight of any of our 

 sfecics, sometimes over one hundred pounds. The residents of 

 Missouri are especially fond of Catfish, a taste which they carry with 

 them to other parts of the country, and on the Columbia River I have 



