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THE DUCK-BILLED CAT. 
There are many species of Sturgeons, and among the most remarkable are the Shovel- 
•fish and the Spoon-bill Sturgeon, both being natives of the rivers of North America. 
The Shovel-eish derives its name from the curious form of its head, which is flattened, 
rounded, and really not unlike the implement after which it receives its popular title. The 
adult and young differ somewhat in their aspect. Both are of large size and show a conspic- 
uous arrangement of the bony scales along the body. 
The Shovel-nose Sturgeon (S caphiorhynchops platyrrhynchus). About four species 
inhabit the waters of Central and Eastern Asia, and the United States. One only is found in 
the latter region. 
The term White Sturgeon is also used to designate this species. It inhabits the Missis- 
sippi Yalley and the streams of the Western and Southern States. Both of the long technical 
terms literally mean spade-snout, and flat-snout. 
The family of Sturgeons is regarded as one very strongly marked; there being little 
danger of conf nsion as to the rights of membership. Though the Sturgeon is, in most portions 
of the United States, rather an unfamiliar fish, yet the characters are such, that once the 
species are seen they are quickly and correctly placed in a natural classification. It has no 
near allies, excepting those lying entombed in rocks of past geological ages. The skeleton is 
cartilaginous. Species are found in all north temperate portions of the globe. They all breed 
in fresh water; but some reside in the sea during a part of the season. Others are permanent 
residents in the fresh waters of the Great Lakes and rivers. 
The Sharp-nosed Sturgeon ( Acipenser sturio). From Cape Cod to Florida this fish 
finds its habitat. It is also found in European waters. The Short-nosed Sturgeon has the 
same American range. 
According to Jordan and Gilbert, there are two genera and twenty species of Sturgeons. 
There are seven species inhabiting the waters of North America. Most of the species are 
migratory, like the Salmon which are found in the same waters. 
A variety of this species is very common in waters between Massachusetts and Florida. 
The White Sturgeon is native to the Columbia River. It is also called Sacramento 
Sturgeon, as it inhabits along the Pacific Coast to Monterey. It reaches a weight of from 
three hundred to six hundred pounds, and is used extensively for food. 
The Green Sturgeon is reputed as unfit for food, and, indeed, it has the merited reputa- 
tion of being poisonous. It is smaller in size than the preceding. 
The Lake Sturgeon, called also Ohio, Black, Stone, and Rock Sturgeon, inhabits the 
Mississippi River and northward to the Great Lakes. Its weight is from fifty to one hundred 
pounds. This is the common Fresh -water Sturgeon, which usually does not descend to the sea. 
The Short-nose Sturgeon is found from Cape Cod to Florida. 
The Spoon-bill Sturgeon is, in allusion to the singular shape of the head, sometimes 
called the Paddle-fish. This creature is remarkable for several reasons. In the first place, 
the uncommonly elongated and flattened snout is sufficiently conspicuous to airest the atten- 
tion of even the most casual observer, and in the second place, the body is quite smooth, and 
wants those bony plates which generally form so characteristic an adornment of the Sturgeon. 
This remarkable fish is frequently found in the Ohio and Mississippi. 
The Duck-billed Cat. This curiously endowed fish is represented in this country by 
two species, in two genera — being equally distributed in the fresh waters here and in China. 
They are embraced in the sub-class, Sturgeons, and in a separate order and a single family. 
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