CHAPTER LX 
THE ORDER OF THE PADDLE-FISH 
SELA CH0ST0M1 
THE PADDLE-FISH. 
To some persons, the big Paddle-Fish , 1 or 
Shovel-Nosed “Sturgeon,” as it is more com- 
monly called, is one of the wonders of fresh water. 
Here we find a case of what naturalists call “ spe- 
cialization ” which has gone to an astonishing ex- 
treme. This is a scaleless fish, with a body very 
much like a shark, and a half-cartilaginous, shark- 
like skeleton. It has a low-browed, armor-plated 
head that runs forward into a broad, thin paddle 
of bone, one-third the length of the entire fish. 
Beyond doubt, this remarkable implement is 
used in turning up the mud and gravel of the bot- 
toms of the streams in which the owner lives, in 
searching for food. It is unfortunate that we 
never can see it in action, and still more so that 
this fish has not yet been kept successfully in 
aquaria. Mr. Charles H. Townsend says that in 
captivity they always injure their paddles against 
the sides of their tanks, and do not live longer than 
two or three weeks. 
1 Po-ly'o-don spath'u-la. 
In “American Food and Game Fishes,” Drs. 
Jordan and Evermann give a number of size rec- 
ords of this fish which will be a surprise to 
many persons who, like the writer, have seen and 
handled only medium-sized specimens. The 
figures given show length in inches, and weight 
in pounds. 
In. Lbs. 
Lake Manitou, Ind., heaviest on record . 2 163 
Lake Tippecanoe, Ind. (W. C. Harris), 
length 74 150 
Chautauqua Lake, N. Y., length 74 254 
St. Louis (Dr. Engelman), length .... 70 79 
White River, S. Dakota (J. and E.), 
length 53 18 
The latest record is interesting as showing the 
light weight of what was a long, but very slender 
specimen. Judging from all available evidence, 
2 This fish and the one next noted was 4 feet in 
girth. 
UNDER VIEW OF THE PADDLE-FISH. 
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