THE CATTISH OR BULL-HEAD . 
377 
I am indebted to President Jordan of Indiana University, for the 
following remarks upon this group : 
“ The Catfishes abound in all the fresh waters of the United States east 
of the Rocky Mountains. The species of the three genera, Ictalurus , 
Amiurus , and Leptops, which constitute the bulk of the family as repre¬ 
sented in North America, all reach a length of from one to five feet, and 
are all food-fishes of more or less importance. One of the Catfishes, 
Ictalurus ponderosus , is our largest fresh-water fish, weighing upwards of 
one hundred and fifty pounds, and two of the others, Leptops olivaris and 
Lctalurus nigricans , reach a very considerable size. 
“The Catfishes are voracious and indiscriminate feeders, any kind of 
animal substance, living or dead, being greedily swallowed by them. 
They are also (especially the species of Amiurus ) extremely tenacious of 
life, living for a long time out of water, and being able to resist impurities 
in the water better than any other of our food-fishes. They spawn in 
spring, and the female fish keeps a watch over the school of young, much 
as a hen takes care of chickens. The Catfishes are especially adapted for 
stocking ponds and sluggish streams with muddy bottoms, which become 
partly dry in summer, bodies of water not suited for the more aristocratic 
trout and bass. 
“ The species of the genus Lctalurus —known as “ Channel Cats ” are 
much less hardy than the other Catfishes, and do not thrive well except in 
river channels. Any water which does not dry up absolutely to the 
bottom in summer will suffice to nurture the common small Catfishes. 
“ The flesh of all the Catfishes is of fair quality, not delicate nor tender, 
but of good flavor. The Channel Cats have whiter meat than the ordinary 
small Catfish, but the flesh is drier, and the latter are usually preferred.” 
The Channel Cat or Blue Cat, Lctalurus punctatus , abounds in all the 
larger Western and Southern streams, living in the river channels. It 
reaches a weight of five to ten pounds and is readily salable, but its flesh 
is not better than that of its less attractive relatives. It takes the hook 
readily. This species is abundant in the St. John’s River, Florida. In 
1878 many were taken near the bar at Mayport in brackish water. For 
table use they are much more highly esteemed than the Mud Catfish. 
The Great Mississippi Cat, Ictalurus ponderosus , the largest of our Cat¬ 
fish, is found in the Mississippi, and probably in its larger tributaries, 
where it reaches a weight of about one hundred and fifty pounds. Little 
distinctive is known of its habits, which probably agree with those of the 
next species. 
The Great Lake Catfish, Ictalurus nigricans , the most abundant of the 
large Catfishes, abounds in the Great Lakes and in the larger streams of 
