Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-07
CATFISH.

second, and when they recede it gets less than
is share.
CATFISH.
Many Varieties of the Creature.
''Look out, there!' yelled a round shouldered
brOnZed-faced old fellow on the Indian river
bridge.
We ducked our heads. and with swing and
splash the old man pulled much-b be Whiskered
catfish into the air and sent it whistling on the
logs.
"That's five-pounder," the angler said. cut
ting worm in two. ''You may talk about your
trout, pickerel, and bass but as for me, give me
catfish. They call me Catfish John all on account
of my liking for 'enl, and what don't know
EN- isn't worth knowing. l followed the sea
about twenty years ago and have caught catfish
Il, did about every geGy water o on earth They
numbering about twenty miles north of
here, and you'd think it queer idea for
an old hand like me to get turned round; but
did get regularly lost. and for two days didn't
eat enough to keep one Of these ere black flies
quiet. 1t was tramping in the snow. too but
caught sight of the sun once or twice and kept
as near east as l could. and finally struck a
pond You know good many fish bury them
selves, like frog in winter. Well I was up to
that dodge; SO commenced to dig with my axe
and into the ground. and. as luck would have
1t. Il ran across tera or fifteen catfish frozen as
stiff as rock, and believe they saved my life.
never tasted anything like 'em before or since.
Cooked? No, raw, l didn't wait for the fire.
Ever since I've been fond of catfish"
"LOok out! the cid man cried again. but too
late. bic catfish came bearing down on me,
the line skilfully winding around nv neck the
fish hanging in front like fiuttering necktie
=, That's about as bad a fix as got into once"
fl,of cbnr, u
took young man over to Loon Lake, fishing. a
year ago. He had rig and pole that must have
cost hundred and fifty dOllars-split bamboo.
gold mounted. and all-but between YOU and
me. he couldn't land fly within twenty feet of
certain spot. He sat in the bow of the canoe
and in the stern. / had ROD cut along shore,
and caught five to his one; but one throw he
made landed the biggest sucker. He made a
swing. | threw back my head, but Pm con-
sarned if he didn't hook me in the ear as neat
as whistle. tell you. there was some lively
jumping around there for few minutes but he
was Kind OF sawbOnes and cut it out with
hispenknife. They complain here about guides
costing SO much. Why. it's cheap at FIVE dol
lars day to have to go out with some of these
fellers aud see 'em pretend to hunt and shoot.
the very trout laugh at some Of 'em; and then
to see man miss deer or a bird not ten feet
from him. tell you it's tough" and taking up
his string Of fish he started away
He was correct in stating that catfish is Gu
ilolS HSH. DIS lIley SHOW greater DeCullarltleS
than any other family of fishes. They are found
both in salt and fresh water. Some are perfectly
smooth, with few barbels or whiskers others
nave long attachments to the mouth; others
again are encased in coats Of mails covering the
back and sides, while sharp spines are concealed
IN the soft and delicate-lOoking dorsal and pee
tOral fins. The cOmmOnest North American spe-
cies is the horned pout found from New Eng
land to Virginia. and known scientifically as the
Amiurus Nigricans. They grow to a large size
IN the great lakes: Other catfish than those
mentioned by the old fishermen are blind. nota-
bly, the GrOnius Nigralabris, found in a small
stream running into the Conestoga river i'm east
ern Pennsylvania. One Of the most remarkable
members of the family is the arius, South
American catfish found commonly in Brazilian
waters. During the breeding season, and as fast
as the eggs are deposited, the male catches
them up in its mouth and carries them there
until they are Matched, SO that often in catching
them the young have been seen running out of
the mouth in all stages of growth and often
tentimes the young of other fishes that have
either been caught up in the eggor have sought
shelter in the great mouth that affords such pro-
lection to Its own young. The same habit has
been observed in an Indian catfish. Another
arius was found at Panama that had a pouch on
it's ventral or under surface in which the eggs
were slowed away; further examination show
ing that they were kept there until Matched. the
young retrcatng to it for protection exactly as
do the young OF the kangaroo and all marsnpial
will also rush into the mouth of the male as we'll
when alarmed. The arta, catfish found in the
Ceylon waters. is noted as nest builder collect
ing leaves and catching them together by some
mucous secretion. making a round ball in which
the eggs are found gummed to the leaves. These
fishes have also been observed when the water
was so low leaving it in the great throngs and
moving along on the dry land thrOughthe grass.
holding themselves upright by means Of their
side fins. They have also been observed digging
in the mud in search Of water. How they re-
main so long without water is a mystery, but it
is evidently held in the head in similar manner
to the climbing perch. The Malapterus is cat
fish that has the power Of giving out electric
shocks It is found in the Nile. The electric
cells. that are found in all animals of the kind.
lie directly beneath the skin, surrounding the
entire body except the fms and heads. They are
extremely small, rOund-shaped, and evidently
supplied with the electric power by nerve that
leads to the spinal cord. In taking up the fish
the shock it gives can be unpleasantiy felt.
showing that it is quite "dicient to serve as
defence.
Probably the.most reI.-. --ble of an the cat
fishes, however, Is the one called aspredo.
These grow to length Of about three feet, have
six long whiskers, the pectoral fins being armed
with sharp saw-like arrangement of bodies as
In some Of the others In the breeding season
curious protuberances appear on the yentral or
lower surface Of the female, growing longer and
from the fish. As soon. however, as the eggs
are laid the fish settles down on Them and when
she MOVES away it will be seen that each stem
or pedcle has caught up an egg, and as the fish
moves along they swing about, being carried
around and aerated In this way until the eggs
cradles, asit ~ 10 sss = 49,
s b siss -. - - - - !