Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-03-21
TIE CATFISH AND IT'S HAuNTs.
49, Ancestors Were Very Big and Had
OnIy one Eye, Like Cyclops.

4 ,ks attention OF scientists ana 1chthy-
oIogists and are most studied by them,
ers The modest, ugly, aud lower orders
- ,be kind. saws the n. Y. Times.
The catfish has lately been the subject
- considerable investigation. and the
,bsc.y now is that this fish, the annoy
onre of anglers though the small boys
Jeirhf is a descendant Of a powerful
and terrible-looking order of fish that
lived in the good old days that only
geoogists aud students of antediluyian
matters can tell about.
is a fact that the catfish of today
in some localities grows to an immense
sze and weight and those who have
seen the sixty-pouuders of the Missis-
sinpi river can well imagine what a
monster the specimen of the prehistoric
sues must have been. especially as then
4 /, supposed to have had only one
GREAT biz eve in the middle of its fore
head. Prof Bashfold Dean of the Col
leoe of the City of New York has con-
ributed AN article on the catfish to the
fsl, commissioners which will soon be
issued. This article treats of the
habits Of the fish as ii is now found in
almost all of the ponds and rivers of
the north. and contains something of a
scientific nature concerning the ances-
uy Of the fish aud the leviathan pro-
portions of the grandfathers of the
present race.
The features of the common bull
head or catfish, are well known and
familiar to every fisherman. It's head
is broad and ugly-looking, and is large
in proportion to the rest of the body;
horns project from the top fin and the
two side Tins, which are exceedingly
painful TO come in contact with, as
many fishermen can testify. The head
is a tenacious, hard mass of bone, in
the side of which two little. wicked
looking eyes peep out. The skin is
tough and hard 10 penetrate. Prof
Dean after examination. has come to
the conclusion that the catfish was a
sort oi archaeological cyciOpS. that
nlU,t have been Il terror IN lis time
Win size of porpoise proportions. a
hide like hat OF a rhinOceros tremend-
on, horu> and armored mead, the
paqhllrrm must have been horrible
slIhJ a. wrii rs II tremendous tighter
u Tie idea that there was only one eve
q is derived from the peculiar formation
of the head In the middle of the fore
head is depression which is believed,
according 10 those who make study
of the physical construction of geoo-
gica remains to be the socket of IN
eve. The habits of the class of fishes
8 to which the catfish belongs would
seem to add evidence to the theory.
The catfish is fond of working in the
mud and burying itself in the Shiny
I oUze that lines the bottom ofponds aud
xriycrs. In the winter it hibernates and
#onIy comes out in the spring when Il
8 thunder-shOwer gives warning of com
wakes il.
Il In the geological ages when the fish
N We're immense and enemies we're
81 abundSnt.it was necessary that the cat
q fish should be we'll provided with
means Of defense as well as able to at
4 tack the other forms of life that it
needed as food just as now it lies in
the mud waiting for its prey, its dark
q skin having the color of the bottom, so
u that the approaching water spider.
worm. or bug has not the slightest
suspicion Of danger, so in the old ages
i the bic Cycopian, secure in great pit
in the mud patiently waited for the
coming OF prey, the great single orb
Il peerlng ont from the mud and mre
capable Of observing any disturbance
either on the side or overhead The
Il heavy coating of impenetrable armor
made 1t as safe from the attack of other
animals of the deep as was the knight
OF the crusades against the flight of
4 arrows from barbarian tribe. The
waters must have fairly boiled when it
sailed forth from its hiding-place and
the mud had been flung aside as from
giant dredge. Some idea of its ap-
pearance can be formed by in magma
Ton dressing the Mississippi specimen
IN this silurian armor. 1t requires tie
h blow OF a beetle to crush in the head of
4 the BIZ western catfish. What must II
have required to open up the Uranium
oil the monster whose head was armored
with hard bone plate?
II the ancestral catfish was az quar-
Il feisome as the fish of today its home
''N ''tAN 2 bStu llit SEtut vi GOUSbbul
gigantic encounters. The little fellows,
comparatively speaking, of the jersey
ponds are very irritable fish In the
spawning season especially the males
are great fighters. and specimens are
often caught in crippled condition
as well as bearing marks of marine
battles These fights are among them
selves. but they also are constantly at
'acGlng other varieties of fish. The
reason that the other varieties remain
10 tue same ponds with the catfish is
because they can swim faster and thus
escape IRON the violent and pugnacious
~, A d food fish the catfish is a success
"Hen once the thick hide is removed
W. lie,u is tender aud sweet aud makes
a me dish. There is a great difference
~ 'ae quality Of the flesh according to
ne season when the fish is caught
-.sI winters sojourn in the mud the
este is naturally Of a muddy flavor.
4 -"e specimens taken in running
streams are also much better for eating
''g''es than those caught in tie
"-aaut ponds. To soak them in salt
@.ef inr time before placing them
u ne irving pan is good plan. as then
A.AF daror is partially if not