The Washington herald., 1911-10-29

To the fishermen of the District II
may be interesting to know that ninety.
| three distinct species of fishes from the
waters Of the District are now listed by
the division of fishes, United States Ma
| tlonal Museum. Several of these spe-
cies have been recognized only recent
ly as belonging to the local fauna. The
agents of the Bureau of Fisheries have
! introduced some, while others, over
! looked in the original investigations, are
enumerated in a recent pamphlet by B.
A. Bean and Alfred c. Weed, of the
division of fishes, National Museum, en-
titled Recent Additions to the Fish
Fauna of the District of Columbia
Step Up, IchthyOIoEists.
All the finny specimens are known to
| ichthyologists by names quite unfamil-
| lar to the average fisherman. The Mis-
sissippi cat, a large number of which
are now taken from the waters of the
District. known in the West as the big
cat. is scientifically termed ictalurua
furcatus, while the LatIn~name for the
familiar pike-perch is stizostedion Wit
reum. 1t may be mentioned that this
fish is also found in great quantities in
the Susquehanna River, where 1t Is
known as salmon. although 1t belongs to
an entirely different family from the
real salmon.
In making biological surveys, the faunal
area in which the District Is situated -
considered as extending in all directions
within a radius of twenty miles. and,
therefore, the waters OF the District are
regarded as extending over this amount
of territory, and fish are taken from any
point within these bounds, although they
include more territory than is actually
in the District The best known and most
numerous family of District fishes is the
Cyprinidae, which includes the minnows
and carp-like fishes. The other families
found here with numerous species in
clude catfish, shad. herring. bass. and
sunfish.
The Mississippi cat was first discovered
in these waters in 1905. but there is no
record of its introduction. Specimens
weighing over thirty pounds have been
automatically reported.
Ever Caught One:
An interesting species found in the Po-
tomac. the Tidal Basin, and the lower
por ton of the Eastern Branch is the
copper-nosed Dream, a member of the
sunfish family. 1t Is believed that this
species is a native rather than an intro
duced one, as 1t Is an inhabitant Of the
deeper waters, where 1t might readily
be overlooked DN most COlleCtOrS.
In the Northwest Brancn, about one
mile above Hyattsville, many specimens
have been found Of the BOleosoma longi-
manus a small fish commonly known as
the long-nosed darter. This fish was pre-
viOusIy known only in the headwaters of
the James River in Virgisia.
Cabin John Run is now proving a great
breeding ground for the silvery minnow,
known to very disciple of Isaac Walton
as one of the best bats obtainable. It
is believed that this species was intro
duced from the Ohio River drainage. A
large number have been taken from the
Chesapeake and Ohio canal for scientific
purposes by means of a zo-foot bag seine
All the FISH were unusually Eilvery in
color and were regarded as fine speci-
mems.
Tip to Anglers.
Numerous species of the catfish family
are found within the limits Of the Dis
trict survey. They include the blue cat,
channel cat, bullhead. horned pout,
stone cat mad tom. and the Mississippi
cat.
The list under the heads Of the vari-
GUS families is far too iong to be given
in full. but If any Washington fisher
man has had the usual luck of anglers
who return home with empty creels, he
need only consult the publications of the
Bureau of Fisheries or the division o,
hshes in the National Museum for evil
dence that the fishes were really there,
and that 1t was simply luck against
him.