Evening star., 1921-05-01

4 LARGE number Of fish families
~ reside in or visit the rivers and
~ creeks of the District Of Column
bia and the neighborhood OF
Washington. Fish of the same varie-
ties are often called by different names
and, while the list of fish families and
fish varieties is long. the list Of fish
names is longer. Nobody ought to
blame the fish for this, but good
deal of confusion results. In addition
to their plain local names, the fish have
scientific names composed of from one
to half a dozen Greek words, and only
the fish scientists know our finny friends
by those names The common names
are interesting in many cases.
The .'neighborhood Of Washington,
according to fish scientists, includes the
Potomac river from Occoquan to Great
Falls and the creeks which flow into
the great river between those points
The creeks that come to the Potomac
from Maryland and the District are
Mattawoman, Accokeek. Piscataway,
Swan, Broad. Oxon. Piney. Foundry and
Cabin John. The Eastern branch. OF
course, is included and the important
creeks that Join that river. They are
Sligo. Northwest, Paint Little Paint
and Beaver Dam. The Virginia creeks
of the Washington neighborhood. and
which are classed as fish creeks. are
Pohick, Accotink Dogue. Little Hunt
ing, Hunting, Cameron Gncluding Back
Lick run and Holmes run). Four-Mile
run Reaches run, Gravelly run, Little
river. Pimmitt run and Difficult run.
The Chesapeake and Ohio canal and the
government reservoirs are classed as
waters Of the neighborhood Of Wash
ington." The east boundary OF the
Washington neighborhood is the Patux-
ent river from Nottingham north TO
about Laurel and its principal branches
Western. Collington and Mattaponi
To most persons. unless they nap
pen to be enthusiastic fishermen,
catfish is a catfish. Yet there are
FIVE species of catfish with WE'VE
names in the waters of the Washihston
neigh hbor hood. There is the rare
spotted catfish. which is also called
the blue catfish. There is the channel
catfish. also called the white eatnsh.
There is the mud catfish. also known
as the yellow catfish ne oon,heSa .Sa.
poison % catfish. which is very, peepu-
larly called the mad tom tie IS
vicious fellow and has tnniceed pam
full wounds by stabbins men with nus
pectoral spines, Last, there IS ing
catfish.
Take the minnows as an example or
the number OF varieties and the Narl-
ety of names. Among these names
are smelt, silver minnow, smelt min
now, fall fish. chub. dace. horned daee,
silver club, long-mouthed minnow,
roach. sunfish. bitterhead, sinner,
Dream. spawn eater. silver nm. satin
fin. lace fin. red I'm. black -nosed dace.
brook minnow. horny head. grass
club. river club. Indian chub. jerker.
mud minnow. killifish. pike minnow.
mummichog, sheepshead minnow and
variegated minnow.
No doubt there are other minnows
whose names have been omitted here.
Some of the suckers arc the carp suck
er, uuillback sucker. brook sucker.
white sucker. fne-scaled mullet. bay
mare. stone toter. club. chub sucker.
creek fish. creek sucker. muliet. red
muilet and redhorse mullet. Among
native shads and herrings is the Eiz-
zard shad, variouslY called the Viz
ginia shad. mud shad. hickory shad
and winter shad. There are also the
hickory jack. tailor. freshwater tailor.
fall herring, tailor herring and the
mattawacca. And IL you were fish,
erman of studious habits and keen OBJ
servation you would probably know
the difference between the plain her
ring, the branch herring. the blear-
eyed herring. the river herring. the
alewife. the Slut herring and the SUM