. The American natural history : a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America . Natural history. THE PADDLE-FISH. To some persons, the big Paddle-Fish,1 or Shovel-Nosed "Sturgeon," as it is more com- monly called, is one of the wonders of fresh water. Here we find a case of what naturalists call " spe- cialization " which has gone to an astonishing ex- treme. This is a scaleless fish, with a body very much like a shark, and a half-cartilaginous, shark- like skeleton. It has a low-browed, armor-plated head that runs forward into a broad, thin paddl
. The American natural history : a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America . Natural history. THE PADDLE-FISH. To some persons, the big Paddle-Fish,1 or Shovel-Nosed "Sturgeon," as it is more com- monly called, is one of the wonders of fresh water. Here we find a case of what naturalists call " spe- cialization " which has gone to an astonishing ex- treme. This is a scaleless fish, with a body very much like a shark, and a half-cartilaginous, shark- like skeleton. It has a low-browed, armor-plated head that runs forward into a broad, thin paddle of bone, one-third the length of the entire fish. Beyond doubt, this remarkable implement is used in turning up the mud and gravel of the bot- toms of the streams in which the owner lives, in searching for food. It is unfortunate that we never can see it in action, and still more so that this fish has not yet been kept successfully in aquaria. Mr. Charles H. Townsend says that in captivity they always injure their paddles against the sides of their tanks, and do not live longer than two or three weeks. 1 Po-ly'o-don spath'u-la. In "American Food and (Same Fishes," Drs. Jordan and Evermann give a number of size rec- ords of this fish which will be a surprise to many persons who, like the. writer, have seen and handled only medium-sized specimens. The figures given show length in inches, and weight in pounds. In. Lbs. Lake Manitou, Ind., heaviest on 163 Lake Tippecanoe, Ind. (W. C. Harris), length 74 150 Chautauqua Lake, N. Y., length 74 25£ St. Louis (Dr. Engelman), length .... 70 79 White River, S. Dakota (J. and E.), length 53 18 The latest record is interesting as showing the light weight of what was a long, but 'very slender specimen. Judging from all available evidence, 2 This fish and the one next noted was 4 feet in UNDER VIEW OF THE PADDLE-FISH. 429. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digi
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