Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/389

CATriSH. 331 CATGOT. a group of physostomous (soft-rayed) fishes of both salt and fresh waters, comprising the order Xematoynatlii and the family Silurida^ and its allies. "The fishes of this order." writes Dr. R S. Jordan, "a-rree in having the maxillary bone imperfectly developed, and forminjr the basis of a long, fleshy feeler or barbel [and in] . . , the presence, in most cases, of additional pairs of barbels about the mouth, near tlie tip of the upper or the lower jaw, or both : the ab- sence of scales and the presence in many species, especially those found in tropical waters, of bony plates. These sometimes form a more or less perfect coat of mail on the sides of the body: at other times they form a shield on the top and back of the head. Another feature is the development. In most cases, of the first ray in the dorsal and pectoral fins as a strong, still", sharp, serrated spine which forms an efl'ective weapon of defense. The spines of the pectoral fins are strongest, and they are usually "set' — that is, firmly erected — whenever the fish is caught or attacked. These spines are a source of much aimoyanee to fishermen, and there are few persons ... in the Eastern States who have not had some painful experience with the 'horns' of a catfish." The wounds made by these spines often heal with dilTiciiIty, owing to the jagged nature of the cut and to the slime intro- duced : in one genus (Xoturus), however, a poison-gland is connected with the pectoral spine. They use the spine in ugly fights among themselves. " The catfishes inhabit the fresh wa- ters and shallow coastal waters of the warmer parts of America, Africa, and the Orient, but are represented by only a single European spe- cies, the typical silurus of the Latins, and the sheatfish of English writers. (See Sheat- nsn.) They vary from two inches to a dozen feet or more in length, and may exceed 200 pounds in weight. Most of them are good food, and everywhere enter into the diet of the people. In habits they are comparatively sluggish, re- main close to the bottom, and are carnivorous and voracious, eating eggs and fry of aquatic animals, and seizing such fishes, amphibians, and birds as they can overcome. Few are swift swinaners, but they lurk in wait for prey, being almost invisible by reason of their dull, dark colors, and making a quick rush ; consequently, the larger ones are among the most destructive enemies of aquatic life. The North American catfishes have the skin wholly naked, and are familiarly represented by the horned pout. (See BillIieau.) The same genus (Amiurus) contains several other species often termed mud-cats. The stone-cats belong to the genus Xoturus, are small, com- paratively slender, dark-hued, and inflict poisoned wounds.' Another genus, the channel-cats (Ic- talurus), dwell in running streams and lakes, and include many large forms, the fork-tailed catfish of the Great Lakes (Ictaluru.i liicustris) sometimes weighing 100 pounds: while the 'white' channel-cat I I'-tnlurufi pnnderosus) of the Mis- sissipjii River Valley may grow to 1.50 pounds, and become the largest of our freshwati'r fishes except the California sturgeon. An illustrated monograph of the fresh-water species, by Dr. IX S. .Jordan, will be found in liullclin Xo. 10 (1877) of the United States National Mu- seum at Washington. The sea-catfish are closely allied to the channel-cats, and two species are Vol. IV.— 22. common along the .Atlantic coast, both 2 to 5 feet long, and blue above with silvery bellies; but more than 100 species of this marine group, which haunt sandy bottoms near shore and furnish poor food, are scattered through the tropics, especially in the East Indies. The South American fresh waters abound in catfishes of the genus Pimelodns and it.s al- lies, the largest species of which is the leopard- eat, or suravi {Pimelodns frati), from rivers of Argentina and Uruguay, which is to 7 feet long, and yellow, spotted with black. Another characteristic South American group is that of the mailed cats, of the genus ('alliclithy*. in which the body is almost entirely covered by four ro«s of large, hard, narrow, scaly plates, two rows on each side, and the head is well cov- ered with bony plates. They are said to be able to make their way over land from a pool which may be drying up to another some distance away; sometimes they bury themselves in the mud of wet meadows. They build their nests near the margin of the water, at the beginning of the rain}' season, both sexes guarding them until the eggs are hatched. The genera Dora-. Loricaria, and Arges are allied groups of many species. Africa abounds in fishes of this family, of which the best known is the bayad (q.v. ) of the Nile. A different Nile catfish t ilalaptertiriis elcctrictis) has the power of de- livering an effective electric shock. ( See Elec- tric Flshe.s.) Many other species, some of large size, having the general characteristics outlined above, haunt the sluggish rivers and estuaries of India, Siam, China, and the larger islands thence to Australia, with varying im- jjortance as food. Among these is notable the eel-like genus Clarias, 'eel-pouts,' about thirty species of which are known, some reaching 6 feet in length. The catfishes are known as fos- sils well back into the Tertiary. The name is applied to various fishes of other families; as, in England, to the wolf-fish (Anar- rhiclias lupus), the cusk, and one or more small sharks. In Australasia the star-gazers (Kathe- tostoma) are called catfish, and elsewhere the chiniieras are called 'sea-cats.' CATGUT (probably a corruption, by popular confusi(]n with I;it, cat, of kit, fiddle, apparently from AS. cytcre, from Lat. cithara, Gk. KtOipa, l-itlidra, guitar, and gut, Ger. Goite, gutter, from .•S. (jcotun, Got. giutan, Ger. geissoi, Lat. fiiii- ilcre, Gk. ;i;m', che-in, to pour). A substance employed in the manufacture of the strings of violins, harps, guitars, and other musical in- .-.truments. and also used for the cords carrying dock-weights, in the bows of archers, and for whip-cord. It is generally prepared from the intestines of sheep, rarely from those of the horse, ass, or mule, but never from those of the cat. The first stage in the operation is the thor- ough cleansing of the intestines from ad- herent feculent and fatty matters, after which they are steeped in water fOr several days, so as to loosen the external membrane, which can then he removed by scraping with a blunt knife. The material which is thus scraped off is em- ployed for the cords of battledores and rackets, and also as thread hi sewing the ends of in- testines together. The scraped intestines are then steeped in water and scraped again, treated with a dilute solution of alkali (4 oz. potash.