A cat-fish.
1705. Conger-Eels, Perch, and Cats, &c.—Beverley, ‘Virginia,’ ii. 32.
1790. Perch, pike, eel, and cats of a monstrous size.—Mass. Spy, Sept. 16.
1796. The spotted cat is mentioned in Stedman’s ‘Surinam.’ (N.E.D.)
1805. Fish scarce, and those principally of the cat kind.—Mass. Spy, July 17.
1853. Other kinds of river fish [were abundant,], but the huge “Cats”—where were they?—S. A. Hammett (‘Philip Paxton’), ‘A Stray Yankee in Texas,’ p. 65.
