AZURINE. 417 



Perch. The food, and the baits used for its capture, are 

 the same as those taken by the Carp ; and the largest spe- 

 cimen known was not supposed to exceed one pound in 

 weight. 



The depth of this fish is to its length as two to seven ; 

 and it is therefore in shape something similar to the Rudd, 

 but is at once distinguished from that species by the slate 

 blue colour of the back, the silvery whiteness of the abdomen, 

 and also by its white fins, which in the Rudd are of a 

 fine vermilion, or cinnabar red. The nose is blunt; the 

 mouth small ; the nostrils pierced on the upper surface of 

 the nose, midway between the eye and the upper lip ; the 

 eye moderate in size ; the whole head small, depressed ; 

 the back arched, the abdomen also convex ; the scales rather 

 large, and differing in the number of concentric and radiat- 

 ing striae from those of the Rudd ; the number of punc- 

 tured scales forming the lateral line about forty-two, in an 

 oblique line from thence to the base of the dorsal fin seven, 

 and downwards to the origin of the ventral fin three : the 

 lateral line, descending rapidly from the upper edge of the 

 operculum, takes a curve parallel to the deep convex line of 

 the abdomen. The fin-rays in number are 



D. 10 : P. 15 : V. 9 : A. 12 : (\ 19. 



The dorsal fin commences half-way between the eye and 

 the end of the fleshy portion of the tail ; the first ray is 

 short, the second ray the longest, the last ray double ; 

 the base of the fin equal to the length of the seventh ray : 

 the pectoral fin rather long, reaching nearly to the origin of 

 the ventral fins, which arise in a vertical line considerably 

 in advance of the dorsal fin, and thus bring that fin over 

 the interval between the ventral and anal fins. From the 

 vent the body diminishes rapidly, and the anal fin is situated 

 on the obliquity thus produced. The first ray of the anal 



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