CLASS PISCES. 101 



The first family of the acanthopterygii, or 



The Percoides l . The Perch. 



So named because the common perch is the type 

 of them, comprehends fish with an elongated body, 

 covered with hard or rough scales, in which the oper- 

 culum or preoperculum, and frequently both, have 

 indented or spinous edges, and in which the jaws, 

 the front of the vomer, and almost always the pala- 

 tines, are furnished with teeth. 



Their species are much multiplied, especially in 

 the seas of hot countries; their flesh is generally 

 wholesome and palatable. 



By very far the greater number of these percoides 

 have the ventral fins attached under the pectoral ; 

 they form the first division, which may be called the 



Thoracic Percoides. 



They were nearly all included by Linnaeus in his 

 genus perca ; but we have been obliged to subdivide 

 them as follows, from the number of rays of the gills, 

 the number of dorsal fins, and the nature of the 

 teeth. 



The first division has seven rays to the gills, two 

 fins on the back, and all the teeth short and even. 



1 In my first edition this family included also the fish with armed 

 cheeks, the sciaenoides and the sparoides. I have separated these 

 three new families, and I think I have been fortunate enough to find 

 sufficient characters for that purpose. 



