J»it iH~rri*! 



CHAPTER V: PERCH-LIKE FISHES. 



Sea Perches. Stone Bass or Wreck-fishes. Jew-fishes. 

 Groupers or Rock-fishes. Pampanos. Amber-fishes or 

 Yellow-tails. Pilot-fishes. Leer-fish. Dolphins. Croakers 

 or Roncadors. Escolars or Oil-fishes. Snoek. Cutlass- 

 fishes or Hair-tails. Scabbard-fish. 



The fishes dealt with in this chapter are all Spiny-rayed 

 Bony Fishes, and all belong to the great Order of Perch-like 

 Fishes (Percomorphi) . The members of this Order agree in 

 never having more than 6 rays supporting each pelvic fin, and 

 not more than 17 principal rays in the caudal fin. An air- 

 bladder is present, but is never connected with the gullet. 

 The Order Percomorphi is subdivided into a number of sub- 

 orders, of which the first or Percoidea is by far the largest. 

 The Percoids all agree in having the pelvic fins placed below 

 the pectorals and composed of a spine and 5 soft-rays, in 

 having the spinous dorsal fin well developed, with the spines 

 usually stiff and sharp, and, as a rule, in having scales with 

 prickly edges. 



SEA PERCHES. 



(Family Serranid^e.) 



Percoids with -an oblong and more or less compressed body, 

 covered with closely adhering scales of small or moderate size. 

 The head is usually entirely scaly, and each gill-cover has from 

 1 to 3 fiat spines. There are 2 nostrils on each side of the 



