PERCH-LIKE FISHES 117 



is derived from two Greek words meaning "many" and " saw" 

 — referring to the numerous serrations on the head and on 

 the spines of the fins. 



JEW-FISHES. 



(Genus Stereolepis.) Eig. 40. 



Closely related to the Stone Bass. The scales are small, 

 with fine spines at their edges, but are not rough. There are 

 no spiny ridges on the head. The tongue is quite smooth. 

 Each gill-cover has 2 blunt spines. The dorsal fin consists of 

 a long spinous portion with 11 spines, separated by a deep 

 notch from the short soft part with 10 rays. The pelvic fins 

 are placed just in front of the bases of the pectorals. The 

 full-grown fish are nearly uniformly greenish-black or grey ; 

 the young are brownish, with large black blotches or dusky 

 stripes, and the dorsal, anal and caudal fins have a conspicuous 

 pale edge. The pelvic fins are more or less black. 



Grow to a length of 5 to 7 feet and a weight of 600 to 800 lb. 



Two species are known : the California Jew-fish (S. gigas), 

 found on the coast of California ; and the Rock-fish or 

 Japanese Jew-fish (S. ischinagi), from Japanese seas. 



Little is known of the manner of life of these huge and 

 somewhat clumsy-looking fishes. They are known to be 

 sluggish in their movements, and to live almost entirely 

 among rocks on the sea bottom, where they prey voraciously 

 upon other fishes of all kinds. The late Professor Holder, the 

 famous American writer on sporting fishes, thus describes his 

 first California Jew-fish : " What a wonderful creature it was! 

 The experience of the moment, the sensations, could not have 

 been purchased. It was worth going a long way to accomplish. 

 Imagine, you casters of the black bass fly, a small-mouthed 

 black bass lengthened out to six feet, bulky in proportion, 

 a giant black bass — one that you would dream about after a 

 good day's fishing, — . . . ! Imagine this, and you have 

 the jewfish, black sea-bass, or Stereolepis gigas, of the Pacific 

 coast — a noble fish, a gamy fellow, especially adapted to the 

 man who desires animated dumb-bells, or who, sedentary in 

 his habits, requires violent exercise combined with much 

 excitement." 



