PERCH-LIKE FISHES 131 



supported by rather weak spines that can usually be folded 

 back into a more or less deep groove ; this part is always 

 shorter than the soft portion. The anal fin is nearly always 

 shorter than the soft dorsal and never has more than two 

 spines. The caudal fin is variously shaped, but is never 

 forked. The pelvic fins are placed just below or behind the 

 pectorals, and there may be a scaly process at the root of each 

 pelvic fin. The lateral line is complete, and extends on to 

 the caudal fin. The air-bladder is large, and usually has a 

 number of appendages on each side. Most of the members 

 of the family are nearly uniformly silvery ; none of them are 

 brightly coloured or strongly marked. 



This is a large and important family, and includes some 

 thirty or more genera and at least 150 species of fishes, which 

 are variously known as Croakers, Roncadors, Grunts, Drums, 

 Weak-fishes, Squeteagues, Corvinas, Mademoiselles and King- 

 fishes. The great majority of these are of small or moderate 

 size. Fossil remains, supposed to belong to fishes of this 

 family, date back to the Miocene period. The existing 

 Croakers are found in all the warm seas of the world, some of 

 them entering rivers and others being permanently resident 

 in fresh water. A number of Croakers grow to a fair size, but 

 it will be impossible to deal with these in detail here, and the 

 family Sciaenidae must be considered as a whole. 



The larger species grow to a length of 6 or 7 feet and a 

 weight of about 150 lb. 



The following forms, all attaining to a fair size, are perhaps 

 worthy of special mention. The Meagre or Kabeljau {Scicena 

 hololepidota) , also known as " Salmon " or " Salmon Bass " 

 in South Africa, is found in the North and South Atlantic, the 

 Mediterranean, South Africa, Madagascar and Mauritius ; it 

 is a somewhat rare visitor to British waters. The so-called 

 " Jew-fish " (5. antarctica) is a very closely related species 

 found in Australia. The Geelbek or " Cape Salmon " (Atracto- 

 scion cequidens) is another South African Croaker. The White 

 Sea Bass (Cynoscion nobilis) is a famous Californian fish, and 

 the Common Weak-fish (C. regalis) is a closely related species 

 on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. The 

 Drum (Pogonias cromis) is a very large fish found on the 

 Atlantic coast of America from Long Island to the Rio Grande, 



