28 GENUS SERRANUS. 



roaming about in search of food ; but should any of the smaller fish, on which it 

 feeds, approach its lurking-place, it suddenly darts out, seizes its prey, and again 

 returns to its favorite spot. It is very voracious, and takes the hook freely when 

 baited with small living fish ; it ■will also rise to the fly, and being a strong and 

 active fish, its capture aff"ords much sport to the angler. The Grystes sahnoides, 

 or Trout of South Carolina, when in season, is esteemed our best fresh-water fish 

 for the table. 



Geographical Distribution. The Grystes salmoides is a Southern fish, and is 

 abundant in the waters of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, but has never, so far 

 as I know, been found north of Virginia. Cuvier and Valenciennes supposed this 

 animal to have had a much wider range than is here given, because they received 

 specimens of it from New York, through Milbert ; but he must have procured them 

 from more southern localities. The Trout has, however, its representatives both 

 in the North and West, with which it is closely allied ; as Grystes nigricans (Huro 

 nigricans) of Cuvier and Valenciennes, and Grystes fasciatus ( Cychla fasciata) of 

 Lesueur, both of which have been referred by Agassiz to the genus Grystes.* 

 Cuvier also speaks of having received this animal, through Lesueur, from the Wa- 

 bash River, in Indiana ; but it was probably the Grystes fasciatus, as the Trout 

 is not an inhabitant of those waters. 



General Remarks. The Trout was first described by Lacepede as the Lahrus 

 salmoides, and from a drawing and specimens sent him by Bosc, from Carolina, 

 under the name of Perca trutta. 



GENUS SERRANUS. — CwrnVr. 



Characters. Canine or long and pointed teeth distributed among the smaller 

 teeth of the jaws ; pre-opercle denticulated ; opercle with one or more spines ; dor- 

 sal fin single ; branchial rays seven. 



* Lake Superior, &c., p. 295. 



