114 BOOK OF THE BLACK BASS. 



delicate at the angles of the mouth, on the vomer and on the 

 wings of the palate they are small and like velvet ; eye round, 

 near the summit of the head; scales rounded, large upon the 

 sides near the pectoral fins, diminisliing towards the back, and 

 ill approaching the tail and the abdomen, smaller, and subequal 

 on all the pieces of the operculum; the snout and the upper 

 l^art of the head are destitute of scales; mandible and post 

 mandible very strong and broad ; dorsal fin divided into two 

 nearly equal parts, the anterior spinous, elevated before, very low 

 behind and but little arquated ; the posterior part more elevated 

 and rounded; the anal fin short, extending beyond the dorsal 

 as in the species of the Ohio, so that its middle corresponds 

 with the posterior base of tiie doi'sal ; the rays of the fins are 

 also much divided and articulated ; pectorals small and rounded ; 

 thoracic fins subtriangular, as long as the pectorals; operculum 

 without any denticulation, or spine; lateral line oblique, undu- 

 lated ; the color of this dried specimen is black on the back and 

 lighter towards the abdomen. 



" We are indebted for tliis species to the researches of Messrs. 

 Maclure, Ord, Say, and Peale, who brought it from East Flor- 

 ida."— (Le, Sueur, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. PhU. II, 219, 1822.) 



HuRO NIGRICANS Cuvicr & Valenciennes, 1828. — " II a le 

 corps un peu plus hunt a })roportion que la perche ; le museau 

 un peu plus court ; le fiont luoins concave ; sa machoire inferi- 

 eure se porte un peu plus en avant. Sur son front se voient des 

 stries fines et nombrenses, mais toutes dirigees vers le bord de 

 Torbite. II a des dents en velours aux memes endroits que la 

 perche; son maxillaire a le bord siiperieur dilate; son front, son 

 museau, ses machoires, n'ont point d'ecailles; mais il y en a sur 

 son crane, sa tempe, toute sa joue et toutes ses pieces operculai- 

 rcs, Icurs lionls exceptes. Le limbe de I'opercule en est depour- 

 vii, et son bord parfaitement entier et sans dentahircs s'arrondit 

 dans le bas, apres avoir fait un tres-leger arc rentrant. L'opcr- 

 cule osseux se terniine en deux pointes plates, separees par une 



