THE YELLOW BASS AND OTHER BOYS' FISHES. 417 



in about 7 rows. Scales of breast small. Palatine teeth few, 

 rather large. Gill-rakers quite short, but stiff and rough; 

 wide apart. Opercular flap very long (longer in the adult 

 than on any other of the Sun-fishes except Lepo7nis megalotis), 

 narrow, not usually wider than the eye. In the young the 

 flap is variously shorter, but always narrow; lower margin of 

 flap usually pale. Dorsal spines rather low. Color olive; 

 belly largely orange red; scales on the sides with reddisii 

 spots on a bluish ground; vertical fins chiefly orange or yel- 

 lowish; head with bluish stripes, especially in front of eye; 

 no dusky blotch on last rays of dorsal and anal. Head (with- 

 out flap) 3-in; length; depth 2 1-8. D. X, 11; A. Ill, g; Lat. 

 I. 47. L. 8 inches. 



This handsome Sun-fish is found in all ponds and streams 

 east of the Alleghanies from Maine to Florida. It reaches a 

 length of eight to ten inches, and is a pan-fish and a game- 

 fish not to be despised. In Virginia and the Carolinas, it is 

 the most abundant of the Sun-fish, and thrives wonderfully 

 in millponds. 



THE BLUE-GILL OR DOLLARDEE — Lcpoinis palUdus (Mitchill). 



Desci-iption. — Body deep and compressed, rather elongate, 

 with slender caudal peduncle when young; short, deep and 

 almost orbicular in very old specimens; head moderate, about 

 one-third the length, with short snout, large eye, and steep 

 profile; depth of body about half the length, in old specimens 

 somewhat more; mouth quite small, the maxillar)- not reach- 

 ing eye; opercular flap large, entirely black, with narrow 

 margin at base, nearly as broad as long in adults; in young 

 specimens the flap is usually quite small, and broader than 

 long; fins large; dorsal spines very high, often higher than 

 soft rays in young, their length about equal to the distance 

 from snout to posterior margin of eye; pectoral fins very long 

 and falcate, reaching beyond beginning of anal ; scales mod- 

 erate ; those on cheeks in about six rows; lateral line with 

 45 to 48. Coloration, adults dark olive or bluish green; 

 belly and lower parts more or less coppery; no blue stripes 

 on the cheek; a large dusky or "inky" spot on the last rays of 

 dorsal and anal; young specimens show several undulating or 

 chain-like transverse olive bars, and a bright purplish luster in 

 life. Length 6 to 10 or 12 inches. 



This species is the most widely diffused of all our Sun- 



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