FISHES. 



225 



tlie body ; this peculiarity lias obtained for tlieiu the name of soap-fish, by which they 

 are generally known. One species of the family (Jihi/pticus saponaceus) is mod- 

 erately abundant in the Caribbean Sea. Another species {lihijpticus or Pro7nicroj>- 

 terus bistrispinosus) is an inhabitant of the southern Atlantic coast, and cue or two 

 others appear to occasionally wander to the borders of the United States. 



There are some fishes, closely related to the Serranida', which have, however, a 

 physiognomy of their own ; there are two dorsal fins, the first comjjosed of nine 

 spines, the second with a spine and about twelve rays ; the anal fin has three spines 

 and nine to eleven rays. The skull and other parts of the skeleton seem to justify 

 their family distinction and a special name — the Labracidjs or Roccid^. 



The Labrax or Dicentrarchus lupus of Europe is a fish with a long history and 

 highly esteemed from ancient daj-s. While it is most conimon in the Mediterranean, it 

 is by no means rare farther north and along the British coasts. The general name 

 bass (a corruption of the Dutch for perch) was early given to it in England, and that 



Fig. 12(j — Roccus lineatus, rock-fisb, striped-bass. 



name strictly belongs to it by virtue of long usage and restriction, although it has 

 been subsequently applied by the English colonists to numerous other fishes, most of 

 which have very little resemblance or affinity to the true bass. 



Nearly related to the bass of England are two species, of which one occurs in the 

 sea (running up, however, into fi-esh waters) and one is confined to the fresh waters of 

 America ; these constitute the genus Hoccus. They have the operculum armed with 

 small straight teeth below, and the tongue has true teeth in one entire or divided patch 

 near the root, and lateral bands are found along the margin. 



The striped-bass of New York, or the rock-fish of Philadelphia and Washington 

 (lioccus lineatus), is an elongated fish, olivaceous-silvery, with seven or eight longi- 

 tudinal blackish bands along the sides, one of which is coincident with the lateral line. 

 It is one of the most abundant and most esteemed fishes of the northern waters. Its 

 natural range is from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Florida, although it extends occa- 

 sionally both northward and southward of these bounds. In fact it is found in almost 

 all waters whose temperature is not higher than G5° or 70°. On the other hand it is 

 not very sensitive to cold, and there is evidence that, when detained throughout the 

 winter in shallow places, it fre(iuently enters into a state of torpidity. 



As is indicated by one of the names, it affects especially the rocky shores of the 



VOL. III. — 15 



