228 THE YELLOW PERCH. 
CHAPTEK XXY 
THE YELLOW PERCH. 
Perca Flavescens. — The Yellow Perch has, as his 
name indicates, a predominant yellow color on his 
sides ; there are a number of dark vertical bars over 
the back, and the pectorals, ventrals and anal are 
orange. The gill-cover is serrated beneath and armed 
with a long spine, and the fore gill-cover has a toothed 
margin. There are two dorsals ; the ventrals are be- 
neath and slightly behind the pectorals, and the teeth 
are mimite. The greatest weight is four or five j^ounds. 
The fin-rays are as follows — 
D. 13.2.15 ; Y. 1.5 ; A. 2.8 ; C. ITf . 
Unfortunately, this fish, equally despised by the 
gourmand and the sportsman, abounds in our fine ponds 
and lakes, that ought to be devoted to his noble con- 
gener, the black bass. He will take the fly if it is 
allowed to rest in the water, and after hooking a trout 
that had fouled in the weeds, I have found a perch on 
the second fly. He spawns in April or May, seeking 
the sandy shore, near projecting roots, where there is 
a depth of a foot of water. I have seen them crowd- 
ed together, male and female, jostling and following one 
another round and round through the roots, pressing out 
milt and spawn, and so busily engaged that they could 
