Catalogue of the Fishes of Connecticut 57 



through which these animals move, serves greatly to conceal their 

 numbers, as well as their habits, from our view, and thus retard 

 our progress in their science. 



My object in this, as in the preceding classes, already furnished 

 the Society, has been to insert the name of no species, even though 

 in adjoining States, unless strong probability indicated its visits to 

 our waters ; and never then, unless notice of these circumstances 

 is subjoined, or made in the note appended. 



It is herewith respectfully submitted to the Society, by, dear 

 sir, your sincere friend and servant, James H. Linsley. 



Elmwood Place, Stratford, Dec. 16, 1843. 



Class IV. Fishes. 



Sub-class I. Bony Fishes, 



Section L Pectinibranchil 



Order I. Spine-Rayed. 



Family Percida. 



Perca flavescens, Mitchill, Yellow Perch, Hartford 





Stonineton. 



naan. 



granulata, Cuvier, Rough-head Yellow Perch, Ca- 



1. All the large streams near Hartford, (writes Mr. Ayres,) afford this species 

 of yellow perch. 



*2. 1 obtained many beautiful specimens of the rough-head perch by hook and 

 hne, in a stream near " Our House," in Canaan, Litchfield County, in August last. 

 « has recently become a question with Dr. Storer, one of our most distinguished 

 tththyologists, whether this and the preceding species are not identical, or one and 

 ")e same, although they have long been considered distinct. 



The Perca acuta, the gracilis, and the serrato-granulata of Dekay, or as adopted 

 h y Mm, I suppose are justly considered very doubtful species, but I found in the 

 P^ds of Salisbury immense quantities of a perch answering to the description of 

 toe \me flavescens. There is a great similarity in the markings or number of bars 

 of this, and the granulata. The fin rays are the same in number, except the anal 

 fi " of this contains two more rays. The head is much more acute, and the fish 

 m °re slender, and the back at the first dorsal invariably more arched, and the col- 

 0r8 'n all the great numbers I saw, were much lighter than any individual taken 

 10 Canaan, which is the true granulate. Dr. Dekay's figure 1, of his late Report 

 on the Fishes of New York, which represents the flavescens, affords a good represen- 

 tation of this fish, except his figure is throughout too highly colored. I have sent 

 specimens of both to Dr. Storer, and though he is at present undecided as regards 

 th eir identity, he thinks this Mitchill's "yellow perch." As their localities are 

 0nl y four to five miles asunder, it appears to me their shape (and the much lighter 

 coloring ofthis) being always so perfectly dissimilar, they can by no means be the 

 same fis h, but at least distinct and constant varieties, if not different species. Fu- 



v °l. Ut«, No. 1 .-April-Jun6, 1844, 8 



