362 RAMBLES ABOUT HOME. 



there is a fair supply of spring water, they thrive excel- 

 lently ; but the largest specimens I have ever seen were 

 either from the river or from the outlets of the larger in- 

 flowing creeks. Occasionally they have been found in 

 very shallow waters ; but the attraction was very evident : 

 they were following up the millions of small minnows 

 which frequent all the smaller brooks. Indeed, with all 

 our perches it is the story of the blue-fish and moss- 

 bunkers of our sea-coast over again. They chase the small 

 fish upon which they feed even to such shallow waters 

 that they are themselves occasionally entrapped. If not 

 feeding, then deep water is preferred, and often I have 

 seen numbers of them resting apparently upon the bed 

 of the stream, side by side, and all with their heads up- 

 stream, just as, in August, one may see often a closely- 

 packed mass of crimson red-fins in a deep pool of some 

 rapidly flowing brook. Still, as such scenes are not com- 

 mon among the perch the year through, perhaps they can 

 best be described as a semi-social fish. "Without going 

 in schools, as do the herrings, they are usually found to- 

 gether in considerable numbers, though this association 

 perhaps results rather from the attractiveness of the lo- 

 cality than from any pleasure in associating with their 

 own kind. This is one of those impressions that a close 

 observer will sometimes get without being able to adduce 

 any evidence of the fact. At all times these perch free- 

 ly associate with other percoids in the same manner as 

 with individuals of their own kind. Thus a single yel- 

 low perch will often be found with a school of white 

 perch or of rock-fish, or there may be a mixed company 

 of the three kinds in very unequal numbers. 



As the pursuit of food is the one prominent object of 

 their restless lives, of course all the fishes of a given 

 pond or stream, having like habits, will be brought close- 



