BRIEF NOTES ON FISHES. 367 



river in May and June. It is now thought that these ova 

 are carried until late in autumn, and then deposited on 

 the accustomed spawning-grounds, supposed to be some- 

 where in the lower bay. 



Both the rock-fish and white perch, then, must be 

 classed with the migratory fishes, and therefore are wide- 

 ly different from the yellow perch, which is a resident. 

 This can live and thrive in any pond, and exhibits little 

 taste for extensive rambling, at least as compared with 

 the others. 



Both the rock-fish and white perch, nevertheless, can 

 be "land-locked," and individually they will thrive in 

 this condition if provided with unlimited food. That 

 they would breed, when thus " land-locked," is doubtful. 



The latest results of studies of pickled "sunnies"- 

 shapeless mass of faded and distorted fish, half preserved 

 in weak alcohol, or bleached and bent by too strong 

 spirits is that in the Delaware valley there are eight 

 species. Of these some are unmistakable, for among 

 sunfish, or Centrarchidce, are included the black bass, 

 goggle-eyed perch, the mud sunfish, the " copper-bellies," 

 as well as the " sunnies " proper, all of which are familiar 

 to every boy in the country. About one or two so- 

 called species we need not now concern ourselves, as they 

 float in pickle, but do not swim in fresh water ; and it is 

 only with those that can be found any day in the week 

 that we are interested. 



However, let us follow the faunal list in the manual 

 at hand, and consider seriatim some of our sunfish 

 proper. 



Heading the list is a most interesting and well-defined 

 species, the mud sunfish. 



In one of my neighbor's meadows there is a deep 



