ASS AND SEA PERCHES 



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nine or ten spines in the first dorsal, and three in the anal fin. To this section of 

 the subfamily also belong the bass {Morone} , which are partly marine and partly 

 fresh-water fishes, easily distinguished from the true perch by having only nine 

 spines in the dorsal fin, while there are usually three in the anal. There are also 

 teeth on the tongue, and while the preopercular bone is serrated, with denticula- 

 tions on its lower border, the front border of the preorbital bone is entire. The 



COMMON BASS, SEA PERCH, AND STONE BASS. 

 (One-sixth natural size.) 



scales are rather small and extend all over the head. Of the three European and 

 Atlantic species, which are almost entirely marine, the best known is the common bass 

 (M. labrax), represented in the upper figure of the accompanying illustration, and 

 characterized by its extreme voracity and fierceness. Elsewhere, the genus is repre- 

 sented by fresh-water species from the rivers of the United States and Canada. Fossil 

 species occur in the middle Eocene of Italy. Generally not exceeding a foot or 



