THE BASSE. 199 



The Greeks call it Labrax ; the Romans, Lupus; and 

 these conjoined give it its specific name, Labrax lupus. 

 It is found along the whole line of our southern coast, 

 and is common in the Bristol Channel, where the fisher- 

 men often call it the Sea Salmon. It is a strong, active, 

 and very voracious fish, living in shoals, comes out of 

 the deep sea in May, and returns to it in October, and 

 is therefore seldom met with in winter months. It is 

 fond of frequenting wooden piers, and off the pier at 

 Herne Bay many a good fish has been taken with a 

 sand-eel or lug-worm, or a spoon-bait. The fishermen 

 there call it the Sea-Dace, and sometimes the White 

 Salmon. Gorlestone Pier and Britannia Pier at Yar- 

 mouth are favourite angling stations for this fish. 



The body of the fish is elongated as compared with 



THE BASSE. 



that of the perch, and in shape resembles the salmon. 

 The teeth are uniform in size, short and sharp, villiform 

 in the jaw ; the outer row, in the upper, somewhat 

 larger than the rest, in an almost crescentic form on the 

 vomer ; in a band on the palatines and also at the base 

 of the tongue. 



The colour on the back of a darkish-grey, silvery on 

 the sides and below. Dorsal, anal, and caudal fins 

 greyish ; pectoral and ventrals yellow-white. Fin-rays : 

 dorsal, 9, 2nd 13, I spinous, which occasionally is absent; 

 pectoral, 16; ventral, 6, I spinous; anal, 24, 3 spinous; 

 caudal, 27. 



In Scotland this fish is known as the Gape-Mouth ; 

 at Belfast, as the White Mullet or King of the Mullets ; in 

 France it is Le Bass or Le Loup; in Holland, Zee Bass. 



