THE PERCH FAMILY 



613 



of capture. There is a story 

 told of a hungry little lake- 

 perch which had its eye 

 hooked out by accident. The 

 angler, leaving the eye on the 

 hook, lowered it into the 

 water again, and a moment 

 after hauled out a one-eved 

 perch ! 



Among the species of 

 perch found in British waters 

 are the RUFFE, or POPE, a 

 very small and common river- 

 fish of no great value ; the 

 BASS, a fine sporting sea-fish, 

 which comes up the estuaries 

 of rivers to spawn, and is 

 much sought after by the ama- 

 teur sea-fisher; the COMBER, 

 or GAPER, a fairly common 

 fish on the coasts of the West of England; a rare sea-fish known as the DUSKY PERCH, caught 

 occasionally off the South of England ; the STONE-BASS, also called the WRECK-FISH, from its 

 habit of following wreckage in the sea; and, lastly, the DENTEX, a rare species, not often 

 caught off the British coasts, which attains the weight of about 70 Ibs. 



On the Continent there is the PiKE-PERCll, a fish having the appearance of a cross between 

 a pike and a perch, and growing to 25 or 30 Ibs. ; this voracious species is found in the lakes 

 and rivers of the temperate northern zones, and is much esteemed for food. In the tropics 

 there are a number of true SEA-PERCHES, which rarely enter fresh-water; they include the 

 AXTHIAS, most beautifully coloured with pink and yellow, of which there are between 100 

 and 200 species. Some of the tropical sea-perches grow to an enormous size, and there are 

 instances recorded of bathers having been attacked by them at Aden. Several monsters are 

 stuffed in the Natural History Museum at South Kensington. Among the coral-islands live 

 many very beautifully coloured sea-perches of various species. Perhaps the most remarkable of 

 all is the BOAR-FISH, or BASTARD DORY, which has a prolonged snout, no doubt used for 

 getting out its food from the crannies among rocks and other awkward places. 



W.le */ Dr. K. If. fhufMt] 



AMERICAN "SUN-FISH" 



Not to be confounded "with the true Sun-fishci described in Chapter 



CHAPTER III 



SCALT-FINS, RED MULLETS, SEA-BREAMS, SCORPION-FISHES, SLIME-HEADS, 

 TASSEL- FISH, ME ACRES, AND SWORD-FISHES 



BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S. 



FOR quaintness of shape, combined with beauty of coloration, the family of Scaly-finned 

 Fishes has no rivals. The name by which they are collectively known refers to the scaly 

 covering which invests the bases of what are called the median fins the fins seated 

 along the middle of the back and abdomen. A large number of distinct species have been 

 described, the majority of which occur in tropical seas, and especially in the neighbourhood 

 of coral-reefs ; but some frequent the mouths of rivers, which they occasionally ascend for 

 a short distance. All are of relatively small size, of carnivorous habits, and but little used 

 for food. 



The pattern of coloration commonly takes the form of bands or stripes, those in which 

 this pattern is most marked being known as ZEBRA-FISH. One of the most beautiful is the 



