474 



Fishes. 



THE PERCH, (Perca fluviatilis,) 



SELDOM grows to any great size ; yet we have an account 

 of one which is said to have weighed nine pounds. The 

 body is deep, the scales rough, the back arched, and the 

 side-lines placed near the back. For beauty of colours, 

 the Perch vies with the gaudiest inhabitants of the 

 waters ; the back glows with the deep reflections of the 

 brightest emeralds, divided by five broad black stripes ; 

 the abdomen imitates the tints of the opal and mother- 

 of-pearl ; and the ruby hue of the fins completes an 

 assemblage of colours most harmonious and elegant. It 

 is a gregarious fish, and is caught in several rivers of 

 these islands ; the flesh is firm, delicate, and much 

 esteemed. 



It is generally believed that a pike will not attack a 

 full-grown Perch : he is deterred from so doing by the 

 spiny or dorsal fin on the back, which this fish always 

 erects at the approach of an enemy. Perch a.re so vora- 

 cious, that, if an expert angler happens to find a shoal of 

 them, he may catch every one. If, however, a single 

 fish escape that has felt the hook, all is over; as this 

 fish becomes so restless, as soon to occasion the whole 

 shoal to leave the place. Perch are so bold, that they 

 are generally the first fish caught by a young angler; 

 they will also soon learn to take bread thrown into the 

 water to feed them. A large-sized Perch weighs about 

 three pounds ; but generally the Perches caught in 

 ponds do not exceed eight or ten ounces in weight. 



