Chap. 5. 



FISHES OF VERMOiNT. 



129 



ORDERS OF FISHES. 



THE PERCH. 



Family, Murenidcc. 

 Murena vulgaris, Common Ee!. 

 " hostonicnsis. Black Eel. 

 " argcntca. Silver Eel. 



il. CARTILAGINOUS FISHES. 

 Faniiiij I. — Sturionidte. 

 Acipenser ruhicunrlux, R.iund Nosed Slurgenii. 

 " oxijrltynclius, Siiarp Nosed Slurgeon. 

 Family Il.—Cyclostomidce. 

 Petromi/zon nigricnns, Blue Lamprey. 

 Jinvmocmtes concolor, Mud Lamprey. 



\. OSSEOUS, OR BONY FISHES. 

 Order I. — Acanthopterygii. 

 Spinous rayed Fishes. 

 Fishes of this order are recognized by 

 the spines which occupy the place of the 

 first rays of the dorsal fin, or the rays of 

 the first dorsal when there are two. Some- 

 times, instead of a first dorsal, there are 

 only a i'ew free spines. 



I. PERCIIXE, OR PERCH FAMJLY. 

 Ge.nus Ferca. — Cuvicr, 

 Generic Characters. — Two separite dcrsid 

 fins; rays ot" ihe first spinous; toiiJi^e smoolli ; 

 teeih in bolh jaws, in front of tlic vomer, and on 

 tlie palatino bones ; pronpfrciilinn notched below 

 and serrated on the poslerior edge; operculuni 

 bony, ending in a flattened point directed back- 

 wards ; branchial rays seven; .scales rough, iiard, 

 and not eusil}' dolaciied. 



THE COMMON PERCH. 

 Perca serrato-granahUa. — Cuv. 



Uuv. et Val. Hist. Nat. dfis Pois5., 11—47. 

 Description. — Body deep and thick, 

 but becominor slender and nearly cylindri- 

 cal towards tiie tail ; head rather small, 

 and tapering towards the snout ; both 

 jaws and palate covered with small teeth ; 

 color greenish, or yellowish brown above; 

 sides yellow, crossed by 7 transverse 

 brownish bands ; belly white ; lateral 

 line parallel to the curve of the back; 

 tail concave. Preoperculum narrow, and 

 its edge armed willi small spinous teeth, 

 those on the lower margin larger, with 

 their points directed forwards ; the oper- 

 culum radiated with granulated rays, ter- 

 minating posteriorly in a spine, with sev- 

 eral spinous denticulations beneath, and 



Pt. I. 17 



grooves extending forward from them. 

 The ^edges of the inter-operculum and 

 sub-operculum are finely serrated, -and 

 the latter is prolonged into a membranous 

 point lying under the spine of the oper- 

 culum. Humeial bones ijrooved and us- 

 ually serrated. Jaws etiiial ; eyes ratlrer 

 large ; iris yellowish ; dorsal and caudal 

 fins brownish ; pectorals orange on the 

 lower part ; the others more or less ruddy. 

 The first dorsal more than twice as long 

 as high, with a black spot or clouded with 

 black towards the posterior part, the sec- 

 ond two thirds as long as tiie first. Depth 

 of the body to the total length of the fish 

 as 1 to 4. Length of the specimen be- 

 fore me 12 inches, depth 3, thickness 2. 



Rays, B. 7, P. 0, V. lj.5, D. 1;}|'1|14, 

 A.2|7, C. 17.* 



History. — The Yellow Perch is one of 

 the most common fishes found in lake 

 Champlain, and in the mouths of the riv- 

 ers fallmsr into this lake. Tliey are taken 

 both with the seine and hook, but chiefly 

 with the latter. In the winter they are 

 caught by cutting holes in the ice. They 

 vary from 8 to 12 and even/14 inches in 

 length, and are carried round for sale 

 from house to hotise in the villages along 

 the lake, at all seasons of the j'ear, neatly 

 scaled and dressed ready for cooking. In 

 this condition they are sold at from ]0 to 

 20 cents a dozen, according to the season 

 and their a!)undance. The flesh of the 

 Perch is while, firm and agreeable to the 

 palate, but is rather dry and bony. 



This fish agrees throujrhoiit with Dr. 

 IVFitcheH's description of his Bodionus 

 jlaccsccns, and is undoubtedly the species 

 from which his description was drawn. 

 Cuvier, having obtained specimens of this 

 and another species which very closely 

 resemble it, from the waters of the United 

 States, gave to this species the name 

 of P . scrrato-granulata, on account of its 

 serrated and granulated gill covers ; to 

 the other, distinguished from this by the 

 want of granulations, by its smaller size 

 and oreater number of brown bands upon 

 its sides, he gave the name of P. fiavcs- 

 cens. 



Genus Lucio-Perca. — Cutler. 



Generic Characters. — In the form of the 

 body and simalion of the fins like a Perch ; head 

 more liUe a Pike ; edge of the pr( - iiiorculiim with 

 one simple ernargination ; some of the_nia.\illary 

 and palatine teeth long and poinled. 



* The letters imlicate the fins, and the ti^ure.s the 

 number of rays in each ; B. ISranchial rays ; P. 

 Pectoral ; V. Vpnttal : D. Dors;iI ; A. Anal, and 

 C. (;:iMfli,). 



