PERCA.] PISCES (OSSEI) ACANTHOPT. 331 



dorsal close behind the first, only a small space intervening; first ray 

 spinous, not half the length of the second ; third and fourth longest ; the 

 succeeding ones slightly decreasing ; all the soft rays, except the first, 

 branched : anal commencing rather more backward than the second 

 dorsal, and not extending so far towards the caudal; two first rays 

 strongly spinous, much shorter than the others, which are all branched 

 and articulated : caudal forked : pectorals about two-thirds of the length 

 of the head ; the middle rays longest, those on each side decreasing ; the 

 first two and last three simple, the others branched: ventrals placed 

 a little behind the pectorals, equal to them in length; the first ray 

 strongly spinous, shorter than the others, which are all soft and much 

 branched : number of rays in the respective fins, 



D. 14 or 151/13; A. 2/8; C. 17, and some short ones; P. 14; V. 1/5* : 



vent in a line with the commencement of the second dorsal. Number of 

 vertebrae forty-two. (Colours.} Back and sides dusky green, with from 

 five to seven dark transverse bands; abdomen white, tinged with red: 

 ventrals bright scarlet; anal and caudal fins somewhat paler; dorsals 

 and pectorals dusky, tinged with red; often a conspicuous black spot on 

 the webs connecting the four last spines in the first dorsal. 



Common in lakes, rivers, and streams. Found, according to Cuvier, 

 throughout all the temperate parts of Europe, and a great part of Asia. 

 Often, but not always, gregarious. Feeds on worms, insects, small Crust- 

 acea, and the fry of other fish. Seldom attains a greater weight than 

 four pounds, but has been known to weigh as many as nine. Spawns 

 in April or May. A monstrous variety, with the back hunched, and the 

 lower part of the back-bone next the tail much distorted, is mentioned by 

 Pennant as found in a lake in Merionethshire. 



(2. LABRAX, Cuv.) 



2. P. LabraoD) Linn. (Common Basse.) 



P. Labrax, Linn. Syst. Nat. torn. i. p. 482. Don. Brit. Fish. 

 vol. ii. pi. 43. Flem. Brit. An. p. 213. Scisena Labrax, Block, 



Ichth. pi. 301. Labrax Lupus, Cuv. et Vol. Poiss. torn. n. 

 p. 41. pi. 11. Cuv. Reg. An. torn. n. p. 133. Basse, Will. Hist. 

 Pise. p. 271. tab. R. 1. Penn. Brit. Zool. vol. m. p. 257. pi. 49. 



Id. (Edit. 1812.) vol. in. p. 348. pi. 60. Yarr. Brit. Fish. vol. i. 

 p. 6. 



LENGTH. From one to two feet. 



DESCRIPT. (Form.) Resembling the Perch, but more elongated ; the 

 back not so high : greatest depth a little behind the ventrals, equalling 

 one-fourth of the length, caudal excluded : line of the back somewhat 

 concave beneath the first dorsal, and convex beneath the second : head 

 nearly one-fourth of the entire length, including caudal: lower jaw 

 longest; strong card-like teeth on the intermaxillary, vomer, and pala- 

 tines; on the sides, and towards the root, of the tongue, teeth like 

 velvet : head smooth ; cheeks covered with small scales : preopercle 

 large ; the serratures on the ascending margin more developed than in 

 the Perch; the basal margin with three strong spines : opercle triangular, 

 the posterior angle armed with two strong flattened spines : lateral line 

 curved, descending a little from the upper angle of the opercle to 



* I have adopted throughout the same kind of formula, by which to express the number of 

 fin-rays, as that employed by MM. Cuvier and Valeneienne.s. " 



