DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMON PICKEREL. 231 



seven, the thickness is about two-thirds of the depth ; the 

 length of the head to the entire length is as one to four ; the 

 posterior edge of the orbit is midway between the tip of the 

 snout and the posterior margin of the free gill-cover; the 

 origin of the ventral fin is midway between the tip of the 

 snout and the fork of the caudal ; the termination of the 

 caudal opposite to the origin of the anal; the gill-covers are 

 nearly vertical, and very slightly rounded, except the margin 

 of the sub-operculum, which is very short as compared with 

 the operculum ; the brancliiostegous rays are nine in number ; 

 dorsal fin-rays, twenty ; pectoral, sixteen ; ventral, ten ; anal, 

 twenty; caudal, eighteen, seven above, and seven below the 

 great rays. 



The back is of an olive green with blue reflections ; the sides, 

 olive green fading into greenish yellow, with vertical lines of 

 dull brown occasionally crossing one another, so as to form 

 a sort of irregular network; the dorsal and caudal fins are of 

 an olive brown clouded with green ; the pectorals and ventrals, 

 greenish brown, margined with dull yellow; the anal, dusky 

 green ; the irides, golden yellow ; the cheeks and opercula, 

 which are covered with small scales, are olive green, with 

 brownish marks and reflections. The snout, brown ; the 

 lower jaw and gill-rays, white ; the belly, white, marked with 

 brown. 



This is the Common Pickerel of the Middle and Eastern 

 States; and is the fish intended, when the word Pickerel is 

 used without any epithet or definition. It is rather a favourite 

 fish; and has been injudiciously introduced into many fine 

 Trout ponds and streams, which have in consequence lost all 



