GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 273 



THE BRANDED CORVINA. 



Corvina Ocellata — Cuvier. 



This is a beautiful species, very rare at the north, but is 

 abundant to the southward. It is as excellent as it is hand- 

 some, and my southern readers will recognise it as the Poisson 

 Rouge, or Red-fish of New Orleans, and as the Sea Bass or Red 

 Bass of Charleston. Like the rest of its family, it is a bold 

 biter and a vigorous fish, and is considered superlative on 

 the table. 



In colour it is blue above, lighter below, with head, cheeks, 

 and shoulders of a deep golden yellow, with ruddy metallic 

 reflections. Its dorsal fin is dark green; pectorals, ventrals, 

 and anal dull red. At the base of the tail it has one, and 

 sometimes two dark brown confluent spots. To these its name 

 of Branded has been ascribed by Dr. Mitchil, as if the marks 

 resembled the brand left by a heated iron. 



The body of this Corvina is more cylindrical, less compressed, 

 and shallower than in any of its family. The snout- is blunt 

 but prominent. Lateral line concurrent with the dorsal outline. 

 The teeth in one band in both jaws. The pre-operculum is 

 serrated or toothed along the whole margin ; the operculum 

 terminates posteriorly in two blunt spines. 



The first dorsal fin has ten spines; the second, one spine 

 and twenty-six soft rays ; the pectorals have seventeen soft 

 rays ; the ventrals, one spine and five soft rays ; the anal, two 

 spines and eight soft rays ; and the caudal, which is nearly 



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