((W; NKW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



is 4^ inclies long. It has more dorsal and anal spines than are 



usually present in this sunflsh. 



The colors of living specimens were described by Prof. Baird 



as follows: 



Dark greenish olive, with three or four irregular longitudinal 

 bands of dull greenish yellow, and occasionally cloudy spots of 

 golden green. Sides of the head of this color, with three indis- 

 tinct bands of dark olive. Iris purplish brown; cornea olive 

 green. Fins quite uniform, very dark greenish olive, with 

 darker margins, except the pectorals, which are light olivaceous, 

 and the ventrals, the spinous rays of which are uncolored. 

 Some specimens may be better described as dark golden green, 

 with longitudinal bands of dark olive, broken up by cloudings 

 of greenish. 



Baird called it the bass sunflsh because of its resemblance in 

 shape to some of the basses. The species ranges from New 

 York to North Carolina in sluggish streams near the coast. 

 Biiird eollected it in Rockland county, N. Y. Eugene Smith took 

 it in the upper Hackensack valley. Baird found it not rare in 

 Cedar Swamp creek, near Beesleys Point N. J. in 1854; and the 

 writer obtained a single individual in Gravelly run, not far from 

 that locality, in 1887, associated with the pirate perch, striped 

 mud minnow, barred killifish and young pickerel. 



TIh- iiiikI sunfish reaches a length of 6 inches. It prefers 

 iimddy Avaler and may even lie embedded in m^ul. Eugene 

 Siniili s.iys i( is shy, seclusive and nocturnal in its habits. 



Genus ambloplites Raflnesque 

 B<!.1\ ..I.N.iig. moderately elevated, compressed; mouth large, 

 file biuM.I iiKixillaiy with a well developed supplemental bone, 

 lout I J;iu itrojecling; teeth on vomer, palatines, tongue, ento- 

 p(eryg(.i.ls :iih| ecloplerygoids, lingual teeth in a single patch, 

 l-li;!r.viigf;il i.-i III sli;iip; branchiostegals six; opercle ending in 

 I wo Hat poiiiis; i.reoptiije serrate at its angle; other membrane 

 boiH's .liicilv riiiii-,.; ojh rakcrs i-niher long and strong, dentate, 

 ''^^ "''" '" '"' I'lMiihei-, develoj.ed only on the lower part of the 

 Jiirli; sea Irs lai-.,.. s(.iiie\vhat etenoid; lateral line complete, the 

 lubes or.ii|,.viii- ai l.-asi (he anterior half of the surface of the 

 """''' 'l'"'^;!' li" Miiirli iiioi-r dev(>loped (lian llieanal tin, with 10 



