SEA-BASS AND OTHER FISHES. 



BY S. C. CLARKE. 



the channel bass or red-fish -Scicena ocellata, (Guntker.) 



M 



UCH has been written on the Striped Bass, more of 

 the Black Bass, and their allies, the White, Green, and 

 Speckled Basses, but few writers have treated of the 

 above species, which is a fish of great merit in many ways. 

 It is known to school-men as Perca ocellata, Linn; Corvina 

 ocellata, Cuv. and Val; C. ccellata, Holbrook; Scicena ocel- 

 lata, Goode and Jordan. 



With names in the vernacular, it is still more liberally 

 supplied. Channel Bass, Red-fish, Red-drum, Red-horse, 

 Spot, Sea-Bass, Branded-drum, and Bass, pure and simple 

 these according to locality, from Barnegat Inlet to Texas. 

 As Professor Goode remarks, "this species is very much in need 

 of a characteristic name, as all the above names belong to 

 other species," and he suggests "The Southern Red-fish" as 

 most suitable. An objection to this is that the fish is not 

 always red, the young being not at all so, and the adult fish 

 as often of golden hue as red, and to change the popular 

 name of fish or bird is perhaps impossible. 



Our Bass is a stout, thick-set fish, in color reddish-brown 

 on the back, red or golden on the sides, according as the 

 fish is found in fresh or salt water white beneath, with one 

 or more black spots on the base of the tail. Hence the spe- 

 cific name, ocellata, signifying "eye-shaded spots." It is well 

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