PERCID^E. 51 



ACANTHOPTERYGI1. PERCIDJ2. 



THE PIKE PEARCH. 



YELLOW PIKE PERCH, OR AMERICAN SANDRE. 

 Lucioperca Americana; DeKay. 



IN speaking of this fish in the body of this work, not having then 

 seen it, I borrowed both the description and the cut from Dr. DeKay's 

 Fauna of New York. 



The cut, I regret to say, is very incorrect, especially as regards the 

 position of the ventral fins, which, as in the subbrackial Malacoptery gii 

 and the Bass group of the Percidce, are attached to the humeral bones, 

 and situate immediately below the pectorals. 



The following is the description, with measurement, of very fine spe- 

 cimens, sent to me by Mr. Mandeville, of Geneva : 



Head prolonged, snout-like, with a flattened depression above the 

 eyes. Preoperculum nearly vertical, scalloped rather than dentated 

 on the under margin. The operculum has three flat angular processes, 

 corresponding to a line drawn from the snout through the centre of the 

 orbit, and a pointed membrane beyond. 



Eye very large, nearly equidistant between the snout and the oper- 

 cle. 



Dental system most formidable ; several powerful recurved canine 

 tusks at the extremity of each jaw, those of the lower received into 

 corresponding cavities of the upper jaw ; a series of smaller hooked 

 teeth on the labials, and a row of very long sharp recurved tusks- on 

 the palatines ; no teeth on the tongue or vomer. 



Whole length, 19 inches ; from snout to posterior angle of opercle, 

 5 inches ; from snout to centre of eye, 1 inch ; to origin of the pec- 

 torals, 4f inches ; of ventrals, 5f ; of anal, Hi ; O f caudal, 16 ; of first 

 dorsal, 5 ; of second dorsal, 10|. Breadth, 5J inches ; thickness, 2. 



Branchiostegous rays, 6. 



Pectorals thirteen soft rays ; ventrals one spine five branched rays ; 

 anal one spine twelve branched rays : caudal deeply furcate, nineteen 



