424 Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Siirvey 



to 132-25, 83 to 95 pores ; bodj^ slender, becoming compressed with 

 age ; the back somewhat arched ; cheeks and upper surface of head 

 nearly naked; dorsal spines high, more than half length of head; 

 dorsal fins well separated, the interspace between them greater 

 than diameter of eye; the last dorsal spine scarcely erectile; soft 

 dorsal nearly as long as spinous dorsal; anal longer than high; 

 pyloric coeca 3, rather long. Color dark olive, finely mottled with 

 brassy, the latter color forming indistinct oblique lines; sides of 

 head more or less vermiculated ; lower jaw flesh-colored ; belly and 

 lower fins pinkish; spinous dorsal with a large jet-black blotch on 

 the membrane of the last 2 or 3 spines, otherwise nearly plain ; sec- 

 ond dorsal and caudal mottled olive and yellowish ; base of pectoral 

 dusky, without distinct black blotch. 



54. YELLOW PERCH 



PERCA FLAVESCENS (MitchiU) 



(Plates 31 and 32) 



The Yellow Perch is found throughout the eastern United 

 States, chiefly northward and eastward. It is abundant in the 

 Great Lakes and in the larger coastwise streams and lakes from 

 Nova Scotia to North Carolina ; also in most of the small lakes in 

 the upper Mississippi Valley, especially in northern Indiana, Illi- 

 nois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. It is also found 

 in some of the streams of this region, but is by preference a lake 

 fish. It is not known from the Ohio River nor from the lower 

 Missouri. In most of the New England lakes and those of New 

 York it is an abundant and well-known fish. 



At Lake Maxinkuckee the Yellow Perch is the most abundant 

 and best known fish. It is simply called "perch" here, as there 

 is no other perch present from which it is necessary to distinguish 

 it. The Perch seem to be less abundant and of smaller size than 

 formerly. During the seining operations of 1899-1900, the total 

 number caught was 4544, one or more examples were caught in 

 each of 282 of the 612 hauls, and the greatest number taken in 

 one haul was 141. 



Perch are found in abundance in all parts of the lake, though 

 they live by preference in the shallower water and about the weedy 

 bars. One of the pondweeds (Potamogeton americanus) of the lake 

 is known as "perch weed" from the fact that Perch are frequently 

 to be found in especial abundance where it grows. 



In rowing about the lake this is the fish most often seen in the 

 shallow water, and it is frequently seen in large schools under the 



