DIFFERENT SPECIES OF PERCH. 17 



spot where a trout would be likely to resort for fun, 

 or food, or privacy his fly must settle. After each 

 deposit in his "creel," he may look around and ad- 

 mire the prospect, open his ears to the song of the 

 spring birds, and sniff up the delightful odors which 

 the world exhales in turning green. But all these 

 things are to the trout fisher as if they were not, 

 while he is professionally engaged ; it is only in the 

 pauses of his art that he ventures upon a parentheti- 

 cal glance at the general features of the landscape. 

 His basket filled, however, he has leisure to be sen- 

 timental, and can sit down on a fence and invoke the 

 muses, if he happens to have the gift of jingle. 



Perch. 



There are four distinct specimens of this fish in- 

 habiting American waters, viz. : the Common Perch, 

 the Yellow Perch, the White Perch, and the Black 

 or Red Perch. The Common Perch is of brown 

 olive tinge, mingled with golden hue, and has dark 

 bands across its sides. The first dorsal fin is larger 

 than the second, and all the fins are tinged with a 

 lively red when first taken from the. water. Length 

 usually from five to fifteen inches. The Yellow 

 Perch averages a little larger in size, with a small 

 head tapering towards its mouth. Its jaws contain a 

 large number of minute teeth. Its back is of olive 

 brown color sides yellow, and belly white. The 

 stripes across its sides are brown, as are also its dor- 

 sal and pectoral fins. The ventral and anal fins are 

 2 



