312 A COURSE ON ZOOLOGY. 



bones, the presence or absence of spinous rays on the 

 dorsal fins, the position of the ventral fins, and the 

 existence or absence of a duct connected with the 

 swimming-bladder. This classification is shown in the 

 table on page 311. 



BONY FISHES (TELEOSTEl). 



Acanthopterygii (spine-finned). The fresh-water 

 perches are of medium size, eight to twelve inches long, 

 very carnivorous, and very destructive to other fish. 

 The flesh is white or pale-yellow, and is excellent and 

 wholesome food. The black bass and striped bass, or 



FIG. 266. 



PEECH (Perca fluviatilis). 



rock-fish, are game fishes; they prefer cold and rapid 

 waters ; the spines in the dorsal fin are very sharp, and 

 the head of the first is large. The mullet and red- 

 mullet have delicate flesh ; they feed on the organic 

 matter found in muddy bottoms, the mullet being a 

 fresh-water and the red-mullet a marine fish. 



The mackerel is ordinarily between twelve and six- 

 teen inches long, and is found in almost all temperate 

 and tropical seas, excepting on the American coasts of 

 the South Atlantic. They move in shoals, approaching 



