116 VERTEBRATA. PISCES. 



illustrate the genus by a little species, (L. Auritus,) 

 common in the North American rivers, whose man- 

 ners are in so amusing a manner detailed by Audu- 

 bon. It is there called the Sun-Perch, is about five 

 inches in length, usually of an olive hue, sometimes 

 varying to a paler tint, and occasionally shining with 

 a coppery gloss. It delights in clear and shallow 

 waters, where it can be exposed to the sun's influ- 

 ence. " The golden hues of some parts of the 

 body blend with the green of the emerald, while the 

 coral tints of the lower parts, and the red of its 

 sparkling eye, render our little favourite a perfect 

 gem of the water." But it is chiefly remarkable for 

 its parental assiduity in forming and watching a nest ; 

 an instinct, which though not quite unparalleled, 

 is certainly very unusual among Fishes. " The 

 Sun-Perch," says this engaging writer, " wherever 

 found, seems to give a decided preference to sandy, 

 gravelly, or rocky beds of streams, avoiding those of 

 which the bottom is muddy. At the period of de- 

 positing their eggs, this preference is still more 

 apparent. The little creature is then seen swim- 

 ming rapidly over shallows, the bed of which is 

 mostly formed of fine gravel, when, after a while, it 

 is observed to poise itself, and gradually sink to the 

 bottom, where, with its fins, it pushes aside the sand 

 to the extent of eight or ten inches, thus forming a 

 circular cavity. In a few days, a little ridge is 

 thus raised around, and in the cleared area the roe 

 is deposited. By wading carefully over the extent 

 of the place, a person may count forty, fifty, or 



