THE BASSES: FRES H-W ATER AND MARINE 



as for the most part they represent offshore fish- 

 eries or countries remote from our own. Suffice 

 it to mention in this connection one celebrated 

 species, well known on the Pacific coast as a sea- 

 bass, although quite different from all the sea- 

 basses, so called, in the East. This refers to the 

 giant jewfish of California and the Gulf of Mex.- 

 ico, which is styled guasa by natives of Spanish 

 origin. The guasa sometimes attains a weight of 

 four hundred pounds. It takes the hook freely, 

 but has no superiority over the common codfish for 

 sport. 



The Genus Roccus 



The striped bass belongs to the genus Roccus, a 

 name invented by Dr. Mitchill, nearly a century 

 ago, with reference to one of the common names 

 of this bass, the word being dog-Latin for " rock." 



* 

 Description 



The genus Roccus has two patches of small teeth 

 on the base of the tongue; the lower jaw is much 

 longer than the upper; the scales on the cheeks are 

 nearly smooth along their margin; and the back 

 fins are separated by a narrow space. Another 

 characteristic of some importance is the structure 

 of the spines behind the vent, which increase regu- 

 larly in size from the first to the third. The striped- 

 bass genus is further distinguished by a rather 



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