THE WHITE BASS 



the middle and sides of the roof of the mouth. The 

 outline of the back is much curved, and the two 

 back-fins are well separated. The first back-fin 

 has nine spines ; the second has one spine and four- 

 teen soft rays. The fin behind the vent has three 

 spines and eleven or twelve rays. There are eight 

 rows of scales between the lateral line and the base 

 of the second back-fin; thirteen rows between the 

 lateral line and the beginning of the fin behind 

 the vent; sixty rows in the lateral line. 



A specimen obtained by Mr. James Annin in 

 Oneida Lake was twelve and a quarter inches long ; 

 its head three inches; its depth four inches; its 

 eye nine sixteenths of an inch; weight, sixteen and 

 a half ounces. 



Common Names 



The fish is usually called white bass, but is some- 

 times styled the fresh-water striped bass. The 

 Canadian name silver bass probably belongs to this 

 fish. Rafinesque described it under the name Perca 

 chrysops, meaning " gold-eye," in 1820. 



Distribution 



This fish abounds in the region of the Great 

 Lakes and is widely distributed also in the valleys 

 of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. It is found in 

 Oneida Lake and has been freely introduced into 



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