1 66 Bass, Pike, and Perch 



Europe. It is commonly known as perch or 

 yellow-perch, also as ringed-perch and raccoon- 

 perch. It is abundant in the Great Lake region 

 and in coastwise streams of the Atlantic slope 

 from Nova Scotia to North Carolina. It is also 

 common in some of the tributaries of the upper 

 Mississippi River and in certain lakes in northern 

 Indiana. It is a handsome fish, well propor- 

 tioned, and of a lively disposition. It has a 

 shapely body, with a depth of about one-third of 

 its length, somewhat compressed, and with an 

 arching back. The mouth is moderate in size, 

 with bands of small, bristlelike teeth, but no ca- 

 nines, and has a projecting snout. The head is 

 not quite one-third of the length of the body. 

 Its back is dark olive, sides bright golden yellow, 

 belly pale or pinkish, with half a dozen or more 

 broad, dark, vertical bars. The lower fins are 

 bright red or orange. While the coloration varies 

 somewhat in different situations it is always brill- 

 iant, rendering it one of the handsomest fishes 

 among the fresh-water species. 



The yellow-perch is gregarious, always in 

 schools, and the fish of a school will be about of 

 a uniform size, be that great or small. It fre- 

 quents waters of a moderate depth in streams or 



