THE PERCH. 141 



Eyes large and yellowish. Body deep and thick, but becom- 

 ing slender towards the tail. Scales rather rough and hard. 

 Lateral line almost straight. Tail rather concave. First ven- 

 tral ray spinous; as are also the two first and anal rays, all 

 the rays of the foremost dorsal fin, and the first of the second 

 dorsal. Colors, brown or olive on the back, turning yellow 

 on the sides, and white on the belly. Faint brown zones, to 

 the number of four, or more, diversifying the sides from the 

 back to belly. Dorsal and pectoral fins brown. Ventral and 

 anal scarlet. 



" In the year 1790, I transported about two dozen of these 

 yellow perch from Rockankama Pond, in Suffolk County, to 

 Success Pond, in Queens. The distance is about 40 miles. 

 Since that time there have been as many of them as could 

 subsist. My assistant in the undertaking, was my uncle Uriah 

 Mitchill, Esq., High Sheriff of Queens County. We filled a 

 large churn with the waters of Rockankama Pond. We put 

 so few perch into it, that there was no necessity for changing 

 it on the road. We were in a wagon, and came the whole 

 distance on a walk, without stopping to refresh either man or 

 horse. The project of transporting the fish to Success Pond 

 was completely answered ; and in this way was the yellow 

 perch carried to Hempstead waters." 



The first-mentioned pond furnishes immense quantities of 

 the finest kind of yellow perch, and is the resort of parties of 

 pleasure, and those who are fond of light sport, during the 

 summer season. It is situated in the northwest part of the 

 town of Islip, Long-Island, is a beautiful and picturesque 

 sheet of water, almost large enough to deserve the name of a 

 lake ; its shape is nearly circular, the water perfectly clear, 

 and of great depth so deep in some places that no bottom 

 has been found. The water is said to rise and fall once in 

 seven years. 



Smith remarks : " Under favorable circumstances, for in 



