THE STRIPED BASSE 



181 



clement season of winter, but the fishery is not so productive 

 as in Maine, whence the best in the Boston market are annu 

 ally brought.". 



The following is from the Transactions of the Literary 

 and Philosophical Society, by Dr. Mitchill. 



" Mitchilfs Perch, Stuped Basse or Rock-Fish, (Perca 

 Mitchilli), with eight parallel lines from head to tail. One of 

 the largest and most excellent of the New York fishes : may 

 be found from the weight of an ounce to that of seventy 

 pounds and upwards. The position of the ventral fins rather 

 behind the pectoral, made me once incline to place him in 

 the abdomiuales. His second gill plate is finely serrated. 

 That circumstance, if he remained among the thoracic, would 

 rank him among the percse, and when I decided in favor of 

 changing his order, I was obliged to constitute a new genus for 

 him, which I called roccus. But having since found that there 

 are fishes whose ventral fins are further back on the abdo- 

 men than this, that are nevertheless considered as thoracic, 

 I have, on reconsideration, persuaded myself it will be most 

 correct to place him among his compeers of the perch family.'' 



After a similar description to that given by Smith, our 

 naturalist continues: " But one of the most obvious and 

 distinguishing features of this fish, is the striped appearance 

 of his body. From head to tail his back is marked by lon- 

 gitudinal lines. The ground color is pale, brown, whitish 

 and silvery. On this are delineated the aforesaid lines in 

 parallel rows. These rows, at some seasons, appear black, 

 and make a strong contrast. At other times they are more 

 faint, and seem to be faded into a reddish brown. When the 

 brown thus predominates, dark specks or spots can be traced 

 at regular distances along the stripes, particularly toward the 

 back. 



" The number of these stripes is usually eight ; and four 

 of them most commonly reach the tail. The rest are fre- 



/ I 



