226 THE PERCH. 



Genus XXXVIIL— ?).^ Pirch. 



This genus comprehends no lefs than thirty-fix dif- 

 ferent fijecies, very few of which frequent thefe feas, 

 and their hiftory is on that account but imperfeftly 

 known. Only five kinds of the perch are found in the 

 lakes and on the coafts of Britain ; the river perch, the 

 fea perch, the baffe, the ruffe, and the black perch *. 



Some fpecies of this tribe have one, and others two 

 dorfal iins ; fome have the tail bifurcated, which in 

 others terminates in a flraight line. The body is ge- 

 nerally oblong, laterally comprefled, and covered vvitli 

 liard fcales. The jaws are of unequal length, large, and 

 arcuated; the teeth are incurvated, and arranged in fe- 

 veral raws. The eyes are large and protuberant, cover- 

 ed with a niclating membrane, and ntuated at the brink 

 ql the forehead f. 



Thefe animals are remarkably tenacious of life; fome 

 of them, particularly the river perch, have been carried 

 fwty miles among Urav/, and have furvived the journey. 

 Their fins arc fo prickly, that they are faid to defy tlie 

 attacks of the pike : this, however, is only true with re- 

 gard to the larger perches, if it can be credited at all ; 

 for there is no animal which the pike will more readily 

 devour tha« a fmall perch. From the eafe with which 

 the river perch is taken and tranfported, it has become 



* Britiih Zool, f Guan. Hiu, piTc. 141. 



