FISHES. 



235 



southern Atlantic States to Florida. It reaches a length of twelve inches, and is 

 prized as a food fish. 



The P. annularis has a more elongate body than its relative, and only six dorsal 

 spines. It is known as the crappie, new-light, Campbellite, and bacheloi-, and is an 

 abundant fish in the Mississippi river, especially southward. Like its congener it is 

 regarded as an excellent table fish. The names new-light and Campbellite are due 

 to the fact that it became abundant and the subject of observation when the religious 

 denomination bearing those names originated. 



There are some other families which belong to the series of Percoideous fishes, 

 such as the M^nid^, Ambassid^ or Bogodid^, Pimelepteeid^, and Chilodip- 

 TEEiD^ or Apogmidjs, but they do not demand special notice here. We therefore 

 hasten to another series generally known as the Pharyngognathi. 



The distinctive feature of the PHARYNGOGNATHI is that the lower pharyngeal 

 bones, which are just behind the gill-arches, are consolidated together, instead of being 



Fig. 135. — Mesogonistius chmtodon. 



separate as in most fishes. For this reason, and this only, European writers, following 

 the great Mtiller, have generally isolated them as a peculiar order, but there does not 

 appear to be any warrant for such a step, and two of tlie fishes which have been 

 noticed a few pages back — the drum-fishes, of the family of Sciasnidas — have the 

 corresponding bones as much consolidated as a large portion of the Pharyngognathi 

 and yet, on account of their likeness to the other Scia3nida3, no one has ventured to 

 remove them, even from the same family. It is to be understood, then, that the Pharyn- 

 gognathi form a merely conventional and artificial grouji. 



The first of these pharyngognathous fishes which wc shall consider form the family 

 CiCHLiD^, or, as they are generally called, Cheomidid.e. Many of these look as 

 well as act much like sun-fishes. The body is oblong, rarely elongated ; the scales 

 are rather large ; the lateral line generally becomes interrupted, the head is diversi- 



