464 THE PERCH. - 
water is usually, in consequence of evaporation, more salt than that of the 
sea. 
WE now come to the large and important family of the PERCHES, which 
comprises many of the handsomest and most valuable fishes. The 
members of this family are found in all parts of the globe. 
THE COMMON PERCH is well known as one of our handsomest river fish, 
and, on account of its boldness and the voracious manner in which it takes 
the bait, and the active strength with which it struggles against its captor, is a 
great favourite with many anglers. Moreover, when captured and placed in 
an aquarium, it very soon learns to distinguish the hand that feeds it, and 
will come to the surface and take food from the fingers. It has a fashion of 
seizing its food with a rather sharp jerk, and then snatches it away with such 
violence, that when it takes the hook it will drag a stout cork-float several 
inches below the surface, and by the force of its own stroke will mostly hook 
itself without any exertion on the part of the angler. Bold-biting, however, 
as is its reputation, there are some seasons of the year when it is almost 
impossible to catch a Perch, and even the shy and gently nibbling roach is 
an easier prey. 
The Perch is a truly voracious fish, feeding upon all kinds of aquatic 
worms, insects, and fishes, preferring the latter diet as it becomes older and 
larger. ‘lhe smaller fish, such as minnows, young roach, dace, and 
gudgeons, are terribly persecuted 
by the Perch, and,a bait formed 
of either of these fish, or a good 
imitation of them, will generally 
allure the finest Perches to the 
hook, Although generally in- 
habiting mid or deep water, it 
will sometimes come to the sur- 
face to snap up a casual fly that 
has fallen into the water, and on 
several occasions has been cap- 
tured by anglers when fishing 
with a fly for trout. 
Practical fishermen say that 
PERCH.—~(Perca fluviatilis.) the Perch is almost the only 
fish which the pike does not 
venture to attack, and that if a pike should make one of its rushing 
onslaughts on a Perch, the intended prey boldly faces the enemy, erects 
the dorsal fin with its array of formidable spines, and thus baffles the 
ever-hungry aggressor. Still it is an article of faith with some anglers, that 
a young Perch from which the dorsal fin has been removed is one of the 
surest baits for pike. Perhaps they think that the pike is so delighted to 
find a Perch unarmed, that it seizes the opportunity to feed upon a luxury 
which it can seldom obtain. 
The Perch is not a large fish, from two to three pounds being considered 
rather a heavy weight. Individuals, however, of much greater dimensions 
have been, though rarely, captured. One of the finest Perches ever taken in 
England was captured in the river Avon, in Wiltshire, by a night-line baited 
with a roach; its weight was eight pounds. Specimens of five or six pounds 
are occasionally taken, but are thought so valuable that the captor generally 
sends the account of his success to some journal. 
The colour of the Perch is rich greenish-brown above, passing gradually 
into golden white below. Upon the sides is a row of dark transverse bands, 
generally from five to seven in number. The first dorsal fin is brown, with 
