216 AMERICAN FISHES. 



sachusetts, although, like many other excellent species, it is strangely 

 undervalued. 



But to return to the Sheep 's-Head : it is a timid and wary fish, 

 very difficult to hook, and when hooked a fierce and bold battler, 

 exceeding difficult to land, and making a more desperate resistance 

 than infinitely larger species. It is considered the greatest achieve- 

 ment of the salt-water fisherman to master this king of the seas. 



It is occasionally taken up to seventeen pounds, though seven or 

 eight pounds may be considered the average of large fish, but like 

 many, I might say most fishes, the smaller and middle-sized run may 

 be generally set down as the most choice. 



The Sheep's-Head has a deep compressed body, a head sloping 

 abruptly to the snout, and equally so to the chin and throat. Scales 

 large and oblong, smaller on the gill-covers and throat ; the lateral 

 line is parallel to the dorsal outline ; the preoperculum is broadly 

 rounded, the operculum emarginate. In front of each jaw it has 

 several large quadrilateral cutting teeth, and inside of these, both 

 above and below, as well as on the pharyngeals, are many series of 

 large-paved grinders. 



Its dorsal fin has twelve spinous and eleven soft rays, its pectorals 

 fifteen soft, ventrals one spinous and five soft, its anal three spinous 

 and ten soft, and its caudal seventeen soft rays. 



In color it is of a dull silver, with coppery gleams on the back, 

 with five slightly arched bands of a darker color crossing the back 

 and tail. The irides are brown, the pupils black, girdled with a 

 golden ring. 



The fins are all deep brown or blackish ; the head and forehead 

 black, with golden green reflections ; the chin marked with smutty 

 patches, from some fancied resemblance of which to a Moorland 

 sheep's face, its trivial name is derived. 



Note to Revised Edition. — Since writing the above, I learn from tiie correspon- 

 dent of a paper, vpriting hostilely, that the Sheep's-Head ranges even south of the 

 MissiBsippi. I used the best authority I could command, not having visited that 

 country. 1 now gladly avail myself of his matter, though *' I detest his manner." 



