MITCHILL ON THE FISHES OF NEW-YORK. 421 



ruddy. When the fish is not in the breeding season, the colours are 

 browner and darker ; leading the people to call him the black perch. 



Scales hard and strong. Lateral line rather crooked upward, and 

 very plain. Three foremost of the anal fins spinous. First dorsal fin 

 spinous and ramentose. Is one of our most firm and savoury fish. 



Rays, Br. 6. P. 15. V. 5. D. 9—13. A. 14. C. 17. 



7. Yellow Perch. (Bodianus Jlavescens.) With serrated bones on 

 the thorax, scarlet ventral and anal fins, and brownish zones on the sides. 



A beautiful fresh-water fish, of a foot or more in length, and three 

 inches in depth. 



Head rather small, and tapering toward the snout. Both jaws rough- 

 ened with very small teeth. Eyes large and yellowish. 



Body deep and thick, but becoming slender toward the tail. Scales 

 rather hard and rough. Lateral line almost straight. Tail rather con- 

 cave. First ventral ray spinous ; as are also the two first anal rays* 

 all the rays of the foremost dorsal fin, and the first of the second dorsal. 



Colours brown or olive on the back, turning to yellow on the sides, 

 and white on the belly. Faint brown zones to the number of four or 

 more diversifying the sides from back to belly. Dorsal and pectoral 

 fins brown. Ventral and anal scarlet. 



Gill-covers tripartite. Lower and hinder edges of the foremost 

 acutely serrated. Middle one serrated at the lower edge, and streaked 

 radially on the broad side. One serrated bone on the thorax imme- 

 diately above the pectoral fin, at the posterior margin of the branchial 

 opening ; and two other bones with serrated edges above the first, near 

 the upper part of the branchial opening. 



In the year 1790, I transported about three dozens of these yellow 

 perch from Rockankama pond, in Suffolk county, to Success Pond, in 

 Queens. The distance is about forty miles. Before that time Suc- 

 cess Pond contained no yellow perch. Since that time, there have been 



