NORTH AMERICA, 
151 
'The afternoon ' and evening moderately warm., and 
exceeding pleafant views from the river and its va- 
ried ihores. I paiTed by Battle lagoon and the 
bluff, without much oppofition; but the crocodiles 
were already affembling in the pafs. Before night I 
came to, at a charming orange grove bluff, on the 
Eaft fide of the little lake; and after fixing my camp 
on a high open fituation, and colledlfng a plenty of 
dry wood for fuel, I had time to get fome fine trout 
for fupper, and joyfully return to my camp. 
What a moft beautiful creature is this fifh before 
me ! gliding to and , fro, and figuring in the ftill 
clear waters, with his orient attendants and affo- 
ciates : the yellow bream * or fun fifh. It is about 
eight inches in length, nearly of the fhape of the 
trout, but rather larger in proportion over the 
fhoulders and breafl ; the mouth large, and the 
branchioilega opens wide; the whole fifh is of a 
pale gold (or burnifhed brafs) colour, darker on the 
back and upper fides; the fcales are of a propor- 
tionable fize, regularly placed, and every where 
variably powdered with red, ruffet, illver, blue, and 
green fpecks, fo laid on the fcales as to appear like 
real duff; or opaque bodies, each apparent particle 
being fo projected by light and ffiade, and the va- 
rious attitudes of the fifh, as to deceive the fight ; 
for in reality nothing can be of a more plain and 
polifhed furface than the fcales and whole body of 
the fifh. The fins are of an orange colour; and, 
like all the fpecies of the bream, the ultimate angle 
of the branchioilega terminates by a little fpatula, 
the extreme end of which reprefents a crefcent of 
the finef! ultramarine blue, encircled with filver and 
Cyprmus corqnarius. 
L 4 velvet 
