62 
ACANTHOPTERYGTI* — PERCAD^E. 
however, when drawn from the water, is deter- 
mined and almost ferocious, particularly when the 
high and spinous dorsal-fin is stiffly erected. 
The excellence of the Perch, as a table fish, 
is generally acknowledged ; in this respect, per- 
haps, it is exceeded by none of our fiuviatile species, 
with the exception of the Trout and the Salmon. 
Perch of five pounds are not uncommon, and they 
have been known to attain even double this 
weight. A Pish of large size needs good tackle 
as well as skill in the angler, for it is powerful 
in proportion to its size. When Perch run large, 
a minnow, roach, or gudgeon is a successful 
bait; but the more usual baits are worms and 
gentles ; fresh-water shrimps are much used by 
those who fish for Perch in the docks of London, 
where these Pishes are both fine and plentiful. 
In still water, as that of lakes or ponds, the bait 
should be allowed to fioat in mid-water ; in rivers, 
nearer the bottom. In March, the Perch de- 
posits its spawn, after which it will afford good 
sport to the end of October; a cool day with a 
fresh breeze to ruffle the surface, being most pro- 
pitious. 
The readiness with which this beautiful fish 
is taken is partly due to its voracity, in which 
it almost equals the ravenous Pike ; when hun- 
gry indeed, it will seize almost any object that 
is presented to it. A writer in the New Sporting 
Magazine, says that he has repeatedly taken a 
Perch with no other bait than a portion of the 
gills of one just captured, accidentally remaining 
on the hook, the line having been carelessly al- 
lowed to drop into the water while a fresh bait 
was being selected. Red seems an attractive 
