THE PERCH. 
141 
Eyes large and yellowish. Body deep and thick, but becom- 
ing slender towards the tail. Scales rather rough and hard. 
Lateral line almost straight. Tail rather concave. First ven- 
tral ray spinous; as are also the two first and anal rays, all 
the rays of the foremost dorsal fin, and the first of the second 
dorsal. Colors, brown or olive on the back, turning yellow 
on the sides, anc} white on the belly. Faint brown zones, to 
the number of four, or more, diversifying the sides from the 
back to belly. Dorsal and pectoral fins brown. Ventral and 
anal scarlet. 
“ In the year 1790, I transported about two dozen of these 
yellow perch from Rockankama Pond, in Suffolk County, to 
Success Pond, in Queens. The distance is about 40 miles. 
Since that time there have been as many of them as could 
subsist. My assistant in the undertaking, was my uncle Uriah 
Mitchill, Esq., High Sheriff of Queens County. We filled a 
large churn with the waters of Rockankama Pond. We put 
bo few perch into it, that there was no necessity for changing 
it on the road. Wo were in a wagon, and came the whole 
distance on a walk, without stopping to refresh either man or 
horse. The project of transporting the fish to Success Pond 
was completely answered ; and in this way was the yellow 
perch carried to Hempstead waters.” 
The first-mentioned pond furnishes immense quantities of 
the finest kind of yellow perch, and is the resort of parties of 
pleasure, and those who are fond of light sport, during the 
summer season. It is situated in the northwest part of the 
town of Islip, Long-Island, is a beautiful and picturesque 
sheet of water, almost lurge enough to deserve the name of a 
lake ; its shape is nearly circular, the water perfectly clear, 
and of great depth — so deep in some places that no bottom 
has been found. The water is said to rise and fall once in 
seven years. 
Smith remarks: “ Under favorable circumstances, for in- 
