FISHES. 391 
hundred yards, when it again drops into its native ele- 
ment. 
There is another Flying-fish (Trigla volitans) in the 
Mediterranean, nearly allied to the gurnard. This fish 
measures about a foot long ; it is brown above, reddish 
below, and has blackish fins spotted with blue ; and it 
is armed with a long and pointed spine on the opercle, 
which it can raise, and with which it can inflict very 
serious wounds. 
THE PERCH (Perca fluviatilis,) 
Seldom grows to any great size ; yet we have an ac- 
count of one which is said to have weighed nine pounds. 
The body is deep, the scales rough, the back arched, and 
the side-lines placed near the back. For beauty of 
colours, the perch vies the gaudiest of the inhabitants of 
the ponds, lakes, and rivers ; the back glows with the 
deep reflections of the brightest emeralds, divided by 
five broad stripes; the abdomen imitates the tints of the opal 
and mother of pearl ; and the ruby hue of the fins com- 
pletes an assemblage of colours most harmonious and 
elegant. It is a gregarious fish, and is caught in several 
rivers of these islands ; the flesh is firm, delicate, and much 
esteemed. 
It is generally believed that a pike will not attack a 
full grown Perch : he is deterred from so doing by the 
