PERGA. 
ticularly under the bridges of Rome. They are ftill much 
efteemed at Venice. Being very greedy, they are eafily 
caught with a bait; and may be taken with nets all the 
year round, but chiefly in the months of Auguft, Sep¬ 
tember, and October. According to Ariftotle, this fpe- 
cies fpawns in fummer and in winter; but the fummer 
fpawn is the belt; they depoflt their ova at the mouths 
of rivers. 
8. Perea alburnus, the whiting-perch: dorfal fins un¬ 
armed ; 3 rays in the membrane of the gills, tail-fin en¬ 
tire. In the firft dorfal fin rays, ^ in the fecond, 22 
in the peftorals, in the anal, and 19 in the tail. Ob- 
ferved by Catelby and Dr. Gardner in thefeaat Carolina. 
It is remarkable for having only one lhort fpine in the 
firft dorfal fin, that fin being generally made up of fluff 
rays. There are five or fix excrefcences on the lower 
jaw; the tail is a little forked. Colour of the body light 
brown, with darker bands ; length one foot or more. 
The gill-coverts are obfeurely ferrated. Body oblong. 
In the figure given by Catelby, (ii. 12. f. 2.) the fecond 
dorfal, which is deferibed by Bloch to confift of 24. rays, 
is entirely omitted ; and the filh has no appearance of be¬ 
longing to this genus. 
9. Perea pufilla, the little perch : body oval, com- 
prefled, rough ; only an inch and a half long. Six rays 
in the membrane of the gills, 9 in the firft dorfal, 23 in 
the fecond, 14 in the peftorals and tail, a in the ventrals, 
and in the anal. Inhabits the Mediterranean fea ; 
firft deferibed by Brunnich. The furfa.ee of this pretty 
little filh Ihines with the fplendour of rubies let in filver. 
The back is raifed; irides white: the head is armed with 
large prickles, fnout pointed, lower jaw iongeft, and very 
rough beneath. The ventral fpine is very ftrong, and 
ferrate on the anterior edge. 
10. Perea loubina, the Cayenne perch: jaws rounded in 
front, and furrowed, the lower much the Iongeft; gill- 
cover 2-fpined ; feales rhomboidal, and ciliated; lateral 
line vifible upon the tail-fin. Six rays in the membrane 
of the gills, 8 in the firft dorfal fin, t a- in tiie fecond, $ in 
the anal, 16 in the peftorals, £ in the ventrals, and 21 in 
the tail. 
Tranfmitted from Cayenne to France by Citizen Le 
Blond ; luuhine is its name in that country. The third 
piece of each operculum terminates in a long membranous 
appendage. In the furrowed parts of the jaws there are 
no teeth, but the other parts and front of the palate are 
full of very fmall even teeth. The head, body, and tail, 
are long, and compreffed. 
n. Perea Novte Britannias, the Utopian perch: two 
fpines in the fecond piece of each operculum ; colour 
reddifti, with 14 longitudinal ftripes, alternately brown 
and white, upon each fide. Seven rays in the membrane 
of the gills, 10 in the firft dorfal, J3 in the fecond, in 
the anal, in the ventrals, 14 in the peftorals, and 20 in 
the tail. Obferved by Commerfon at Port Praflin in July 
1768. Length a foot; haunts the coral and madrepora 
on the (hores of New Britain ; is good food. Fins yellow 
and red; a number of raifed lines and ftripes on the 
head, like carved-work. The upper lip is moveable; 
teeth fmall, like a file, in both jaws; a femicircular in¬ 
dented bone over each eye. The firft dorfal fin is edged 
above with purple, below with red ; a purple fpot on "the 
anal. 
12. Perea triacantha, the three-fpined perch: three 
fpines in each piece of each operculum; lower jaw Iongeft; 
feales fmall, and raifed ; tail rounded ; colour dark, with 
eight longitudinal white ftripes. Six rays in the mem¬ 
brane of the gills, and in the firft dorfal fin, 14 in the 
fecond, 9 in the anal, 16 in the peftorals, -g- in the ventrals, 
and 19 in the tail. This and the two following were firft 
deferibed by Cepede from the Dutch colleftion brought 
to Paris during the war, but probably reftored at the 
peace of 1815. Of the prefent fpecies the upper lip is 
double; feveral rows of fmall (harp teeth in the jaws, 
tongue, palate, and at the entrance of the gullet. 
585 
13. Perea pentacantha, the five-fpined perch: five fpines 
in the firft dorfal fin, two or three to the laft piece of 
each operculum; lower jaw Iongeft; feales very fmall; 
tail rounded; lateral line with feveral finuolities ; one 
white ftripe along the back, and four along each fide. 
Seven rays in the membrane of the gills, 14 in the fecond 
dorfal, 10 in the anal, 14 in the peftorals, and 15 in the 
tail. The upper is retraftile ; teeth very fmall. 
14. Perea Fourcroy, the fealy-finned perch : feales on 
the bafe of the dorfal, pectoral, and tail, fins ; tail fpear- 
fnaped ; one fpine to the fecond piece of each operculum; 
feales rounded and toothed. Six rays in the membrane 
of the gills, 10 in the firft dorfal, 28 in the fecond, f in 
the anal, 17 in the peftorals, £ in the ventrals, and 17 in 
the tail. Snout long ; upper lip double, and flexible ; a 
longitudinal furrow on the head ; eyes large, teeth very 
fmall. 
15. Perea lophar, the lophar: filvery ; ventral fins con¬ 
nected. Seven rays in the firft dorfal fin, 27 in the fe¬ 
cond, 16 in the peftorals, a in the ventrals, At. i n t [ le 
anal, and 17 in the tail. Caught in the Propontis, near 
Conftantinople ; fize and Ihape of a herring ; back green, 
ilh-brown ; head with elevated grooves placed longitudi¬ 
nally between the eyes; anterior gill-coverts ferrate only 
at the fides ; rays of the firft dorfal fin hardly fpinous, 
the other and anal very flefhy at the anterior bale; ventrals 
connefted by means of a ridge upon the belly; tail fork¬ 
ed, the rays blackilh at the tips. 
16. Perea Arabics, the Arabian perch: filvery, with 
16 or 17 longitudinal black lines on each fide ; a golden 
fpot, black in the middle, on the tail. Six rays in the 
firft dorfal fin, -A- in the fecond, 14 in the peftorals, A j a 
the ventrals, in the anal, and 17 in the tail. Inhabits 
Arabia, as its name imports. Body oblong lanceolate, 
truncate, beneath without fpots or lines; feales lax, broad, 
deciduous, denticulate, dil'pofed in about ten rows. 
Crown flat; iris yellow; between the eyes a ridge, obtufe 
on the fore part and forked behind; behind the eyes are 
three elevated bones. Teeth long, fubulate, ftraight, re¬ 
mote ; in each jaw on each fide three, the middle one 
larger; and in the middle of the lower jaw are two 
ftronger remote ones ; lips nearly equal; palate covered 
with fetaceous teeth ; tongue flat, fmooth. Anterior 
gill-covers flightly ferrate at the hinder angle and beneath 
only. Dorfal fins remote; the firft brown, all the reft 
yellowifli-brown ; dorfal, ventral, and anal, triangular, 
peftoral lanced ; tail bifid, the fegments lanceolate. 
17. Perea fkibea, the Ikip-jack: three notches in each 
operculum; lower jaw the Iongeft, tail much forked. 
There are 7 rays in the membrane of the gills, 7 in the 
firft dorfal fin, 24 in the fecond, 15 in each peftoral, 6 in 
each ventral, 26 in the anal which is adipous, and 18 in 
the tail. Obferved by Bofc near the mouths of rivers in 
Carolina ; it is a rare fpecies. It can dart pretty far out 
of the water. The flefh is well tailed. In each jaw there 
is a row of flattened teeth, nearly equal, diftinft. The 
fecond dorfal is longer than the firft, almoft equal to the 
anal, which daft is fo fat that the rays can fcarcely be 
counted. This fifli is green on its upper furface, filvery 
beneath; irides yellow; peftoral fins yellowifli, with .1 
black fpot at the bafe. ‘ This and three following are from 
Cepede: the prefent fpecies was communicated by M. 
Bofc to that gentleman, who calls it Pomatofus; pomn in 
Greek fignifies the gill-cover, and tomus, an incifion ; 
becaufe the opercula are deeply cut in. 
18. Perea edentula, the toothlefs perch: no teeth; 
feales rounded ; tail crefcent-fhaped ; opercula not fer¬ 
rated. Seven rays in the membrane of the gills, 10 in the 
firft dorfal, which is of a triangular ihape, 32 in the fecond, 
14 in the anal, iS in the peftorals, 6 in the ventrals, and 
16 in the tail. This was alfo communicated by Bofc,who 
faw it at Carolina, where it is called yellow-tail. From 
the opercula not being ferrated, Cepede has made it a dif¬ 
tinft genus, Leiojlomus, which in Greek fignifies “fmooth 
or toothlefs mouth.” The fins are all yellow or yellow- 
ifli, 
