P E R C A. 
580 
wide. The pupil of the eye is black, in a filvery iris; 
there is a yellow fpot between the eyes. The jaws are 
of equal length, with even (harp teeth. The body is 
broad, of a filvery colour, with longitudinal ftripes of 
yellow. The fins are all yellow. 
This fpecies is from Brafil, where it is called pacn. Its 
flefli is excellent. Prince Maurice fays it grows as large 
as a carp 5 but Marcgrave fays it does not exceed a foot 
in length. It is one of the migratory kinds ; for it quits 
thefea in fpring for the rivers, and returns in autumn. 
58. Perea jnba, thejub: two brown fpots on the fin of 
the tail. Each pefloral fin has 12 rays, the ventra's-jf, the 
anal the tail 27, the dorfal if. The head bends down 
very much; the jaws are of equal length, with (harp 
teeth; the bones of the lips are ltrong. A black ftripe 
edged with yellow appears above and below the eye. The 
opercula are fmooth, and the aperture of the gills is wide. 
The body is broad; the back arched. The fifh is filver- 
coloured, except the back, which is violet inclining to 
black, with yellow longitudinal ltripes. The fins are 
yellow at the bafe, but orange-colour upwards. The 
fifh grows twice the fize of the lalt; but it does not afeend 
the ftreams ; it (fops between rocks and at the mouths of 
rivers, and is caught in great numbers all the year round 
on the coafts of Brafil. This is very good food : Marc¬ 
grave reckons the tongue and the flefli of the cheeks great 
delicacies; Pilo fays, that, when roafted, it is one of the 
bed: fifli in that country. 
59. Perea argentata, the filver perch : rays in the 
dorfal fin, - 3 j in the anal. The membrane of the gills 
contains 5 rays, the pefloral fins 14, the ventrals f, the 
tail 18. The head is fmall, bare to the opercula, and ends 
blunt; the mouth, teeth, and jaws, are fmall likewife. 
The opercula are not ferrated; the noftrils arefingle, and 
near the eyes ; the pupil is black, the iris yellow and 
white. The body is fomewhat long ; the tail is crefcent- 
fhaped. The colour of the fifli is filvery ; the fins grey ; 
but the peflorals, ventrals, and anal, are reddifli at their 
bafe; the back is dark. This fpecies is from Japan. 
60. Perea Japonica, thejapanefe perch: ten fpines in 
the dorfal fin and two in the anal. There are 5 rays in 
the membrane of the gills, 14 in the pefloral fins, 6 in 
the ventral, 8 in the anal, 16 in the tail, 20 in the dorfal. 
The head is fmall, without (bales as far as the eyes ; the 
jaws are of equal length, with teeth like a file. The pu¬ 
pil of the eye is black, furrounded with a golden iris. 
There are a number of thin yellow ftripes along the body. 
The ground-colour of the fifli is white ; the back brown- 
i(h ; the fins incline to grey, with foft four-branched rays, 
except thofe which form the fpecific character. This 
fpecies is found at Niphon, n large ifland in Japan. 
61. Perea ftigma, the branded perch: dorfal fins fila¬ 
mentous ; gill-covers branded, as if marked with a hot 
iron. In the dorfal fin if- rays, 13 in the peflorals, f in 
the ventrals, -i- in the anal, 17 in the tail. Inhabits 
India. 
62. Perea diagramma, the warna : brown longitudinal 
ftripes on a white ground form the fpecific character. 
There are 5 rays in the membrane of the gills, 16 in the 
pefloral fins, ^in the ventral, -j 5 t in the anal, 19 in the 
tail, and in the dorfal, but Linnaeus makes 11 fpines 
in the dorlal a part of the fpecific character. The head is 
floping, comprefled, and covered with fmall feales; the 
noftrils are double, nearer the eyes than the fnout. The 
eyes are large, with a gliftening membrane ; the pupil is 
black, the iris gold-yellow. The anterior operculum is 
only ferrated in front, and in its inner furface bears a 
fingle gill; the feales of this operculum are lefs than that 
of the other; the aperture of the gills is large, and half 
of the membrane is loofe. The trunk is comprefled; the 
belly long ; the feales are very fmall, hard, ferrated, pro¬ 
minent on the back, and forming a furrow to receive the 
dorfal fin. The general colour of this fifh is white ; but 
the ftripes and fpots on the pefloral, ventral, and anal, fins, 
are brown ; the dorfal and tail fins partake of both co¬ 
lours. This fpecies haunts the Eaft-Indian feas. Its 
flefli is fat and good. It grows a foot long, and as thick 
as a cod. It will attack fifh larger than itfelf; hence the 
Indian name Hum warna, warna roepanja, “ the fool-hardy 
fifli.” Seba calls it Perea maxilla l'uperiore longiore, 
though the jaws really are of equal length. 
63. Perea ftriata, the ftriated perch: body ftriate. In 
the dorfal fin ff- rays, 15 in the peflorals, ■£■ in the ven¬ 
trals, -j 3 j- in the anal, 17 in the tail. Inhabits North 
America; differs from P. melanura chiefly in not having 
the tail black- Gill-covers fubferrate; fecund ray of the 
anal fin very ftrong. 
64. Perea lineata, the five-lined perch: five alternate 
white and brown lines on the body ; dorfal fin filament¬ 
ous-^ rays; peftorals 13, ventrals i, anal Jj-, tail 16. 
Country not known. 
63. Perea cernua, theruffe: ff fpines in the dorfal fin, 
and feveral indentions in the head. There are 7 rays in 
the membrane of the gills, 14 in the pefloral fins, 6 in 
the ventrals, f- in the anal, 17 in the tail. The body is 
long, and (limy ; the head is large, flatted above and be¬ 
low ; the neck and back are of a blackiflr colour. The 
eyes are large, pupil blue, iris brown, with a yellow fpot. 
The jaw's are of equal length, and are armed, as well 
as the palate and gullet, with fmall and very fliarp teeth. 
The fides are yellow, inclining to green and brown ; yet 
there are fome all over of a gold-yellow, and hence Tra¬ 
gus has called it gilt-fijh. The (ides, and the pefloral, 
dorfal, and tail, fins, are marked with little black fpots. 
The belly is wide ; the anus is nearer the head than the 
tail. The bread; is white; the fins yellow; the tail is 
bifurcated. 
This fpecies is indigenous to the northern countries of 
Europe, where it lies in deep rivers and lakes with a 
fandy or marly bottom, and whofe waters are clear. They 
are very plentiful in Pruflia ; and, according to Klein, in 
fiftiing one day under the ice at Frifch-hoff, they took as 
many ruffes and fmall falmon as filled 780 barrels ; but 
they are remarkably gregarious, going commonly in 
ftioals. It is a fmall fpecies, feldom exceeding fix or eight 
inches in length, but in the lakes near Prenzlow they are 
faid to grow to a great fize. According to Falck, the 
fpecies is alfoan inhabitant of all the fre(h-water lakes 
and large rivers of Ruflia and Siberia. They are rec¬ 
koned among the rapacious kinds, living on worms, in- 
fefts, and the young of other fifh. Their enemies are 
the pike, the perch, the eel, and the aquatic fowl. They 
fpawn in March and April, laying their eggs in deep 
places, on fand-hills, or other hard bodies. The eggs are 
fmall, of a yellowifli-white colour: in an ovary weighing 
but three drachms, 75,600 eggs have been counted. 
They multiply faff, but are flow in their growth. In 
fpring they leave the great lakes for the rivers, and re¬ 
turn in autumn. They are caught in great numbers un¬ 
der the ice. Their flefli is tender, well-tafted, and eafy 
of digeftion ; and is therefore recommended to valetudi¬ 
narians. The lakes of Golis and Wandelitz are famous 
for producing the bed: of this fpecies. As they afford 
agreeable and wholefome food, and are too fmall to do 
much mifehief among other fifli, they are well worth be¬ 
ing bred in lakes and ponds. The belt feafons to catch 
them for this purpofe are fpring and autumn ; but they 
fliould be taken out of the (hallowed: waters they maybe 
found in, as, when fiflied up from great depths, they fa¬ 
tigue and fpend themfelves in the nets, and die foon af¬ 
ter they are out of the water: yet in general they are 
hardy, and may be tranfported alive a long w'ay in the 
winter; for though, as w'e obferved of the river-perch, 
they appear to be dead, they will recover on being put 
into cold water. And indeed this fifli (or the next (pe¬ 
eks) may be preferved in glafs jars with frefti water, and 
be made very tame; it mull be fed ; for it cannot fubfift: 
on the animalcula of river-water, as fmall dace can. No 
fifli (hows the circulation of the blood in a finer manner 
than ruffes, whofe fins are exceedingly tranfparent. Be- 
fides. 
