96 
THE BOOK OF FISHES 
Photograph by W. M. A. Cowan 
IN THE MATTER OF NUMBERS PERCH ARE THE HERRING OF FRESH WATER 
A string of perch from Schroon River, Chestertown, New York. The Yellow Perch comes near to 
being everybody’s fish. But little art is necessary to taking it. The Yellow Perch is ready to sample 
all baits of the amateur and even responds to bait let down through the ice in winter. 
in groups close together, which is not the habit with 
the pugnacious male Black Basses. 
CALICO BASS (Pomoxis sparoides) and 
CRAPPIE (Pomoxis annularis) 
{For illustration see Color Plate, page up) 
The Calico Bass belongs naturally to the region 
including the Great Lakes and the Mississippi 
Valley. Being a good food-fish and well adapted 
to cultivation in ponds, its distribution has been 
considerably extended by artificial means. 
Like other widely distributed fishes, it has several 
names, one of which. Black Crappie, is sometimes 
used to distinguish it from its nearest relative, the 
Crappie or White Crappie. Both kinds are found 
in the above-named region, but, being of similar 
appearance, anglers do not always recognize the 
differences. 
The Calico Bass has a relatively deeper body, 
is darker than the Crappie, and weighs more as 
compared with a Crappie of the same length. 
Naturalists easily distinguish them by their dorsal 
spines, the Calico Bass having seven or eight, 
while the Crappie has five or six. 
d'he name Calico Bass is suggested by its mark¬ 
ings, the Crappie being always paler. Both kinds 
are found in Western markets. The annual market 
catch in the Mississippi Valley, of the two com¬ 
bined, sometimes exceeds 1,000,000 pounds. The 
Calico Bass is chiefly a feeder on aquatic insects 
and their larvae. It lives peaceably with other 
fishes when kept in ponds. So many are taken by 
anglers that it has been called “the fish for the 
millions.’’ 
If the Calico Basses which have lived in the 
Aquarium for 10 years continue to thrive in captivity 
it will be interesting to see what size they attain 
with increasing age. Exceptionally large specimens 
have been reported as exceeding two pounds in 
weight. 
WHITE PERCH (Morone americana) 
{For illustration see Color Plate, page ir§) 
There are few native fishes that live equally 
well in fresh or salt waters. The White Perch, 
living chiefly in brackish tidal waters, ranges freely 
into both. In rivers it passes up beyond all trace 
of salinity and often becomes land-locked in strictly 
fresh ponds, where it breeds for considerable 
periods. On the other hand, it is taken in abun¬ 
dance about coastal islands where conditions are 
altogether those of the salt sea. 
In aquariums it has been kept for long periods 
in tanks, either fresh or salt, but the best results 
have been obtained in tanks supplied with both 
kinds of water. There are specimens now living in 
such artificially maintained brackish water that are 
10 years old. They have reached lengths of 10 to 
12 inches and continue to be hardy under the 
restrictions and the monotonous fare of life in 
captivity. 
Years ago specimens of live White Perch in¬ 
tended for exhibition were obtained from one of 
the park lakes in New York City where they had 
