rub him within with salt and claret wine; save the melt, and a little of the bloody fat; cut him in two or three pieces, and put him in when the water boils; put in with him sweet marjoram, savory, thyme or fennel, with a good handful of salt; let them boil nearly half an hour. For the sauce, take sweet butter, anchovies, horse-radish, claret wine, of each a good quantity; a little of the blood, shalet, or garlic, and some lemon sliced; beat them well together, and serve him up."

CHAPTER VIII.

OF THE PERCH.

THIS, like the last described, is a bold and voracious fish, and with the pickerel and trout, has his place in the numerous ponds and lakes throughout our country. There are many varieties, the most common of which may be described under the general heads of Common, Yellow, White, and Black Perch.

"A

The Common Perch-(Perca Fluviatillis-Smith.) beautiful fish this, having an olive brown tinge, mingled with a golden hue, together with dark bands transversely coursing the sides. The first dorsal fin is somewhat larger than the second, and marked posteriorly by a particular dark spot. All the fins are tinged with a lively red, when first brought out of the water; the same color is also observed on the under edge of the gill membrane."

The Yellow Perch-(Bodianus Flavescens-Mitchill.) "A beautiful fresh water fish of a foot or more in length, and three inches in depth. Head rather small, and tapering towards the snout. Both jaws roughened with very small teeth.

Eyes large and yellowish. Body deep and thick, but becoming slender towards the tail. Scales rather rough and hard. Lateral line almost straight. Tail rather concave. First ventral 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, and 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 so few perch into it, that there was no necessity for changing it on the road. We 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 large 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

stance, in a deep large pond, shaded by a thrifty growth of brushwood on the margin, the yellow perch attains to a large size, and becomes elegant in its proportions."

It is the opinion of a late writer on Natural History, that this fish, and that called the silver perch, is one and the same thing. He says: "In our humble view, the yellow fins of the silver perch, entitle it to the name and rank of the one before us, (the yellow perch,) and further we believe, they are one and the same thing-the trifling difference in color depending on circumstances. The love and ambition of subdivision-the longing to be the creator of new genera and new species-has introduced more confusion into works of natural history, than can be expurgated in fifty years of common sense to come."

"With

White Perch (Bodianus Pallidus-Mitchill.) soft and connected dorsal fins, pale back, and white sides. Length eight inches, depth two and a half. Color whitish, with a dark hue, according to the angle of reflected light. Back, pale; tail even; lateral line extending through it. Small teeth in the lips. Patches of them in the throat. Eyes large and pale. Nostrils double."

Smith gives a similar description, and also has the following: "Pond Perch is another common name for the same fish: we cannot discover any kind of difference whatever." Black or Red Perch-(Bodianus Rufus-Smith.) "This is a little larger than the silver perch, and though denominated red, is really nearly black, after it has done spawning. Operculum serrated, the tail slightly forked, and the jaws and swallow set with fine sharp teeth. Usually the three first rays in the anal are stiff. Very common wherever the others are found."

Flint also mentions a species of this perch peculiar to western waters, and a fine table fish, which he calls Brown Bass. It is called Brown Bass (Lepomis Fluxuolaris) or Black Perch, and grows from one to two feet in length.

There are many other varieties in the ponds and brooks spread over the length and breadth of the country; and although they do not give as much sport to the Angler in their capture, as the trout and similar descriptions, still they are much sought after, and considered a fine table fish. They generally spawn in the month of March; and although they may be taken at almost any time, either in winter or summer, they may be had in the largest quantities and in the finest condition. from May to July. The time of day in which the fisher will be most successful in taking them, is from seven until ten in the morning, or from four until dusk in the evening. They are very slow in their growth, though sometimes attaining a very large size, and multiply very fast.

Smith remarks: " Perhaps there is not another fish, with the exception of the eel, so universally spread over the globe, as the fresh water perch. It is delicate food, and therefore exceedingly valued. From the largest rivers above the influence of tides, to the smallest rills which trickle down the sides of the lofty mountain, the perch is always to be found. They swim swiftly, keeping near the surface, feeding on flies and minute insects. In the lake of Geneva, a female was caught, from which 992,000 ova were taken. This fact shows very clearly that it is marvellously prolific, yet not ten in a hundred of the ova arrive at maturity, being the food of others. To the Greeks and Romans, this fish was perfectly familiar."

Of English authority, Blaine says: "The perch is considered slow in its growth; but its increase depends much on the nature of its habitation: in ponds, and other small and perfectly stagnant waters, it grows slowly, and seldom arrives at last to any great size or weight; but in rivers, in estuaries, and particularly in such waters as are subject to the rising tide, and as are slightly impregnated with brackish particles, although without current, they grow fast, and be