Page:The fresh-water Fishes of New England (1896, Whidden).djvu/33



Rarely exceeds twelve inches in length and one and one-half pounds in weight. Our handsomest fish. Color, back, brown or black; sides, white silvery with bluish and pinkish reflections; belly, white; fins, blackish, light reddish on outer edge.

The White Perch lives mostly in brackish water, from which it retires in winter to the sea. In summer it ascends fresh-water rivers, and thrives in many fresh-water ponds, from which it cannot return.

Bites readily at worms and live bait, and is extremely gamy, much more so than the Yellow Perch.