Fishes . season through the deposition of red, white, black, 8 The Life of the Fish or blue pigments, or coloring matter, on its scales or on its heador fins, this pigment being absorbed when the mating season isover. This is not true of the sunfish, who remains just aboutthe same at all seasons. The male and female are coloredalike and are not to be distinguished without dissection. If weexamine the scales, we shall find that these are marked with finelines and concentric stria;, and part of the apparent color is dueto the effect of the fine Knes on the light. This gives the bluishlustre or s
Fishes . season through the deposition of red, white, black, 8 The Life of the Fish or blue pigments, or coloring matter, on its scales or on its heador fins, this pigment being absorbed when the mating season isover. This is not true of the sunfish, who remains just aboutthe same at all seasons. The male and female are coloredalike and are not to be distinguished without dissection. If weexamine the scales, we shall find that these are marked with finelines and concentric stria;, and part of the apparent color is dueto the effect of the fine Knes on the light. This gives the bluishlustre or sheen which we can see in certain lights, although weshall find no real blue pigment under it. The inner edge of eachscale is usually scalloped or crinkled, and the outer margin ofmost of them has little prickly points which make the fish seemrougli when we pass our hand along his sides. The Lateral Line.—Along the side of the fish is a line ofpeculiar scales which runs from the head to the tail. This is. Fig. 4.—Ozorihe dictyogramma (Herzenstein). A Japanese blenny, from Hakodate:showing iiuTi-ased nuinbcr of l:it<ral lines, a trait characteristic of many fishes ofthe north Pacific. called the lateral line. If we examine it carefully, we shall seethat each scale has a tube from which exudes a watery ormucous fluid. Behind these tubes are nerves, and although notmuch is known of the function of the tubes, we can be sure thatin some degree the lateral line is a sense-organ, perhaps aidingthe fish to feel sound-waves or other disturbances in the Fins of the Fish.—The fish moves itself and directs itscourse in the water by means of its fins. These are made up ofstiff or flexible rods growing out from the body and joined to-gether by membrane. There are two kinds of these rays or rodsin the fins. One sort is without joints or branches, tapering toa sharp point. The rays thus fashioned are called spines, andthey are in the sunfish stiflf and sharp-pointed. The othe
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