FRESHWATER FISHES OF THE SOLWAY AREA 19 



the " Fishes of Loch Lomond and its Tributaries," by 

 Mr. A. Brown, in the July issue of the Scottish Naturalist. 

 The remark to which I refer is that Mr. Brown " believes 

 we may search Scotland in vain for a similar concourse of 

 species." In one of the water systems of our area the 

 River Annan, its loch-feeders and tributaries the number 

 of species Mr. Brown gives for Loch Lomond and tributaries 

 is exceeded, and it is equalled by the Nith and Dee 

 systems. Of Mr. Brown's nineteen Loch Lomond species, 

 the River Annan system holds all except Corcgonus 

 clupcoidcs, Tinea vulgaris, and Gastrosteus spimilosus. That 

 leaves us with sixteen species, but to these fall to be 

 added Coregonus vandcsius, the Vendace ; Leuciscus cephalus, 

 the Chub ; Abramis braina, the Bream ; and Thymallus 

 vulgaris ) the Grayling. These species total up to twenty, 

 but there is no reason why credit should not be taken for 

 some few additional species which in their respective seasons 

 migrate to the fresh water, viz. Clupca alosa, the Shad ; 

 Osmerus eperlanus, the Smelt ; Mugil septentrionalis, the 

 Lesser Gray Mullet ; and Accipcnser sturio, the Sturgeon. 



The Solway Area is that division of the south-west 

 of Scotland stretching from the Esk to Lochryan, as defined 

 by Dr. Buchanan White ("Scot. Nat," 1872, vol. i. p. 161). 

 As a definite faunistic area it is almost faultless, the only 

 objection I ever heard advanced being that the Esk water- 

 shed is altogether " too Tweed-like " in character. But it 

 would be difficult to exclude the Esk valley without making 

 other alterations that would only lead to further objections. 

 The principal river systems are the Esk, Annan, Nith, and 

 Urr, flowing into the Solway Firth ; and the Dee, Fleet, and 

 Cree flowing into the Irish Channel. It might be as well to 

 explain that local faunists here look on the Solway Firth as 

 all the water inside a line drawn from Balmae Head in 

 Rerrick to St. Bees in Cumberland. The Solway Area is 

 partitioned off from the rest of Scotland by an extremely 

 natural boundary, consisting of a range of hills which runs 

 right round from the head of Eskdale to the north of 

 Wigtonshire, where it terminates in the well-known Rhinns. 

 The principal river systems take their rise on the southern 

 slopes of the hills that environ the area of " Solway." 



