BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STxVTES FISH COMMISSION. 169 



well kuowu in tbeir geueral oiitliue that it is uot uecestary to give a 

 detailed description. The fish found in this lake are the follosving: 



The trout, when it comes up the Oxai a Eiver to spawn. It reaches a 

 weight of 22 pounds. By fishing through holes in the ice a number are 

 caught weighing 20 pounds each. The spawning season lasts during 

 September and October. It begins about September 15, and gener- 

 ally ends in Xovember when ice begins to form. The trout does not 

 like ice. The trout are also said to spawn in shallow places near the 

 shores of the lake. It could not be ascertained when the young fjy 

 leave the river. 



The hlelcja reaches a weight of from 1 to 7 pounds. During summer 

 some of them go up the river. They are generally caught near the coast 

 in shallow water. Of late years attempts have been made 'to catch 

 these fish farther out, at a depth of from 20 to 30 fathoms, with lines 

 having from 500 to GOO hooks ; but these attempts have not been suc- 

 cessful, only about ten fish having been caught. The hlelja spawn after 

 July 15, and the spawning season is at its height from July 20 till 

 August 1. The spawning place is about half a mile from Thiugvellir, 

 and has a stony bottom. The spawning season is, at different places, 

 continued far into September. The fish are fattest in spring when the 

 ice begins to break. 



The depJa is a smaller fish, about 12 inches long, and weighing 

 scarcely one pound. Mr. Pallson thinks that it is a small trout, while 

 others are of the opinion that it is a separate species. These fish are 

 caught at the southern end of the lake. 



The murta is about 6 or 8 inches long, and looks like a young Mel'ja. 

 It is said to spawn from the middle of September till Xovember, at the 

 same time as the trout. 



I had an opportunity at this lake to see some of these fish in single 

 specimens. The summer murta is certainly only a young hlekja, and it 

 is therefore also called the " barren wj«r/«." The Z>7eA;y« which spawns 

 in July has a red belly and whitish fins ; but those which spawn in au- 

 tumn have a lighter color and their fi'ns are not white. It is probable 

 that the blelja which spawns in summer comes from the dee]) sea. In 

 the stomach of the hlel<ja which I examined I found a great many snails, 

 and in the trout I found many young hlelja. 



From Eeikiavik I several times visited the river Ellidara and no- 

 ticed its course and its tributaries, but without making a thorough ex- 

 amination of it. Its wealth of salmon is owing to the favorable condi- 

 tion of its fall, and to its bed of lava with numerous hidingplaces. 

 The salmon found in this river and its tributaries are said to be small. 



From the above it will be seen that I visited a large number of the 

 Iceland lakes and rivers. It is true that I failed to visit some import- 

 ant rivers, like the Torsa and the Olufsii, and that I did uot examine 

 the Thingvalla Lake as thoroughly as I would like to have done ; but 

 my time was limited, and, even if I had had sufficient time, the unfa- 



