1893.] NEW YORK xVa\DEMY OF SCIENCES. 1-47 



Such differences in individuals from the same locality would 

 seem to impaii-tbe value of anatomical peculiarities as diagnostic 

 marks. In fact, in a most able paper on the Saibliugs, published 

 in the American Angler, February 5, 1891, Professor Garman 

 states that in foreign specimens examined by him the dentition 

 differs, corresponding more or less nearly with that of the New 

 Hampshire fish — that differences of age imply radical differences 

 in teeth, fins, stomach, and *especially gill-rakers — which latter. 

 Professor Garman believes to be " most important in function 

 earl^Mu life and to deteriorate with change to coarser food." 

 The deterioration consists in a distortion not alike in auj' two 

 individuals ; " the rakers curve and twist in every direction 

 like a lot of writhing worms suddenly become rigid." In old 

 si^ecimens, they lose their points and grow club-shaped. As to 

 the number of gill-rakers, in saibliug where Dr. Bean found 10 

 and Professor Jordan 14 to 15, Professor Garman counted 14 

 to 18. And in the New Hampshire charr, where the first found 

 14 and the second 11 to 12, Professor Garman counted 13 to 

 16. Id our specimens, 18 were counted in each row. 



The external characteristics of the Suuapee fish, however, 

 distinguish it conspicuously from the three other charrs of New 

 England. Its graceful build, small and delicately shaped 

 head, small mouth, excessively developed fins, more or less 

 markedly emarginate caudal, spots without the blue areola, and 

 iinmottled back, at once separate it from the brook trout and 

 link it as closely as its structural peculiarities with Austrian, 

 British, and Swiss congeners. The nuptial coloration is gorgeous 

 beyond example among our indigenous Salmonidic. Through- 

 out the spring and summer the back is dark sea-green, blending 

 on the sides into a flashing silver, which in turn deepens below 

 into a rich cream. But as the October pairing-time approaches, 

 the fish is metamorphosed into a creature of indescribable 

 brilliancy. The deep purplish blue of the back and shoulders 

 now seems to dissolve into a dreamy sheen of amethyst, through 

 which the inconspicuous pale lemon spots of midsummer liame 

 out in points of yellow or vermilion fire ; while below the lateral 

 line, all is dazzling orange. The fins catch the hue of the 

 adjacent parts, and pectoral, ventral, anal, and lower lobe of 

 caudal, are ribboned with a broad white margin. As in the case 

 of the Windermere charr, these white margins of the fins are 

 very conspicuous in specimens seen swimmiug in the water. 

 There are great differences in intensity of general coloration, 

 and the females are not usually as gaudily tinted as the males. 

 The intermediate types and diiferent depths of hue observable 

 in an autumn school recall the public promenade in a "West Indian 



