154 



GWYNIAD. 



which are the most reliable are the shape of the snout, the development of the maxillary, 

 the form of the supplemental bone of the maxillary, the length of the mandible, the height 

 of the body and tail, the position of the dorsal, and the number of scales and vertebrae." 



The Gwyniad, which in Welsh denotes "making white," "a white fish," from gujyn, 

 "white," is a good name for this bright silvery fish. It is mentioned by Willughby, who 

 seems to have thought that it is identical with 5. /cm (Cuvier and Valenc.) of the great 

 lakes of Switzerland, the Tyrol, etc., a larger species than any of our British species. 

 AVillughby noticed the great number of caecal appendages in the Gwyniad, its gregarious 

 habits, and its whiteness. As to locality he says, "Invenitur in lacu Piinbktneer dicto, proprie 

 oppidum Bala, in comitatu Meriomthensi WallicB, non autem in fluvio Dea qui eum perfluit." 

 — (P. 184.) He is correct in identifying this fish with the Schelly of Cumberland, "qui in 

 lacu Hulswater non procul ab oppido Penth (Penrith) invenitur." Willughby mentions its 

 similarity in form to a Herring, which is also true of the Irish species, the Pollan. 



I owe much to the kindness of Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart., who, with his well- 

 known willingness to be of service, placed his pretty little steam-launch (which, by the way, 

 bears the name of "Gwyniad,") at my disposal on the 28th. of September, 1878, for the 

 express purpose of procuring me specimens of this Bala fish. I also have to thank Mr. 

 Owen Wynne and Mr. BIgge for their kindness in accompanying me, and for the enjoyment 

 of a very pleasant day with the nets on that beautiful lake. It is true that we succeeded 

 in capturing only one Gwyniad, though we worked for a great part of the day;* never- 

 theless, it was an interesting sight to behold this brilliantly shining specimen, iridescent 

 with the most delicate colours, as it lay on the grass just after it was taken out of the 

 water. As these fish swim in shoals, there is often great uncertainty as to their falling 

 within the parts of the lake swept by the net. 



This fish, under the name of Schelly (from the scales), occurs, as has been said, in 

 Ullswater, and in Haweswater. In Scotland it is found in Loch Lomond, where it is called 

 a Powen. I believe the Gwyniad is still numerous in Ullswater. Pennant writes that he was 

 informed, that during one day in the summer as many as seven or eight thousand were 

 caught at one draught of the net. The Gwyniad is a delicate fish, and dies soon after it is 

 taken out of the water. The flesh is said to be rather dry and insipid ; but the poorer classes, 

 who consider them as Fresh-water Herrings, preserve them with salt, and thus use them as food ; 

 indeed they are very bad-keeping fish, like the salt-water Herring, properly so called. The 

 spawning time is towards the end of the year; the ordinary size is from ten to twelve 

 inches in length. Little is known with respect to the habits of this fish; I believe it is not 

 known what places they select for spawning, nor is there any published account of that 

 proceeding. They do not run up the rivers out of the lakes for this purpose, but probably 

 approach the shores, but whether the ova are deposited in the gravel or on water-weeds I 

 do not know. Bala Lake is or was known by the names of Pemble-Mere, and the Welsh 

 Llyn Tegid, meaning "fair lake," — and rightly is it so called. "It has long ago been 

 observed in Camden," says Pennant, {Brit. Zool. iv. p. 421, ed. 1812,) "that these fish 

 (Gwyniad) never wander into the Dee, or the Salmon ever ventures into the Lake ; this must 

 be allowed to be generally the case, but by accident the first have been known to stray as 

 far as Llandrillo, six miles down the river, and a Salmon has now and then been found 

 trespassing in the Lake."t 



The specimen I procured from Bala is small, being six inches and a half in length, 

 without the tail ; depth of body one inch and five eighths ; length of the head one inch and 

 three eighths ; snout truncated ; upper jaw slightly longer than lower ; the maxillary is broad 



* We secured, however, some Pike in glorious condition, quite pictures to behold. 



t That Salmon sometimes enter Bala Lake from the Dee is certain. On my visit on the 28th. of September, 

 one splendid female Salmon in spawning colours was taken out of the lake. 



