158 POLL AN. 



Bridge, to the enormous destruction of the fry of these fish, which a few years ago were caught in 

 nets of small mesh. This, I believe, has been very properly stopped. The fishermen catch the 

 Pollan in different parts of the great Irish lake, and pack them in boxes ; they are then brought 

 to Toome Bridge, and conveyed by rail to the coast, whence they find their way to Liverpool, 

 Manchester, and other towns. Thompson mentions the greatest take of these fish he ever 

 remembers as having occurred in September, 1834: it was at the bar mouth, where the river 

 Six-mile Water enters the lake. "At either three or four draughts of the net one hundred 

 and forty hundred (one hundred and twenty-three individuals to the hundred) or seventeen 

 thousand two hundred and twenty fish were taken ; at one draught more were captured than 

 the boat could with safety hold, and they had consequently to be emptied on the neighbouring 

 pier. They altogether filled five one-horse carts, and were sold at the spot at the rate of 

 3s. 4d. a hundred, producing ^23 6s. 8d. They are brought in quantities to Belfast, and 

 when the supply is good the cry of "fresh Pollan" prevails even to a greater extent than 

 that of "fresh Herring," though both fishes are in season at the same period of the year." 



The Pollan is said to deposit its spawn where the lake presents a hard rocky bottom ; 

 this occurs in December. The stomachs of those fish I examined last July contained the 

 remains of the larvae of insects and some small Crustacea. Those which Mr. Thompson examined 

 in June, 1836, were full of the larvae of various aquatic insects, but chiefly of mature individuals 

 of Gmnmarus aqtiaticus (fresh-water shrimp) ; some shells of the genus Pisidittin, and one of the 

 fry of the Three-spined Stickleback also were found. Besides inhabiting Lough Neagh, the 

 Pollan occurs in Lough Derg, an expansion of the Shannon. Yarrell was supplied with a 

 jar full of Pollan from Lough Erne, in County Fermanagh, by the Earl of Enniskillen ; those 

 specimens are said to be deeper in proportion to the length than those from Lough Neagh. 



The following is a description of a female specimen I examined on July nth., 1878: — 

 Total length ten inches and a half; depth two inches and five eighths ; length of head two 

 inches ; the maxillary, reaching to the middle of the eye, rather broad, but thin and short ; 

 prseoperculum with distinct lower limb ; snout short and obtuse ; lateral line distinct, beginning 

 from above the gill-cover, descending for about six scales, then going in a straight line to the 

 middle of the caudal fin, which is deeply incised. Dorsal fin light, tinged with smoke colour, 

 as also the tail ; the anal, ventral, and pectoral fins white and immaculate. Colour of head and 

 back bluish brown, the rest of the body bright silvery; pyloric caeca very numerous, densely 

 crowded, covered with fat ; the ovaries consisted of two lobes, four inches and five eighths long, 

 of bright orange colour ; and the contained ova were about the size of dust-shot. Air-bladder 

 very large ; teeth none, or extremely rudimentary. The whole fish was thick and fat, though 

 the intestines were full of tauter. 



The people at Toome and in the neighbourhood ascribe a soporific property to the flesh 

 of the Pollan. "You must move about. Sir," a boatman said to me, "soon after eating 

 them, or they may send you to sleep." Lieutenant-Colonel Masefield and myself had a dish 

 of Pollan fried, and we thought them very fair food ; we both thought they resembled in 

 flavour and texture of flesh very good Dace. Neither of us felt inclined to go to sleep after 

 eating them, but then the Colonel is more wide awake than most men. 



The size of full-grown adult specimens is about ten to twelve inches long, and I do not 

 think they often attain to a greater length. 



The fin-ray formula of the Pollan is 



Dorsal 12 — 14. 

 Pectoral 14. 

 Ventral 1 1 — 12. 

 Anal 12 — ij. 



The specimen figured was taken in a net at Lough Neagh. 



