92 SALMONID.E. 



principally of very minute entomostracous animals, not ex- 

 ceeding seven-twelftlis of a line in size. I have been fa- 

 voured with specimens of the Vendace by Sir William 

 Jardine and T. S. Bushnan, Esq. which have afforded me 

 several opportunities of examining the contents of the 

 stomach and intestines. The contained mass, which is fre- 

 quently in considerable quantity, has a brownish yellow co- 

 lour, appearing slightly granulated to the unassisted eye. 

 A very small portion being placed on a slip of glass, and 

 agitated gently in conjunction with a drop of water, which 

 separates the particles, on placing the slip of glass under a 

 good microscope, two species in various states of perfection 

 are almost constantly found. The vignette at the end of the 

 description of this fish represents these two forms. The 

 first and second figure on the left hand are a back and side 

 view of a species of the genus Lynceus of Muller and others; 

 the third and fourth figures are a back and side view of a 

 species of Cyclops of Muller. On one occasion, I found a 

 very small coleopterous insect, the tough skin of a red worm 

 not much thicker than fine thread, and what appeared to be 

 a portion of the wing of a dipterous insect. 



Dr. Knox found that the females of the Vendace were 

 more numerous as well as larger than the males, frequently 

 exceeding eight inches in length ; the males not measuring 

 more than seven inches, which was the length of the speci- 

 men here described. 



The length of the head compared to that of the body only 

 was as two to seven ; the depth of the body at the com- 

 mencement of the dorsal fin not quite equal to one-fourth of 

 the length of the body without the caudal rays : the body ele- 

 gantly shaped; the convexity of the dorsal and abdominal lines 

 about equal ; the lateral line passes straight along the middle 

 of the side, with six rows of scales in an oblique line between 



