30 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



size". In central Sweden the largest examples occur 

 in lakes which have steep, rocky shores and deep bights. 

 The weight of the fish, however, seldom exceeds four 

 and a half poiuids. 



The Swedish fishermen draw a distinction between 

 the Ice Ferrh, Leaf Perch, Stone Perch, Mud Perch, 

 Dee'p-water Perch, and Sedge Perch. But the differences 

 which liave given rise to these several names, are due 

 ])artly to tlie dissimilarity in the haunts of the fish, 

 and partly to certain local or fortuitous circumstances 

 which have a varying influence upon the spawning- 

 season, rendering it earlier or later, and upon the appea- 

 rance and flavour of the fish. The so-called Carass 

 Perch which Linn^us found in the meres near Falun*, 

 has also been found in many other places both in Swe- 

 den and Finland, as well as in England. Wahlgren 

 lias shown" that this cliange in form is due to an ab- 

 normal shortening of the vertebrae (rachitis), but this 

 misformation may sometimes be peculiarly regular in 

 character, as is shown in figs. 3 and 4, p. 29, draAvn 

 from specimens taken in Lake Elgsjo in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Vadstena and handed over by Dr. Cnat- 

 TiNGius to tlie Roj'al Museum. From Lake Tisaren in 

 Nerike the Royal Museum has acquired, through Pre- 

 sident AF RoBSON (1837), a, peculiar variety of the 

 Perch, called by Sundevall var. macukita (fig. 5), and 

 kno\\'n to the fishermen by the name of Skdllmg. "Their 

 spawn," writes Robson, "is unknown, tliey have never 

 been found to ha^e milt or roe. They resemble the 

 common Perch, but are more slender, being thin and 

 lean. The head is larger in proportion to the body 

 than in the common Perch. The head black, the rest 

 of the body, on the contrary, lighter or fainter in colour 

 than is the usual case Avith the Perch. Thej' generally 

 swim alone or in extremely small companies, never 

 collect in shoals, occur seldom, and rarely exceed T'/, 

 oz. in weight." The appearance and habits of the so- 



called 'hottengnidare (bottom rubber) of Sodermanland, 

 are identically the same as those of this variety. Our 

 figure of the Spotted Perch is further designed to recall 

 to the reader's mind the similarity to the American perch 

 that results from the ridges which may occur on the 

 gill-cover. A third variety (aurea or the Golden Perch) 

 has been described by Sundevall'', who took his de- 

 scription from a specimen from Eskilstuna which was 

 handed over to the Royal Museum l)v Mr. Linder. 

 "During life," he says, "the colouring throughout the 

 body Avas a decided orange, a little i-edder than the 

 colour of the small, common Gold Fish, with only in- 

 distinct traces of black spots on the back." It seems 

 evident that in this case too some kind of sickliness has 

 given rise to this variation of form, from the juvenile 

 characters which this specimen has retained, notably in 

 the comparatively large size of the eyes and the length 

 of the ventral fins'". 



The sullen and sour disposition of the Perch seems 

 to be the reason why it prefers a solitary life, and only 

 joins its fellows during the spawning-season in spring 

 and at midsummer, when it collects in shoals. At all 

 other seasons only solitary individuals are found, but 

 in -winter one may see it collected in groups at certain 

 places. It generally keeps near the bottom, and, though 

 a fairly fast swimmer, remains motionless for long inter- 

 vals at the same spot; and awaits its prey oftener than 

 it seeks it. At need, however, it is veiy (juick in its 

 movements, and when on the jjoint of attacking its 

 prey, or itself in fear of the assault of some foe, it 

 spreads its fins, appai-entl}' as a sign that it is destitute 

 neither of courage nor of ■weapons. 



The Perch is very tenacious of life, and may be 

 kept alive for a long time in a cauf, if this be placed 

 in slowly running water. In a packing of wet grass 

 it bears long journeys without dying. Its growth is 

 supposed to be slow'^, and it is not capable of propa- 



" ScHKKi''Kn's account (Lapponia, Francofoiti 1073, p. 354) of a jiercli the Iiead of which was 6 inches broad, and was preserved in 

 Luleu churcli, probably refers to some other fish, perliaps the Pike-perch or the Pike; CuviER assumed it to liave been a Norway Haddock {Sebastes). 



'• Fauna .Siiecica (1740), p. 100. 



' 0/vers. Vet.-Akad. Fork. 1873, no. 8, p. 01. 



"* Ofuers. Vet.-Akad. Fork. 1851, p. 155. Mai.m too lias descrilx-d a similar variety in Gbgs, Boh. Fn. p. 377. 



' The li'nsth of this specimen from the tip of the snout to the middle point of the caudal rays is 220 mm. The longitudinal diameter 

 of the eye is 19.3 'i of the length of the head, while the normal diameter is not more than 17 K. The length of the ventral fins is 05 % 

 of the distance from the insertion of these tins to the beginning of the anal fin, while it is only in young specimens from 30 to 40 mm. in 

 length that I liave found this ratio to be as high as 00 'i: in specimens about 200 mm. in length it falls to about 50 K, and in specimens 

 of the common perch 300 mm. in length it was from 43 to 45 %. 



f According to Maki.ix (see Rritei;, Fm\. Fi.4\) the Perch is on an average: 

 uhen 1 year old, 80..-> mm. in length; wlien 3 years old, 179.2 mm. in length; when 5 years old, 204 mm. in length. 



» 2 n » 127.:i > » ). » 4 , . 224.3 >' ■■> 



