210 



ICHTHYOLOGY. 



Abdomi- 

 nales. 

 Salmo- 

 nidae. 



Malacop- ed with the science of Ichthyology, it is at the same time 

 terygii evident that the successful practice of that art necessarily 

 illustrates the food of fishes, and therefore makes us ac- 

 quainted with an important portion of their natural his- 

 tory. For this reason we insert the following memoranda, 

 transmitted to us by Mr John Wilson, junior: — '| The 

 season for fishing char (with rod and line) in Winder- 

 mere and Coniston commences about the end of May, and, 

 I should say, is over by the first or second week in July. 

 Trolling with a smallish minnow is by far the most suc- 

 cessful mode of angling for this fish. It may, however, be 

 taken with the artificial fly, the green and gray drake 

 being the favourites. I killed three one day in May last 

 with a small red professor} A Bowness fisherman on the 

 same day, trolling without intermission from six in the 

 morning till six in'the evening, killed six mid tioenty, being 

 the greatest number that has been taken in Windermere, 

 in a single day, by one person, for many years. In Co- 

 niston, where this fish is more abundant, I believe it is by 

 no means uncommon to kill three or four dozen in a day. 

 In regard to the size of char in Windermere, 1 should 

 say they average three to the pound. I never saw one 

 that was a pound. Billy Balmer told me that he once saw 

 one that was a pound and a quarter, and that it was the 

 largest ever taken in Windermere." In relation to the 

 same subject, in a different locality, we may also add the 

 following extract from another hand. " A small red char 

 is found in Loch Achilty, Ross-shire, on the property of 

 Sir George Mackenzie. It takes the fly greedily in warm, 

 still weather, and, w hat is singular, during all the summer 

 and autumnal months. I have captured eighteen in a 

 forenoon in July, — raising many more. My flies were of 

 various sorts, from a midge to one as large as a sea-trout 

 fly. The water of Loch Achilty is singularly deep and 

 transparent,— the soil is rich and loamy, and contains 

 large quantities of imbedded wood, — black oak especially. 

 It is supplied by numbers of minute streams, but has no 

 visible outlet, being supposed to discharge itself subter- 

 raneously. The chai- found in it average eight or nine 

 inches in length ; we, however, caught one much larger. 

 They rise with less velocity than the trout, and on miss- 

 ing the fly, unless injured, will return to the hook. In 

 Strathglass there is a Loch Bruiach, where char are 

 caught of a much larger size, but chiefly with the net, — 

 except in the month of October, when, as our informant, 

 the Rev. Mr Chisholm, told us, they may be taken in the 

 shallows with the rod, but at no other season.""- 



On dissecting the char which we killed last summer in 

 Sutherland, with a view to ascertain their food, we found 

 the stomach usually empty, but the lower part of the in- 

 testine filled with green vegetable residuum. This we 

 found to be the remains of the cases of aquatic larvae 

 {Phryganidce), a few of which we discovered in a half di- 

 gested state in the upper portion of the intestinal canal. 



Following the preceding groups, or Salmones properly 

 so called, Cuvier has placed the 



Genus Osmerus of Artedi. Characterised by two rows 

 of teeth on each palate bone, the vomer with a tuft on the 

 fore part, the branchial membrane with only eight rays, 

 the body without spots, and the ventral fins placed a little 

 more forward than in the true salmon. 



The best-knowii species is the O. eperlanus, Arted., 

 Salmo eperlanus, Linn.; called spiTli7i in Scotland. It 

 is a small fish of delicate but brilliant colours, clear green 

 on the upper parts, passing into silvery on the sides and 

 belly. It fi-equents the sandy bays at the mouths of rivers, 



which during the breeding season it ascends to spawn. It Malacop- 

 is abundant on the British coasts, and in many parts of terygii 

 Europe, and is taken in immense quantities, being much Abdomi- 

 esteemed for the table. "^^^^' 



Genus Mallotus, Cuvier. Characterised by the teeth, ■ "'™- 

 which are fine, closely set, and nearly concealed ; eight rays i^^,.^ 

 to the branchial membrane ; the body lengthened and co- 

 vered with minute scales ; the first dorsal and ventral fins 

 placed beyond the middle of the fish, pectoral fins very 

 large and round ; the male during the breeding season with 

 the scales of the lateral line furnished with lengthened ap- 

 pendages resembling hairs. 



The only species is M. Groenlandicus, Cuv. ; .S'. Groen- 

 latidicus, Bloch ; Capelan, or Lodde. A small fish of from 

 four to seven inches in length, the under jaw longer than the 

 upper ; above of a greenish gray, changing to whitish be- 

 low ; and remarkable for the structure of the scales on the 

 lateral line, and the size of the pectoral fins. Abundant in 

 the Arctic Seas, where it is taken in immense profusion 

 when approaching the coasts to spawn, and is used as the 

 principal bait for cod. A few are cured and brought to 

 this country in barrels, where they are sold, and used as a 

 relish by the curious in wines. 



Genus Thymallus, C\xv\ev ; grayling. Has been se- 

 parated from the Guiniads, principally on account of the 

 small scaling, and large dorsal fin. The species approach 

 nearer in form, colour, habits, and food, to the trouts. 

 They have the mouth with sides, that is, but slightly cleft, 

 the teeth very fine, the body spotted, the branchial mem- 

 brane with seven or eight rays. The stomach is very mus- 

 cular. They inhabit rivers, and feed on aquatic insects, &c. 

 England produces a beautiful species, commonly called the 

 grayling, or 



Thymallus thymus,^ Salvianus. The grayling delights 

 in clear rapid streams, and is found in many of those bear- 

 ing that character in the more hilly or mountainous parts 

 of England, particularly in Shropshire, Yorkshire, and 

 Derbyshire, — reaching as far north as some of the tri- 

 butaries of the Tyne in Northumberland. The European 

 range of this fish seems extensive, if all the authors are 

 correct in their designation. According to the Flora 

 Lapponica, it is common in Lapland, and the viscera are 

 there used instead of rennet, with the milk of the rein- 

 deer. It is also found in Siberia, in Prussia, and Pome- 

 rania. It is a very beautiful fish, above of a dusky bluish 

 green, changing to a fine silvery gray. The lower edges 

 of the scales are dusky, which gives the appearance of 

 dark streaks running along the fish. The most marked 

 feature is the dorsal fin, of very large size, and darkly 

 spotted between the rays, in the form of transverse bands. 

 The ordinary size is from a foot to sixteen inches in 

 length, but instances of one or two from four to five 

 pounds are recorded. By some authors the grayling is 

 said to be a migratory fish, passing the winter in the open 

 sea, and the summer in the fresh waters. This may, how- 

 ever, be the habit of the fish in some countries only, as in 

 certain of the English rivers they seem to remain during 

 the winter. This species, as far as we know, appears to 

 be the sole example of the form in Europe ; and it is on- 

 ly seen again in North America, in a very beautiful fish, 

 the 



Thymallus signifer, Cuv. ; Coregonus signifer, Rich- 

 ards. This grayling was met with by the expedition un- 

 der Captain Franklin, in the strong rapids and clear rivers 

 to the northward of Great Slave Lake, where it rose ea- 

 gerly at artificial flies, and afforded good sport from its 



• A noted fly, so named in honour of the Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh,- 

 said to conjoin with various other accomplishments, considerable skill in angling. 



"> From the manuscript of Mr Thomas Tod Stoddart, an ingenious angler, of the Scotch bar. 

 3 So named from its supposed scent or flavour resembling thyme. 



gentleman who is 



