752 



SCANniXAVIAN FISHES. 



iijs.yor, see aljovc, ]>. .'^.'i, Wis. 7). It l)ites tVeely ;it a ' Teuc/li. Hut this is not tlic case: both xliv Pike and 



bait i)f the coiiniioii cai'tli-wunii. Thc^ (|ualities of tlie Salinon cat Tencii witii avidity, and small Tench are 



tlesh as an article of food are extolled by some and , excellent live-bait, especially in trolling for Pike, 



(lecried by others". This depends in most cases upon The Tench, which is known in Sweden as Lhi- 



liu' inaniici' of dressing it for table, and a Tench may daren, Siiftircii (the Danish Siider), and SkoiiHikaren\ 



be made into a good disii. The flesh is white, free was regarded by the pojiular belief of ancient times as 



from bones, and firm, but is considered indigestible and the physician of the otlici- fishes; and in human medi- 



therefore unwholesome. The niuddj- flavour which it cine it was employed in several ways. It was used as 



generally [lossesses, disappears if the fish be scalded in j a remedy for ague and a ju'eveutive (jf malaria, by its 



hot water before cooking, to remove the thick coat of aid jaundice could be removed from the constitution', 



of slime which covers the body. This slime has been I and its lixcr was a cure foi- toothaclie. 



supposed to deter predatory fishes from attacking the ; (Eksthikm, S.Mrrr.) 



SUBKAM1I.Y LEUCISCIN.E. 



IJcif^e of tlic dorsal fin ahout equal in length to that of tin- anal {the latter rari/'mq hetireeii 70 and ISO % of 

 the former, hut less iJian 10 % of the leni/fh of the liodi/). Distance }iefn-ee)i the dorsal Jin and the tip of the 

 snmit more than fa-ice the lenf/th of the head. A'o sjiiiKuts ray in the dorsal or the anal Jin''. Lateral line {ichere 

 present) situated <d the middle of the depth of the tail or hnrer. Alidoniin<d niarcfm in front of the rent uninter- 

 ruptedly colored with sccdes in the median line. Mouth vitliont harhels. Lenfith of the hnrer jaw more than 47 % 

 of the base of the anal fin. Pharyngeal cartilage as a rule ohlong (or<d). rounded or pointed in front. Length 

 of the intestinal canal as a rule less than that of the body. 



As we have mentioned above, we have chosen as 

 tile principal character of the subdivisions of tlie (Jyp- 

 rinoid family, the correlative size of the dorsal and 

 anal tins. Within the Scandinavian fauna this distinc- 

 tion is adequate; but the natural connexion lietween 

 this subfamily and the following one produces hybrid 

 foi'uis, which even in our fauna are exceptions to the 

 I'ule — a Bream form (the so-called Ahramidopsis Leuck- 

 artii) with Leuciscine characters and Leuciscine forms 

 (Bliccopsis) with Abramidine characters. 



The Scandinavian forms l)elonging to tiie subfamily 

 Leuciscina are distributed among the following genera : 

 A : Length of the base of the anal fin loss 

 than 19 % of the distance between this 

 fin and the tip of the snout. 

 a: Distance between the dorsal thi and 

 the tip of the snout more than S:^ "» 

 of that between the anal fin and the 

 same point. Scales small • jcnus Pho.riniis. 



/'.- Distance between the dorsal fin and 

 the tip of the snout less than &2 % 

 of that between the anal fin and the 

 same point Scales of moderate size Genus Lenciscus. 

 B: Length of the base of the anal fin more 

 than 19 °« of the distance between this 

 tin and the tip of the snout. 

 ((.• Distance between the dorsal fin and 

 the tip of the snout less than 86 % 

 of that between the anal fin and the 

 same point. Lateral line complete. 

 «: Beginning of the dorsal (in situated 

 behind the middle of the body. 

 Jjcngth of the lower jaw less than 



- -, of that of the head Genus Scardinius. 



Ij: Beginning of the dorsal fin situated 

 in front of the middle of the body. 

 Length of the lower jaw more 



than -/- of that of the head Genus Aspiuf:. 



b: Distance between the dorsal fin and 

 the tip of the snout more than 8(5 'i of 

 that between the anal fin and the 

 same point. Lateral line incomplete (jcnus Leucaspius. 



" All allnsion to tlie contempt witli wliieli the Tencli was regarded survives in tlie well-known lines of .\i:80Nius: 



"Ijnis non et virides vulgi solatia tineas 



Xcrit" . . . 



"Wlio knows not the green Tencli, tlic moh's deliglit?'' 

 '' Sutare and Skomakare both mean slioiimtkrr. a name perliiips derived from the ccdoiir of the fish. Tr. 

 ' Icteri magnes, Linn.kus. 

 '' In Seanilinavinn forms. 



J 



