785 



females tliaii in the males, begins at ii distanee from 

 the tip of the snout ineasurin": 62 — ()7 % of the length 

 of the l)o(h-. The length of its base is about 13'/... — 

 14V« % of that of the body, and its height about !(> — 

 13'A> * "^ ''^"^ same, the biise being as a I'ule in the 

 young less than, in old sj)eciniens equal \o or greater 

 than, the height. The base is also as a rule about ec|ual 

 to the length of the ventral fins, whieli measures about 

 14 % of that of the body. The distance between the 

 ventral fins and the tip of the snout is about 43 — 46 

 * of the length of the body, being greatest in the fe- 

 males, where tfie preabdominal length is thus about ' ^ 

 of the length of the body, M'hile in the males it is only 

 about " ,, thereof. The postabdominal length, which is 

 also greater in tlie females, varies with age between 

 about '20 and 2o % of the length of the body. The 

 outer posterior corner of the ventral tins is indeed 

 pointed, the second simple or the first branched ray 

 being the longest; but the succeeding rays are only 

 slighth' shorter, and sometimes, especially in the young, 

 the outer posterior margin of these fins, when expanded, 

 is somewhat rounded. The pectoral fins are pointed, 

 with a distinct contraction at the hind margin within 

 the tip, calling to mind the genus Felecus: their length 

 is about 17 or IH % of that of the body. The caudal 

 fin with its pointed lobes, the lower somewhat longer 

 than the upper, is deeply forked, the length of the 

 middle rays being in young specimens about 9 %, in 

 old about 7 or 6 %, of that of the body, or in the 

 former about 38 %, in the latter about 31 ?a, of that 

 of the longest caudal rays. 



The scales are of moderate size and of the same 

 type as in Leuciscus both in form and texture, save that 

 the concentric stria; on the free (hind) part are more 

 distinct, coarser, and more scattered; and as in Leu- 

 ciscus, their mndeus is fairly central. Their munber in 

 an oblique transverse i-ow lietween the ventral tins and 

 the lateral line is 7; but on counting vertically up- 

 wards we find only 6 longitudinal rows".. 



The coloration as a whole conforms to the Leu- 

 eiscine type, varying according to age, season, and en- 

 vironments. The colours of the young are lighter, of 

 old specimens darker. The olive green back with its 



steely lustre passes towards the sides into a silvery 

 or brassy hue, and the belly is white. Especially pretty 

 is the brassy oi" golden and silvery lustre on the sides of 

 the head, which are finely j)unctated with dark green. 

 'i'iie iris is mostly silver white, but the pupil is encircled 

 by an ;dmost golden yellow (sometimes paler) ring, and 

 the upper part of the iris displays a brassy tinge with 

 a shading of dark dots. The dorsal and caudal fins are 

 of the same colour as the back, though with a stronger 

 dash of blue (violet) and red, and Avith dark margins. 

 The other fins usually shade into red and yellow; but 

 in the female our iigure represents in her spawning- 

 dress, they were darker. In this dress might also be 

 traced • — though they became more prominent under 

 the action of the spirits in which the specimen was 

 preserved — the 8 dark stripes along the sides above 

 the lateral line, formed by a dark streak along the 

 middle of each scale's free surface, and shown in the 

 above-quoted figure by Marsigli. 



The Asp belongs properlj- to South-eastern Europe, 

 liut is also common in the centi-al parts of this con- 

 tinent. In Switzerland and Western Europe, even in 

 Denmark, it is wanting. It is most frequently found, 

 however, only in large lakes and rivers, but does not 

 shun the brackish water on the coast, e. g. in the Haft's 

 of Northern Germany and Lake Dassower (the mouth of 

 the Trave). In Sweden its range is almost confined to 

 the ^Millar valle^• and the liasin of Lake Wener. It 

 also occurs, however, in the Dal Elf (at least in Lake 

 By, a broad on this river in the south-east of Dale- 

 carlia''), in the Em (Calmar), and, according to Malm', 

 in the Helge (Christianstad). In Lake Wetter and the 

 neighbouring waters it has never been found. That it 

 also inhabits the Baltic island-belts, is more than pro- 

 bable, for the large female represented in our figure 

 was taken at SjStullen outside Stockholm. MCller'' 

 assigned it to the Norwegian fauna under the name of 

 Blaa-spol: but, according to Colle'it, the only Nor- 

 wegian \\'aters inhabited bj- this species are Lake Ojeren, 

 from which it ascends in spring the Lersundselv and 

 Nitelv, and that part of the Gloramenelv which is below 

 Lake Ojeren. In Finland the Asp is known with cer- 

 tainty only from the extreme south-west, but according 



° Sometimes only 4, according to Dvbowski. 



' According to information received from Dr. STEFFENBlRr, by Liluebokg. See also the above-cited report of the Swedish Fisheries 

 Commission. 



'' See also Retzius, Fii. Suec. Lin. 

 ■* Zool. Dan. Prodr., p. 51. 



