WIiriE IJliEAM. 



805 



The uill-raki'i's are sliort and scattered, tlu- (inter row 

 oil tlie front of tlie tirst brancliial arch contaiiiin<i 14 

 or 15, iiiid the outer anterior margin of the pharyngeals 

 being furnished with almost as many (13). The pha- 

 ryngeals are armed as a rule witii two rows of teeth 

 (fig. 19!'). tlie inner row l)eing always composed of ."> 

 comiiressed and nearly straight teeth, with distinctly 

 hooked tips in most cases only in the hindmost (u]iper- 

 most) tooth and the middle one, the outer generally of 

 two (in e\cei>tional eases one or three) smaller, more 

 cylindrical teeth. According to EkStrom the outer row 

 is often wanting, which probably dej)eiids on tiie shed- 

 ding of the teeth, Avlien the pharyngeal teeth readily 

 dro}) out, or lie loose in the gums". 



The dorsal tin lies on the hind arm of the angle 

 formed by the dorsal profile, so higli that the first rays 

 occupies the apex of the back. The distance between 

 it and tlie tij) of the snout measures more than half 

 (about .")1 — .")4 ",j) of the length of the body, but less 

 than SN "'J (XI — H7 %) of the distance between the tip 

 of the snout and the anal fin. Its height is about twice 

 its length, the longest ray measuring about 22 — 26 ?4 

 of the lengtli of the body, and the base about 11 — 12 

 % of tile same. The fin is pointed in front, with the 

 up[icr [losterior margin obliquely truncate, the height 

 behind being only '/<, of that in front. The anal tin, in 

 consequence of its length, is not so obliquely truncate, 

 but more deeply concaye at the margin. The distance 

 between it and the tip of the snout is about 58 — 64 %, 

 the length of the longest ray about 15 (exceptionally 

 14) — 18 %, and its base about 23 (exceptionally 21) — 

 26' ., %, of the length of the body. The caudal tin is 

 deeply forked, with the lower lobe somewhat longer 

 than the upper. Its middle rays measure about 9 or 

 10 % (exceptionally 8' ., or 11 %) of the length of the 

 body, or rather less than '"'- of that of the longest ray 

 in the lower lobe. 



Tin; pectoral tins arc normal in form, but com- 

 paratiyely short, always shorter than the preabdominal 

 length. Their length is about 17 (16' J— 18 (18'/..) % 

 of that of tlie bod}'. The yentral fins are inserted at 

 a distance from the tip of the snout measuring about 

 40 — 45 ?6 of the length of the body, and less than 87 % 

 (77' , — 86' 2 %) of the distance between the dorsal fin 

 and the same point. Their length is about 15 (14' 2) 



— 18 % of tiiat of the bod\-. ISotli tile preabdominal 

 length and the poslalidoiiiinal, the lattcjr as a rule rather 

 less than the former, measure about ','5 (20 — 23 or 

 24 %) of the length of the body. 



The body is covered with large, striated, and im- 

 bricated scales, very like those of the Roach, and with 

 more distinct stri;c tlian those of the Dream. This 

 peculiarity combined with their relative size, is especi- 

 ally characteristic of the White Bream, and renders it 

 easily recognisable, if only attention be paid hereto. 

 The most trustwortiiy standard of tlie size of the scales, 

 however, is their number, in the lateral line, which 

 lies rather low, nearer to the belly than to the back, 

 we generally tiiid only 46 scales — the ordinary varia- 

 tions lie between 45 and 48 — and above the lateral 

 line only 8 or !> large rows and one smaller row, the 

 latter at the very base of the dorsal fin (the Bream 

 has at least 12 such rows). Between the lateral line; 

 and the insertion of the ventral fin we usually rind 6 

 rows of scales. The distribution of the scales on the 

 anterior part of the dorsal margin and on the ventral 

 margin behind the ventral fins has already been described. 



The coloration of the White Bream changes some- 

 wiiat with age and according to the season of year. 

 The young are of a lighter colour and have paler fins. 

 In spring during the spawning-season, or as shown in 

 our rigure, the ground colour of old specimens is sil- 

 very -white ^vith a strong dash of yellow, dai'ker above 

 and gradually passing into the olive gray of the back. 

 The sides of the head are bright with a play of many 

 handsome colours. The iris is of a faint golden yellow, 

 densely punctated with rine, dark green dots, collected, 

 especially above, into a broad, dark band. The dorsal 

 and caudal fins are of a plain olive gray. The pec- 

 toral, ventral, and anal fins are pale, with more or less 

 ruddy rays and a reddish tinge at the base. By this 

 red or orange hue of the inferior fins it is always easy 

 to distinguish the White Bream from young Bream, in 

 which these fins are pale and colourless. On the con- 

 clusion of the spawning the sides of the body resume 

 their dress of silvery white. 



In the White Bream, says Fatio, the back and the 

 sides of the body are often strewn with some roundish, 

 black spots. In normal Scandinavian specimens we have 

 never found such spots; but in a variety (hybrid) which 



" Unless it be the case that Ekstrom met with hybrids betweoii the ^Vhite BriMin ar.d tlie Br 

 the former and tlie dentition of the latter. 



with (be external characters of 



