821 



is twice as lon<r ;is the snout. The iinstrils are similnr 

 U) those of the [ifeceding forms, lint lie a litth^ hiiihei- 

 in relation to the e3'es. Tiie gill-openings are large, 

 the braiichiostegal nieml)raiies coalescing with the isth- 

 mus ratlier near each othei', jusi licliiiid the periienili- 

 eular from tlir hinil margin of the exes. Tlie gill- 

 rakers are hmg. thirk-sct, anil [iccliiiated, with nioi'e 

 or less distinct scrivitions. The outer I'ow on the tirsi 

 branchial arch contains almut oO — '.'>7 , that on the outer 

 anterior margin of tlu' phar\ngeals 24 — 2ti. The pha- 

 ryngeals, wliich are remarkably thin, are each furnished 

 with a Y0^^• of five teeth, these being compressed, 

 obliquely cut, and hooked at the tiji, with concave 

 (one-grooved) masticatory surface. 



The dorsal fin begins at a distance from the tip 

 of tlie snout measuring 47 — 49 "«, of the length of the 

 body. It is very obli(|uely truncate, with straight, or 

 even slightly convex margin, and its height in front is 

 more than Twice its length, the longest ray measuring 

 about 20— 21 % of the length of the body, the base 

 about 9 % (.)f the same. The anal hn is very long, 

 highest in front, then siid<ing in a small hollow, and 

 afterwards proceeding with tlie margin almost straiglit. 

 Its beginning lies at a distance from the tip of the snout 

 measuring about 51 — 53 ?i of the length of the body; 

 the length of its base is al)out * 3 (32', ., — nearly 35 %), 

 and that of its longest ray about 13' „ — 15 "«, of the 

 same. The caudal tin is deeply forked, the lower lolie 

 being the longer; its middle rays measure about ',j„ 

 of the length of the body and about '5 of that of the 

 longest caudal rays. 



The pectoral tins are long and pointed, and their 

 tips extend, when the tins are at rest, sometimes 

 scarcely to the perpendicular from the insertion of the 

 ventral fins, sometimes a little further back. The fins 

 are longest as a rule in the males; but this rule is 

 subject to exceptions which render it useless as a sexual 

 character. Their length is about ',',; (16' 2 — nearly 

 19 %) of that of the body. The ti[)S of the ventral fins 

 commonly extend, at least in the males, cpiite to the 

 anal aperture. The length of these fins is generally 

 greatest in the males, and measures about 13 — 15 ?6 of 

 of that of the body. The distance between the tip of 

 the snout and tlieir insertion is greatest as a ride in 

 the females, and occupies about 36 — 37 % of the length 

 of the body. Both the preabdominal length and the 

 postabdoininal measure Ifi (15' J — 18 % of the length 

 of the body. 



The body is covered with com])aratively small and 

 thin scales, set in vrvy obli(pie rows and densidy im- 

 bricated. They are in general more roiuided tlian the 

 scales of the Bream; but the true distinction lies in 

 their still finer concentric striation and tJK? smaller 

 number of radiating grooves. 



The coloration is indeed subject, as usual, to great 

 Nariations dependent on tlie agi; of the fish and the 

 season of the year; but it closely resembles that of young 

 Bream. The sid(!S of the head dis])lav many colours, 

 shot with silver and brassy yellow. The silveiy white 

 iris is dashed with yellow above the pupil, ■where the 

 fine, green dots with which it is strewn are collected 

 in a, dark spot. The foreiiead is olive gray, and a 

 somewhat lighter shade of the same colour extends to 

 the back and the uppjer part of the sides, gradually 

 fading below and [jassing, somewhat above the lateral 

 line, into sih'ery >^v:\\. This last colour grows lighter 

 and lighter towards the I)elly, which is almost white. 

 The dorsal, caudal, and anal fins are of a plain olive 

 gray, though the outer margin, especially of the last- 

 mentioned fin, is dark. The pectoral and ventral fins 

 are light gray \\ith a dash of brown, red, or yellow 

 at the base. 



In its h.abits the Zope seems nearly allied to the 

 Bream. It occurs in our largest lakes, Malar and W'e- 

 ner, but is common only in the former, which ap[iears 

 to be its true habitat in SAveden. Sometimes it descends 

 the River Got ha from Lake Wener (Malm), and it, no 

 doubt, wanders from Lake ^lalar, as Lill.teboi!g has 

 remarked, out into the island-belt of Stockholm (SfXDK- 

 VALiJ. But in Sweden it does not seem to belong to 

 the common fishes of the island-belt. Tlie case is the 

 same in Finland, tliough to the south of this countrj' 

 the Zo})e is common, according to ^Iela, in the interior. 

 In the south of the Baltic, however, in the German 

 Haft's and in the Gulf of Riga oft' the mouth of the 

 Diina, it seems to l)e a stationary fish (Mun., Hiki;). 

 According to Lixx.F.rs it occurs in Snialand, being there 

 known by the name of Braxcntlhhn : but no trust- 

 worthy information on this h(^ad has ^ince Ijeen pro- 

 cured, and the name may easih" be due t(j a confusion. 

 In the River Helge at Kristianstad, on the other hand, 

 two specimens about 3 dm. long were taken in 1869, 

 the first in March, the second in ^lav; and they are 

 now preserved among the stuffed collections in the mu- 

 seum of the said town. Lill.jebohg assumes that these 

 examples were stray visitors from the south or east of 



