84( 



From Sweden we liiue no ol)ser\ations of the 

 lUiUiiier in wliicli i\\v s\K\\\u'n\;j: is jiertornied; l)ut in 

 Land ami Wiilrr tor tlie 1 4tl: of August, KS84, Jack- 

 son (lescril)e(l tlie actions of a female specimen in Soutii- 

 por^ Aquariuui \\ lien eonstructing a nest for her eggs. 

 "We obtained a line shoal of char from Windermere at 

 the opening of the season this year. Soon after thc'S' 

 came, I saw one of them had not sjjawned, and was 

 busv making its nest. Its modita operandi was exactly 

 as described by Mr. IkCKi.AM). It swam slowl\- down 

 towards the selected place as though concentrating its 

 energies; when it arri\ed over the spot, it thre\v itself 

 |);irtially on its side, and dropping the hind part of 

 the body, it gave several violent blows (three or four) 

 with its tail, scattering the gravel right and left. The 

 impetus of the blows not only scattered the gravel, 

 but drove the fish upwards in a slanting direction. 

 Quietl)- allowing the force to expend itself, it then 

 turned round, swam slowly, and repeated the process 

 time after time, until it had made quite a large hole." 

 This observation inclines us to the opinion that in 

 essential respects the spawning of the Charr resembles 

 that of the Salmon. 



The ova are comparatively large — from 4 to S'/o 

 mm. in diameter when ri|)e. Davy counted 1,230 eggs 

 in a female weighing ' 4 kilo.", and Luxel 4,108 in a. 

 female weighing 4 kilo''. Their hatching requires a 

 longer or shorter time according to the temperature of 

 the water. In a temperature of 4';2° C. (40° Fahr.) 

 Reynolds found the period of incubation to vary be- 

 tween GO and 70 days for most of his Charr ova, 75 

 days for some, and 90 days in a few instances; and 

 in a temperature of \i^i° C. (5j° Fahr.) most of the 

 eggs were hatched in 41 days. From the eggs which 

 Malm impregnated by artificial means at Baldersnas in 

 Dalsland at the end of October, the fry commenced to 

 appear in the beginning of the following ilarch, lieing 

 then about 17 mm. long. After living 19 days in an 

 aiiuarium in his room, they were 27 mm. long, and 

 had begun to develop the characteristic Pary markings. 

 At Ostanback, accoi'ding to IIvstkuji'", the eggs taken 

 in September from the ncighlicjuring sjjawning-places 

 were hatched in January, but the fry at first grew 

 slowly in the cold spring-water of the fish-ponds, and 



were only a little over an inch long in August. The 

 broods of Charr fry sent from ()stanb;ick to the Royal 

 Museum show that at the end of the first year the 

 length is 117 mm., at the end of the second year 12.B 

 nun., at tlii' end of the tiiird \'ear 137 — 21(1 nun., and 

 in Charr li\e yeai's old 2.')0 mm. The growth is de- 

 pendent, however, in tht; highest degree on the more 

 or less plentiful sniii)ly oi' food. 



The Charr is not onh- one of the most beautiful 

 fresh-water fishes in Scandina\ia, but also one of the 

 Itest — for good digestions the best of all. In summer, 

 however, it keeps out of the tisherman's way, living, 

 as we have mentioned, in tlui depths of the lakes, and 

 being taken almost exclusively by angling, as a rule 

 the least destructive fishery. The Charr is in good 

 condition at this time of year, best towards the end 

 of summer, if cooked and eaten at once; but its flavour 

 rapidly deteriorates, especially in summer. The fisher- 

 man changes his tactics when the Charr begin to ap- 

 ])roach their sjjawning-places. Where the bottom is 

 not too rough, the seine is used; else the place is 

 surrounded with nets. In either case an abundant 

 take may reward the fisherman; lint the s|)awning- 

 season is never the best time of year, either in the 

 condition of the fish or with a view to the maintenance 

 of the tishery. 



In Lake Wetter Charr are taken during summer on 

 long-lines baited with Smelt or bits of (.iwyniad or \eu- 

 dace, and where tlie shores are steep, the line may be 

 set close to land in a semicircle, .so that both ends touch 

 the shore. In other places the line must be taken 

 farther out into the lake, and set in at least 20 — 30 

 fathoms of water. The spawning fishery for Charr in 

 the shallows of Lake Wetter begins, according to Wi- 

 DEGREX, about the Itlth of October and does not close 

 in some parts until the 20th of Xovemlx-r. The annual 

 take, according to his computation, is about 3,000 kilo. 

 In the south of Lake Wetter distinctions were drawn 

 about 1830, according to Sergeant-major Hall, between 

 three kinds of Charr; the Shore Charr (Landrodbui), 

 which attained a length of !) dm. and a weight of 

 5Vi„ kilo-- back green, belly iiame-red, fins of the latter 

 colour with white margin; the Deepwater Charr ( />/«;<- 

 rt'idiii/j), which attained a length of oidy li dm, and a 



" See Dav, Fish. Gt. Brit, and Irel., voL II, p. 117. 



' See Fatio, 1. c, p. 4 In. 



' See Xystruh, I. c p. lo. 



Scandinncian Fislits. 



