8G3 



easier in tlie i'i'r('|itar!('s of a iiatclierx' and in well- 

 oonstrnctcd [loiids than in nature to protect tlie e^'gs 

 and the defenceless fry from their numerous enemies. 

 As soon as the voracity characteristic of tiie genus 

 begins to awaken in tlie voung lirood, it is not ditK- 

 cult to sui)])lv tiieui witli suitable food, eitiier Kiito- 

 tnostnicd, wiiere tiiese can l)e iirociired in Mitlicient 

 quantity — no doubt a rare occurrence — or lean beef 

 or liorseflesh, mixed with hard-boiled eggs and chopped 

 fine. r>ut important conditions of success are to have 

 ji constant sujiply of pure running water at a proper 

 temperature, and to remove every diseased egg. The 

 latter end is most convenienth" attained In" admitting 



tlie current of water at the bottom of the liatcliing- 

 vessel and allowing it to I'uii ovei' at the top, tin' dis- 

 eased eggs, which become wiiite and rise to tlie sur- 

 face, being thus carried away with the overflow. 



Here we !ia\(' no s|(ace, liowever, for a full de- 

 scription of Salmon culture in its details. The reader 

 wlio desires more information on this head may con- 

 sult either the Handhitch dfr FischzKchf loid Fischcrci 

 by ^l.\x VON DEM Borne, a Avork whicii we have often 

 (pioted, or Sir -Tames ^Iaitlaxd's Jlisfori/ of Jloirie- 

 foini. In Swedish these (juestions are handled with 

 ability by O. (1. Nohback in his HandJedning i Fiske- 

 rard nch Fiskafrel. 



Genls OSMERUS". 



Canine teeth on the romer and tongne: tiro roirs of smatl teeth in thr anterior part of the Joirer jau\ one rote 

 of larger teeth- in its posterior p>art, and on the palatine hones; snudl tcvth of uniform size, set in one rov, on 

 the intermaxiUaries, the maxillaries, and the mesopterygoid hones. Le)iiith of the maxillaries as a rule 60 — 60 

 *', of the hirer Jair as a rule 85 — 100 9a'', of that of the head rediieed. Xamtter of rags in the anal fin greater 

 than in the dorsal, hut at most 17, 12 — 14 of which are hranehed : and the base of the anal fin longer than that 

 of the dorsal. I'gloric appendages feir {at most about 7) and short. Scales middle-sized, about 60- — 70 in a 

 roir alo)ig the sides of the bodij. milii the anterior (10 — 33) tteing pierced hi/ the lateral line. 



According to the above limitation of the genus, 

 based on the most generalh' adopted opinions, it con- 

 tains onl}- three sjiecies, very nearly related to each 

 other, one from the basin of the Atlantic, the second 

 from the Arctic Ocean, and the third from the basin 

 of the Pacific. Its most prominent character consists 

 in the dentition of the mouth and palate. The vomer 

 is especially remarkable, its development having been 

 arrested so tliat it is made up of the anterior part 

 (the head) alone, and officiates merely as a point of 

 attachment for two' large and widely separated, canine 

 teeth. Another dental character, shared, however, bv 

 the following genus, is the presence of inner jialatine 

 teeth. On opening the mouth of a Smelt, we see a 

 deep and narrow, longitudinal groove at tlie middle 

 of the palate, furnished at the sharp edges with a row 



of small liut keen teeth, whieli are set on the inner 

 margin of the bi-oad mesopterygoid bone, the largest 

 bone on each side of the palatine arch. The pterygoid 

 bone proper is toothless, consisting simply of a nai-ro\\- 

 osseous disk, which lies close to the outer margin of 

 the mesopterygoid bone and unites the ])a]atine and 

 quadrate bones. All the palatine teeth are canines, 

 but their development as such differs considerably, 

 being most ad\anced in the foremost and hindmost 

 teeth. The largest teeth in the whole mouth, however, 

 are as a rule the outermost in the transverse row 

 belonging to the liead of the vomer. The teeth in the 

 lower jaw are also canines, the posterior larger and 

 set in one row, the anterior set in two rows, with the 

 smallest teeth in the outer row. The intermaxillary 

 teeth are about equal in size to the last, and show at 



" From llie Greek o(T,«»|'g»jc or 6a((»jgOfc', odorous. 



' 59'4 — Gt)7 %, ftccording to our ineasurenients of specimens in tlie possession of tlie Royal Museum. 



■" 85—102-4 %. 



'' Or three, or two pairs — one in front of and witliin tlic other — or five, in which case the inner (eetli are smaller than the outer. 



Scamlinavinn Fhhfs. 109 



