981 



maxilliiries at tlic posterior part of their imdei- inai-jniii. 

 The pahite-and toii.mic arc almost toothless". 



The doi'sal tin begins at a distance from the ti]) of 

 the snout (the articular knobs of the maxillaries) mea- 

 suriii"' in small specimens (Sardines) about 41' ., %, in 

 large (Pilciiards) about 4U %, of the length of the body, 

 and apjjarently not exceeding 90 % (84 — BT'/o % accord- 

 ing to our measurements) of the distance between the 

 ventral fins and the same point. Its base, which is about 

 eqiial to its heigiit, measures about 12', — H'a % of 

 the length of the body. The distance between the anal 

 fin and the tij) of the snout is about 66 — 70 % of the 

 length of the body. Its outer margin, like tliat of tlic 

 dorsal tin, is soniewliat concave. Its liase occupies al)out 

 14 — 16 "'J of tiie Icngtii of the liody, and is four to tliree 

 times its height. The caudal tin was damaged in all 

 our specimens; but, to judge by the remnants, it seemed 

 to be deeply forked, the length of the middle rays being 

 about ' , of that of the longest ones, which was about 

 17 % of that of the body. 



The pectoral tins are rather more pointed than in 

 the Herring. Their length is about 15 — 14 %, that of 

 the ventral tins about 8' g — B'/j %, of the length of the 

 liod\-. The preabdominal length is somewhat greater 

 than the postalidominal, but both are contained about 

 ('our times in the lengtli of the body. 



The size and texture of the scales we have men- 

 tioned al)ove. At the ventral margin we have counted 

 20 spinigerous scales in front of and 16 behind the 

 ventral tins. These spines are set in a groove, which 

 is almost entirely concealed by the lowest scales on 

 the ventral sides. 



The coloration (jf a new-caught s|)ecimen is thus 

 described by Malm: "Back above bluish green, sides 

 and Ijelly silvery white, with a dash of yellowish green 

 towards the tail. The whole opercular apparatus, and 

 especially the u]iper scapular region, as well as the 

 ;iiiteri(jr part of the iris and a portion of the maxil- 

 laries, of a light, lustrous yellow, like that of sulphur- 

 pyrites, which extends some way over the shoulder- 

 girdle. On tiie shoulder-girdle, but sotnewhat aliove 

 the middle of the side, a light blood-red spot. Central 

 part of the operculum also blood-red. The whole 



gill-co\er iridrsccnt, rcscnibling tlic most beautiful 

 motiier of pcii-l. i'npil nuindi'd. Iris nacreous, tinged 

 with orange beiiind, of a greenish gold above, with a 

 whitish ground; finely punctated with black. Lower 

 jaw yellowish at the tij). Tip of the snout blackisii. 

 Oi-bit of an emerald ground-coloiu- in front of the eye. 

 Below the lateral line a row of six small, blackish spots, 

 the first situated in the red colour of the operculum, 

 the second on tiie u])per part of the shoulder-girdle, the 

 third in front of tiie tij) of tlic pectoral tin, separated 

 therefrom by a distance equal to about half the diametcn- 

 of the pupil. Distance between the third spot and the 

 last one eipial to the length of the pectoral fin. Dia- 

 meter of these s]:iots half that of the pupil. Fins greenish 

 gra\'; anal lighter; ventrals colourless. Tongue so dense- 

 ly punctated with dark dots that it is almost blackish". 



The Pilchard is of the same impoi'tance in Medi- 

 terranean countries and, to a considerable extent, in the 

 west of France and south of England as the Herring in 

 the North-Atlantic fishery. Boiled and preserved in oil, 

 it is known all the world over; but its geographical range 

 is not so wide as the Herring's, and it can hardly vie in 

 numbers with the latter. To the south it is known off 

 Madeira and the Canary Islands'. To the north it is a 

 stranger' even in the North Sea above Yarmouth, still 

 more so in Scandinavian waters, though it has been 

 found as far north as Bergen, wlience Lilljeborg brought 

 home to Upsala Museum two Pilchards in 18.58. Malm 

 mentions thi-ee specimens from Bohusliin, one of them 

 taken at Kalfsund on the 15th of May, 1855, the other 

 two at Stromstad, respectively on the 11th of August, 

 1865, and the loth of July, 1869. The Royal Mu- 

 seum has received from Bohushln two sjiecimens 2.3 cm. 

 long, the first obtained by Prof. S. Loven in 1861, the 

 second taken in Koster Fjord by Mr. C. A. Hansson 

 on the 25th of -luly, 1877. According to Nilsson a 

 female about 25 cm. in length and with ripe roe was 

 caught among common Herrings off Kullen on the 25th 

 of September, 1849. Kkoyer mentions a specimen ta- 

 ken in a stake-net (buiidfjani) in KtBrteminde Fjord 

 (Fiinen) during October, 1867. 



The true Atlantic home of the Pilchard thus lies 

 south of England, where it appears on the coasts of 



" "After the tongue has dried, a tliin carina may be traced along il, willi some extremely fine teeth, visible beneath the magnifj'ing- 

 glass, and set in a sint;le row, on the inner part." Nil.ssoN, 1. c., p. 524. 



* Lowe, Trans. Zool. Soc. London, vol. II, p. 189; Steind., 1. o. 



'■ In modern times at least, (in the east coast of Scotland, according to Parnei.L, the case was formerly different ; — see Mem. Wem. 

 Nat. Hist. Hoe., vol. VII, p. .321. 



