IMEI JUSy sy BONE) 
(Clupea alosa) 
Tue allis shad is found in a number of rivers during the spawning 
season, which occurs in June and July. This fish is not so well known 
in Scotland as it is in England. A fair number are caught by the 
nets on the Tay, and those I have examined have invariably been 
filled with spawn. The average weight of those that have come 
under my notice was about 5 lbs. It is a short thick fish about 20 
inches in length. The dorsal fin, consisting of sixteen rays, is very 
small for the size of such a fish, and the tail is very much forked. 
The tail has twenty-five rays, pectoral fin fourteen, ventral fourteen, 
and the dorsal eight. 
Characteristic of this fish is the colouring. The back is of a light 
slate colour merging into a bright silver on the sides and becoming 
quite white on the belly. The latter is covered with strong scales, 
which run along the under part from head to tail in a well-defined 
ridge. Between the ventral fin and the tail are fourteen strong spines, 
which no doubt is the principal weapon of defence. The mouth and 
head are very large and broad, whilst the eyes have a large black 
centre surrounded by a golden colour on the outer edge. On opening 
the mouth one is struck with the beautiful way the gills are arranged. 
From the latter numerous branches point outwards almost to the 
exterior, and are arranged in sets. The first set is quite 14 inches 
long, consisting of 120 branches closely set together. Following this 
again comes the second set, which are shorter, diminishing to about an 
eighth of an inch into the throat, where the upper and lower sets 
258 
