ICHTHYOLOGY. 



241 



Classifica- so named and figured by Bloch, as he lias ascertained by an 



tion — Ma- examination of specimens from the same locality where 



lacopteri. j}i„j.|, procured his. 



^"■^"^•/""^ Salino umbla is abundant in the English lakes, and in 

 the greater number of those in the north of Scotland, when 

 of any considerable extent; but more seldom seen there, 

 from the absence of the practice of ?«e//2Vi(/, and the general 

 un»illingness of Charr to take a fly or bait. This fish is of 

 great repute in the Lake of Geneva, and is also found in 

 many of the alpine lakes of northern Europe. The com- 

 mon Charr reaches a considerable size, being sometimes 

 taken in Britain above 2 lbs. in vveiglit, altiiough the more 

 usual weight is under three quarters of a pound. When in 

 full condition, it is a fish of very great beauty, above of a 

 grayish green, shading into the most delicate white on the 

 lower parts, and tinted with a blush which is comparable to 

 that seen on the breasts of some of the gull tribe when 

 newly shot in spring. The body is sprinkled over with 

 pale spots of a considerable size. In this state they re- 

 main in the deeper parts of the lakes, and are not frequent- 

 ly taken, although we doubt not they might be so were 

 the practice adopted of hanging a herring-net in the deep 

 water, instead of trying only the winter practice of liauling 

 in shore. We ourselves caught them by the former me- 

 thod, in their prime silvery state, in Sutherland, during the 

 month of June. On the approach of the breeding time, 

 they seek the mouths of the small tributaries, and are 

 taken in vast numbers at the very perioil when their pre- 

 servation ought to be most strictly attended to, and when, 

 in truth, they begin to fall off in their condition. At this 

 season the colour of the upper parts is darkened, the fins 

 are very rich, and the sides and belly become of a beauti- 

 ful and brilliant red, the whole spotted with small marks of 

 a paler tint. 



S. salvelinus occurs in Wales ; and we have already 

 mentioned (in the article Angling of this work) that both 

 kinds occur in Windermere, to wit, the Charr or Case Charr 

 (Salmo icmbla), and the Torgoch or Red Charr {Salino sal- 

 velinus). These are usually thus distinguished — ^the 

 ibrmer, by having the first rays of the ventral and anal fins 

 white; the latter, by having those parts plain, that is, of the 

 same colour as the other rays. A remarkable distinction 

 is also observable in their natural habits, — the Case Charr 

 ascending rivers, and spawning about Michaelmas; the 

 Red Charr depositing its ova along the shores of the lake, 

 and not till the end of December, or the beginning of the 

 year. 



Tlie chief feeder, or head stream of Windermere, is com- 

 posed of tv^■o branches, the Brathay and the Rothay, which 

 meet a short way above the lake, into which they speedily 

 pour their united waters. The Brathay is the left-hand 

 branch (as we ascend from the lake), and draws its sources 

 from the mountain vales of Langdale, reaching Winder- 

 mere without any resting-place ; while the Rothay has 

 previously formed and flowed from two consecutive lakes, 

 Grassmere and Rydal. The Charr, in ascending from 

 Windermere to spawn, invariably turn to the left, and 

 ascend the Brathay (though to no great distance), and as 

 invariably avoid the lake-descended waters of the Rothay. 

 They also spawn lower down the lake of Windermere, at 

 the mouth (or a short way upwards) of the stream called 

 Troutbeck, which is also derived from the flow of mountain 

 tributaries, without any lesser or intermediate lake. 



Although the art of angling is not immediately connected 

 with the science of Ichthyology ; it is, at the same time, 

 evident that the successful practice of that art necessarily 

 illustrates the food of fishes, and therefore makes us ac- 

 quainted with an important portion of their natural his- 

 tory. For this reason we insert the following memoranda, 

 transmitted to us by Mr John Wilson, jun.: — " Tiie season 

 for fishing Charr (with rod and line) in Windermere and 



VOL. XII. 



Coniston commences about the end of May, and, I should ciassifica- 

 say, is over by the first or second week in July. Trolling tion — Ma- 

 with a smallish minnow is by far the most successful mode lacopteri. 

 of angling for this fish. It may, however, be taken with ^'^'v^^ 

 the artificial fly, the green and gray drake being the fa- 

 vourites. I killed three, one day in May last, with a small 

 red professor. A Bowness fisherman, on the same day, 

 trolling without intermission from six in the morning till 

 six in the evening, killed six and twenty, being the great- 

 est number that has been taken in Windermere, in a single 

 day, by one person, for many years. In Coniston, where 

 this fish is more abundant, I believe it is by no means 

 uncommon to kill three or four dozen in a day. With re- 

 gard to the size of Charr in Windermere, I sho\ild say 

 they average three to the pound. I never saw one that 

 was a pound. Billy Balmer told me that he once saw 

 one that was a pound and a quarter, and that it was the 

 largest ever taken in Windermere." In relation to the 

 same subject, in a different locality, we may also add the 

 following extract from another hand : — " A small red Charr 

 is found in Loch Achilty, Ross-shire, on the property of 

 Sir George Mackenzie. It takes the fly greedily in warm 

 still weather, and, what is singular, during all the summer 

 and autumnal months. I have captured eighteen in a fore- 

 noon in Julj' — raising many more. My flies were of 

 various sorts, from a midge to one as large as a sea-trout 

 fly. The water of Loch Achilty is singularly deep and 

 transparent ; the soil is rich and loamy, and contains large 

 quantities of imbedded wood — black oak especially. It is 

 supplied by numbers of minute streams, but has no visible 

 outlet, being supposed to discharge itself subterraneously. 

 The Charr found in it average eight or nine inches in length ; 

 we, however, caught one much larger. They rise with less 

 velocity than the Trout, and on missing the fly, unless in- 

 jured, will return to the hook. In Strathglass there is a 

 Loch Bruiach, where Charr are caught of a much larger 

 size, but chiefly with the net: except in the month of 

 October, when, as our informant, the Rev. Mr Chisholm, 

 told us, they may be taken in the shallows with the rod, 

 but at no other season." 



On dissecting the Charr which we killed last summer in 

 Sutherland, with a view to ascertain their food, we found 

 the stomach usually empty, but the lower part of the in- 

 testine filled with green vegetable residuum. This we 

 found to be the remains of the cases of aquatic larvae 

 {Phryganidte), a few of which we discovered in a half- 

 digested state in the upper portion of the intestinal 

 canal. 



The true S. alpinus of Linnaeus is, according to M. 

 Valenciennes, a Salmon which corresponds perfectly with 

 the figure of the Roeding by Ascanius, and the only species 

 that agrees with the description given in the Fauna Suc- 

 cica. It inhabits the Norwegian and Swedish waters, and 

 also the rivers of Siberia which fall into Lake Baikal. 

 For the other species of Salmon we must refer to the 

 pages of the Histoire des Poissons. 



Professor Nilsson of Lund has investigated the Scandi- 

 navian Salmon, and compared them with the original spe- 

 cimens of Linnaeus, still in the museum at Lund. 



I. TRUTT.E, " Laclis" Suecis. 

 (a.) Teeth in the front only of the vomer. 



1. Salmo salar,!!.; " Blanklachs" Suecis. (Fauna Bar. Amer., 



pi. 91, fi(j. 1. Salmon from the River Urr in Galloway.) 



2. Salmo eriox, L.; " Graulachs'' Suecis. (Fauna Sor. Amer,, 



pi. 91, fig. 2. Head of a Trout from Glamorganshire, in Mr 

 Yarrell's possession, said to be the Sewin.) 



(b.) Teeth in one row down the mesial line of the vomer. 



3. Salmo trutla, of which the following are varieties: — S. ocla, 



Nilss. : S.truUula,i(i\sB.; S. fario,h.; S. punctatus.SWss. 



2h 



