242 



Classifica- 

 tion — Ma- 

 lacopteri. 



ICHTHYOLOGY. 



II. Salvelini, " Rothfohren" Suecis ; Charr. Anglis. 



4. Salmo salvelinus, L. ; of which S. pallidus, Nilss., S. alpinus, 



L., are varieties. 



5. Salmo carbonarius, Str., of which .?. ventricosus is a variety. 



(Arch, fur Naturg. von Trosch, 1849, 310.) 



Fario Lemanus, or the Salmon-Trout of the Lake of 

 Geneva, is another fine species of this genus, fully described 

 by M. Valenciennes, and beautifully figured by M. Agassiz. 



-^.fia^^m-- 



fig. n. 



Fario Lemanus, 



Salar Ausonii. Under this new appellation, M. Valenci- 

 ennes, treats of the well-known Salmo fario of authors, the 

 river Trout of England, and the burn Trout of Scotland. 

 Having adopted the word fario for the appellation of a 

 generic division of the family, he has taken a specific name 

 from the author who has so briefly, yet so well, character- 

 ized the three members of the family that are the most re- 

 markable for the frequency of their occurrence in the rivers 

 of Europe. The propriety, however, of setting aside a 

 specific name so long established &% fario, and so little mis- 

 taken, may be questioned. 



" Purpureisque Salar stellatus tergore guttis." 



This line which, with others, from the same author, we 

 found in the Hisloire des Poissons, and have quoted in 

 preceding pages, gives a neat description of the Trout. One 

 of our own poets says : — 



" The springing trout in speckled pride, 

 The salmon, monarch of the tide, 

 The ruthless pike intent on VTar, 

 The silver eel and mottled parr.^* 



thus singling out three of the salmon tribe that fi-equent 

 the Leven, flowing over its smooth, round-pebbly bed. 



This lovely Trout is most extensively distributed over 

 the whole of Northern Europe, being found in every burn 

 and tarn, in every lake and river. It may be also said to 

 be one of the most pleasing in its appearance ; and, when 

 newly taken in "golden glory" from some translucent stream, 

 is exquisitely beautiful. The variation of the tints of the 

 ground colour is infinite ; yellow, however, is the most pre- 

 dominant, varying to the most brilliant orange ; while at 

 other times the ground colour of the body runs from a 

 dark-greenish black to violet, in most instances numerously 

 spotted with black and red. Sometimes, however, the black 

 is alone present in the form of large round spots, placed in 

 a pale circle, but in all cases beautifully relieved, and 

 breaking up the uniformity of the other colours. In a few 

 instances the spots have been observed to be wanting alto- 

 gether. One cause of the variation in the Trout, is the 

 difference of food ; and, according to every information we 

 possess, those which feed on fresh-water shells and Gammari 

 (screws, or fresh-water shrimps, as they are sometimes 

 called), are of the most brilliant tint, and also of the finest 

 flavour, with a decided pinkness in their flesh. Tiiose 

 feeding on the ordinary water insects are next in brilliancy 

 and flavour, while such as live chiefly upon aquatic vege- 

 tables are dull in colour, and of soft consistence. This is 

 further confirmed by the Trout in stews being always 

 finished, at fed off'a.s it is called, on the foresaid Gammari, 

 collected often from a distance. It is only in this way also 

 hat wi can account for the variation in the appearance and 



flavour of Trotit found in two adjoining bays of the same Olassifica- 

 lake. The individuals, in fact, do not appear to stray to tion— Ma- 

 any distance, but seem to be satisfied with whatever food 'acopten. 

 is found within a limited district, and which of course will ^^W*~^ 

 be in many instances of a peculiar and local kind. It is 

 also true, that the colours of Trout accommodate themselves 

 to the tint of the water, and to the prevailing tone of the 

 bottom, whether of rock or gravel, or of softer substance ; 

 and so constantly is this the case, that an experienced and 

 observant angler has little difficulty in accurately predicating 

 the general as|)ect of the fish of any lake or river. The 

 presence of moss, so frequent in alpine districts, has invari- 

 ably the effect of deepening the tints, particularly the shades 

 of green and yellow. 



In form this fish, when in perfect condition, may be 

 said to be nearly symmetrical ; the head only being some- 

 times rather large in proportion to the body, when con- 

 sidered in relation to what we regard as the beau ideal. 

 The fins are of moderate strength, those of the body assum- 

 ing a variation of form, from a rounded to a lengthened 

 extremity. The tail is almost always forked ; the fins are 

 always coloured, that is, never of the transparent whiteness 

 observable in the migratory species, and their tints are 

 generally of a paler shade than those of the corresponding 

 parts of the body. The anal fin is often bordered on its 

 lower surface with white. The scaling is proportionally less 

 than in the migratory kinds. The toothing is in general 

 strong, and very prominent on both the tongue and vomer. 

 The average growth of the common Trout, taking the 

 species generally, may be stated at about a pound, and 

 certainly not more than a pound and a half. In almost all 

 rivers, fish weighing beyond this may certainly be found ; 

 but they are comparatively uncommon. Individuals from 

 two to six pounds weight are occasionally taken, even in 

 what may be termed a " wild state." In ponds or stews, 

 again, they reach a much greater size, but caimot be said 

 to be in the natural condition of uninclosed fish. The 

 Thames Trout seem to reach most frequently the largest 

 size, being short compared to their length, but of great 

 thickness and well flavoured. Two were lately taken, the 

 one of eleven, the other of fifteen pounds weight. The 

 lakes in the north of England produce Trout of very fine 

 quality, and which are often passed off for Charr. Loch 

 Leven, too (of which the barren isle and now dismantled 

 castle are famous in history as the prison-place of the beau- 

 tiful Queen Mary), has long been celebrated for its breed 

 of Trout. These, however, have fallen off of late consider- 

 ably in their general flavour and condition, owing, it is said, 

 to the partial drainage of the loch having destroyed their 

 best feeding ground, by exposing the beds of fresh-water 

 shells, which formed the greater portion of their food. 

 Farther north (as in Sutherlandshire) the immense multitude 

 of lochs produce a corresponding abundance and variety of 

 Trout. Of these, however, only a few are of superior 

 quality ; but these few may assuredly vie with the Trout of 

 any country in the world. Another large species, occurring 

 in the British waters, and not yet distinctly known elsewhere, 

 is the — 



Salar ferox, Jardine. This species reaches a weight of 

 twenty-eight pounds, and is of very great power compared 

 with its size. The characters which distinguish this fish 

 from S. Ausonii are the great size which it attains in a 

 natural state, the large proportional size of the head, the 

 square extremity of the tail in all the stages of its growth, 

 the relative position of the fins, and the number of rays in 

 the dorsal, which vary from 2-11 to 4-11. The external 

 skin or covering of the scales is also extremely tough ; 

 and there is a difference in the form of the scales of the 

 lateral line. In colour the upper parts are generally of a 

 deep purplish brown, shading into purplish gray, and finally, 

 on the lower parts, to greenish or grayish yellow, more or 



