BIHANG TILL K. SV. VET.-AKAD. HANDL. BAND 26. AFD. IV. N:0 8. lo 



fishermen in the Volga delta and believed to lead the swarms 

 on their way up the river. 



From the relative measurements of the table it can be 

 seen that the limits of variation are, as a rule, about the 

 same for the Caspian »vobla» as for the Scandinavian roach. 

 The depth of the body ma}^ however be a little larger in the 

 Caspian vobla and perhaps the head is also comparatively a 

 little larger, but this is less striking. It is also apparent that 

 the golden variety as to its dimensions does not offer any 

 distinct peculiarities or diiferences from the normally coloured 

 specimens. The colour of the normal form is (probably due 

 to the muddiness of the Volga) more dull or milky, not so 

 bright silvery as in onr roacb. In the same way the fins 

 -\vere not so red nor the iris of the Volga vobla as the cor- 

 responding parts of the Scandinavian roach. There does not 

 seem, however, to be any characteristics of specific value 

 through which the Volga vobla could be discerned from the 

 Scandinavian form. 



The vobla extends its wanderings all över the North 

 Caspian Sea. At Petrovsk as well as at Dolgoi it was com- 

 mon. Towards the south it decreases in number. It is still 

 found at Baku although not in great quantities and I was 

 told it is missing off the Persian coast. In the lake Adshi- 

 Kabnl in Transcaucasia as well as in Knrå river it was only 

 of little importance for the fisheries. In the Volga delta 

 where it is caught in millions and millions and is one of the 

 most important foodfishes I found ripe males with flowing 

 milk the first of May when the wate>r had a temperatiire of 

 + 11,2 C. The following day ripe females were also found. 



Leuciscus virgo Heckel. 



Total length in mm 340 



Length of head in % of tot. length 20,8 



Prseorbital length ■? » » » » 7,2 



Postorbital > » » » » » 11,0 



Diameter of eye » » » » » 3,5 



Height of body » j » » » 22,0 



Least height of caudal peduucle »»»» » 8,8 



Distance from snout to dorsal fin »»»» » 46,4 



» » j. 2> anal » » » » » 66,6 



» » j. » ventral fins »»» » » 44,8 



