278 THE RIVER-SIDE NATURALIST. 



Mecum," 1822) says that smelts never stray far from salt 

 water, or, at least, where it is a little brackish ; that they 

 come in with the flood, especially during spring-tides, and 

 return with the ebb. They are fond of deep holes, and, 

 when the tide is nearly full, may be caught with a stout 

 minnow-line or a very delicate paternoster. He recom- 

 mends, when fishing for them in the docks, gentles, cod- 

 baits, and blood-worms, fresh raw shrimps, or small pieces 

 of raw lobster or crab. Some people in his day considered 

 that the whitebait was the fry of the smelt, their habits 

 and localities being the same. 



Of the genus Coregonus, we have the GWYNIAD (Core- 

 gonus clupeoides) ; the VEND ACE (Coregonus vendesius), said 

 to have been introduced into Loch Maben, Dumfriesshire, 

 by Mary Queen of Scots, probably with about as much 

 foundation as the introduction of the grayling by the 

 monks ; and the POLLAN (Coregomts pollan). 



The Gwyniad, called the Schelly in Cumberland and 

 Powan in Scotland, and, according to Tennant, identical 

 with the Ferar (C. /era) of the Swiss lakes, is silvery-blue 

 in colour, lightest on the sides and below ; dark greyish- 

 blue fins ; irides silver ; pupils blue. 



Fin- ray s : dorsal, 1315; pectoral, 17; ventral, n 12; 

 anal, 1316; caudal, 19. 



The Vendace is found chiefly in Loch Maben and the 

 surrounding lakes, is gregarious in its habits, exceedingly 

 delicate, and it is said not to survive if once taken out of 

 the water, although immediately returned. Its food appears 

 to consist of minute entomostraca. It is never taken by a 

 bait. 



Fin-rays: dorsal, n; pectoral, 1516; ventral, 11; 

 anal, 1314; caudal, 19. 



The colour is greenish-blue along the back and upper 

 half of the body ; the sides silvery, with a slight golden 

 hue ; the abdomen silver-white ; eyes yellow ; pupils blue ; 

 dorsal fin greenish-brown ; lower fins bluish-white. There 

 appears to be seven rows of scales between the lateral line 

 and the insertion of the ventral fin, while in the gwyniad 

 there are eight rows, and in the pollan nine. 



