1 



SAI.IX. 



SALMONID^. 



65J 



.S. caprto, Gol- Willow. Stem erect; leaves roundish-ovate, pointed, 

 serrated, waved, pale, and downy beneath ; stipule* iomewhat crescent- 

 ahaped ; catkins oral ; ovary stalked, orate, silky ; stigmas nearly ses- 

 sile, undivided ; capsules swelling. It is a native of Britain, and is 

 distinguished early in the spring by putting forth its handsome yellow 

 blossom* before other trees have assumed their foliage. The bark is 

 much used for tanning, and the wood is used for making implements 

 of husbandry. It is also grown for hoop-making, and in medicine the 

 bark u sometimes used as a substitute for cinchona. 



OSIERS. 



The species of Satix called mostly by this name belong to Horror's 

 group 1 imiWw, which are described as trees of a more or leas con- 

 siderable size with long pliant branches and lanceolate leaves; ovaries 

 nearly sessile, hairy or silky; their styles elongated; their stigmas 

 linear, mostly entire. Any willow however that has long pliant twiggy 

 branches, and is grown on this account, is called an Osier. 



.S. t-iminalu, Common Osier. Leaves linear-lanceolate, obscurely 

 crenate, white, and silky beneath; stipules very small, sublanceolato ; 

 branches straight and twiggy ; ovary upon very short stalks, lanceo- 

 late ; style elongate ; stigmas long, linear, mostly entire. This is the 

 species that is used for the various kinds of basket-work, bands, &c., 

 and for this purpose is largely cultivated in this country. 



There are two other species, >'. it ipularii, Auricled Osier, and S. incana, 

 Hoary Osier, growing on the continent of Europe, which ore used for 

 the same purposes as the above. 



Willows. 



Amongst these we shall include a few species useful in the arts and 

 medicine, belonging to the various groups into which Koch and liorrer 

 have distributed the species of Salit. 



S. Suuelliana, Hnosell or Bedford Willow. Leaves lanceolate, taper- 

 ing at each end, serrated throughout, very glabrous ; foot-stalks glan- 

 dular or leafy ; 'ovary tapering, stalked, longer than the broctejo ; 

 style as long as the stigmas. A native of Britain, growing in marshy 

 woods, osier-grounds, Ac. This tree was first brought into notice by 

 the Duke of Bedford, and has on that account received its present 

 name. The best history of it is to be found in the introduction to 

 the Duke of Bedford's splendid work on Willows, the 'Salictutu 

 Woburnense.' It was a tree of this species that was a favourite with 

 Dr. Johnson at Lichfield, and hence called Johnson's Willow. It was 

 destroyed by a hurricane, having attained a height of 60 feet and a 

 girth of 1 3 feet The growth of this species is very rapid, and as it 

 may be extensively used for poles, tec., it is a profitable tree for 

 growing in plantations. Its bark is said to contain as much tanuin as 

 the oak. The medicinal properties attributed to the bark of S. 

 belong properly to this species. It acts as an astringent and tonic. 



>'. alba, Common White Willow. Leaves elliptical-lanceolate, pointed, 

 serrated, silky on both sides; lower scrratures glandular; stamens 

 hairy ; ovary smooth, almost sessile ; stigmas deeply cloven ; scales 

 notched. It is a native of most countries of Europe, and is more 

 extensively planted as a timber-tree than any other species. It grows 

 rapidly, attaining a height of 30 feet in 10 or 12 years. Hundreds 

 of miles of road between Moscow and the Austrian frontier are 

 planted with this tree. The bark is used in the north of Europe 

 both for tanning and dyeing. The wood is very useful, and is em 

 ployed for making the handles of all sorts of instruments, in turnery 

 inillwork, coopery, weather-boarding, &c. Willow hats and bonnets 

 are made from the shavings of this willow. The bark may be used in 

 medicine instead of >'. Kuuelliana, but it is not BO valuable. It is fre 

 quently called the Huntingdon Willow, and under that 

 recommended by Qilpln and others as an ornamental tree. 



.*'. /tabflonica, the Weeping Willow. Leaves lanceolate acuminate 

 finely serrated, glabrous, glaucous beneath ; catkinn protruded at tli 

 same time with the leaves ; ovary ovate, sessile, glabrous. This, the 

 most favourite species of the genus, is a native of Asia, on the bonks 

 of the Euphrates near Babylon, whence its name ; also of China, of 

 Egypt, and other parts of North Africa. It is said that this willow 

 was introduced into England by the poet Pope, who, being with Lady 

 Suffolk when she received a parcel from Spain bound with willies, 

 which appeared alive, took one, and planted it in his garden, which 

 grew up, and afterwards became so well known as Pope's Willow at 

 Twickenham. It is however more probable that it was introduced 

 by the botanist Tournefort into Europe. Tliis tree is increasingly 

 cultivated in this country and on the Continent. It is one of the 

 greatest favourites in China, as might be inferred from its constant 

 introduction into Chinese pictures. Orowing on the banks of its 

 native Euphrates, it was the willow on which the weeping daughters 

 of Zion "hanged their harps." (I'salmn, cxxxvii.) 



fi. jttntamdra, Sweet Bay-Leaved Willow, is one of the latest flower- 

 ing willows, not expanding its flowers till the beginning of June, which 

 are very fragrant 



.S f>nrprta, Purple Willow, it a small decumbent nil rub ; a native 

 of Britain. Of all the willows it ponesses the largest amount of 

 bitter principle in its bark, and on this account has been recommended 

 for medicinal use. 



."'. rilellina, the Yellow Willow. It is a native of Great Britain in 

 hedges, osier-grounds, and other places. 



Babiugton, in his ' Manual of Brituh Botany,' describes 33 specie* 

 f Mix. Hooko and Araott, in the British Flora,' describe 37 

 pecies. In addition to these two works the student should consult 

 Coch, 'De Salicibus Europtcis Commentatio, sud Loudon's ' Arbore- 

 um et Fniticetum Britanuicutn.' 

 SALLOWS. [S.u.iv] 

 SALMON. [SALMOSID.B.] 



SALMO'NID.K, Nrfwon 'Trile, a family of Fishes belonging to the 

 tfalacopterygii AMominala. These fishes have the body covered 

 rith scaled, the first dorsal fin has soft rays only, and the second 

 loraal is small and destitute of rays, and of a soft fleshy nature ; they 

 are furnished with an air-bladder, and have numerous cteca. The 

 more typical species appear to be confined to the northern hemisphere. 

 The genus Salmo, as at present restricted, contains those specie*, 

 uch as the Salmon and Trout, iu which the upper boundary of the 

 mouth is formed chiefly by the superior maxillary bones, the inter- 

 maxillaries being small, confined to the fore-port, and situated between 

 .he maxillaries; usually these latter bones descend in front of the 

 superior maxillaries, and form the upper boundary of the mouth. 

 The maxillary bones, intermaxillaries, palatines, vomer, and even the 

 ongue, are furnished with teeth; the branchiostegous rays are about 

 ten in number; the natatory bladder, or air-bladder, extends the 

 whole length of the abdomen. 



Numerous species of this genus ore found in the seas of the 

 northern hemisphere, one of the largest of which is the Common 

 Salmon (S. talar, Linn.), a fish too well known both in flavour and 

 appearance to require any particular description. This fish, Cuvier 

 states, U found iu all the arctic seas, whence it enters the rivers in 

 the spring. Mr. Yarrell observes that fishes ascend the rivers in some 

 situations much earlier than others, depending on the time of their 

 being iu a breeding condition. " Kivera issuing from large lakes afford 

 early salmon, the waters having been purified by deposition in the 

 lakes; on the other hand, rivers swollen by melting snows iu the spring 

 months are later in their season of producing lish, and yield tlu-ir 

 supply when the lake rivera are beginning to fail. ' The causes 

 influencing this,' says Sir William Jardine, ' seem yet undecided ; and 

 where the time varies much in the neighbouring rivera of the some 

 district, they are of less easy solution. The northern rivers, with little 

 exception, are however the earliest, a fact well known in the London 

 markets ; and going still farther north, the range of the season and. of 

 spawning may be influenced by the latitude.' " Artedi says, in Sweden 

 the salmon spawn in the middle of summer. From some further 

 observations in Mr. Yarrell's excellent work, it appears that the 

 temperature of the water has considerable influence. 



The number of fishes procured for food increases as the summer 

 advances. " During the early part of the season the salmon appear to 

 ascend only as far as the river is influenced by the tide, advancing 

 with the flood, and generally retiring with the ebb, if their progress 

 be not stopped by the various means employed to catch them. It is 

 observed that the female fishes ascend before the males ; and the 

 young fish of the year, called grilse till they have spawned <mir, 

 ascend earlier than those of more adult age. As the season advanci'H, 

 the salmon ascend higher up the river, beyond the influence of the 

 tide ; they are observed to be getting full of roe, and more or less out 

 of condition, according to their forward state as breeding fish. Their 

 progress forwards is not easily stopped ; they shoot up rapids with 

 the velocity of arrows, and moke wonderful efforts to surmount 

 - and other impediments by leaping, frequently clearing an 

 elevation of eight or ten feet, and, gaining the water above, pursue 

 their course. If they fail in their attempt and fall back into tho 

 stream, it is only to remain a short time quiescent, and thus recruit 

 their strength to enable them to make new efforts. 



" The fish having at length gained the upper and shallow pools ot 

 the river, preparatory to the important operation of depositing tho 

 spnwn iu the gravelly beds, its colour will be found to have undergone 

 considerable alteration during the residence in fresh water. Tho male 

 becomes marked in the cheeks with orange-coloured stripes, which 

 give it the appearance of the check of a Labrui; the lower jaw elongate*, 

 and a cartilaginous projection turns upwards from the point, which, 

 when the jaws are closed, occupies a deep cavity between the inter- 

 maxillary bones of tho upper jaw ; the body partakes of the golden 

 orange tinge, and tho ftalmon in this state is called a red-fish. Tho 

 females are dark in colour, and are as commonly called black-fish ; and 

 by these terms both nre designated in those local and precautionary 

 regulations intended for the protection and preservation of the breeding 



The process of spawning Is thus described in Ellis's ' Memoir on tho 

 Natural History of the Salmon :' " A pair of fish are seen to make a 

 furrow, by working up the gravel with their noses, rather against the 

 stream, as a salmon cannot work with his head down stream, for the 

 water, then going into his gills the wrong way, drowns him. Whrn 

 tho furrow is made, the male and female retire to a little distance, one 

 to the one side and tho other to the other side of the furrow ; they 

 then throw themselves on their sides, again come together, and, rubbing 

 against each other, both shed their spawn into the furrow at the same 

 time. This process is not completed at once ; it requires from eight 

 to twelve days for them to lay all their spawn, and when they have 

 done thoy betake themselves to tho pools to recruit themselves. 



