532 TEN YEAKS IN SWEDEN. 



but the presumption is that it either held its f lek ' in the 

 deeps, or, which is less probable, that it crossed the Wener, 

 and ascended some of its tributaries. It was always in the 

 highest possible condition, even- in the early part of the 

 spring, at which time the adult S. microps had only par- 

 tially recovered from the effects of spawning." 



Hardin also remarks : " It is commonly supposed that 

 salmon ascend rivers and their falls for the sake of spawning, 

 but this is certainly not the case with our Wener salmon. 

 In the beginning of November I have received these fish of 

 both sexes, which have been taken ' under lek ' (in the act 

 of spawning) right out in the lake ; but I could never find 

 the least proof that they deposited their roe up the river. 

 Their annual migrations up the Klar (which are at their 

 height about Midsummer, when some thousands are taken 

 at Carlstad) must be for some other purpose than that of 

 spawning." 



The " Wetterns lax," which I have received from Dr. 

 Widigren, is very like the Wener' s fish, which I call the 

 8. microps, and certainly belongs, like that fish, to the divi- 

 sion Trutta, yet, nevertheless, appears to me to be a dis- 

 tinct form. 



The shape of the scales is one of the best distinguishing 

 marks between the divisions of this family. In the salmon 

 the scales are round, and rather broader than they are long ; 

 but in the trout, on the contrary, they are more oblong, and 

 more horizontally placed. 



Respecting the sterility in some of this genus, Malmgren 

 makes the following interesting remark : ' ' Like all the 

 rest of the genus in the breeding season, this species is 

 covered with a thick dark slime, and this is supposed by 

 Widigren to serve as nourishment to the fish during this 

 season. This is assumed by the fish before the spawning 

 season begins, and is retained a long time after it. The fish 

 is then called in Lake Ladoga ' harmaga lohi/ I could 

 not make out whether the fishermen here mean by the name 

 of f walkea lohi' anything more than such individuals as 

 have not assumed this dark spawning dress; but an old 



