()g SMELT SALMON. 



jaw: colour silvery, with a blueish tinge on the 

 back: fins reddish; the dorsal crossed by two or 

 three dusky bars. Native of the American seas, 

 and found about the coasts of Carolina : in no 

 great esteem as a food : length about ten or t\\ oh e 

 inches: said to have a strong, unpleasant smell. 

 The gill-membrane in this species has only four 

 rays. 



SMELT SALMON. 



Salrao Eperlanus. S. argenteus, subcceruleo-viresccns, capita 

 diaphano, radiis pinna am septendedm* Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 511. 



Blueish- virescent silvery Salmon, with diaphanous head, and 

 seventeen rays in the anal fin. 



Salmo maxilla inferiore longiore, pinna ani radiis septendecim. 

 Block, t. 28. f. 1.2. 



Smelt. Will, ichth. 202. Penn. Brit. Zool. 



OF this species there appears to be two varieties: 

 one not exceeding the length of three or four 

 inches ; the other arriving at the general length of 

 six, eight, or nine inches, and sometimes even to 

 twelve or thirteen. The larger variety seems to be 

 that so frequently seen about the British coasts, 

 and which is distinguished by Dr. Bloch under the 

 name of Eperlano-marinus, or Sea-Smelt. These 

 fishes are found about our coasts throughout the 

 whole year, and rarely go to any great distance 

 from the shores, except when they ascend rivers 

 either at or some time before the spawning-season. 

 It is observed by Mr. Pennant that in the river 

 Thames and in the Dee they are taken in great 



