46 TROUT, ETC. FAMILY CLUPEID^E, OB HERRING TRIBE. 



deposited in this, are carefully covered up. The common Trout is 

 entirely a fresh- water fish, delighting in rivers which have a 

 rapid current, and abounding also in many stream-fed lakes ; it 

 lurks during the day in the deep pools, under the shadow of large 

 stones, or under precipitous banks ; and becomes active towards 

 evening, when it begins eagerly to pursue its prey, which seems 

 to consist especially of Insects and aquatic Larvae, and of small 

 Crustacea, but also of small fishes, and the ova of the larger 

 ones. The Char is considered as having the most delicate 

 flavour of any of the fishes of this family ; it is a lake fish, and 

 is not very common in this country. The Smelt resembles the 

 Salmon in its habits, but is much smaller ; it has been found, 

 however, to thrive very well when confined to fresh water. 

 Several other genera exist in various parts of the world ; some of 

 them approach other families in their general structure, and are 

 exclusively marine in their habits. 



571. The only remaining family of this order is that of CLUPEI- 

 D-E, or Herrings, and their allies. These have a scaly body like the 

 Salmon's, but no adipose dorsal fin ; and there is also a differ- 

 ence in the arrangement of the bones of the jaws. They are for 

 the most part marine fishes ; only a few species, as the Shad 

 and White Bait, ascending rivers periodically like the Salmon. 

 The habits of the common Herring, in regard to its reputed 

 migrations, have been already noticed ( 546) ; notwithstanding 

 the very circumstantial account given by Pennant, and copied 

 by later authors, it seems now to be well established that the 

 only migration of the Herring is from the deep seas to the shores 

 at the spawning season, and from the shores to the deep seas 

 when this is over. It is a curious and perplexing circumstance, 

 that the shoals of Herrings do not continue to resort to the same 

 localities ; but that they will leave some parts of the coast which 

 they had been accustomed to visit with regularity, and will make 

 their appearance on others which they had not previously fre- 

 quented. Their food consists of small Crustacea and Fishes ; 

 and it appears that they do not spare the young of their own 

 race, five small herrings having been found in the stomach of a 

 large female. They usually swim near the surface of the water ; 



