THE SALMON. 



we read of as worn by the tragic heroines of Tasso's or 

 Ariosto's poetry. 



A few irregular black spots scattered along the back 

 and upper regions of his sides seem to set off by the 

 contrast the brilliancy of his general coloring. 



The structural peculiarities of the salmon, by which 

 he is distinguished from all other families, are his sharp, 

 strong, hooked teeth, and the number and formation of 

 his fins. These latter are in number seven, exclusive of 

 the tail two dorsals, on the ridge of the back, the 

 posterior of the two being a mere fatty appendage ; two 

 pectorals, immediately behind the gills ; two ventrals on 

 the sides of the belly about midway the length of the 

 fish ; and one anal, midway between the ventrals and 

 the under origin of the tail. The peculiarity in their 

 formation is that they are all supported by soft-branched 

 rays, as they are called, in opposition to the sharp and 

 thorny spines, which are found more or less numerous in 

 the dorsals, ventrals, and anals of many other families 

 of fish as the perch, the bass, and others, one of which 

 is the fish known as the Ohio or Susquehanna salmon, 

 but correctly named the pike-perch, or yellow sandre. 



By the number and quality of his fins, therefore, the 

 salmon family may be readily distinguished from all 

 others ; no other family having the hinder fatty dorsal 

 fin. 



By the number of rays in the several fins, the true 

 salmon, or sea salmon, may be known from the others 



