216 THE FRESH- WATER FISHES OF EUROPE. 



way down the length, commences rather behind the ventral, and is twice as 

 high as long. Its longest ray is about one-fifth of the length of the body, and 

 about as long as the base of the anal fin. The pectoral fins scarcely reach to 

 the ventral fins, and the ventral fins extend to the vent. 



The lower lobe of the caudal fin is scarcely longer than the upper lobe. 



The scales are ornamented with fan -shaped rays, which are fairly regular, 

 and number eight to twelve. 



The largest scales are along the lateral line, and the scales on the back of 

 the skull are scarcely smaller than on the rest of the body. 



The colour is usually greyish-blue on the snout, head, and back, and in the 

 dorsal and caudal fins. The pectoral, ventral, and anal fins are pale yellow, 

 with a deeper tinge at the base. The anal fin is margined with black. The 

 sides and abdomen are silvery. In Upper Austria this fish is popularly known, 

 from its colour, as the Blue-Nose, and in Bavaria, according to Von Siebold, as 

 the Smut-Nose. 



At the breeding-season, towards the end of May or beginning of June, 

 the colours change in both sexes. The entire upper surface, down to well below 

 the lateral line, is covered with a deep black pigment, which has a silky 

 lustre. The under surface from the lips to the tail becomes a rich orange-red 

 colour. As in Abramis drama, the male at this time develops tubercles, or 

 warts, on the skull, scales, and some of the fins. 



The iris is yellow, with dark spots. 



This species is always smaller than Abramis Irama. In Prussia it mea- 

 sures twenty to thirty centimetres. In the Danube it rarely weighs more 

 than half a pound, and in the Atter See may weigh three-quarters of a pound. 



In the Atter See it remains at a depth of ten fathoms, and in winter 

 retires to twenty fathoms. If many individuals live together, they burrow in 

 the muddy bottom, stirring it up, and clouding the water. In the spawning- 

 time they are crowded together, like Salmon Trout, in large shoals, for about a 

 fortnight, when they frequent shallow waters. In the Haffs, on the coast of 

 Prussia, they have spawned as late as October. The eggs are deposited upon 

 the bottom, or upon plants, to the number of 200,000 to 300,000. In the 

 Haffs they are captured with nets all the year round. 



Like the Common Bream, this species is full of bones, but when fat, is com- 

 monly roasted on a spit in Prussia, and esteemed well flavoured. In Russia it 

 is found in the Don, Dnieper, and Bug, and adjacent parts of the Black Sea and 

 Sea of Azov, and is well known in Sweden and the Baltic. Indeed, according 

 to Fries and Eckstrb'm, it remains in the depths of the sea in winter, and 

 goes up rivers in the spring to spawn. In Sweden it is a crafty fish, difficult 

 to capture. 



