226 THE FRESH-WATER FISHES OF EUROPE. 



fish market of Odessa, where it is brought from the Bug and Dnieper. In 

 common with the type, it is distributed in the fresh waters of Russia, but in 

 Finland does not occur north of lat. 62. Several varieties have been 

 described, Abramis bjorkna breeds with other fishes, and forms bastard races, 

 to one of which Von Siebold has applied the name Bliccopsis abramorutilus. 



ABRAMORUTILUS (HoLANDRE). 



The fish thus designated by Von Siebold is a hybrid between Abramis 

 blicca and Leuciscns rutilus, and is very similar to the hybrid between 

 the Bream and the Roach. The pharyngeal teeth, according to Giinther, 

 are sometimes in one row, sometimes in two ; but Von Siebold records 

 that among the specimens examined he found the formula 3'5 5*3, 2*5 5'3, 

 3'5 5'2, 2'5 5'2. The pharyngeal bones are more delicate than those of 

 Abramis bjorkna, and differ in form. The snout is tumid, and rather projects 

 over the mouth. This hybrid has a larger eye than the Roach. 



There are forty-three to forty-six scales in the lateral line, with eight rows 

 of scales between it and the dorsal fin, and four rows between it and the 

 ventral fin. The fish is seven to ten inches long. The colour is olive-green 

 on the back and coppery-yellow on the sides. The anal, ventral, and pec- 

 toral fins are dark grey, but the pectoral is sometimes red, and all the fins 

 have always a reddish colour at the base. The anal fin contains fourteen 

 to eighteen rays. In its high back this fish resembles the Roach. 



The spawning-time is at the end of April, and the males then have a 

 crescentic warty development on the skull, and on the inner side of the rays of 

 the pectoral fin. This bastard is found over Belgium, Holland, Austria, and 

 Germany, is not known west of the Rhine, but occurs in the Vistula, and is 

 found singly in all Russian rivers, according to Dr. O. Grimm. 



The variations which it puts on are very numerous, and presumably result 

 from the inter-breeding of the bastard with the parent types, as well as to 

 a varying predominance of characters of the male or female fish. 



Abramis "bipunctatus (HECKEL AND KNER). 



The generic position of this fish is somewhat controverted. It is charac- 

 terised by having every scale upon the lateral line marked with spots of 

 black pigment, so as to form a shining band, which separates the silvery 

 side below it from the darker back (Fig. 127). 



The body is five times as long as the head, and four and a half times 



