OSMERUS EPERLANUS. 335 



In England the Smelt is regarded when freshly taken as one of the most 

 choice and delicately-flavoured fishes that comes to table ; it is always served 

 fried. 



In form of body this fish is elongated from four and a half to five and 

 a half times as long as the head ; and is six to seven times as long 1 as deep. 

 The back is rounded, and the abdomen somewhat compressed. The ventral 

 and dorsal contours are very slightly arched. The lower jaw extends far in 

 front of the upper, so that the chin forms the extremity of the head, and the 

 gape of the mouth is deeper than wide ; the teeth are dense and slender on 

 both the pre-maxillary and maxillary bones. The large teeth at the extremity 

 of the vomer and on the tongue curve inward. The size of the eye is variable; 

 it may be little less than one-quarter or less than one-sixth of the length of the 

 head. The breadth of the frontal interspace is about twice the orbital diameter. 



The dorsal fin begins midway between the extremity of the head and the 

 base of the caudal fin, or a little farther back. The adipose fin is midway 

 between the end of the dorsal fin and the root of the caudal, and opposite to 

 the middle of the anal, which has a long base. The caudal fin is deeply 

 forked. 



The lateral line is not traced beyond the first eight or ten scales. 

 The scales are delicate and easily fall off; they show concentric lines of 

 growth with the nucleus far back, as in an oyster-shell. Their absence of 

 lustre gives the fish a semi-transparent waxy aspect, and in a living state the 

 vertebral column, ribs, and viscera may be seen through it. The colour is 

 ashy-green or bluish on the back, and dull yellow below, sometimes pinkish. 

 A faint silvery band extends down the side. The ashy tone is largely due 

 to diffused points of black pigment. The iris, lower jaw, and sides of the 

 head are silvery. The dorsal, pectoral, arid caudal fins are grey with pigment 

 spots ; the other fins are colourless. 



Smelts live on Whitebait, worms, small shrimps, and insects ; and are eaten 

 by the Zander and Perch. They spawn in spring, and sometimes change the 

 spawning ground. In Sweden fishes may spawn before the ice breaks up, and 

 the chosen localities in Lake Wener are at the mouths of streams which flow 

 into the lake. According to Eckstrom, the spawning takes place at night; and 

 the fishes are reputed to leave the spawning-grounds at dawn and return at 

 sundown. It is a peculiarity of this fish that the spawning, which lasts 

 from eight to fourteen days, takes place by preference in stormy weather, 

 and it is on this account, Eckstrbm tells us, a snow-storm in the spawning- 

 season is termed by the Swedes a Smelt-blast. 



Mr. Lloyd states, on the information of a friend resident near the north 

 shore of Lake Wener, that Smelts are occasionally taken there of nearly a 



