LAKE SUPERIOR. 



COREGONUS Artedi Lesu. Journ, Ac. N. Sc. Philad. 1818, 1., 231, 

 {Rerring Salmon,') — Richards. Fn. Bor. Am. 1836, III., 203. — 

 Kirtl. Bost. Journ., N. H., 1842, IV., 2Zl.—Storer Sjnops. 

 1846, p. 199. 



Possessing only a female individual of this species, our description 

 must not be considered as absolute, and applicable to the males and 

 young, for their form and general outlines. Dr. Dekay has already 

 made the observation that the males are more elongated than the 

 females, and that, besides, the latter are deeper and more compressed; 

 which is generally the case in the Salmonidae. 



The general form is regular, spindle-like, neither thick and short, 

 nor slender. The sides are much compressed ; the line of the back 

 is nearly straight, somewhat sloping on the nape and the head as 

 likewise on the region of the adipose fin, and raised on the caudal. 

 The curve of the belly is uniform from the lower face of the head to 

 the termination of the anal ; the lower side of the tail is straight or 

 slightly concave. The greatest height of the body, taken before the 

 dorsal, is contained five times in the whole length, including most of 

 the caudal fin. The thickness is less than half of the height. It is 

 about the same on the whole abdominal region and the thorax, dimin- 

 ishing gradually towards the tail. 



The head is small, compressed like the sides, flattened above, 

 rounded below, pointed before. Its length equals the height of the 

 body, that is to say, it forms one-fifth of the length. The eyes are 

 large and circular, separated from the extremity of the jaw by a 

 diameter of their orbit, and by twice and a half this diameter, from 

 the posterior margin of the opercular apparatus. The nostrils are 

 nearer to the snout than to the orbit. The opening of the mouth is 

 of middle size, of a quadrangular form ; the lower jaw considerably 

 exceeds the upper, and rises shghtly at its extremity, which is round- 

 ed ; its margin contains a few fine indentations, which seem to 

 indicate teeth ; the intermaxillaries have very fine teeth. The sur- 

 face of the tongue seems to have two longitudinal rows on its middle 

 shield, if we can call teeth small acute points. The tongue itself is 

 pointed, and does not attain the inner margin of the intermaxil- 

 laries. The maxUlaries are elongated, of an oblong form, with entire 



