136 AMERICAN FISHES. 



ABDOMINAL 

 MALACOPTERYGII. SALMONID^. 



THE AMERICAN SMELT. 



Osmerus Viridescens ; LeSueur, DeKay, Agassiz. 



THIS highly-prized and delicious little fish does not properly fall 

 within the angler's catalogue of sporting fishes, inasmuch as it is ques- 

 tionable, at least, whether it is ever taken with the hook ; 1 have 

 heard it positively asserted that it has been captured, both with the fly 

 and with its own roe, but I consider the fact doubtful, to say no more 

 the fish having probably been confounded with the Atherine or 

 Sand-smelt, a small fish commonly known in this country as the Spar- 

 ling, and much used as a bait fish. This fish, which a good deal re- 

 sembles the true Smelt, both in appearance and flavor, is of a differ- 

 ent order and family, being of the order Acanthopttrygii, and family 

 Mugilida, bites freely and readily, and has probably, as I observed, 

 been mistaken by the unscientific angler. 



My object in dwelling on this delicate little fish, is, firstly, to cor- 

 rect a vulgar error which I find still prevalent with many persons, that 

 the true Smelt is identical with the Salmon smolt, and is, in fact, 

 the fry of the Salmon at the commencement of his second year 



The absurdity of this is sufficiently evident from the consideration 

 that the Salmon smolt is an immature fish, which runs down the rivers 

 he inhabits in the spring, and returns in the autumn a grilse, as has 

 been related above ; whereas the Smelt enters the rivers perfectly ma- 

 ture, and full of spawn, running up for the purpose of depositing its 



