298 HEBRIDAL SMELT. 



Salmo silus by Ascanius, to whose writings, however, I have 

 not access; but it appears that even by writers who must 

 have known this fish it has been confounded with another 

 which is like it, as by some it has been called Argentina 

 Sphyrcena, this latter being a fish of the Mediterranean; and 

 Nilsson describes two closely-allied fishes of the north, one of 

 which he designates A. silus, and the other, which is our 

 Hebridal Smelt, he calls Argentina silus junior. But further, 

 as a proof that these two fishes are distinct, he specifies the 

 number of vertebra; in each, those of the larger species (or 

 A. silus) being sixty-five, while those in our fish are only 

 fifty-two; a difference too great to be ascribed to a casual 

 variation in the number, or an error in the counting. 



It appears that this fish is not rare in the sea near the 

 islands to the north of Scotland, and along the coasts of 

 Norway; and yet I am informed by Mr. John Iverach, of 

 Kirkwall, in Orkney, that it is not known to the fishermen of 

 that island; and but little seems to be known of its habit of 

 going up into fresh water. Its being taken with a baited 

 hook is proof of its eagerness for food. 



To assist observers in further inquiry as to the habits of 

 this fish, we have copied the figure given of it by Bloch, as 

 above quoted; and our description is taken in a great measure 

 from that supplied by Mr. Yarrell. The ordinary size of this 

 fish appears to be seven or eight inches in length, while that 

 of A. silus, referred to above, is said by Nilsson to be 

 seventeen inches, the general form being much like that of 

 the Smelt. Jaws nearly equal; gape small; teeth as described 

 in the generic character; eye very large; upper surface of 

 the head flattened, descending to the snout with a rapid 

 slope. The body covered with large scales, which are easily 

 lost; the lateral line rather high on the side, and below this 

 line are two rows of silvery white scales, which run the 

 length of the body. Nilsson says that in the large species 

 when young the sides are silvery, but when full grown they 

 become yellow. The dorsal fin in our fish begins half way 

 between the point of the nose and the anterior edge of the 

 adipose fin, and the longest ray nearly twice the length of the 

 base of the fin; the adipose fin very near the tail; the tail 

 itself deeply forked. The pectoral fin reaches to the plane of 



