CHAR 103 



from one-half to nearly three-fourths of the distance 

 from their base to the origin of the pelvic fins ; and 

 the scales comparatively large, 138 to 168 in a 

 longitudinal series. 



The coloration of examples from Lough Eask 

 has been described as bluish black above, silvery or 

 orange below, with orange spots on the sides, but I 

 have been told by Mr. A. Matthews that the Conne- 

 mara fish are greenish, with the spots on the sides 

 white. 



In Lough Eask the Char spawn in November, and 

 at that time were formerly taken in huge quantities 

 by the country people. 



GRAY'S CHAR (Salvelinus grayi), the so-called 

 " Freshwater Herring " of Lough Melvin in Fer- 

 managh, originally described by Dr. Gtinther in 

 1862, has an average length of 10 to 12 inches, and 

 differs from Cole's Char in having the body usually 

 more compressed and deeper (depth 3 J to 4 inches 

 in the length), the caudal peduncle shorter and 

 deeper (its least depth nearly one-half the length of 

 the head), the pectoral fins usually longer (extending 

 two-thirds to nine-tenths of the distance from their 

 base to the pelvic fins), the scales sometimes a little 

 larger (128 to 162 in a longitudinal series), and the 

 vertebrae fewer (58 to 60 instead of 62 or 63); the 

 example figured (PL XIII) is a male, TO inches 

 long. 



In most of the species of Char the females are 

 distinguished from the males by the less brilliant 

 coloration, the smaller head, blunter snout, shorter 

 maxillary, and weaker lower jaw, and by the lesser 

 development of the fins ; in some of the British 



