HEBRIDAL SMELT. 



17 



Unable to find any notice of a second species of Smelt in 

 Europe in any Iclitliyological work with which I am acquaint- 

 ed, I have little doubt that this fish has not been previously 

 described ; and in reference to the locality in which alone it 

 has been as yet taken, I have ventured to name it the Smelt 

 of the Hebrides, Osmerus Hehridicus. 



The specimen sent me by Mr. Euing, measuring six inches 

 and a half in length, is one inch and one eighth deep at the 

 commencement of the dorsal fin, at which part the body is 

 deepest ; the thickness of the body compared to the depth is 

 as one to two, or exactly half: the length of the head is one 

 inch and three eighths, and is, in reference to the whole length 

 of the head and body, without the tail, as one to four. The 

 jaws are nearly equal in length, without teeth upon either ; 

 but there are four long teeth upon the tongue ; the eye is 

 very large, the diameter almost equal to one third of the 

 whole length of the head, and placed at a distance of little 

 more than its own diameter from the point of the nose : the 

 upper surface of the head is flattened, descending by a rapid 

 slope to the nose ; the line of the lower jaw straight ; the pos- 

 terior edge of the operculum rounded ; the back of the fish, 

 or its dorsal outline, slightly arched ; the abdominal line nearly 

 straight ; the sides compressed. The dorsal fin commences 

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

 of the adipose or rayless dorsal fin, the longest ray nearly 

 twice the length of the base of the fin ; the last dorsal fin ray 

 but three, the same length as the base of the whole fin. The 

 adipose fin is placed very near the tail ; the tail itself deeply 

 forked. The pectoral fin reaches to the plane of the com- 

 mencement of the dorsal, and its length, if turned forwards, 

 would reach to the centre of the eye. The ventral fin is in a 

 vertical line under the last ray of the dorsal fin ; there is a 

 slender axillary scale ; but the ends of the ventral fin rays 

 being injured, the length of the fin cannot be mentioned. 



