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  VARIATION 
  IN 
  THE 
  SMELT. 
  

  

  While 
  at 
  work 
  upon 
  the 
  embryology 
  of 
  the 
  Smelt 
  I 
  was 
  

   constantly 
  being 
  reminded 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  that 
  the 
  Rari- 
  

   tan 
  river 
  Smelt 
  was 
  entirely 
  different 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  New 
  

   England, 
  and 
  by 
  inquiring 
  I 
  found 
  the 
  difference 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  

   size, 
  flavor, 
  and 
  the 
  transparency 
  of 
  the 
  skull. 
  The 
  

   fishermen 
  maintained 
  very 
  strongly 
  that 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  

   Smelt 
  was 
  a 
  larger, 
  coarser 
  fish 
  than 
  theirs 
  ; 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  

   New 
  England 
  Smelt 
  no 
  "old 
  man's 
  face" 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  

   through 
  the 
  skull 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  for 
  the 
  table 
  the 
  Raritan 
  river 
  

   fish 
  w^as 
  so 
  much 
  superior 
  that 
  there 
  could 
  hardly 
  be 
  any 
  

   comparison 
  between 
  them. 
  They 
  also 
  claimed 
  two 
  species 
  

   of 
  Smelt 
  for 
  the 
  Raritan 
  river 
  : 
  one, 
  the 
  covam-on 
  frost-Jlsh 
  — 
  

   the 
  other, 
  the 
  silversides. 
  This 
  latter 
  fish, 
  according 
  to 
  

   them, 
  never 
  grows 
  to 
  a 
  greater 
  length 
  than 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  inches, 
  

   and 
  the 
  silvery 
  sides, 
  and 
  silvery 
  reflections 
  generally, 
  are 
  

   much 
  more 
  silvery 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  frost-fish. 
  In 
  other 
  words, 
  

   the 
  frost-fish 
  is 
  a 
  larger 
  and 
  less 
  brilliantly 
  tinted 
  fish 
  

   than 
  little 
  Mr. 
  Silversides. 
  The 
  frost-fish 
  is 
  often 
  found 
  

   from 
  8 
  to 
  12 
  inches 
  in 
  length. 
  Persons 
  acquainted 
  with 
  the 
  

   Raritan 
  river 
  Smelt, 
  only 
  as 
  a 
  table 
  luxury, 
  were 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  opinion 
  as 
  the 
  fishermen 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  its 
  being 
  a 
  dis- 
  

   tinct 
  species, 
  and 
  I 
  was 
  desired 
  to 
  investigate 
  the 
  subject. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  do 
  this 
  at 
  all 
  satisfactorily, 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  it 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  go 
  pretty 
  thoroughly 
  through 
  the 
  literature 
  of 
  

   the 
  subject, 
  both 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  European 
  Smelt, 
  (Osmerus 
  

   eperlanus) 
  , 
  Rond., 
  and 
  the 
  American 
  Smelt, 
  (0. 
  viridescens), 
  

   Lesueur 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  just 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  variation, 
  

   it 
  will 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  follow, 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  extent, 
  the 
  biblio- 
  

   graphy 
  and 
  natural 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  in 
  this 
  paper. 
  I 
  

   shall 
  treat— 
  ^r5^, 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Smelt 
  ; 
  second, 
  of 
  the 
  

   European 
  Smelt; 
  third, 
  compare 
  the 
  two; 
  and, 
  fourth, 
  give 
  

   a 
  fairly 
  complete 
  bibliography 
  of 
  both. 
  While 
  at 
  New 
  

  

  