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  EuRorEAN 
  Smelt. 
  

  

  The 
  Smelt 
  of 
  Europe 
  was 
  known 
  very 
  early 
  in 
  France 
  as 
  

   the 
  Eperlan. 
  To 
  this 
  name 
  Rondeletius 
  or 
  Rondclet 
  gave 
  a 
  

   Latin 
  termination, 
  calling 
  it 
  eperlanus 
  

  

  Willoughhy 
  named 
  it 
  Eperlanus 
  Rondeletii. 
  

  

  Gronovins 
  changed 
  its 
  generic 
  termination 
  by 
  putting 
  it 
  

   among 
  the 
  Salmonidce, 
  in 
  the 
  genus 
  Salmo. 
  And 
  Linnteus 
  

   transferred 
  Willoughby's 
  generic 
  term, 
  and 
  attached 
  it 
  to 
  

   the 
  generic 
  name 
  of 
  Gronovins, 
  and 
  the 
  Smelt 
  became 
  

   known 
  to 
  scientific 
  persons, 
  fur 
  a 
  long 
  time, 
  as 
  Salmo 
  eper- 
  

   lanus. 
  Artedi 
  then 
  instituted 
  the 
  genus 
  O^merwi, 
  and 
  Lace- 
  

   pede 
  placed 
  the 
  Smelt 
  in 
  this 
  genus, 
  as 
  eperlanus, 
  which 
  

   name 
  it 
  holds 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time. 
  Scientifically, 
  the 
  

   name 
  would 
  be 
  Osmerus, 
  (Arledi), 
  eperlanus, 
  (Rondel.), 
  Lace- 
  

   pede. 
  Other 
  names 
  have 
  been 
  given 
  it 
  by 
  persons 
  who 
  sup- 
  

   posed 
  they 
  were 
  describing 
  new 
  species 
  of 
  Smells 
  ; 
  these 
  will 
  

   appear 
  in 
  the 
  bibliography. 
  A 
  very 
  excellent 
  description 
  of 
  

   the 
  European 
  Smelt, 
  or 
  Eperlan, 
  was 
  given 
  by 
  M. 
  Marc 
  

   Elieser 
  Bloch 
  in 
  his 
  Ichtyologie, 
  Berlin, 
  1785. 
  

  

  Very 
  little 
  has 
  been 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  Eper- 
  

   lan 
  since 
  then, 
  except 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  Bloch's 
  two 
  species 
  

   were 
  but 
  old 
  and 
  young 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  form, 
  I 
  give 
  his 
  des- 
  

   cription, 
  and 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  well 
  to 
  compare 
  it 
  carefully 
  with 
  the 
  

   descriptions 
  already 
  given 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  forms. 
  I 
  quote 
  

   from 
  Castel's 
  edition 
  of 
  Bloch, 
  Paris, 
  ]S09, 
  Volume 
  VI, 
  

   page 
  21>.* 
  

  

  * 
  L'ErERLAN, 
  Salmo 
  eperlanus. 
  

  

  On 
  reconnoit 
  ce 
  poisson 
  a 
  sa 
  machoire 
  infeiicure 
  qui 
  est 
  avancoe, 
  et 
  aux 
  

   dix-scpt 
  rayons 
  tie 
  la 
  nagcoire 
  de 
  I'anu?!. 
  On 
  trouve 
  sept 
  rayons 
  a 
  la 
  mem- 
  

   brane 
  des 
  ouies, 
  onze 
  aux 
  nageoires 
  de 
  la 
  poitrine, 
  huit 
  ji 
  cclle 
  da 
  ventre, 
  

   dix-neuf 
  a 
  celle 
  de 
  la 
  queue, 
  et 
  onze 
  a 
  celle 
  du 
  dos. 
  

  

  L. 
  Eperlan 
  a 
  le 
  corps 
  demi-transparent; 
  il 
  brille 
  d'un 
  vif 
  eclat, 
  et 
  presente 
  

   successivement 
  le 
  vert, 
  le 
  bleu 
  et 
  le 
  blanc 
  dont 
  11 
  est 
  orne. 
  lie 
  corps 
  est 
  

   rond, 
  et 
  dcvient 
  plus 
  mince 
  en 
  avan^ant 
  vers 
  la 
  queue 
  et 
  vers 
  la 
  tOtc; 
  de 
  

   sorte 
  qu'il 
  ressemble 
  assez 
  a 
  un 
  fuseau. 
  La 
  tt-te 
  est 
  petite, 
  et 
  finit 
  en 
  pointe 
  

   emoussoe. 
  Les 
  yeux 
  sont 
  grands 
  et 
  ronds, 
  la 
  prunelle 
  noire, 
  et 
  I'iris 
  argen- 
  

  

  