48 DR. A. GUNTHER ON THE BRITISH CHARRS. [Feb. 11, 
thirds in the length of the fifth ray. The five anterior rays are en- 
veloped in a common membrane, so that their length can be ascer- 
tained only by dissection ; the fourth and fifth rays are the longest, 
and form an acute point; the lower margin of the fin is nearly 
straight. The first ray is rudimentary, the second half as long as 
the third, the third three-fourths of the fourth, the fourth simple, 
the fifth branched; the last split to the base, its length being two- 
fifths of that of the fourth. 
Caudal fin forked, one of the middle rays being half as long as the 
outer ones, the length of which is contained five times and a half in 
the total. Lobes pointed. 
The base of the pectoral is entirely free, and not overlapped by 
the gill-cover apparatus. It does not extend to the vertical from the 
origin of the dorsal, is rather shorter than the head, and at least 
two-thirds of the distance between its root and that of the ventral. 
The ventral is inserted below the two last dorsal rays; its length 
being two-thirds of that of the pectoral, or of the distance between 
the root of its outer ray and the vent. 
The scales are very thin and small; one taken from between the 
dorsal and the lateral line is ovate, two-thirds as high as long. In 
order to ascertain the number of transverse series of scales, it is ne- 
cessary to count those above the lateral line, and not the perforated 
scales of the lateral line, which are larger than the others, and do 
not correspond to the transverse series. The scales on the back are 
minute, rudimentary, hidden in the skin. 
The colour on the sides of the back is a dark sea-green, passing 
into blackish on the back, on the greater part of the dorsal and 
caudal. Sides with a slight silvery shade, passing into a beautiful 
deep red on the belly. Pectoral greenish, passing into reddish pos- 
teriorly, the upper margin being. white; ventral red, with white 
outer margin, and with a blackish shade within the margin; anal 
reddish, with a blackish shade over the whole of the middle, and 
with white anterior margin; sides of the head silvery, lower parts 
minutely dotted with black. 
The typical specimens were caught in the middle of November, 
during the time of spawning. 
Through the kindness of F. T. Buckland, Esq., I have received 
four specimens of a closely allied species from Iceland. They are 
from 19 to 15 inches long, and were imported in large quantity by 
Mr. Hogarth : having been prepared like smoked Salmon, they are not 
in a state fit for an accurate examination, although im their external 
characters (even in the colours) they are pretty well preserved. 
The vertebral column, gills, and intestines had been removed from 
the fishes before they were smoked. Now those fishes agree exter- 
nally very well with the Charr of Windermere; and I should not 
hesitate to consider them as one species, but for a statement made 
by Valenciennes, according to which the vertebral column of that 
northern species is composed of sixty-seven vertebree*. Having 
laid bare the spine on one side of the Windermere specimen, which 
* Cuy. et Val. xxi. p. 250. 
