48 DR. A. GTJNTHER ON THE BRITISH CHARRS. [Feb. 11, 



thirds in the length of the fifth ray. The five anterior rays are eii- 

 Teloped 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 in 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 vertebrae *, Having 

 laid bare the spine on one side of the Windermere specimen, which 

 * Cuv, et Val. xxi. p. 250. 



