THE ATHERINE. 107 



I am disposed to believe that they meant the species under consideration. 

 At the same time it appears singular that the true smelt should not fre- 

 quent any part of the Irish coast, and this it cannot at present be said to 

 do. The distribution of the smelt is rather singular. Mr. Yarrell re- 

 marks that it is unknown on the southern coast of England, where the 

 atherine takes its place. It occurs along the eastern side of England and 

 Scotland, and along the western side to the Sohvay Firth northwards. 



In Daniel's llural Sports, vol. ii. p. 217, it is remarked that Strangford 

 Lough " abounds with excellent fish, particularly with smelts." It is 

 e\Tident, however, that the atherine is the species referred to. 



The season during which the atherine is generally brovight to Belfast 

 market, is from December to April, both months inclusive; but, on 10th 

 September, 1847, I saw a small basketful from Portaferry, and was in- 

 formed that, on the previous day, the first supply had been brought 

 thence. Not more than one or two large basketfuls are usually on sale 

 here, and the price varies from Is. Gd. to 4s. per hundred. They are 

 eaten fried without the entrails being taken out. 



Only two out of a dozen stomachs which I examined in the month of 

 December contained any food, and I found in those merely the remains 

 of Crustacea, apparently of the genus 3Iysis. In fifteen others dissected 

 in the month of January, I was unable to detect food, save that in two 

 or three there appeared to be the remains of vegetable matter, about one- 

 half of them contained roe. 



The atherine is captured in Strangford Lough, by means of small nets, 

 and generally before daybreak, snowy weather being considered the most 

 favourable. This fish is said to make an excellent bait for haddock. 



July 3rd, 1838. — "When out boating near Portaferry, I was told by 

 several persons that the atherines are all up the Lough now on the shal- 

 lows, some say the sleech btniks (/. e. those covered with Zosfcra mnruui), 

 spawning ; it is only in winter that they come down towards the deeper 

 water about Portaferry. I was disposed to regard this as correct, from 

 the circumstance of my having at the end of August, in the previous year 

 (1837), taken the young atherine under an inch in length, along with 

 young Gohius minrttus, in a pool among the sand at the edge of the Lough, 

 some miles further up near Ivillinchy. 



It was not until after due examination had been made, that, in 1835, I 

 announced the atherine of the North-East of Ireland as the A. Preshijter, 

 although, from the scope of the work (Proc. Zool. Soc.) for which my ob- 

 servations were drawn up, it was considered better not to enter into any 

 detail. The dift'erences I then noted, from a comparison of specimens 

 from the South of England and North of Ireland, may, perhaps, yet be 

 worth the space they will occupy. 



Both the average and extreme size attained by the atherine in the 

 North of Ireland is greater than in the South of England. 



Mr. Jenyns remarks that it is from 4, and Mr. Yarrell from 5 to 6 

 inches in length ; any that I have seen in the collection of the latter 

 gentleman barely reached this last size. As already mentioned with re- 

 ference to Strangford Lough specimens, their average length was 6^ 

 inches, a few were 7, and one 7,^ inches long. 



The atherine of the North of Ireland also differs from English speci- 

 mens which I have seen, in being of a darker and consequently a less 

 sandy colour. This difi'crence is caused ahore the lateral line by the 

 ground colour being darker, and by the small black spots being much 

 more numerous : hciieath the lateral line it arises from the former cause 



