THE GKEY TROUT. 149 



Sewen (pi. 91),* with which they are evidently identical, is a very characteristic 

 figure. These specimens differ only from it in having fewer spots below the lateral 

 line — but in this particular they accord not with each other — and in the darkness 

 of the blue he represents being relieved or lightened by a silvery cast.f The tail 

 of the Sewen caimot be called incorrect from being forked, as when unexpanded 

 it appears slightly so in the present specimens, although when fully spread out it 

 is square. The female exhibits over the body and operculum, &c., as many more 

 spots as the males — on her operculum are six round spots, on that of the males 

 two or three. Fins of the female coloured as in the Sewen, but in the males all 

 darker : V. and A. dull pink or flesh-colour in the female ; in the males the V. 

 grey for two-thirds posteriorly, the A. entirely dark grey ; their other fins merely 

 of a darker shade than those of the female. Irides silvery. 



" The ova in the female are very minute, being not more than half the size of 

 clover seed ; the milt in the males occupies twice its space. These latter not 

 having any of the red markings said to distmguish the adult male, and the hook 

 of the lower jaw being so slightly developed, taken in connexion with the internal 

 appearance of both sexes, lead to the conclusion that they would not have bred for 

 another year. In the stomach of one was a sand eel {Ammodytes Lancea) three 

 inches long, and in another^a large piece of the marine plant {Ccramium rubrum)." 



On seeing these fishes, I recollected having a few days previously 

 observed two very peculiar looking trout in the market (which were 

 called salmon), evidently of this species. One of them, weighing about 

 6 lbs., had the hooked jaw, denoting a male ; and his sides exhibited a 

 series of longitudinal stripes of deep orange ; the other was a female, the 

 colour of those above-mentioned, and about 9 lbs. weight. 



Florence Court, Oct. 1840. — A fine male fish, lOi lbs., received from 

 L. Melvin. Small specimens of this species and S. Tnttta, about 9 inches 

 long, have been taken m the river three miles from Florence Court House, 

 with hosts of S. Fario, and on different days. 



Oct. 20th, 1840. — One 3 feet 2 inches long, same weight as last, and 

 equally out of condition (a male fish), brought to-day from Beleek, along 

 with a female salmon. The colour of this fish was much the same as 

 last, but the red spots (for in this they M-ere truly red) were differently 

 disposed : in the former, the lower ones became reddish without any 

 pattern ; in this they were thrown into circles an inch or more in diameter, 

 and were otherwise patterned like an irregular carpet figure. The spots 

 on back and upper portion are black along the middle, and below it the 

 red appear. 



Although this species is occasionally brought to Belfast, it is not of 

 frequent occurrence here. 



Oct. 2Sth, 1840. — I obtained a specimen in Belfast market : it was taken 

 in the sea at Donaghadee, and without any other trout being captured at 

 the same time. Its general form at once marks it distinct from other 

 species of Salmo. It is long and narrow, and of a more equable breadth 

 than any of the others ; it is, however, hardly so much so as Agassiz' 

 female " S. Salar." The pointed head mentioned to me by Agassiz, as a 

 character of this species, is obvious here. Its length is 23 inches ; weight 

 only 3| lbs., though in good condition before dissection. I concluded it 

 to be a male, from the hook of lower jaw, which is extremely slight, barely 

 rising ^th of an inch above the gum anterior to the adjoining teeth. 



* Whether Sewen be applied only to this fish, or to S. Trutta also, I have no 

 means of judging; I can only offer an opinion on Donovan's fig. 



t This observation is'perhaps superfluous, as different copies of the work may 

 not invariably exhibit the same shade of colours. 



