THE SMELT. 167 



lakes at the same period of the year. A great deal might be said on the manifold 

 influences affecting this species, but it is for my friends, the authors of the two 

 great Avorks now in progress,— M. Agassiz, in his Fresh-water Fishes of Central 

 Europe, and Sir W. Jardine, in his Scottish Salmonidae, — to descant upon them. 

 " When my attention was first given to this subject, I intended to enter fully 

 into the history of the char as a British species. This would now be superfluous, 

 and I content myself with contributing the rough notes made upon the subject, 

 as ere long we shall doubtless have before us, in the works just mentioned, a 

 most ample history of the Salmo Umbla." 



Oct., 1851. — I have been informed by Mr. Black, gamekeeper at Donard 

 Lodge, that the char is common in Lough Owel. He has seen 60 to 70 

 dozen taken in a draught-net in summer. From the end of May till the 

 end of June he has seen 2 dozen taken in a day with the natural and 

 artificial fly, particularly the former, the " green drake " being the favour- 

 ite ; in these cases the fly was sunk three or four feet beneath the surface. 

 For a few successive years not a char would be taken in the lake, and 

 again appear to be as numerous as ever ; they were in this lake at least 

 down to 1846. They were very round in the body, and reach from 1:|- to 

 2 lbs ; he thinks he has seen some of 3 lbs. weight. 



I have since received notes of a few additional localities in Ireland 

 where the char is said to exist, viz. Lough Shessuck, in County Donegal 

 (W. J. Ffenell, Esq.) ; Loughs Kindrum and Keel in the same County 

 (G. C. Hyndman, Esq.) ; Lough Erne, in County Fermanagh ; a lake in 

 County Cavan, about 2 miles westward of Drumlane (E. Getty, Esq.) ; 

 Belvidere Lake in County Westmeath (Dr. Ball) ; Lough Bofin and 

 several neighbouring lakes in County Galway (W. R. Wilde, Esq.). 



Mr. Hyndman mentioned to me that when he was at Ram's Island, in 

 Lough Neagh, in the year 1844, a fisherman accounted for the disappear- 

 ance of this fish from the lake by saying that at a certain season they 

 went to the " deep pools " near the three islands, where they were all 

 taken. 



A char is reported to have been caught at Bann-foot Ferry in the sum- 

 mer of 1844. 



" In the lake of Castlebar, near that toAvn, is the char and the Gillaroo trout." 

 — Daniel's Rural Sports, vol. ii. p. 217. 



The Smelt, Spieling, or Spakling, Osmerus Eperlanus, Flem., 



Is recorded by Templeton, in his Catalogue, as follows : — 



"Osmerus (Arted.) E2Krlamis, Flem., the Smelt, is sometimes taken on our 

 coasts in considerable abundance ; but often several years intervene during which 

 they are rarely to be met with." 



This species has not occurred to me in Ireland.* 



The Grayling, Thy7naUus vtdgaris, Cuv. 



This fish, which is not now known as an Irish species, is noticed in Rutty 's 

 Dublin, but evidently in error, as it is made " a sea-lish." — ^Dr. P. Browne 

 enumerates it, perhaps without any better reason; he published in 1774, Rutty 

 in 1772. The parr has been sent to me from the South of Ireland, under the 

 name of Grayling. Perhaps this name, as applied to the parr, may be a cor- 



* [On 28th March, 1853, we procured fresh examples of the smelt, and also 

 of the atherine or land-smelt {Athcrina presbyter), in Belfiist market, but on 

 inquiry we ascertained that the former had been imported from England, the 

 latter came from Portaferry. Ed.] 



