236 PHYSOSTOMI. 



Confervas, Desmidi3, and a quantity of vegetable debris, also many sprats and 

 herrings. In Germany Barfurth remarked that its food mostly consists of 

 Teinora velox Lilj. and otlier marine Entomostraca. 



Mi'-ans of capture. —In fresh waters mostly netted, especially in seines at 

 night time ; it has also been taken in a trammel, as well as when whiffing at sea 

 for pollack, with a slice from a mackerel or sand eel : and Mr. Dunn has known 

 as many as 600 secured in one haul of a mackerel seine. 



Breeding. — Usually from May until the middle of June, and for which purpose 

 it ascends rivers. Barfurth showed that not only do salmon and trout more or 

 less cease feeding during the breeding season, but that in the Rhine the same 

 phenomenon has been observed in the Maifische or shad. 



As food. — Opinions vary, and for several reasons. Being full of bones it is 

 more troublesome to eat without being choked (unless properly carved) than most 

 persons approve of, but if carved properly this unpleasantness is avoided. Taken 

 from the sea during the winter it is poor and dry, but after sojourning in fresh 

 water it becomes plump and delicate, while the higher it ascends streams the 

 better it is. The supply in our markets mostly comes from Holland ; last April 

 they were selling in London retail fish shops at 6d a lb. 



Habitat. — Said to be absent from Sweden, but found on most of the western 

 coasts of Europe, entering rivers in the spring. 



Off Banff it is rare, but one was captured there in a salmon net, June 7th, 

 1866 (Edward) ; at St. Andrews it is not uncommon (Mcintosh), Firth of Forth 

 rare (Parnell), Berwickshire (Johnston). It is found off Yorkshire (Yorkshire 

 Vertebrata), and at Yarmouth is not uncommon with the herrings (Paget). A 

 pair, male and female, were taken at the New Mills in Norwich, in 1840 

 (Lubbock) ; it is found along our south coast, but becomes rare in Mount's Bay 

 and St. Ives. Said to be abundant in the Severn in some seasons during April 

 and May. Yarrell obtained a specimen in 1831, captured above Putney Bridge 

 on the Thames, and Jesse recorded one taken at the end of June, opposite 

 Hampton Court Palace, full of spawn. 



In Ireland taken on the north-east coast and is not uncommon off Derry 

 (Ordnance Survey) ; it is by no means rare on the west coast and has been 

 seen in Kenmare river, Ventry harbour, and Dingle Bay ; is often abundant in 

 Limerick harbour and Brandon creek, coast of Keiry ; and has been taken near 

 Killaloe on the Shannon (Mayne). It attains to as much as four feet in length 

 (Couch) and up to 8 lb. in weight, but generally is seen to about half this size. 



5. Clupea finta, Plate CXLI. 



Agonus, Belon. p. 304 ; Salvian. fol. 105& and 106 ; Ray, Piscium, p. 106. 

 Shad, WiUughby, p. 227, t. P3, f. 1 ; Pennant, Brit. Zool. (Ed. 1776) iii, p. 351 

 (Ed. 1812) iii, p. 307 ; Bowdich, Fish. no. 27. Glupea sp. (part) Artedi, Synon. 

 p. 15, no. 2 (in part), Genera, p. 7, no. 3, Spec. p. 34, no. 3. Alose, Duhamel, 

 Peches, iii, p. 316. , 



Clupea alosa, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 523 (pt.) ; Bloch, Ich. p. 312, t. xxx, f. 1 ; 

 Gmel. Linn. p. 1404 ; Bl. Schn. p. 428 ; Lacep. v, p. 447 ; Risso, Ich. Nice, p. 363 

 and Eur. Merid. iii, p. 453 ; Donovan, Brit. Fish, iii, pi. Ivii and pi. xcviii 

 (young) ; Turton, Brit. Fauna, p. 106 ; Fleming, Brit. An. p. 183 ; Malm, 

 Fauna, p. 587. 



Clupea fall'ax, Lacep. v, p. 452. 



Clupea finta, Cuv. Regne Anim. ii, p 320 ; Jenyns, Man. p. 437 ; Swainson, 

 Fish, ii, p. 294 ; Giinther, Catal. vii, p. 435 ; Feddersen, p. 81. 



Alosa finta, Yarrell, Brit. Fishes (ed. 1), ii, p 131, c. fig. (ed. 2), ii. p. 208; 

 Parnell, Wern. Mem. vii, p. 329 or Fish. Firth of Forth, p. 169 ; Kroyer, Danm. 

 Fiske, iii, p. 202, c. fig. ; Nilss. Skand. Faun, iv, p. 527 ; Troschel, Wieg. Arch. 

 1852, p. 228 ; Thompson, Ireland, iv, p. 177; Selys-Longch. Faun. Belg. p. 220 ; 

 Collett, Norges Fiske, p. 195 ; Martens, Wieg. Arch. 1857, p. 182 ; Malm, p. 587 ; 

 Siebold, Suss. w. f. 332 ; Winther, Prod. Ich. Dan. Mar. p. 50 ; Blanchard, 

 Poiss. de France, p. 481 ; Mpreau, Poiss. de la France, iii, p. 456. 



