May 1, I865.J THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



THE EUROPEAN SILURUS. 447 



salmon families. To the former of these it may be supposed to claim 

 kindred by its voracious habits, and to the latter, if all accounts be 

 true, by the excellence of its flesh as an article of food. Notwith- 

 standing these somewhat poetical affinities, it has another position 

 assigned to it now. One evident characteristic in this fish is the absence 

 of true scales, a feature which characterises the group to which it 

 belongs. Another important difference will be noticed in the great 

 length of the anal fin, which extends to the tail ; but, above all, the 

 barbules will attract attention. Whether or not these are to be con- 

 sidered as substitutes for beard and moustaches, probably the Silurus 

 finds them equally useful, and regards them as highly ornamental. The 

 two longest barbules have their origin, one on each side just above the 

 angle of the mouth, the four others tend downwards from beneath the 

 lower jaw. This will certainly be the largest of our fresh-water fishes, 

 for Cuvier states that it is sometimes upwards of six feet in length, and 

 is said to weigh three hundred French pounds. In the course of four 

 years, if food is plentiful, it will attain the weight of fifty-six pounds. 

 In appearance it is anything but prepossessing— the large flattened head, 

 broad capacious mouth, and frog-like eyes, may perhaps earn for it 

 the name of frog-fish, which its known partiality to frogs may serve to 

 strengthen. 



Mr. Yarrell says, " The Silurus is represented as sluggish in its 

 habits, and a slow swimmer, taking its prey by lying in wait for it, 

 in a manner somewhat similar to the angler (Lophius) ; hiding itself in 

 holes or soft mud, and apparently depending upon the accidental 

 approach of fishes and other animals, of which its long and. numerous 

 barbules may be at the same time a source of attraction to the victims, 

 and the means of warning to the devourer. From its formidable size, 

 it can have but few enemies in the fresh water, and from them its dark 

 colour, in addition to its habit of secreting itself either in holes or soft 

 mud, would be a sufficient security. In spring the male and female 

 may be seen together, about the middle of the day, near the banks or 

 edges of the water, but soon return to their usual retreats. The ova 

 when deposited are green ; and the young are excluded between the 

 sixteenth and nineteenth days. The flesh is white, fat, and agreeable 

 to many persons as food, particularly the part of the fish near the tail ; 

 but on account of its being soft, luscious, and difficult to digest, it is 

 not recommended to those who have weak stomachs. In the northern 

 countries of Europe the flesh is preserved by drying, and the fat is 

 used as lard." 



The Silurus finds its food in the frogs that pass into the rivers, and 

 the small fish that abide there, but it is not very " dainty" in its tastes, 

 if all accounts be true. The authors of the " Natural History of 

 Fishes " state that it is so voracious that " it has been known in several 

 instances to devour children ; and in one instance the body of a woman 

 was found in one of these fishes." To this account we can only add, 

 vol. v. 3 a 



