186 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY. 



may infer that lie did not consider its title to rank as a species sufficiently esta- 

 blished. Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton Smith has sent me a drawing of a smelt, 

 which having been taken at Halifax, in Nova Scotia, is therefore likely to be the 

 same with the New England one : this bears an almost exact resemblance to the 

 European fish, except that the ventrals are farther back, commencing under the 

 sixth ray of the dorsal. Steller and Mr. Collie mention the common smelt as fre- 

 quenting Awatscha Bay. 



The European Smelt has a row of small, short, closely-set teeth on the intermaxillaries and 

 labials ; somewhat longer and more remote ones on the lower jaw ; and a row on both edges 

 of the palate-bones, the teeth of the outer row being long and distant ; there are four long 

 teeth on the anterior end of the vomer, viz., two on each side continuous with the outer row of 

 the palatine-teeth. The triangular tongue is armed with about ten strong teeth, two large 

 ones being implanted in the apex, one before the other. The branchial arches are attached 

 below to a narrow isthmus proceeding from the root of the tongue, and having two rows of 

 minute teeth on its surface, but the upper pharyngeal bones are smooth. The slender rakers 

 are rough with teeth internally, as in the trouts. The roof of the mouth and the head gene- 

 rally have some resemblance to the same parts of a pike, and the palate-bones have a similar 

 membranous attachment to the vomer, admitting of lateral movement as in that fish. The 

 under jaw is longer than the upper one, even when the mouth is closed. The gill-covers are 

 those of a trout, the rays being however fewer. The first rays of the dorsal and ventrals are 

 opposite to each other, and stand midway between the tip of the snout and termination of the 

 scales on the caudal. The adipose fin is attached a little posterior to the middle of the anal, 

 which is long. The tail is slender and the caudal fin forked with acute, widely-spreading 

 lobes and a tapering base. The scales are large, thin, very deciduous, and brilliant, reflecting 

 beautiful green tints on the upper part of the body ; the sides and belly are silvery. The 

 body is unspotted. The smell of the fish, when recently taken from the water, is like that of 

 a cucumber. 



Fins— Br. 7—8; P. 14; D. 10 0; V. 8; .4. 16*; C. 19-J-f 



* Artedi reckons seventeen anal rays, and Lieutenant-Colonel Smith counted the same number in his Halifax smelt. 

 In our specimen of the European fish, the last ray is divided to the base, so that there appear to be seventeen on a cursory 

 examination. 



