710 
SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 
lie smaller, somewhat lighter spots arranged in a net- 
work or scattered. Similar small spots of an oblong 
shape or even vermiculated also appear on the top of 
the head and on the cheeks. The most prominent and 
most persistent parts of this design, even in specimens 
preserved in spirits, are two black markings, the one on 
the head, the other on the peduncle of the tail. From 
the anterior margin of the eye a blackish streak runs 
obliquely downwards to the tip of the snout, and a 
similar streak often appears behind the eye horizontally 
across the temple. At the upper corner of the base of 
the caudal fin (sometimes at the lower corner as well) 
we line! a black spot, edged during life, like the spots 
in the large, inferior row on the sides of the body, with 
a lighter colour. These two markings recur, however, 
though they are generally less sharply defined, in other 
species of the genus. The tins are more or less trans- 
parent, with lustrous rays, which in the dorsal and 
caudal fins, sometimes in the pectoral and anal fins as 
well, are marked with dark spots, distinctly arranged, 
at least on the first-mentioned fins, in transverse bands. 
The iris is yellow. 
The Spined Loach occurs in the brooks, rivers, and 
lakes of almost all Europe, and is probably spread 
throughout Northern Asia, except perhaps the colder 
regions, for according to Schlegel (1. c.) it lives in 
Japan. Pallas also quotes special names for this fish 
not only from the Ostiacs of Siberia, but also from the 
Tungs of the River Katunga and Lake Baikal. The Spi- 
ned Loach goes westward at least to England and Scot- 
land; but in Ireland, according to Thompson, it is want- 
ing. Valenciennes knew it as a Spanish species. Ac- 
cording to Canes trini it also occurs in Sicily. In Scan- 
dinavia the Spined Loach is common enough in scattered 
localities in the south and east of Sweden, at least up 
to Lake Wener and the Malar Valley. It seems to be 
commonest in Oster Gothland and in the basin of Lake 
Malar. To the best of our knowledge it is wanting in 
Halland and Bohuslan", as well as in Norway. It is 
assigned to the Danish islands of Fiinen, Laaland, and 
Zealand by Feddersen, who states that it is especially 
common in Lake Mariebo (Laaland). The Royal Mu- 
seum possesses specimens from the River Kopinge in 
Scania and from Jonkoping (C. Sundevall), from Lilia 
Halsviken (Wetter, N. W. of Motala; H. Widegren), 
from the River Skeninge (numerous specimens; Dr. 
Cnattingius), from the River Lida in Wester Gothland 
(J. W. Dalman), from Lake Wener (1836, Mr. Goebel * * 6 ), 
from Lake Softer in Nerike (1842, Colonel Ankarsvard), 
from Lake Malar off Flottsund (Mesch), from Helene- 
borg (Liljeholmen), and from Hammarby Lake near 
Stockholm. In the Norrstrom (Stockholm) a Spined 
Loach was taken on the 16th of April, 1846, among spe- 
cimens of the Smelt. In 1869 Cederstrom caught a spe- 
cimen 42 mm. long in the channel off Beatelund in the 
island-belt of Stockholm, a proof that the Spined Loach 
can also live in the brackish water of the Baltic. Ce- 
derstrom found the Spined Loach especially plentiful in 
the River Orsunda in Westmanland. Lilljeborg assigns 
it to several other localities in Sweden, and surmises 
with reason that the Spined Loach is fairly common in 
Scandinavia, though on account of its insignificant size 
and its manner of concealing itself it easily escapes notice. 
This is probably true of Finland as well, though both 
Malmgren and Mela state that the Spined Loach is ex- 
tremely rare in that country and is known with certainty 
only from the neighbourhood of Viborg and Lake Vuoxen. 
The Spined Loach prefers running water, in small 
streams with a stony bottom, where it can conceal itself 
under the stones, or with a bottom of gravel, sand, or 
even mud, in which it can bury itself with only the 
head visible and ready, when danger threatens, to hide 
itself entirely or even to creep some distance, burrowing 
its way through the loose ground. The fish also occurs, 
however, in still water, as we have seen, in lakes and 
meres with a suitable bottom. It is oftenest found in 
company, though not in shoals properly so called. It 
generally lies still; but when disturbed or when shifting 
its position it is rapid in its movements. Cederstrom 
saw “these fishes dive into the thick, moist ooze and hide 
themselves there as speedily as a Sand-Eel plunges into 
wet sand to conceal itself. When they felt themselves 
prisoners, they at once bent down the head and pressed 
the fiat part of the cheek firmly against the skin of my 
fingers, thus causing in some instances a slight but 
disagreeable irritation, most like that of sucking (cupping), 
on the part of the skin affected.” The fisherman may 
sometimes complain with reason 0 that “when pursuing 
a Holmberg’s statement ( Boh . Hist ., Beskr., p. 30) that the Spined Loach occurs in Ramtvet Mere (Bullar), lias received no subsequent 
confirmation, according to Malm. See Gbgs , Boh. Fn ., p. 569. 
6 The Spined Loach has since been taken in Lake Wener (Hamrnarovik), according to Dr. S. W. Tenow, Verml., Dais Ryggr. Dj., p. 106. 
c See Lloyd, Scandinavian Adventures , vol. I, p. 71. On the 11th of June, 1858 I took some specimens of this species in the River 
Motala, not far from its outlet in Lake Roxen. There I was told that the Spined Loach was dreaded “for its bite”, which was said to be incurable. 
