IDE. 
767 
darker; on the sides yellow, shifting into a number of 
bright hues. The iris is yellow, with tine, dark dots 
and a dark spot above the pupil. The dorsal and caudal 
fins are dark olive gray, the former entirely plain, the 
latter more or less reddish at the base of the lower 
lobe. The ventral and anal fins are carnation, with 
pale base and margin. The pectoral fins are pale, with 
a faint tinge of red. In autumn the ground-colour is 
whiter, with hardly any brassy lustre, and the pig- 
ment of the scales lighter, sometimes imperceptible. The 
iris is silvery white, with a fine, brassy yellow ring 
round the pupil and a dark spot above the latter. The 
figure (Plate XXXII, fig. 1) represents a male assuming 
the spawning-dress, and is drawn from a specimen 
taken in the Baltic island-belt. 
The young Ide (Plate XXXV, fig. 1), known in the 
islands round Morko as idplugg and lannare, in other 
localities as idbarn, skall-id, gall-id , etc., differs in se- 
veral respects from the adult form. It is somewhat 
plumper in appearance. The head is larger in propor- 
tion to the length of the body. The dorsal margin and 
the occiput form an almost continuous curve. The snout 
is rather prominent, extending almost in front of the 
margin of the upper jaw (the intermaxillaries). The 
first simple ray in the dorsal and anal fins is generally 
imperceptible. The body is yellowish white, the back 
darker with bright greenish tinge, the occiput dark. 
The fins are light and somewhat reddish, especially 
the ventral and anal, which in front shade more or 
less distinctly into red. 
The Gold Ide, Linnaeus’s Cyprinus or fas, a product 
of Central and Southern Germany and of Austria, is a 
variety often kept in ponds and aquaria. 
The range of the Ide extends throughout all the 
countries of Central, Northern, and Eastern Europe as 
well as the west of Siberia®. In Great Britain and Ire- 
land, in Switzerland and the countries bordering on the 
Mediterranean, and, according to Grimm, in the Cau- 
casus, the Ide is wanting. In France it is rare. In 
Sweden it is spread almost everywhere, from Tornea 
Lappmark to Scania. It is also common throughout 
Finland, and Lilljeborg found it at Archangel; but in 
Norway Lake Mjosen, according to Collett is the 
northern limit of its extension. In Denmark the Ide, 
which is there called Emd, has been found only on 
the islands of Fiinen and Zealand. 
In Sweden the Ide occurs in all the great lakes and 
the waters connected with them or with the Baltic and 
the Sound. But it is not equally plentiful everywhere. 
In the Muonio Elf, which river, according to Laestadius 
and W. v. Wright, the Ide ascends to Karesuando 
(68° 30' N. lab), it is somewhat rare. This seems to 
be the case wherever it occurs in Lappmark. In Jemt- 
land it is common, according to Olsson, at many places 
in the lowlands, but not in the highland lakes. The 
Ide is most plentiful in the eastern provinces of Cen- 
tral SAveden, especially to the lee of the island-belt and 
in the fresh water running seaward from the coast. Off 
Gothland it cannot be called rare, especially in the 
month of April, according to Lindstrom, Avhen Ide are 
taken in great numbers at the mouths of the rivers. 
The favourite haunts of the Ide are large lakes 
and the inner part of the island-belt, Avhere the Avater 
is not too salt. In small lakes it is less frequently met 
Avith. From these haunts, where it passes the Avinter 
in deep Avater, it ascends early in the spring, soon after 
the breaking up of the ice, toAvards the shore, and re- 
pairs to the mouths of the rivers and brooks Avhere it 
intends to spaAvn. At this season it is knoAvn by the 
fishermen as the Ice-fish ( isfisk ). 
The spaAvning generally takes place in Central 
SAveden about the end of April. The males, mustered 
in large shoals, lead the way to the spawning-place, 
Avhich is chosen in very shalloAV rivers, brooks, and 
meres, often Avhere narroAv ditches are the only path 
open to them. During these migrations, Avhich are often 
attended Avith the greatest difficulties, the Ide displays 
great strength, surmounting most of the obstacles to its 
progress, and skilful in avoiding the traps set in its 
Avay. Like the Salmon, it leaps Avith ease over stones, 
logs, and small cascades, and Avhen the Avater groAvs so 
shalloAV that further advance seems impossible, to the 
surprise of the observer the fish turns on its side, and 
thus pursues its course. When such obstacles bar its 
progress, it pauses for a Avhile, as though deliberating 
Avhat path to adopt. Meamvhile several of its comrades 
have come up, and Avhen one of the company has plucked 
up courage and darted ahead, the others at once folloAv 
a According to Pallas the Ide is common iu Siberia east to Lake Baikal and the Lena; but whether his statement really applies to 
this species, is somewhat doubtful, as Pallas refers the fish in question to Bloch’s Plate XXX VI in Fisclie Deutschlands. During Norden- 
skiOld’s expedition of 1876, however, an Ide 47 cm. long was taken by Theel and Trybom in the Yenisei off Goroschinskoje. 
Scandinavian Fishes. 
97 
