WHITE BREAM. 
805 
The gill-rakers are short and scattered, the outer row 
on the front of the first branchial arch containing 14 
or 15, and the outer anterior margin of the pharyngeals 
being furnished with almost as many (13). The pha- 
ryngeals are armed as a rule with two rows of teeth 
(fig. 199), the inner row being always composed of 5 
compressed and nearly straight teeth, with distinctly 
hooked tips in most cases only in the hindmost (upper- 
most) tooth and the middle one, the outer generally of 
two (in exceptional cases one or three) smaller, more 
cylindrical teeth. According to Ekstrom the outer row 
is often wanting, which probably depends on the shed- 
ding of the teeth, when the pharyngeal teeth readily 
drop out, or lie loose in the gums". 
The dorsal fin lies on the hind arm of the angle 
formed by the dorsal profile, so high that the first rays 
occupies the apex of the back. The distance between 
it and the tip of the snout measures more than half 
(about 51 — 54 %) of the length of the body, but less 
than 88 % (81 — 87 %) of the distance between the tip 
of the snout and the anal fin. Its height is about twice 
its length, the longest ray measuring about 22 — 26 % 
of the length of the body, and the base about 11 — 12 
% of the same. The fin is pointed in front, with the 
upper posterior margin obliquely truncate, the height 
behind being only l / 3 of that in front. The anal fin, in 
consequence of its length, is not so obliquely truncate, 
but more deeply concave at the margin. The distance 
between it and the tip of the snout is about 58 — 64 %, 
the length of the longest ray about 15 (exceptionally 
14) — 18 %, and its base about 23 (exceptionally 21) — 
267 2 the length of the body. The caudal fin is 
deeply forked, with the lower lobe somewhat longer 
than the upper. Its middle rays measure about 9 or 
10 % (exceptionally 8 7 2 or H °A of the length of the 
body, or rather less than 2 / 5 of that of the longest ray 
in the lower lobe. 
The pectoral fins are normal in form, but com- 
paratively short, always shorter than the preabdominal 
length. Their length is about 17 (16 x / 2 ) — 18 (1877 0/0 
of that of the body. The ventral fins are inserted at 
a distance from the tip of the snout measuring about 
40 — 45 % of the length of the body, and less than 87 % 
(77 7 g - — -86 7g 0/, °) °f the distance between the dorsal fin 
and the same point. Their length is about 15 (14 1 / 2 ) 
— 18 % of that of the body. Both the preabdominal 
length and the postabdominal, the latter as a rule rather 
less than the former, measure about 1 / 5 (20 — 23 or 
24 %) of the length of the body. 
The body is covered with large, striated, and im- 
bricated scales, very like those of the Roach, and with 
more distinct striae than those of the Bream. This 
peculiarity combined with their relative size, is especi- 
ally characteristic of the White Bream, and renders it 
easily recognisable, if only attention be paid hereto. 
The most trustworthy standard of the size of the scales, 
however, is their number. In the lateral line, which 
lies rather low, nearer to the belly than to the back, 
we generally find only 46 scales — the ordinary varia- 
tions lie between 45 and 48 — and above the lateral 
line only 8 or 9 large rows and one smaller row, the 
latter at the very base of the dorsal fin (the Bream 
has at least 12 such rows). Between the lateral line 
and the insertion of the ventral fin we usually find 6 
rows of scales. The distribution of the scales on the 
anterior part of the dorsal margin and on the ventral 
margin behind the ventral fins has already been described. 
The coloration of the White Bream changes some- 
what with age and according to the season of year. 
The young are of a lighter colour and have paler fins. 
In spring during the spawning-season, or as shown in 
our figure, the ground colour of old specimens is sil- 
very white with a strong dash of yellow, darker above 
and gradually passing into the olive gray of the back. 
The sides of the head are bright with a play of many 
handsome colours. The iris is of a faint golden yellow, 
densely punctated with fine, dark green dots, collected, 
especially above, into a broad, dark band. The dorsal 
and caudal fins are of a plain olive gray. The pec- 
toral, ventral, and anal fins are pale, with more or less 
ruddy rays and a reddish tinge at the base. By this 
red or orange hue of the inferior fins it is always easy 
to distinguish the White Bream from young Bream, in 
which these fins are pale and colourless. On the con- 
clusion of the spawning the sides of the body resume 
their dress of silvery white. 
In the White Bream, says Fatio, the back and the 
sides of the body are often strewn with some roundish, 
black spots. In normal Scandinavian specimens we have 
never found such spots; but in a variety (hybrid) which 
a Unless it be the case that EksteSm met with hybrids between the White Bream and the Bream, with the external characters of 
the former and the dentition of the latter. 
