1188 
SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 
But the Sea Lamprey also roves into fresh water on its 
own account, when it makes its way, early in the year 
or at latest in early summer (Feb. — June), to the spawn- 
ing, which is performed during summer. On these ex- 
cursions, however, the Sea Lamprey proves to be no 
very powerful swimmer, capable of stemming the cur- 
rent with ease; “but, when the stream is so strong that 
the Lamprey lias difficulty in surmounting it, the fish 
plunges quickly forwards and hastily attaches itself to 
some fixed object, then awaiting an opportunity for a 
new plunge” (Yarrell and Iaroyer). Consequently it 
does not penetrate far up the stream in rapid rivers; 
but in the Gotha Elf it goes at least to Lilia Edet 
(Lloyd® and Malm * 6 * * ); in the Kjeflinge River (Scania) it 
ascends at least a couple of leagues from the sea (Nils- 
son); and in the River Helge it was taken by Schager- 
strom at Kristianstad (Lilljeborg). In Germany it is 
found still farther inland, in the Rhine to Basel, in the 
Elbe up to Bohemia (Benecke). In the Loire it has 
been met with above Orleans, in the Rhone and Isere 
beyond the frontier of Savoy (Blanchard). 
The spawning of the Sea Lamprey was observed 
by Panizza c at Pavia on the River Po; and Bartlett 
wrote to Stored (1. c.) of its breeding operations in 
Massachusetts, “They ascend the rivers a little earlier 
than the shad, and move mostly in the night. It is not 
known by the fishermen when they return, as they are 
never seen. There is a notion that they all die. They 
are often seen in the summer in pairs at work together, 
constructing a little mound of stones. They build this 
about three feet in diameter at the base, and about two 
feet high, of stones from the size of an ounce bullet to 
that of the fish. They often aid each other in carrying 
the same stone. This is pretty evidently a labor of love , as 
they copulate once in five minutes, or so, during the whole 
time. The young go down the river when the water be- 
gins to freeze. They are from six to eight inches long”. 
But to take the above words of Bartlett to imply that the 
metamorphosis from the Ammoccetes stage takes place with- 
in the first year, would, no doubt, be too hasty. Strange 
to say, no observations are recorded in Europe either of 
the development of the Sea Lamprey in its earliest stages. 
The Sea Lamprey is a palatable dish, if skilfully 
prepared, when caught in spring and before it is ripe 
for spawning. In former times it was offered as a 
Christmas gift by the city of Gloucester to the sovereign 
of the realm. It may be stewed like Burbot, or mari- 
naded for preserving. Day gives the advice, however, 
to remove the notochord before boiling, as being too 
indigestible. Many consider the tvhole fish uneatable. 
In many places it is related that the Sea Lamprey is 
far rarer now than it was formerly. The once famous 
fishery of the Severn has decayed so greatly that, ac- 
cording to Day, the usual price of a Sea Lamprey there 
is now half-a-crown. In France the Sea Lamprey was 
protected, together with the Salmon and Shad, in the 
piscatorial laws of ancient times, by fishing prohibi- 
tions under certain circumstances, and the trade was 
strictly regulated. At the present day, says Blan- 
chard, it is, if not exactly rare, so uncommon that 
no great attention is paid to it. In Scandinavia this 
fishery has never possessed any importance. 
All the Lampreys are tenacious of life, and this 
adapts them eminently for use as bait. The Sea Lam- 
prey, however, can seldom serve the Scandinavian fisher- 
man for this purpose. 
THE LAMPERN OR RIVER LAMPREY (sw. nattingen). 
PETROMYZON FLU VI AT JUS. 
Plate LIII, figs. 2—4. 
Anterior linguodental plate evenly and slightly curved, with the convexity in front. Anterior dental plate of the 
mouth semilunarly curved and so long {in the transverse direction of the body ) that the elevated, dentiform ends 
are distinctly separated from one another 11 . Length of the oral dish in adult specimens less than half that of the 
head to the first gill-opening . 
Syn. Lamproye <$ eau doulce + Lamproyon, Belon, Nat., Divers. | fluv., p. 202. Mustela + Alterum genus Lampredce, Gesn., 
Poiss., p. 67. Lampetra parva et fluviatilis, Rondel., Pise, j De Aquat., pp. 595 et 597. Lampetra fluviatilis, Willughb., 
a Scandinav. Advent., vol. I, p. 147. 
6 Malm also cites a newspaper paragraph which seems to indicate that the Sea Lamprey sometimes passes the locks at Trollhattan into Lake Wener. 
c Mem. Istit. Lomb. Sc., Art., Milano, vol. II (1845), p. 25. 
d = Genus Lampetra , Gray, List Spec. Fish., Brit. Mus ., part. I, Chondropt., p. 140. 
