BURBOT. 
537 
The Burbot is one of the most voracious fishes. It 
devours almost everything that comes in its way, live 
or even decomposed. It seems to live chiefly on small 
fishes, insects, worms, and the like, and in particular 
on fish-roe. It haunts the spawning-places of other fishes, 
and does great damage there by devouring the roe after 
its deposition. It can also swallow comparatively large 
fishes. A Burbot 22 V 2 in. (57 cm.) long which Sunde- 
vall examined in the month of December, was found 
to have swallowed a Pike 1 1 4 / 5 in. (30 cm.) in length. 
The head of the latter, which lay bent in the strongly 
distended stomach of the Burbot, at the extreme end 
of the abdominal cavity, was, with the exception of the 
teeth, almost digested, while the caudal fin projected 
in a crushed condition between the teeth of the Burbot. 
In central Sweden the spawning- season of the Bur- 
bot begins in January and apparently proceeds during 
the whole of February. The fishermen state that the 
young Burbot spawn earlier than the older ones. To 
the north of Lapland the spawning-season is said to be- 
gin later. The spawning-place is chosen in shallow water 
with a bottom of sand or clay. These spots are known 
by the fishermen as ‘Burbot-ridges’ ( lakasar ). In Lake 
Wetter, where according to Widegken the spawning com- 
mences at the beginning of February, but according to 
others not until March, the Burbot is stated not to ascend 
towards the shore or to the shallowest parts of the lake to 
spawn, but to remain in deep water, generally at a depth 
of 30 fathoms". The roe is deposited separately and lies 
loose at the bottom. There are two kinds, one yellow, 
the other clear and almost colourless, but artificial fer- 
tilization has succeeded in both cases. The great fe- 
cundity of this fish is shown by the fact that Cederstrom 
computed the number of eggs in a female to be about 
160,000, Sundevall about 180,000. Benecke states the 
number at about a million, Norback: at about five mil- 
lions. The segmentation of the yolk begins in about 24 
hours; after 15 or 16 days the eyes begin to appear in 
the egg, and a day or two after small star-like pigmental 
spots may be seen on the surface of the embryo. At the 
same period the pulsation of the heart (15 — 50 beats 
per minute) is distinctly visible. The revolutions of the 
embryo within the egg become also distinct. After the 
lapse of three weeks from the impregnation the roe begins 
to hatch, but the period of hatching, strictly speaking, 
begins apparently at the end of four weeks 6 . The new- 
hatched fry, scarcely 3 mm. long, are always sharply 
curved in front; but many specimens are found which 
seem to be prematurely hatched and lie quite in a ring. 
The latter move but seldom, and only in a circle; some 
of them are further developed after some time, but others 
die soon. The specimens which are straight at the tall 
(fig. 128), are fairly active. They swim with a quivering 
movement of the body, generally up towards the sur- 
face, whence they sink motionless towards the bottom. 
While swimming they move the pectoral fins rapidly. 
Even after 30 days fry only slightly more than 3 mm. 
long are found. The subsequent development also pro- 
ceeds slowly. At the age of one year the Burbot is only 
90 — 120 mm. long, according to Norback, and is not 
capable of reproducing its species until four years old. 
Throughout Sweden this fish is called lake. The 
names of stenlake (Stone Burbot) and lerlake (Clay Bur- 
Fig. 128. New-hatched young specimen of Lotta lota (taken at the 
beginning of April, 1855), hardly 3 mm. long. After Sundevai.l. 
bot) refer merely to the nature of the bottom on which 
the fish is taken. On the Baltic coast, however, the former 
name is also applied to the Viviparous Blenny (Enchely- 
opus), to which the Burbot has some resemblance. The 
small Burbot too, a few years old, which are generally of 
dark colour, and may often be found on the shore under 
the stones in a foot of water, are often called stenlakar. 
The Burbot ranks among the most delicious fishes, 
though the elaborate method in which it is prepared for 
table, where it appears as a kind of ragout (Sw. stufvad 
lake — Lotte a la Villeroi), no doubt contributes to its 
reputation. The flesh is white and firm. The liver is 
considered an especial delicacy. The older writers state 
that the roe is unwholesome c , but in Sweden it is eaten 
freely without any evil results. In many places it is made 
into a palatable kind of caviare. The Burbot caught in 
Lake Siljan has long** been most highly praised for its 
excellence. As the Swedish proverb says: 
“ See Landtbr. Akad. Tidskrift 1863, p. 212. 
b According to Norback not until after two or three months. 
c Cf. Krcyer, 1. c., p. 183 and Day, 1. c., p. 310. 
d 0. SiljekstrOm-Larsson (sub prses. A. GrOnwall), Siljan (disp. Upsalise 1730), p. 35, 
Scandinavian Fishes. 
68 
