6l-4 
SAL 
S A L 
have intended it by the name of salar. lie 
mentions it, however, merely on account of 
its beauty, and without any thing relative to 
Us merit as a food. 
4. Salmo salmulus. The samlet is, accord- 
ing to_ Pennant, the least of the British, spe- 
<-ics of (his genus, and is frequently seen in 
the- river Wye, in the upper part of the Se- 
vern, and in the rivers that run into it, in the 
north of England, and in Wales. It is by se- 
veral imagined to be the fry of the salmon ; 
but Mr. Pennant dissents from this opinion 
for the following reasons: first, it is well 
known that the salmon-fry never continue in 
fresh water the whole year, but, as numerous 
as they appear on their first escape from the 
spawn, all vanish on the first vernal flood that 
happens, which sweeps them into thesea, and 
leaves scarcely one behind; secondly, the 
growth of salmon-fry is so quick and so con- 
siderable as suddenly to exceed the bulk of the 
largest samlet; for example, the fry that 
have quitted the fresh water in spring, not 
larger than gudgeons, return into it again a 
foot or more in length ; thirdly, the salmon 
obtains a considerable bulk before it begins 
to breed ; the samlets, on the contrary, ^are 
found both male and female of their common 
si/e, and are readily distinguished by being 
furnished with either the hard or soft roe; 
fourthly, they are found in the fresh waters all 
times of the year, and even at seasons when 
the salmon-fry have gained a considerable 
size. It is well known that at Shrewsbury 
(where they are called Samsons), they are 
found in such quantities in the month of Sep- 
tember, that a skilful angler, in a coracle, 
will take with a fly from twelve to sixteen 
dozen in a day. They spawn in November 
and December, at which time those of the 
Severn push up towards the head of that 
jiver, quitting the smaller brooks, and return 
into them again when they have done spawn- 
ing. They have a general resemblance to 
the trout, and must therefore be described 
comparatively. 
The head is proportionally narrower, and 
the mouth smaller; the body deeper; the 
length seldom more than six or seven inches, 
or at most about eight and a half ; the pec- 
toral fins have generally but one large black 
spot, though sometimes a single small one at- 
tends, it; whereas the pectoral fins of the 
trout are more numerously marked; the 
spurious or fat fin on the back is never tipped 
with red, nor is the edge of the anal fin 
white; the spots on the body are fewer, and 
not. so bright ; the body is also marked from 
back to sides with six or seven large biuekh 
bars; but this Mr. Pennant allows to be not 
a certain character, as the same is sometimes 
observed in young trouts; lastly, the tail of 
the samlet is much more forked’ than that of 
the trout. The samlet is very frequent in 
the rivers of Scotland, where it is called the 
parr, ft is also common in the Wye, and is 
there known by the title of skirling or 
laspring. 
5. Salmo salvelinus, salvelin trout. Length 
about twelve inches; shape resembling that 
of the salmon, but rather more slender ; co- 
lour of the back dark-brownish blue; of the 
sides silvery, marked with pretty numerous, 
moderately distant, small, round, red spots, 
which are sometimes surrounded with a pale 
margin ; belly red or orange-colour ; pecto- 
ral, ventral, and anal fins the same, but with 
SAL 
the two first rays white; dorsal and caudal 
fin blueish brown ; adipose fin small, pale, 
and lipped with brown ; scales rather small 
than large; lateral line strait; tail moderately 
bifurcated both jaws of equal length ; i rides 
silvery. Native of mountainous lakes in se- 
veral parts of Germany, and of several of the 
rivers in Siberia, and (If this species “is the red 
ch n r ot the English) in some of the lakes of 
our own country, as those of Westmo eland, 
&c. As in others of this genus, those which 
inhabit the clearest and coldest waters are 
observed to be of the richest colours. It is a 
fish of great delicacy of flavour, and much 
esteemed as a food. ' 
b. Salmo eperlanus, smeit. Of this species 
there appear to be two varieties : one not 
•exceeding the length of three or four inches ; 
the other arriving at the general length of six, 
eight, or nine inches, and sometimes even to 
twelve or thirteen. 1 lie Larger variety seems 
to be that so frequently seen about the 
British coasts, and which is distinguished by 
Dr. Bloch under the name ot cperlano-ma- 
rinus, or sea-smelt. 1 liese fishes are found 
about our coasts throughout the whole year, 
and rarely go to any great distance from the 
shores, except when they ascend rivers either 
at or some time before the spawning-season. 
It is observed by Mr. Pennant that in the 
river Thames and in the Dee, they are taken 
m great abundance in November, December, 
and January ; but m other rivers not till Fe- 
bruary, spawning in the months of March and 
April. The smelt is a very elegant fish ; its 
form beautifully taper ; the skin thin, and the 
whole body, but particularly the head, semi- 
transparent ; the colour of the back is whitish, 
with a cast of green, beneath which it is varied 
with blue, and then succeeds the beautiful 
silvery gloss ot the abdomen; the scales are 
small, and easily rubbed off; the eyes are 
silvery; the under jaw longer than the upper; 
in front of the upper are four large teeth, 
those in the sides of the jaws being small ; 
the taiUs forked. This fish is an inhabitant 
of the European seas; it has generally a pe- 
culiar odour, which in those of British growth 
is commonly compared to that of a cucum- 
ber, but by some to that of a violet. 
7. Salmo Groenlandicus, Greenland sal- 
mon. Length about seven inches, which it 
very rarely exceeds ; shape lengthened, con- 
tracting somewhat suddenly towards the tail; 
dorsal fin placed in the middle of the back; 
fins rather large for the size of the fish ; scales 
small; tail forked; colour pale-green, with a 
tinge of brown above ; abdomen and sides 
silvery; in the male fish, just above the la- 
teral line, is a rough fascia, beset with minute 
pyramidal scales standing upright like the 
pile o! a shag. 1 he use of this villous line is 
highly singular, since it is affirmed that while 
the fish is swimming, and even when thrown 
on shore, two, three, or even as many as ten 
will adhere, as if glued together, by means of 
this pile, insomuch that if one is ’taken, the 
rest are also taken up at the same time. This 
species swarms off the coasts of Greenland, 
Iceland, and Newfoundland, and is said to be 
y 0ne (be chief supports of the Greenland- 
ers, and a sort of dessert at their most delicate 
repasts. 1 he inhabitants of Iceland are said 
to dry great quantities ot it, in order so serve 
as a winter food for their cattle, whose flesh is 
apt to acquire an oily flavour in consequence. 
This fish lives at sea the greatest part of the 
4 
year; but in April, May, June, and July, 
comes in incredible shoals into the bays, 
where immense multitudes are taken in nets* 
and afterwards dried on the rocks- When 
fresh they are by some said to have the smeil- 
ot a cucumber, though others affirm that the 
scent is highly unpleasant. They feed on 
small crabs and other marine insects, as well 
as on the smaller luci and confervas, on which 
they are also observed to deposit their ova. 
8. Salmo thyniallus, grayling salmon. This 
elegant species grows to the length of about 
eighteen inches, and is an inhabitant of the 
clearer and colder kind of rivers in many 
parts of Europe and Asia, particularly such 
as flow through mountainous countries. In 
England it is found in the rivers of Derby- 
shire ; in some of those of the North; in the 
d ame near Ludlow ; in the Lug and other 
streams near Leominster ; and in the river 
near Christchurch in Hampshire. In Lap- 
laud it is said to be very common, where the 
natives make use of its intestines instead of 
rennet, rn preparing the cheese which they 
make from the milk of the rein-deer. 
The shape of the grayling resembles that 
of the trout, but is rather more slender ; its 
colour is a beautiful silvery grey, with nu- 
merous longitudinal deeper stripes, disposed 
according to the rows of scales, which are of 
a moderately large size ; the head, lower 
fins, and tail, are of a brownish or rufous 
cast ; the dorsal fin, which is deeper and 
broader than in the rest of the genus, is of a 
pale violet-colour, crossed by several dusky 
bars ; the adipose fin is very small, and the 
tail forked, ihe largest English grayling re- 
corded by Mr. Pennant was taken at Ludlow, 
and measured above half a yard in length, 
its weight being four pounds eight ounces; 
the general size of the British specimens be- 
ing far short of this measure. 
The grayling, says Mr. Pennant, is a vo- 
racious fish, rising freely to the fly, and will 
very eagerly take a bait ; it is a* very swift 
swimmer, disappearing like the transient 
passage of a shadow, from whence perhaps is 
derived its antient name of umbra. It is said 
to be a fish of very quick growth, feeding on 
water-insects, the smalleLkind of testacea, 
and the roe of other tidies, as well as on the 
smaller fishes themselves; its stomach is. so 
strong as to feel almost cartilaginous. It 
spawns in April and May, the full-grown ova 
being nearly of the size of peas. The gray- 
ling is much esteemed for the delicacy of its 
flesh, which is white, firm, and of a fine fla- 
vour, and is considered as in the highest sea- 
son in the depth of winter. 
SALON, or Saloon, in architecture, a 
very lofty spacious hall, vaulted at top, and 
sometimes comprehending two stories or 
ranges of windows. 
SALOP, or Sale?. See Starch. 
SALPA, a genus of insects of the order 
moliusca. Body loose, nayant, gelatinous, 
tubular, and open at each extremity ; intes- 
tines obliquely placed. The animals of this 
genus are of a gregarious nature, and often 
adhere together; they swim with great fa- 
cility, and possess the power ot contracting 
and opening at pleasure. There are two 
divisions: A is furnished with an appendage 
which differs in the several species; B with- 
out the terminal appendage. 
SALS OLA, saltwort, kali , ^pc. a genus of 
