256 
THK CHARS. 
these fishes as are met with in his own country; but the common 
character he has assigned to them is, that the head is longer 
than the height of the body; and especially that the colour of 
the back is inclined to a dark green, tinged with blue, often 
strewed over with pale red spots; low on the sides, and the 
under portion of the body white or yellowish red; the fins 
below yellowish red, with a white edge in front; the anal fin 
and tail, the latter especially, lunated. Intensity of colour is 
indeed a particular characteristic of the Chars; but it is to be 
remarked that this applies in part only to the British species; 
and in reference to the character which is made prominent by 
Nilsson, and is represented in the plates of Donovan and Mr. 
Yarrell, of a scattering of pale red or white spots over the 
back and sides, it is remarked by Dr. Gunther, and in part 
agrees with our own observation, that however commonly these 
may be seen, they are not constant; and they are also liable 
to disappear in examples on which they have been before 
conspicuous. I have seen them, however, after long immersion 
in spirit, in examples of the Torgoch from Llanberis, when the 
red colour of the under parts had vanished. 
In proceeding with this portion of our subject, we deem it 
proper to specify the materials from an examination of which 
the conclusions have been drawn at which we have arrived; 
and these are in the first place two specimens of the so-called 
Fresh-water Herring of Lough Melvin, in Ireland; which, 
however, are not to be confounded with the Pollan or the 
Powan, which we shall describe, and the foimer of which, 
with somewhat more propriety, bears the same name. This 
Char is the Sctlmo or Salvelinus Grayi of our History; and a 
comparison of examples obtained from the same lake has 
persuaded Dr. Gunther that they are distinct from all the Chars 
which he has a knowledge of on the continent of Europe; as 
also, so far as he is able to discern, from all those which are 
described by the continental writers Heckel, Nilsson, and Kapp. 
And this judgment is further confirmed by about twenty other 
examples sent by the noble Earl already mentioned to myself, 
and the same number to Dr. Gunther at the British Museum,- 
all of them males, and caught together; and it is worthy of 
notice that afterwards a considerable number taken at the same 
place were all females. Again, and in contrast to these, there 
