S A ] 
■who leads the shoal: if the winds are so strong as to stop 
them in their course, they return, and spawn in the places 
we have mentioned. But, when the wind is favourable, and 
increases the swiftness of their course, they enter the streams 
in shoals; and, the more rapid the current, the stronger are 
their efforts to oppose it; they make a league in four-and- 
twenty hours; whereas, in a smooth gentle stream, they do 
not make half that way in the same space of time. 
One thing is remarkable of this fish, that its return shews 
whether the winter will set in early or late. When the 
gwiniad returns early, it is a sign that winter is at hand ; 
when they are late, cold weather is expected to set in late 
also. Indeed, the movements and migrations of many species 
of fish, if properly attended to, would furnish very correct 
data for foretelling the weather. The young gwiniad re¬ 
mains where he was bom, till about three inches long,; then 
he is carried by the tide into the sea, where he remains till 
the desire of propagation makes him quit it, which com¬ 
monly happens when about five or six years of age. 
• Besides other rapacious fishes, the gwiniad is more particu¬ 
larly persecuted by the shark, who follows it to the very 
shores ; so that the fishermen expect good sport when they 
see a shark near their nets. They also devour one another’s 
eggs, which is the reason they do not increase very fast. The 
flesh is white, tender, and well-tasted ; yet not greatly 
esteemed in England. In some of the German lakes they 
are caught in vast abundance, and there they either smoke 
or salt them; the latter operation is performed as follows 
After having cleaned and gutted them, and washed them 
well within and without, they are laid in a basket on their 
bellies, that the water may drain off. Then they are salted; 
they are placed in layers, and after being thus left for three 
days, they are washed again, by which means all the slime 
and blood are cleaned away ; then they are salted like her¬ 
rings in alternate layers; they put a stone upon them to press 
them close, and then they barrel them up. By this method 
they will keep good if caught in cold weather; if taken in 
hot weather, they should be split open before they are salted, 
and have the head and back-bone taken away; for these parts 
soonest taint, and spoil the taste of the whole. 
The skin of the stomach is strong; the intestinal canal is 
short, and at its beginning has many appendages hanging to 
it. The roe and ovary dre double: the ovary contains 
37,000 yellow eggs of the size of turnip-seed. The vertebra 
are 59 in number; the ribs 38 on each side. The mouth of 
this species, having no teeth, shews that it is not a fish of 
prey, but lives on herbs, worms, insects, and the spawn 
of- other fish; small shells have also been found in the 
stomach. 
This fish seems to be an intermediate species between the 
trout and the herring; like the latter, it suddenly dies when 
taken out of the water. In length, -it is nearly a foot, and 
weighs about two pounds. It is of an Alpine nature, and 
inhabits the lakes of the mountainous parts of Europe ; such 
as Switzerland, Savoy, Norway, Sweden, Lapland, and Scot¬ 
land ; into the last-mentioned country, it is said to have been 
introduced from France by the unfortunate Queen Mary ; a 
circumstance rendered probable by the French name vangis, 
given it by the inhabitants in the vicinity of Lochmaben. 
The British name of gwiniad is bestowed upon it from the 
whiteness of its scales. 
Several varieties are mentioned by Cepede, as, the ferrat 
of Lac Leman, the gravanche, inhabiting the lake of Geneva, 
between Halle and Morgas; the palee, inhabiting the lake 
of Neufchatel; and the bondelle, probably, however, only 
the young of the preceding. 
36. Salmo pidschean, or the pidschian.—Upper jaw 
longest; back gibbous; 13 rays in the dorsal fin. There are 
10 rays in the membrane of the gills, 14 in the pectorals, 11 
in the ventrals, and 16 in the anal. 
This resembles the preceding species, and may, perhaps, 
be another variety of if. It inhabits the Oby, and is about 
two spans long. Irides silvery yellow. Long triangular ap¬ 
pendages to the ventral fins. 
37. Salmo schokur, or the shokur.—Upper jaw longest; 
. M O. 595 
head small; dorsal fin angular on the hind part, and 12- 
rayed. Nine rays in the membrane of the gills, 17 in the 
pectorals, 11 in the ventrals, and 14 in the anal. 
Inhabits the Oby; two feet long; very much resembles 
the gwiniad, but is larger and a little broader; head less com¬ 
pressed, snout more obtuse, rounded, with two obsolete tuber¬ 
cles. Ventral fins with short obtuse appendages. 
38. Salmo nasus, or the nose salmon.—Upper jaw longest, 
head thick, 12 rays in the dorsal fin. Eight or 9 rays in the 
membrane of the gills, 18 in the pectoral fins, 11 to 13 in the 
ventrals, and 13 in the anal. 
This, like the two preceding, inhabits the Oby, in Siberia, 
and resembles the gwiniad, but is broader and thicker; scales 
large. Head very little compressed; upper jaw gibbous as 
far as the eyes and obtuse. Appendages of the ventral fins 
very short and triangular; tail forked. Total length, a foot 
and a half. 
39. Salmo autumnalis, the omul, or autumnal salmon. 
—Lower jaw the longest, 12 rays in the dorsal and ventral 
fins. The membrane of the gills has 9 rays, the pectorals 
16, the anal 13. 
This species inhabits the Frozen Sea, and ascends periodi¬ 
cally, in vast shoals, the rivers which empty themselves into 
it; one foot and a half long; body fat, compressed, coated 
with large silvery scales; it dies immediately after it is taken 
out of the water. Iris pale gold ; mouth without teeth; 
gills gaping very wide ; appendages nearly half as long as 
the ventral fins ; tail forked. 
40. Salmo aibula, or the black salmon.—Lower jaw 
longest, teeth none. There are 7 rays in the membrane of 
the gills, 12 in the dorsal and ventral fins, 15 in the pectorals 
and anal, and 33 in the tail. 
Bloch seems to have confounded this with the salmo marae- 
nula, or small marena, by the synonymes he has added to 
the latter; perhaps not without reason, for they differ but 
little, if at all. This species inhabits Europe; six inches 
long; body greenish-brown, silvery at the sides; scales im¬ 
bricate, entire, roundish, spotted with black. Eyes large, 
iris silvery; aperture of the gills very large. Black carinate 
before the fin. Lateral line a little bending near the begin¬ 
ning, nearer the back, and composed of 70 or 80 dots; fins 
pale with blackish spots. 
41. Salmo peled, or the peled.—-Lower jaw longest; no 
teeth, 10 rays in the dorsal fin. The membrane of the gills 
has 12 rays, the pectoral fins 16, ventrals 13, anal 14, tail 22. 
Length a foot and a half. Inhabits northern Russia. Body 
fat, black-blueish; sides and belly white; head dotted with 
brown; is very nearly allied to the preceding. Head conic; 
snout obtuse; iris whitish yellow. 
42. Salmo thymallus, or the grayling.—The grayling is 
easily distinguished by the beauty, size, and various colours 
of the dorsal fin, which has 23 rays; upper jaw longest. 
There are 10 rays in the membrane of the gills, 16 in the 
pectoral fin, 12 in the ventral, 14 in the anal, and 18 in the 
tail. 
The head is small, rounded, studded with black dots, 
brown above, and on the sides white, inclining to blue. 
When the mouth is shut, the upper jaw protrudes a little. In 
each jaw are some little teeth standing wedgewise, of which 
the upper ones are rather the largest In the fore part of the 
palate, and also near the gullet, there are some small teeth; 
the tongue is smooth. The pupil of the eye is black ; the 
iris yellow sprinkled with black dots. The body is long, 
and covered with large hard scales; the back is round,- and 
of a dark green colour. The sides are somewhat flattened, 
and their colour is a mixture of grey and blue. A straight line 
runs over each row of scales from head to tail; the middle 
line is studded with little black dots. The belly is white, 
and larger than in the other species of trouts. The pectoral 
fins are white; the ventral, tail, and anal, reddish; and 
there is an appendage to the ventral. The dorsal fin i§ 
violet, on a green ground with brown spots. The five first 
rays are single ; the others divide into eight branches near 
the end. 
The grayling was not unknown to ancient authors. Elian 
speaks 
