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} Division of Fishes,
U. S. National Museum
o.. BAIRD:
FAUNA
BOREALI-AMERICANA;
OR THE
7.0 OWLAO GE ¥
OF THE
NORTHERN PARTS
OF
BRITISH AMERICA:
CONTAINING DESCRIPTIONS OF THE OBJECTS OF NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTED ON THE LATE NORTHERN
LAND EXPEDITIONS UNDER COMMAND OF CAPTAIN SIR JOHN FRANKLIN, R.N.
PART THIRD.
THE FISH.
BY
JOHN RICHARDSON, M_D., F.RS., FLS.,
MEMBER OF THE GEOGRAPIIICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, AND WERNERIAN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH} HONORARY MEMBER OF THE NATURAL HISTORY
SOCIETY OF MONTREAL, AND LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OP QUEBEC; FOREIGN MEMBER OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY
OF PARIS; AND CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE ACADEMY GF NATURAL SCIENCE OF PHILADELPHIA 3
SURGEON AND NATURALIST TO THE EXPEDITIONS.
Pi
ILLUSTRATED BY NUMEROUS PLATES.
PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE SECRETARY
OF STATE FOR COLONIAL AFFAIRS.
LONDON:
RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON-STREET.
MDCCCEXXVI.
PSs:
\ j é
‘ a we kh
Sy j ; \ x
;
' LONDON:
Printed by Witt1Am Crowgs and Sons, Duke-street,
Lambeth.
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Wi
TEL AO
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TABLE OF CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION 5 : Page ix
Places where specimens were Ayinined é ; : : : : 6 x
Orders of Fish established by Cuvier . Xii
M. Agassiz’s arrangement (note) xill
OSSEOUS FISHES.
Page Page
ACANTHOPTERYGII 1, 108 13. Cottus hexacornis . 5 : 44
14. 4, ~~ octodecimspinosus 5 46
SEO SAS Hee 15. ,, Groenlandicus . 46, 297, 314
1. Perca flavescens (pl. 74) . 1 16. ,, — scorpioides ; Aq
2. 4, acuta . : . 4 17. 4, porosus. ; 44
3. , (Huro) nigricans : 4 NSk 5) ss ane nneartalie : 48
4, Labrax notatus . F : 8 19. ,, pistilliger . : 48
5. Lucioperca Americana ; : 10 20. ,, (Aspidophorus) avers 48
Okow* . 3 . c 4 QP 5 a acipenserinus 49
6. Lucioperca Canadensis”. : 17 Oy Yeates iN monopterygius 50
7. Centrarchus zeneus (pl. i ; 18 23. Hemitripterus Americanus : 50
Cichla fasciata - 23 24. Hemilepidotus trachurus ; 51
» minima . ; 24 33. Temnistia ventricosa : , 59
8. Pomotis vulgaris (pl. 76) . 24 127. Scorpzxna bufo ; 300
9. Trichodon Stelleri 29 25 ‘ (Sebastes) Norvegica . 52
Geog. distribution of Peer &c. 30 26. - i: variabilis 53
Table of percoid genera c 34 27. Blepsias trilobus_ . : : 53
Mou : ; é é 35 Gasterosteus Noveboracensis 54, 56
Corro1pE#, geog. distribution, &c. 36 29. » aiee , : 56
Table of cottoid genera. F 39 30: se Pueuleatie ; i ag
: 31. 3 concinnus ‘ 57
pee : [ j 3? 32 occidentalis . 58
10. Dactylopterus volitans : 40 ; # '
11. Cottus cognatus ‘ : AO ScIZNOIDEA, geog. distribution, &c. 61
126. ,, asper (pl. 95, f. 1) 295, 313 Table of scizenoid genera . 63
te ets POLATIS: «© : ; 43 34. Scizena (Corvina) Richardsonii (pl. 7'1) 64
* The receipt of specimens of the Okow since the sheets describing it went to the press prove it to be the Lucio-perca
Americana.
INDOSE
Y
35. Scizena (Corvina) oscula
36. _,, (Otolithus) regalis
Sciena (Otolithus) Drummondit
SPAROIDEZ
Mano1pEx
CHATODONTOIDEX
ANABASIDER
ScomBeroivEx Tribes, geog. distrib., &c.
Table of genera
37. Scomber grex et vernalis
Second tribe of Scomberoideze
38. Notacanthus nasus
Third tribe of Scomberoideze
Fourth tribe of ditto .
39. Zeus (Lampris) guttatus .
T2NIOIDER
SIGANOIDE
MuciLoipEx&
Tetragonurus Cuviert
Atherina
GoBIoIDE&
40. Blennius (Clinus) punctatus
4 4 29 EP)
42, 55 (Centronotus) gunnellus
Butter-fish
Pustulated blenny
Zoarces
lumpenus
43. Blennius (Zoarces) polaris
44, Anarrhichas lupus
45. es
Gobius, sub-genera, &c.
minor
Callionymus
Platyptera
46. Chirus monopterygius
47. 5
48. ,,
es
Chirus lagocephalus
decagrammus
octogrammus
superciliosus
» hexagrammus
Hexagrammus Stellert
CONTENTS.
Page
68
68
70
70
72
13
75
76
78
80
81
82
82
83
83
85
86
87
87
88
88
88
90
91
93
93
93
94
95
96
96
97
97
98
99
100
100
101
101
101
Page
BatTRACHOIDEE . 102
Thutinameg : . 103
50. Lophius (Malthe) cubifrons (pl. 96) 103
LABROIDEX 106
United States’ species 107
FIsTULAROIDEH 107
Remarks on ACANTHOPTERYGII 108
MALACOPTERYGII ABDOMINALIS 109
CyYPRINOIDEE 109
North American species 109
51. Cyprinus (Abramis) Smithii (wood-
cut) : 110
128. = balteatus 301
52. vs (Catastomus) Hudsonius 112
129. _ a reticulatus 303
53. 2h A Forsterianus 116
54, ss ss Sueurii 118, 303
55. aN # aureolus 119
56. Be RS nigricans 120
i. : (Leuciscus) gracilis (pl.78)120
58. 5 chrysoleucas 122
130. He 3 caurinus 304
131. a ne Oregonensis 305
Exoglossum nigrescens 122
Esocipa 123
United States’ species . 123
*53. Esox lucius } | 124
*54.. ,, estor 127
*55. Scomberesox scutellatus 128
*56. Brazilian pike 129
*57. Exocectus exiliens . 129
SILUROIDEZ 132
United States’ species 132
*58. Silurus (Pimelodus czenosus 132
Oe iain " nigrescens 134
60a Ns borealis 135
SALMONOIDEE .. : ; 134
Trouts or true salmon 137
* These six numbers were inadvertently repeated.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
* This specific name is adopted from Sibbald’s Scotia M/ustrata.
CONTENTS.
Page
European trouts 139
Salmo salar (pl. 91, f. 1) 140
Salmon trout (pl. 92, f. 2) 140
Hirling . 4 5 141
Sewin (Salmo Cambriscus) (pl. 91,
f. 2) 141, 306
Nith trout (S. trutta) (pl. 92,f. 2,5) 142
Loch Leven trout 143
Salmo ferox ; . 144
» farto (pl. 92, f. 3) . 144, 307
Char or Torgoch (pl. 92, f. 5) 144
Salmo salar ‘ ; 145
» scouleri (pl. 93) . 158, 223
» Rossii (pl. 80 & pl. 85,f.2) 163
> Hearnii : > DELO
» alipes (pl. 81 & pl. 86, f.1) 169
» Nitidus (pl. 82, f.1 & 86,f. 2) 171
», Hoodii (pl. 82,f.2; 83, f.2;
84, f. 1) 173
» fontinalis(pl. 82,f. 1; 87, f.2) 176
Greenland trouts 178
Salmo namaycush (pl.79; 85,f.1) 179
» Mackenzii (pl.84; 94, f.1) 183, 309
Mountain or Speckled trout 178
Columbia River salmon - 162, 217
Common salmon ( Lewis and Clarke) 162
Red char (ditto) 162, 223
Salmon trout (ditto) 163,225
. Salmo quinnat 219
55 Gairdneri 221
> paucidens 222
», tsuppitch 224
» Clarki 225
Salmon of New Caledonia . 214
Trouts of ditto 307
. Salmo (Osmerus) eperlanus "185
» (Mallotus) villosus 187
Ps ” Pacificus 226
a (Thymallus) signifer (pl. 190) 190
3 5 thymalloides 194
Coregoni, observations on . 310
has just appeared, it is called Coregonus Willughbii.
Vv
Page
75. Salmo (Coregonus) albus (pl. 89,
f, DOAMEAOF AL Ber) LOD all
One ths 35 tullibee 201, 309
Uftlets, Sp “Ihe gs Artedi . 203
Sa tae Rs quadrilateralis
(pl. 89, f. 1) 204
198: oF Labradoricus 206
SON. Sy lucidus (pl. 90,f. 1 )207
Sle ee, » harengus (p].90, f. 2)210
Salmo (Coregonus) fera
Vandesius* 201,
29 29
CLUPEOIDEE
United States’ species
88. Clupea harengus c :
89. Hiodon chrysopsis (pl. 94, f. 3,
A.B.C.)
905-"° 53
91. Amia ocellicauda
tergissus
92. Lepisosteus Huronensis
MALACOPTERYGII SUBBRACHIATI
GaDOIDEE :
United States’ species
Kamtschatka ditto .
93. Gadus morrhua
94. =,
O5ue ex
tte ey ;
97. ,, (Merlangus) carbonarius
OS as is
GO. ass
100. ,, (Brosmius) flavescens
101. ,, (Phycis) punctatus (wood-cut)
102. Macrourus rupestris
callarias
Fabricii
ogac
polaris
(Lota) maculosus
PLATESSOIDER
United States’ species
North-west American species
103. Pleuronectes (Platessa) stellatus .
104. 1 (Rhombus) glacialis
DrscoBo.t
In the Number of Yarrell’s British Fishes, w
232, <
213
213
229
229
241
241
241
242
242
260
hich
vi CONTENTS.
Page Page
105. Cyclopterus lumpus 260 111. Anguilla rostrata 2611
106. 3 minutus 262 112. Ophidium viride 271
107. Kp spinosus 263 113. Saccopharynx ampullaceus 271
108. 55 ventricosus 263 114. Ophidium stigma 213
109. 3 (Liparis) communis 263 115. 35 Parrii 274
EP CHENEL DIO: 265 116. Ammodytes lancea 245
110. Echeneis naucrates 266 LOPHOBRANCHII 26
MALACOPTERYGII APODES 267 PLECTOGNATHI 274
ANGUILLIFORMES 267 Umited States’ species 277
CARTILAGINOUS FISHES.
CHONDROPTERYGII ELEUTHERO- 119. Squalus (Carcharias) vulgaris 288
POMI 258 120... *,, nh Terre novee 289
STURIONIDER 278 W214 bys (Selache) maximus 291
United States? species 298 122. ,, (Spinax ) acanthias 291
Lovetsky’s arrangement of Sturgeons 281 oy (Seymaus) cher ee wie
117. Acipenser transmontanus 278 123. Raia fullonica 291
1 1 8 . ” rubicundus 284 CycLostom ATA 292
ae Chi x Rupertianus an 124. Petromyzon tridentatus 293
i a oe 125. 5 Aluvialis 294
CHONDROPTERYGII TREMATOP-
NEONTES 287
SELACHII : 287
United States’ species 287
x
LIST OF PLATES.
Page Page
74* PERGA FLAVESCENS . : : I 89 CoREGONUS QUADRILATERALIS, f. 1 204
o ALBUS, f.2 . i og alte)
75 CENTRARCHUS ZNEUS ; : 18
716 Pomortis VULGARIS . : - 24 gg 9 Lucipus, f.1 . . 207
BY HARENGUS, f.2 . 5 PAO
77 Corvina RIcHARDSONII . ; 64 s
SaLmo sauaR, f. 1 140
18 LervciscUs GRACILIS . : - 120 91 ira Grover, 1.8 \ heads | 14]
ALI 3 5 179
79 SaLMo NAMAYCUSH ee ee eg we
80 »» Rossi. . . - 163 Nitu trovt, f. 2 142
8] ALIPES ; ; . 169 92 ¢<Satmo Fario, f. 3 heads 144
e Wi NitH TROUT, young, f. 4 142
By Suivi . : : Torcocu, f. 5 144
= { »» Hoopri ; : ; 173
Satmo Scovters, and head . 158, 223
33 | >» FONTINALIS . : . 176
>» Hoon ; : . 173 Satmo Macxenzii, f. 1, mouth 183, 302
84 ’ } } 3 94 ,Corzconus axsus, f. 2,A.B.C., head 195
Sige ACeE NZI a Hiopon curysopsis, f.3, A. B. C., head 232
85 » NaMaycusH, f. 1 Weed 179
» Rossi, f. 2 Ee 163 Cortus aspeER, f. 1, with head and palate 295
: : Grancanprcvs, f,2, ditto 46, 297
86 > ALIPES, f. 1 jaea 169 2
5 Nivipus, f. 2 171 96 Marae cuBiFRons, 4 views : 103
84 | py ELOODIT f- L \ Houle 173 ACIPENSER RureERTIANus, with head and
» FONTINALIS, f. 2 176 94 3 shields ie : 308
Ge, Tasso pace ‘ . 190 FA TRANSMONTANUS, ditto ditto 278
All the above plates were executed with strict fidelity to the specimens placed before him by Mr.
Warterunovse Hawsins. Nos. 89 and 90 are etched on copper, 94, 95, 96, and 97, are drawn on zinc,
and the remainder are lithographed. Two wood-cuts, printed with the text, are from slight sketches,
after nature, by Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton Smith. Figures of Catastomus reticulatus, Forste-
rianus, and Sueurit, will appear in the Natural Es iory Appendix to Captain Back’s forthcoming
narrative.
* Numbers of plates carried on from Volume II.
ERRATA.
Page 30, line 9, after “ five hundred ” add “ twenty-one.””
10, for “* twenty-seven ”’ read “ forty-seven.”
—— 34, in two last columns of the table, for “* 111”? read “ 131 ;”? and in line of
totals, for ‘327 ” read “ 3417,”? and for “‘ 501 ”’ read ** 521.”’
—— 80, line 1, for “‘ [36] ”’ read “ [37].”
—— 145, line 3, for “ Wynn” read “ Wynne.”
—— 174, line 3 from bottom, for ‘‘ shorter labials ”’ read “ longer labials.”’
—— 194, line 1, for ‘* tahn”’ read “‘ than.”
—— 241, line 2 from bottom, before ‘“‘ maculata”? insert ‘‘ Lota.”
271, lines 6, 8, 12, and 13 from bottom, dele “ very.”
INTRODUCTION.
NoTWITHSTANDING the high rank which our countryman Ray occupies in the
annals of Natural History as a founder of systematic ichthyology, that branch of
science has been greatly neglected in this country,—yet Britain owes much of her
wealth to her fisheries; and her seamen, traversing the ocean in all directions, are
familiar with the finny inhabitants of almost every river in the world, as well as
with the wonders of the deep. While the fish of the English seas were imper-
fectly known, it was not to be expected that those frequenting the waters of a
remote colony would be more fully described; and, in fact, this volume of the
Fauna owes comparatively little to the labours of previous writers in respect of
the determination and description of species, though the arrangement and generic
groups are adopted wholly from Cuvier. Forster, in the Philosophical Transactions
of 1773, gives an account of four Hudson’s Bay fish, three of which he errone-
ously identifies with European species; and he is the only ichthyologist that I
have been able to cite respecting the fish which sport in the sea-like lakes and
magnificent rivers of the portion of North America lying north of the St. Law-
rence, and exceeding the whole of Europe in extent of territory. There is, I
believe, no scientific account of the Canada fish, with the exception of M. Le
Sueur’s and Dr. Mitchill’s descriptions of a few lacustrine species. Some of those
inhabiting the seas of Newfoundland are included in the published volumes of the
Histoire des Poissons, by Cuvier and Valenciennes. Fabricius’s and the work
last mentioned are my authorities for the Greenland fish, and I am indebted to the
Appendices to the late Arctic Expeditions for those found on the northern shores
of America. Pallas, Steller, and Tilesius have described the fish inhabiting the
sea of Kamtschatka, and such of them as are known to range over to the Ame-
b
x INTRODUCTION.
rican coast are included in this Fauna. Eschscholtz’s description of a fish taken in
Norfolk Sound is quoted, and as I can refer to no work containing any notice
sufficiently detailed and accurate to determine the species, or even the genera, of
those in the waters of New Caledonia, the popular accounts of voyagers and travel-
lers, who have visited that country, have been occasionally transcribed at some
length, to supply the want of scientific information.
The specimens described and figured in the following pages were chiefly col-
lected by me at Cumberland House in latitude 54°, at Fort Enterprise in latitude
64°, and in the Arctic Sea at the mouth of the Coppermine River in latitude 67°,
on Sir John Franklin’s first journey*; at Penetanguishene on Lake Huron in lati-
tude 44°, in Great Bear Lake in latitude 64°, or in the canoe route between these
places, on his second journey; and in the following quarters by the exertions of
others, viz., on the Labrador coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, from whence I
obtained a collection of the Salmon and Coregoni of the Mingan and Musquaw
rivers, prepared by Mr. Cuming, of the Hudson’s Bay Company; at Penetangui-
shene, where Mr. Todd, surgeon of the Naval depot, procured me a suite of specimens
which I submitted to the inspection of Baron Cuvier, together with those obtained
on Sir John Franklin’s second journey ; and in the Albany River district latitude
51°, from whence I have very recently received a series of fresh-water fish in excel-
lent condition : in addition to these, Dr. Gairdner, surgeon of the Hudson’s Bay
Company’s establishment, at Fort Vancouver, on the Oregon or Columbia River,
sent me a cask full of specimens, which, though much damaged on the voyage, have,
with the aid of his valuable notes, furnished the only means I possess of obtaining
a knowledge of the fish of that river, and enabled me to understand in part the
popular descriptions given in Lewis and Clarke’s narrative; Dr. Scouler, of the
Dublin Institution, presented me with a curious salmon, which he obtained on the
coast of New Caledonia; and I am indebted to Peter Warren Dease, Esq., for
several kinds of trout from the interior of that country ; by the kindness of Captain
* The fish observed on Sir John Franklin’s first journey are described, and a few of them figured, in the Appendix to
his Narrative ; but the specimens, which would have been of great use for comparison with those afterwards obtained,
were destroyed by vermin during my absence on the second journey. ns
1
INTRODUCTION. x1
James Ross I have had the opportunity of describing and figuring the salmon pro-
cured by him on Sir John Ross’s recent expedition ; and still more lately I have
obtained some useful specimens of the heads of fish, prepared by Mr. King during
Captain Back’s overland journey *. It will be observed, that these different col-
lections consist almost exclusively of the fresh-water, or anadromous species, that
supply a principal article of diet to the natives and residents in the fur-countries,
the smaller kinds which escape through the pretty wide meshes of the gill-nets in
ordinary use there having been mostly overlooked. I am, however, indebted to
John James Audubon, Esq., the celebrated American ornithologist, for a small
but interesting collection, made on the coasts of Newfoundland; and Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Hamilton Smith favoured me with sketches and notes of several
Canada fish. But even with these advantages the work must be considered as
very defective in marine species, and by no means complete even in the fresh-water
ones. As it was not until after I returned to England from Sir John Franklin’s
last expedition that I entertained the idea of publishing a work of this nature, I
had no inducement to avail myself of the opportunity which was afforded by our
journey through Canada and the State of New York, for the collection of mate-
rials in aid of such an undertaking; and my numerous subsequent attempts to
remedy this deficiency, by procuring specimens through correspondents, have been
unsuccessful, except in the instances above mentioned. Upwards of four hun-
dred species of European fish are described in the Histoire des Poissons, or
noticed in the Régne Animal, and it may be fairly inferred, that a still greater
number inhabit the fresh waters of British America, or the Atlantic, Arctic and
Pacific seas which bathe its shorest. The present work contains only one hun-
dred and forty species, so that much remains to be accomplished by resident natu-
ralists ; and with the view of facilitating the labours of those who may undertake
* Many of the specimens, having arrived at different periods, and when the printing of the work was considerably
advanced, could not be noticed in their proper places, and their descriptions have therefore been introduced either at the
end of the families to which they belong, or in the Appendix; but an attempt has been made to remedy this irregularity
by arranging the table of contents.
+ De Witt Clinton estimates the species of fish in the United States at four hundred, and Dr. Mitchill describes one
hundred and seventy that are brought to the market of New York.
b2
xl INTRODUCTION.
the task, I have endeavoured by minuteness of description, aided by correct figures,
to render their recognition of the fish already named more certain. I have, also,
in consideration of the difficulty of procuring books in remote districts, entered
more fully into generic details than is usual in a local Fauna, and likewise given
compendious notices of most of the families mentioned in the Régne Animal,
borrowing largely not only from that work, but also from the Histoire des
Poissons. Cuvier divides the class in the following manner :—
First Series. FISH PROPERLY SO CALLED.
A. Upper jaw formed externally of intermaxillaries and moveable labials; and
posteriorly of a palatine arch composed of palate bones, pterygoid processes,
jugal, petrous, and squamous bones, constituting a sort of “Interior jaw as in
birds and snakes, and furnishing posteriorly an articular cavity for the con-
dyle of the lower jaw.
a. Gills in leaves.
Order 1. AcANTHOoPTERYGII. (vide p. 108. F. B. A.)
2. MALACOPTERYGII ABDOMINALES. (p. 109.)
3. MALAcCOPTERYGII SUB-BRACHIATI. (p. 241.)
4. MALAcOPTERYGII APODES. (p. 267.)
b. Gills in tufts.
5. LopHOBRANCHII. (p. 276.)
B. Labials soldered to the intermaxillaries : palatine aren united to the cranium
by suture and not admitting of motion.
6. PLecTOGNATHII. (p. 277.)
Second Series. CHONDROPTERYGII or CARTILAGINOUS FISH.
A. Gill openings of the ordinary form, having a moveable gill-plate. (KLeurae-
ROPOMI.) (p. 278.)
7. STURIONIDES®. (p. 278.)
B. Canals communicating with gills having fixed edges, and opening exteriorly by
one or several holes. (‘TREMATOPNEONTES.) (p. 287.)
8. SELACHII. (p. 287.)
9. CycLosTOMATA. (p. 292.)
INTRODUCTION. xii
As this arrangement* is very different from the quinary one advocated by
Mc Leay, the nomenclature of that gentleman and his followers, which is adopted
in the second volume of this Fauna, is inapplicable here, and Cuvier’s names are
therefore given to the various groups, except in a few instances, where the French
term used by him did not readily admit of a direct Latin translation, as in the case
of * Poissons Plats,’ for which Platessoidee is substituted.
I gladly avail myself of this introductory chapter to notice the kindness of
various gentlemen by whom I have been assisted in the progress of the work. In
the first place, I have to express my gratitude to the Right Honourable Lord
Glenelg, Secretary of State, for his recommendation of an additional grant in aid
of the publication, and to William Hay, Esq., Under Secretary for Colonial Affairs,
for his efficient support of my application, and invariable personal kindness when-
ever I have had occasion to address him. I have likewise to express my obliga-
tions in an especial manner to Captain Pelly, Governor of the Hudson’s Bay
Company, and Nicolas Garry, Esq., Deputy Governor, for the liberality with which
they have always promoted my endeavours to illustrate the zoology of the fur-
countries ; also to James Keith, Esq., of La Chine, and to the other gentlemen
already named, to whom I am indebted for specimens of American fish. My thanks
are also due to the following gentlemen, who procured for me, in most instances
with considerable difficulty and trouble, specimens of European fish for the pur-
pose of comparison, viz.: Dr. Graham, F.R.S.E., Professor of Botany, Edinburgh ;
Mr. Scobie, of Kioldale, Sutherlandshire; Mr. John Burnet of Dumfries; P. J.
Selby, Esq., F.R.S.E., of Twissel House ; G. A. W. Arnott, Esq., F.R.S.E.; Cap-
tain Barou, Royal Engineers; John Lloyd Wynne, Esq., of Coéd-Coch, Denbigh-
shire ; the Rev. T. W. Booth, Vicar of Friskney, Lincolnshire, and W. Yarrell, Esq.,
* Professor Agassiz, of Neufchatel, has recently given to the world an entirely new arrangement of fish, founded
chiefly on the form and structure of the scales, upon which he establishes four orders :—1..:Crenoip1ans, which are the
Acanthopterygn of Cuvier and Artedi, with the exception of those which have smooth scales, and with the addition of the
Flat-fish, or Platessoidee, removed from the Malacopterygii. 2. Cxcioivians, which are principally Madacopterygi, but
take in also the smooth-scaled fishes excluded from the Acanthopterygiv. 3. GANoipraNns, comprising the Lophubranchit.
Plectognathiu, and Sturionidee, together with a great number of extinct genera, 4, Pxacoiptans, which are the Sedachii
and Cyclostomata of Cuvier.
x1v INTRODUCTION.
whose beautiful, able, and accurate work on British Ichthyology, now in the course
of publication, will, it is to be hoped, be a means of reviving, in this country, a
taste for that branch of natural history. Lastly, I have again to acknowledge the
attention of the officers of the British Museum, whenever I have had occasion to
consult its library, or natural history collection, and particularly that of my friend
J. E. Gray, Esq., upon whose valuable time I have had oceasion frequently to draw
very largely. Part of the specimens described in this work were, as I have already
mentioned, examined and named by the truly illustrious Cuvier, and I would gladly
have submitted the rest to his inspection as they arrived ; but in common with
other naturalists, and the civilized world in general, I have had to deplore his
death, which, notwithstanding the vastness of his labours in zoology, must be
considered as premature for the interests of science; though we look with
confidence to his able coadjutor, M. Valenciennes, for the completion of the
unrivalled Histoire des Poissons. I may also notice here, the deaths of two
naturalists to whom the former volumes of this work are much indebted.
Their walk in science was indeed far beneath the lofty platform which Cuvier
constructed, but they were unrivalled in the paths they chose for themselves.
I allude, in the first place, to Mr. David Douglas, to whose researches in
North California, and on the banks of the Columbia, we owe many of the most
beautiful hardy flowers which ornament our gardens. He perished miserably in
the Sandwich Islands, by falling into a pit in which a wild bull had been pre-
viously taken, where the infuriated animal gored him to death. Thomas
Drummond, of Forfar, the other gentleman whose loss I have to record, was my
friend and associate on Sir John Franklin’s second expedition. An enthusiastic
admirer of animals and plants, he was eminently qualified for a collector of objects
of natural history, by an extreme quickness and acuteness of vision, and a wonder-
ful tact in detecting a new species. His favourite pursuits were carried on under
circumstances of domestic discomfort and difficulties, that would have quelled a
meaner spirit,—the contemplation of the works of God on the mountain top, or in
the bosom of the forest, serving to soothe the sorrows of his wounded mind. In
his company, and by his aid, most of the birds described in the second volume of
INTRODUCTION. XV
this Fauna were procured : by his unremitting industry and strenuous exertions a very
great proportion of the plants included in Dr. Hooker’s Flora Boreali-Americana
were obtained ; and the Musci Americani*, published on the same plan with his
beautiful Musci Scotici, will be a lasting monument of his activity and penetration
as a cryptogamic botanist. After making very large collections of plants in various
parts of the United States, and in the province of Texas, he died in the Island of
Cuba, where he had landed on his way to the Florida Keys.
* In two volumes quarto.
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NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
PART III.
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ACANTHOPTERYGII.
PERCOIDE.
fale] 1]. PrRcA FLAVESCENS. (Cuvier.) American Perch.
Famity, Percoidee. Genus, Perca, Cuv.
Yellow perch (Bodianus flavescens), Mrrcutnt, Ph. Trans. New York, i., p.421. No.7.
Suir, Fish of Mass.
Perea flavescens. Cuv. Reg. An., ii., p. 133.
La perche jaunatre d’Amérique (Perca flavescens). Cuv. et Vat, ii, p. 46.
PLATE LXXIV.
Tuts fish has a close resemblance to the river Perch of Europe. Our specimen
was taken in Lake Huron, where it frequents steep banks and affords much sport
to the angler from the eagerness with which it snaps at the bait. In the month of
May it spawns and then resorts in great numbers to the mouths of rivulets. It
does not, as far as I could learn, exist in any of the streams that flow into Hudson’s
Bay or the Arctic sea, and most probably it does not range farther north than the
49th or 50th parallels of latitude, between which the rivers that fall into the chain
of Great Canadian Lakes originate. Dr. J. V.C. Smith, author of a popular work
on the Fish of Massachusetts, enumerates the Perca fluviatilis among the fish of
that State, but he has most likely been misled by the report of anglers who have
mistaken the P. flavescens for it. It is certain, that no naturalist who had the
opportunity of comparing these two species with one another, would have placed them
in different genera,as Dr. Smith has done. Dr. Mitchillincludes in Bodianus fish
of several genera together with the subject of this afticle, which is a true perch;
while under Perea he places only Labrax lineatus and Centropristis nigricans of
B
2 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Cuvier. The mistake of confounding the American perches with their European
representative is a very excusable one, where opportunities of comparison do not
exist; and Baron Cuvier, after describing P. flavescens, P. serrato-granulata, and
P. granulata, which inhabit the Atlantic streams of New York and the neighbour-
ing States, adds “ Hiles seraient certainement confondues avec le notre, par un
voyageur qui les observerait chacun isolément et sans pouvoir en faire, comme
nous, un rapprochement et une comparaison ammédiate.”
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen taken at Penetanguishene, Lake Huron, May, 1825.
Cotour.—General tint of the back greenish-yellow ; of the sides golden-yellow with minute
black specks; and of the belly whitish. Nine or ten dark bands descend from the back to
the sides, and taper away towards the belly; the alternate ones are shorter, and on the tail
and shoulders they are less distinctly defined: the longest band is opposite to the posterior
part of the first dorsal fin, on which there is a large black mark.
Form.—The body is moderately compressed, its greatest thickness being somewhat more
than one half of its depth. Its profile is oblong, tapering more towards the tail, which is
nearly cylindrical: its greatest depth is at the ventrals, and rather exceeds one-fourth of the
total length, caudal included.
The head constitutes two-sevenths of the total length, and its height, at the eye, is equal
to one-half its length, from the tip of the snout to the point of the gill-cover. The forehead
is flat, but appears depressed, owing to the convexity of the nape. The snout is a little convex.
The orbits are lateral, distant more than one of their own diameters from the tip of the snout,
and more than two diameters from the point of the gill-cover. The jaws are equal. The
mouth descends as it runs backwards, its posterior angle being under the centre of the orbit.
‘TretH.—The intermaszillaries, lower-jaw, knob of the vomer, and edge of the palate-bones,
are covered with very small, straight or slightly-curved densely-crowded teeth (en velours).
The vault of the palate, posterior part of the vomer, and the pointed tongue, are smooth.
GiLL-covers.—The preoperculum is narrow; its upper limb rising vertically forms a
right angle with the lower one; and its edge is armed with small spinous teeth, those on the
lower limb being directed forwards. The bony operculum terminates in a narrow sub-spinous
point, beneath which there are three denticulations, with grooves running backwards from
them. An acute-pointed membranous flap prolonged from the margin of the suboperculum
conceals these parts in the recent fish. The edge of the interoperculum and posterior part
of the suboperculum are minutely denticulated. ‘The edges of the humeral bones are slightly
grooved and denticulated, the denticulations being more obvious in some individuals than in
others.
ScaLEs.—There are sixty scales on the lateral line, and twenty-two in a vertical row between
the first dorsal and centre of the belly. The scales are rather small, their bases truncated
and furrowed to near the middle (strides en éventail) by six grooves corresponding to eight
minute lobes of the margin. A narrow border of the outer rounded edge is very minutely
PERCOIDEZ. 3
streaked, producing teeth on the margin, visible under a lens. The length and breadth of a
scale, taken from the side, are about equal, being two and a half lines. A linear inch mea-
sured on the sides or belly, longitudinally, contains twelve scales, the scales on the belly
having, however, less vertical breadth. On the back an inch includes seventeen or eighteen.
The asperity of the scales is perceptible to the finger, when it is drawn over them from the
tail towards the head. The lateral-line is thrice as near to the back as to the belly, and is
slightly arched till it passes the dorsal and anal fins, when it runs straight through the middle
of the tail. It is marked on each scale by a tubular elevation, which is divided irregularly by
an oblique depression.
Fins.—Br. 7—7; D.13/ — 1/13; P.14; V.1/5; A.2/8; C. 174.
The first dorsal commences a little posterior to the point of the gill-cover and to the pec-
torals : its fourth and fifth rays are the highest: the first ray is slender and not half the height
of the second; the last ray is so short as to be detected only by a close examination. The
second dorsal commences a quarter of an inch from the first, the space between them being
occupied by two or three inter-spinous boties without rays: its first ray is spinous, and is
closely applied to the base of the second, which is thrice as long, distinctly articulated * and
divided at the tip: the remaining rays are all divided at their summits, but at their bases the
articulations are obsolete. The pectorals originate opposite to the spinous point of the oper-
culum; they are somewhat longer than the ventrals, which are attached opposite to the
second spine of the first dorsal. The anal is rounded: its first ray is one-fourth part shorter
than the second, both being spinous: the succeeding rays are articulated and branched, the five
anterior ones being longer than the second spine, the others becoming successively shorter : its
termination is opposite to that of the second dorsal. The caudad is distinctly forked, its base
is scaly, the scales advancing farther on the outer rays and covering one-third of their length.
Dimensions. ’
Inches, Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of upper-jaw to tips of cau- Length of attachment of first dorsal . 2 1
dal fin . 0 c c . - 8 6 % longest spine of ditto . . 0 11
op end of scales on central rays 9p attachment of second dorsal 1 2
of ditto : 7 5 » longest ray of ditto . 0 10
#3 Bs end of dorsal and anal fins 6 0 es attachment of anal . . 0 gi
Ff os anus eB g 5 2 i longest ray of ditto 0 oes
% e- origin of first dorsal . 2 6 os pectorals r S . ote 2
%5 cr tip of gill-cover - 6 4 3h aa ventrals . ° ° . 1 2
rp 3 nape : ° c 1 6 5 lobes of caudal 5 ° or I 4
E. om margin of orbit 0 8h “9 central rays of ditto . 0 94
» Of orbit < é é C a W 63 Depth of caudal fork, fin extended . 0 4
» one intermaxillary ° ° 0 9 Height of body at the first dorsal ° 2 1
or one labial A C c a) 93
a3 lower-jaw to its artic. with preop. 1 1
Our second specimen, nearly of the same size, has only seven vertical lateral bands, with
merely a little clouding in place of the intermediate shorter ones. Mr. Todd informed me
that some specimens were covered with small black spots.
* In the Histoire des Poissons, the two first rays of the second dorsal are described as spinous ; but in our two specimens
they are as we have mentioned. Our specimens were seen and named by Baron Cuvier.
B 2
4 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[2.] 2. Perca acuta. (Cuvier.) Sharp-nosed Perch.
La perche & museau pointu (Perca acuta), Cuv. et VAL., ii, p. 49, pl. 10.
This species was found in Lake Ontario, by MM. Milbert and Le Sueur. It
strongly resembles the P. flavescens, but its lower-jaw is proportionably longer,
and its snout more pointed. It wants the black spot on the first dorsal.
Perea gracilis (Cuv. et Val., p. 50) is probably also a Canadian fish, but it has
hitherto been found only in Lake Skaneateles, on the New-York side of Lake
Ontario. It also resembles P. flavescens, but its preoperculum is not denticu-
lated; the spine of the second dorsal is very short and slender, and the spot on
the first dorsal small.
[3.] 1. Perca (Huro) nigricans. (Cuvier.) The Huron.
Famiry, Percoidee. Genus, Perca. Sub-genus, Huro, Cuvier.
Le Huron (Huro nigricans). Cuv. et VaL.,, ii., p. 124,t.17. Cuv. Reg. An., ii, p. 135.
Baron Cuvier established this sub-genus on the inspection of a solitary specimen
which was prepared for me by Mr. Todd at Penetanguishene, on Lake Huron.
In the analytical table of genera, given in the Histoire des Poissons, it stands
among the Percoideze having their ventrals, containing only five soft rays, situated
under the pectorals; seven rays in the branchiostegous membrane; two distinct
dorsal fins, or one fin divided into two by a notch extending to its base; and all
the teeth small and crowded like the pile of velvet (dents en velours). The
specimen is a dried one, of the right side of the fish, and contains only six bran-
chiostegous rays, nor is there a trace of another ever having been inserted into that
limb of the os hyoides ; yet in his description the Baron enumerates seven. Mr.
Todd counted only six in the recent fish. The Baron says that the Huron would
possess all the characters of the Perch, if it were not devoid of denticulations on
the bones of the head and shoulder, and particularly on the preoperculum*. Few
fish of the family, he observes, possess this smooth-edged preoperculum, and, in
fact, on reviewing the characters of his genera and sub-genera, we find, that of that
* The want of denticulations in the preoperculum is considered to be merely a specific distinction in the Perca flaves-
cens, Cuv.
PERCOIDE. 5
division which has the ventrals placed under the pectorals, the small genera of
Hitelis, Aprion, Grystes, Aplodactylus, Bryttus, and Chironemus, alone resemble
the Huron, in having the -preoperculum without either crenatures, denticulations,
sharp points, or spines: some Pomoti, however, have the crenatures of this bone
scarcely perceptible, and in Pomatomus its edge is finely ciliated. Of the Per-
coidez whose ventrals are jugular or abdominal, Aphritis, Bovichtus, Sphyzena,
and Paralepis, have also a smooth preopereulum; Trrachinus and Percis have two or
three small bony points which are not perceptible through the soft parts, and Per-
cophis has the edge of its bony preoperculum even, but there is attached to it a
narrow border of dentated membrane. It would be easy, the Baron observes, to
modify the characteristic phrases of the larger generic groups, so as to include the
Huron and other similarly-isolated species; but this practice would lead to the
erroneous belief of there being a more intimate connexion between these aberrant
species and the types of the groups than actually exists; and as he aims at express-
ing, even by the subdivisions of his families, the affinities of the different beings
composing them, it is more in accordance with his plan to give to every peculiar
form a proper generic name. A smooth tongue is one of the characters of the
genus Perea, which we have not been able to identify in the Huron, that member
having been removed from our specimen, as has also the branchial apparatus. Mr.
Todd mentions two plates of teeth on the superior pharyngeal bones and one on the
lower. The figure in the Histoire des Poissons represents eleven soft rays in the
second dorsal, three of them in dotted lines; there are only eight now existing in
the specimen, but the skin immediately behind the last one is a little damaged, and
from the contour of the fin, one is induced to think that at least one posterior ray
has been destroyed.
This fish is known to the English settlers on the borders of Lake Huron, by the
name of Black bass—the word “ bass”’ being almost synonymous with perch.
The same appellation is given, at New York, to the Centropristis nigricans, to
which our fish has a general resemblance. The Huron is highly esteemed as an
article of diet, its flesh being white, firm, and well-flavoured, and it is, in fact,
considered to be the best fish that is caught in the lake during the summer months.
It haunts deep holes at the mouths of rivers or edges of banks, and readily takes a
hook baited with a small fish, or a piece of white rag trailed after a boat, as in
fishing for mackerel. It does not exist to the northward of the Great Canadian
Lakes.
6 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
DESCRIPTION
Of the dried specimen.
Form.—Profile elliptical, the ellipsis commencing acutely in the somewhat pointed
chin and conical head, but passing gradually into the thickish tail. The depth of the
body is greatest under the first dorsal, and appears to be about equal to the length of the
head, or one-third of the total length, excluding the caudal. Head flat above, covered with
scales as far as the posterior margin of the orbit: the forehead shows a slight median ridge
with a more prominent lateral one, and there are many fine streaks on the upper margin of
the orbit. The anterior sub-orbitar bone is marked by some short diverging ridges, and the
under and posterior margin of the orbit is more distinctly roughened by many small irregular
prominences. The orbit is circular, situated close to the forehead, and two of its own dia-
meters and a half above the articulation of the lower-jaw: it is also a diameter and a half
behind the extremity of the upper-jaw, and four diameters from the point of the suboperculum,
or most posterior part of the gill-cover. The mouth acquires a somewhat vertical aspect, from
the chin, or tip of the lower-jaw, projecting about a quarter of an inch beyond it, and from its
opening descending from the plane of the forehead at a considerable angle as it runs back-
wards ; the articulation of the lower-jaw is opposite to the posterior margin of the orbit. The
labials have a lengthened triangular form, the narrow apex only passing under the edge of the
sub-orbitar bone: the posterior dilated and truncated extremity projects considerably beyond the
tip of the intermaxillary, and extends farther back than the orbit: it is further widened by
the addition of a superior piece, or apophysis, whose corner is rounded. ‘There are no pores
in the lower-jaw, but two circular openings of canals in the bone are visible through the dried
skin which covers them.
TrrtH.—The opposing surfaces of the intermaxillaries and lower-jaw are covered with
densely-crowded, curved, fine card-like teeth, or, as they ought perhaps to be called, in con-
°
formity with Cuvier’s nomenclature, rather coarse “ dents en velours”—the dental surface
being broad anteriorly, and narrowing to a point behind. ‘The transverse, anterior, projecting
extremity of the vomer, and the outer edges of the palate-bones, are armed with finer teeth
“en velours,” the dental surface of the latter narrowing to a point posteriorly like those of
the mandibles; there is, however, a detached but contiguous patch just beyond this point on
the edge of the palate. The whole vault of the palate is smooth. ‘The tongue, as we have
already mentioned, has been removed, and if Mr. Todd’s account of the pharyngeal teeth be
correct, they are not distributed into the same number of patches as in the perch.
GiL-covers.—Preoperculum having a narrow upright limb, covered with smooth skin,
there being a single small scale only, just above its angle: the lower limb is wider, and has
three scales in a single row, which does not cover half its surface: the whole edge of the
bone is smooth and even, with the exception of a very shallow wide notch at the base of the
upper limb. The interoperculum is comparatively broad, its depth exceeding that of either
the preoperculum or suboperculum; it is covered by a row of ten scales, which leave its
under border naked. The bony operculum has an acute, oblique notch in its posterior
PERCOIDEA. 7
margin producing two thin points: the lower point is closely applied to the apex of the sub-
operculum, forming with it one thin obtuse plate, which, together with the upper point, are
concealed by the membrane which borders them. ‘The under margin of the suboperculum is
slightly waved, forming two obscure lobes. As in many, or perhaps in most, of the percoidez
with scaly gill-covers, the margins of the pieces composing them are covered with smooth
skin: there is even a wider naked space than usual behind the points of the operculum, and
the anterior border of that bone is as wide and prominent as the limb of the preoperculum to
which it adjoins. The forehead, snout, infra-orbitar bones, and margins of the orbits, man-
dibles, labials, branchiostegous membranes and edges of the different opercular bones, are
covered with smooth skin ; the rest of the head, including the temples and top of the cranium
as far as the linea rostri basalis*, are clothed with tiled scales. The bones lining the posterior
edge of the gill-openings are likewise scaleless, and their edges, though undulated, are des-
titute of spines or serratures. The nape is supported by a median ridge of the cranium, and
a thin lateral one on each side equally high. There are also several inter-spinous bones
anterior to the first dorsal. The Branchiostegous membrane contains six curved rays, the
anterior ones cylindrical, the posterior ones becoming more and more flat and wider.
Fins.—Br.6; D.6/ — 2/8?; P.15; V.1/5; A. 3/11; C. 174.
The pectorals consist of fifteen rays, the first of which is short, and its articulations very
obscure, being visible only at the tip and with a lens. The ventrals are attached directly
under the pectorals, and contain six rays, of which the first is spinous and one-third shorter
than the succeeding ones. The first dorsal consists of six acute spinous rays, having the
connecting membrane notched between them: the first ray is one-third shorter than the third,
which is the longest, and stands about an inch behind the insertions of the pectorals and
ventrals: the fourth and fifth are nearly as long as the third. The second dorsal is one-third
higher than the first, and commences nearly an inch behind the posterior insertion of the
membrane of the latter: the two anterior rays are spinous and separated by membrane,—
the first of them equal in height to the corresponding ray of the first dorsal: the third ray is
simple but articulated; the succeeding ones are branched at the tips, and nearly equal to
each other, the seventh being, however, rather the highest : the fifth ray is opposite to the anus,
and the tenth (it is not certain whether this be the last or not, as the specimen is injured } is
opposite to the fifth of the anal. The anal contains fifteen rays, the two first of them shorter,
spinous, and very acute: the branched rays equal those of the dorsal in height: the first
spinous ray stands half an inch behind the anus. If the fish, exclusive of the caudal-fin, be
divided into three parts, the head will form one, and the first spine of the anal will stand at
the commencement of the third. The space between the anal and caudal considerably exceeds
that occupied by the attachment of the former. The caudal is somewhat rounded and very
slightly emarginated : its base is covered with small scales, which terminate by an even line
rounded off on the three exterior rays, while they cover the accessory short rays, above and
below, to their tips, thus producing a notch at each end of the line.
Scates.—The scales are rather large, the exterior edge forming a segment of a circle and
* Linea rostri basalis illa est, que per marginem orbile posteriorem transversim ducitur.—Ni.sson,
8 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
being quite smooth, the sides almost parallel, and the base truncated and crenated in cor-
respondence with ten or eleven furrows which diverge from the centre like the sticks of a fan.
There are sixty scales on the lateral line, exclusive of about nine smaller ones, forming a con-
tinuation of the same row on the base of the caudal, and twenty-six in a vertical row beneath
the first dorsal, of which seven are above the row which forms the lateral line. A linear inch
measured along the sides includes five scales and a half. The scales on the gill-covers are a
little smaller than those on the body: those on the cheeks are still less, and the scales on the
caudal, and on the space before the ventrals, are the smallest of all. A scale taken from the
lateral line under the first dorsal is four and three-quarter lines wide and three and a half
lines long. The lateral line runs parallel to the curvature of the back and is distant from the
belly : it is marked by a tubular elevation on each scale.
Cotour.—Back and sides dark, with a faint longitudinal streak through the centre of each
row of scales. Belly yellowish white.
DimENSIONS
Of the prepared specimen.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from the tip of the upper-jaw to ex- Length of pectorals . . . oa 2 a
tremity of caudal ¢ ep al7; 4h 3 ventrals . . 0 2 3
7 5 end of scales on ditto 15 2 3 attachment of first dorsal ° 1 8
5 . end of anal fin . - ll 5 third or highest spine of ditto . 1 4
Hs i) anus 6 é 4 9 3 5 attachment of second dorsal . 2 6
x 5 first spine of second dorsal 8 2 ' its middle soft rays . . hee 3
6 of first spine of first dorsal 5 8h 5 attachment of anal 5 2 2
on oD tip of suboperculum 4 734 “ its middle rays . 9 2 0
* 66 end of scales on forehead 2 1 ty lateral rays of caudal . ° 3 3
3 5 anterior margin of orbit . 1 3 », between anal and base ofcaudal . 3 0
», Ofintermaxillary . 2 O 2 0 », from end of scales to tip of lateral
5 labial 6 2 3 caudal rays . ° . ° 2 8h
Breadth of ditto at lower end 0 9 os by central ditto . 2 2
Length of lower-jaw to its articulation 3 1 Diameter of orbit . 4 : ; 0 8
[4.] 1. Lasrax noratus. (Smith.) The Bar-fish, or Canadian Basse.
Faminy, Percoider. Gznus, Labrax, Cuvier.
Labrax notatus, Lieutenant-Colonel C. H. Smirn. Mss.
The genus Labrax, or Basse, belongs to the same section of THoracic PER-
COIDE with Perca, from which it is distinguished by scaly gill-covers that ter-
minate in a double spinous point, the want of denticulations on the sub-orbitars,
subopercula, and interopercula, but principally by parts of the tongue being rough
like a file with a crowd of extremely small teeth. Cuvier remarks, that the Basse
has so close an affinity to the genus Perca, that it might be termed Sea-perch with
more propriety than Serranus, which has much less resemblance to the perches in
PERCOIDE®. g
organization. The common Basse of Europe (1. /upus) spawns in bays of the
sea, preferring those into which rivulets of fresh water flow; but it occasionally
ascends rivers, and the /wpi of the Tiber, taken between the two bridges, were in
vogue, at some periods, with the epicures of ancient Rome*. The Rock-fish, or
Striped Basse (J. ineatus) of New York, frequents the coasts of that state all the
year; but, as Dr. Mitchill informs us, “the greatest run is in the fall. Instead of
going away on the approach of winter, the Striped Basse seeks refuge in bays,
ponds, and recesses, where he may remain warm and quiet. Here the fishermen
find him and make great hauls during the coldest season, when many are brought
to market in a frozen state.” The dread of cold was ascribed, by the ancients, also
to the dupus, and Cuvier thinks that their opinion is founded on facts ; but I should
judge that the Striped Basse, at least, seeks quiet rather than warmth, by quitting
the sea in winter, for in northern climates the temperature of the ocean exceeds
that of shallow bays or rivers in the winter-time. Had Dr. Mitchill observed that
the Basse resorted to the southern states in greater numbers, or launched out into
the Gulf-stream, in the cold season, we might have attributed its movements to a
love of a higher temperature ; but if its change of residence be not owing to its food
being more abundant in the bays and rivers at the periods of its resort to them, it
probably arises simply from the fact, that it prefers still-water to the turbulent
waves of the ocean, excited by frequent storms. Cuvier has stated the matter more
simply, and perhaps more correctly, in saying that this fish ascends rivers in the
spring to spawn, and in the winter for the sake of shelter. I do not know how
high up the St. Lawrence the Bar-fish goes, but the ‘river ceases to be salt far
below Quebec, where the fish is taken. Many of the /wpi are covered with brown
spots, and these were noticed by Cuvier to be females: it would be interesting to
know if the different sexes of the American Basses have peculiar markings. The
L. notatus derives it name from the resemblance of its spotting to musical cha-
racters. Lieutenant-Colonel Smith has obligingly furnished me with the following
note respecting it.
« The Bar-fish of the Canadians at Quebec differs from Mitchill’s Basse (L. lineatus, Cuv.),
in being much more robust, and in being marked with rows of spots, five above and five below
the lateral line, so regularly interrupted and transposed as to appear like ancient church-
music. The back is brilliant with iridescent green, gold, and pink colours: the sides silvery.
Head covered with strong scales. On the lateral line, which is quite straight, I reckoned
fifty-eight scales.”
« Fins.—D 9/ — 1/12; P. ?; V.1/6; A.1/12; C.17.” (Smith in lit.)
* Vide Hist. des Poiss., ii., p.59.
10 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
The lupus, which the L. fineatus closely resembles in structure, contains seventy
scales in a row, between the gill-opening and caudal-fin. The most remarkable
character of L. notatus appears to be the solitary spine in the anal, all the other
species having three. As to the six soft rays of the ventrals, the same number is
represented in Mitchill’s plate of lineatus, while Cuvier reckons only five, in con-
formity with the division of Percoidee to which the genus belongs ; but it often
happens that the last ray is divided to the base, thus causing six to appear in the
recent fish, though in the dried specimen, or skeleton, the exact number is easily
ascertained by counting the joints. JZ. dineatus has eight or nine longitudinal
streaks on a side, one of them corresponding to the lateral line. In the more robust
form, and in the strong scales of the head, the Canadian Bar-fish resembles the
LL. mueronatus of the United States and the West Indies, and the Z. multilhneatus
of the Wabash. 'The latter species has sixteen narrow, black, longitudinal lines
on the flanks. Nothing is said of the habits of the latter; but if it ascends the
Wabash in the winter time, it must have quitted the warm climate of the Gulf of
Mexico, and its movements might in that case be ascribed, by some, to its love of
cold or temperate waters. Z. notatus is the most northern known American
species, and if it frequents no higher latitudes than the Gulf of St. Lawrence, or
the 50th parallel, its range northward is about equal to that of the LD. lupus, which
has been noticed on the southern shores only of Britain, though but rarely.
[5.] 1. Lucto-perca Americana. (Cuvier.) The American Sandre.
Famiry, Percoidew. Genus, Lucio-perca, CuvIER.
Le Sandre d’Amérique (Lucio-perca Americana). Cuv. et VAL., ii, p. 122, pl. xvi.
Picarel, SrtTrLers on Lake Huron.
The genus Lucio-perea also belongs to that division of THoracic PERCOIDEA
having seven branchiostegous rays and two dorsals, but it stands in a subdivision
which is characterized by the presence of long canine teeth, in addition to the
ordinary ones “ en velours.’ ‘The species of this genus, like those of Perea* as
restricted by Cuvier, are probably all inhabitants of fresh-water exclusively, for
though a LZ. marina of the Black Sea is noticed in the Histoire des Poissons, it is
included in this genus with doubt, being known to Cuvier only by the description
* Perca-trutta of the Hist. des Poiss., which was caught in Cook’s Straits, New Zealand, is afterwards described as
a Centropristis, and will, Cuvier thinks, prove to be the type of a peculiar genus. It is not said whether P. Plumer: and
P. marginata were taken in the sea or not ; all the rest are fresh-water species.
PERCOIDE. ll
given of it by Pallas, who considered it to be a Labrav. Exclusive of this uncer-
tain species, there are three others which are each peculiar to a separate quarter of
the Northern hemisphere. The European one, L. sandra, is found in the rivers
and lakes of the north-east parts of that quarter of the world, and in the rivers that
fall into the Caspian, being, however, unknown in Great Britain, France, and Italy.
In this species there are no scales on the cheeks, lower part of the operculum, or
suboperculum, and the preoperculum is the only piece of the gill-cover that is den-
tated, or shows spinous points. The vomer is armed only with teeth “en velowrs ;”
and there are one hundred and twenty scales in a row between the gill-openings and
the caudal-fin. The Asiatic species (L. volyensis) inhabits the rivers and lakes which
flow into the Caspian Sea, has smaller and less unequal teeth than the preceding, but
larger scales, there being only ninety in a longitudinal row. ‘The cheeks and the
gill-covers, with the exception of the suboperculum, and the limb and lower edge
of the preoperculum, are covered with small scales. The L. Americana differs
remarkably from these two in the tip of its bony operculum, being a sharp point or
spine, showing, as Cuvier observes, that this sort of arming furnishes a character
of very secondary importance. Other distinctive marks will appear in the detailed
description which follows. The specimen described in the Histoire des Poissons
was procured by M. Milbert from the fresh-waters of New York, but no account
is given of its habits: ours is from Lake Huron, and was prepared by Mr. Todd
at Penetanguishene. This gentleman states that it spawns in April and May, when
it collects in numbers about the mouths of rivers. It takes a hook readily, and its
flesh is white, firm, and wholesome.
DESCRIPTION
Of a dried Lake Huron specimen, identified by Cuvier.
Form—lengthened. The profile of the back is straight from the shoulder to the second
dorsal, it then inclines slightly towards the tail, but also in a straight line*. The anus is
under the fifth and sixth rays of the second dorsal, and just posterior to the middle point,
between the gill-opening and base of the caudal. The centre between the tip of the snout
and end of the lateral line is under the eleventh ray of the first dorsal. Head.—The inclina-
tion of the forehead equals the sloping upwards of the under-jaw, thus giving a conical profile
to the head, its apex formed by the extremities of both jaws being obtuse. The orbit is large
and oval, and is placed once and a half the length of its axis behind the tip of the upper-
jaw, and three lengths from the apex of the gill-cover. Each labial is composed of a single
strong bone without any supplementary piece: it is dilated towards its extremity, and its
under edge curves round the tip of the intermaxillary: it does not reach quite so far back as
* Mr. Todd states the body to be “ roundish and thicker upon the back, but sharper about the belly.” The reverse of
this is indicated by the section represented in the Hist. des Poiss.
c 2
12 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
the articulation of the lower-jaw, or posterior margin of the orbit, which are opposite to each
other. ‘The anterior suborbitar is marked by five or six flat ridges radiating from a centre,
which, when the soft parts are dried up, appear as denticulations on the edge of the bone.
GiLL-covers.—The preoperculum has the form of a thin crescent, with its ascending limb
very slightly undulated but entire, and its lower edge deeply serrated, producing six or seven
coarse teeth slightly directed forwards. There are some scarcely perceptible crenatures on
the edge of the interoperculum. The operculum and suboperculum together form an equi-
lateral spherical triangle. The former ends in a pretty strong flat spine, which is the
extremity of a thin, though strong ridge, that strengthens the bone internally, but is even
with the surface above; the edge of the bone above the spine is cut away by a deep sloping
notch, whose upper corner is a thin acute point, situated half an inch behind the tip of the
spine, and an inch above and behind the membranous apex of the gill-cover: the under edge
of the operculum forms a slightly convex perfectly even line. The suboperculum has, also, an
even edge, which is bordered by a membranous flap that extends beyond the spine of the
operculum and conceals it. ‘The notch of this bone is also covered by the soft parts. The
supra-scapular, scapular, and humeral bones are devoid of the slightest indentation or crena-
ture *; they are also scaleless, but the edge of the upper one is a little waved, and projects
slightly on the side of the nape. There are irregular patches of small scales on the posterior
part of the frontal bone, the temples, cheeks, operculum, and suboperculum; the posterior
margins of the latter pieces, the whole interoperculum, and the head between and anterior to
the orbits, are covered with smooth skin.
Trretu.—The intermazillaries are armed posteriorly with a single, close, even row of very
short curved teeth, with, on each side of the snout, a long, strong canine tooth, whose point
fits into a depression of the lower-jaw ; and on the extremity of the jaw, between the canines, ©
there are five or six smaller conical teeth. On the wnder-jaw and edges of the palate-bones
there is also a row of minute, crowded teeth, and just within them a series of large teeth,
similar, and mostly equal in size, to the upper canines: each limb of the lower-jaw contains
about twelve of these, and each palate-bone eight: they stand, generally, about the breadth
of their bases apart from each other, but the lower canines, or foremost pair on the lower-jaw,
are separated by a wider space from those behind, and shut in just anteriorly to the upper
canines. The first pair on the palate (one tooth on each bone) is the largest of all. The
transverse extremity of the vomer is injured in our specimen, but it appears to have been fur-
nished with small teeth in the middle, and with one larger one on each angle, of which the
sockets remain, and are as wide as the sockets of the lateral teeth of the palate +. The vault
of the palate is smooth. ‘The tongue has been cut away.
* In the fig. in Ast. des Poissons they are serrated.
+ In the Mist. des Poiss., this species is simply said to resemble the European Sandre in its dentition. The teeth of the
latter are thus described :—“ Les mdchotres sont garnies d’une bande trés-€troite de dents en velours, parmi lesquelles il y en
aun rang de coniques et pointues encore assez petites a la machoire supérieure, et déja plus grandes a Vinférieure et aux
palatins: deux de ces dents aigués en avant ad la mdchoire supérieure, quatre a& Vinférieure, et deux en avant de chaque
palatin plus grandes encore que les autres, forment de véritables canines; mais a la ligne transversale du vomer il n’y ena
que de petites en velours. Lalangue n’en a point, elle est libre et douce. Celles des pharyngiens sont en cardes,”
PERCOIDEZ. 13
Fins.—Br. 7; D. 14/ — 1/21; P.13; V.1/5; A. 1/13; C. 1744.
The first dorsal is arched and contains fourteen spinous rays. In our specimen the third,
fourth, and seventh are the longest, the fifth and sixth, though acute, being rather shorter,
probably from their growth having been accidentally impeded: the first stands over the tip
of the gill-cover and insertion of the pectorals, and is not half so high as the third, but longer
than the thirteenth, and twice as long as the fourteenth. The second dorsal commences an
inch, or seven scales breadth, posterior to the membranous termination of the first, or to the
middle point between the end of the snout and tips of the caudal: its rays are longest from
the third to the seventh, the posterior ones becoming gradually shorter: the first is very
short and appears to be spinous, the two next are simple but articulated, and the remainder
are branched at their summits : the twenty-two rays are supported by twenty-one interspinous
bones. The anal terminates opposite to the nineteenth ray of the second dorsal: three or four
scales are interposed betwixt it and the anus: its spinous ray is very short and closely applied
to the second, which also appears, at first sight, to be spinous, but its articulations are per-
ceptible through a lens*. The ventrals are situated a very little posterior to the pectorals,
and contain five thick articulated rays, with a spinous one closely applied to the lower half of
the first. Caudal slightly crescentic at the extremity, composed of seventeen rays, with
eleven additional short ones at the base above and below.
ScaLes.—The scales are of a form approaching to semi-orbicular, but more or less oblique ;
a narrow border round the uncovered portion is rough, with little crowded points sensible to
the touch, but which require the aid of a lens to render them visible; the truncated base is
marked irregularly with a variable number of crenatures corresponding to faintly impressed,
nearly parallel streaks. ‘There are ninety scales on the lateral line +, and forty in a vertical
row just behind the ventrals—eleven of them above the lateral line. The latter is almost
perfectly straight, and is on a level with the upper edge of the gill-cover. The scales above
it are not only smaller than those on the sides, but also more closely tiled, so as to appear
much smaller when in situ; they are also rounder with much less obliquity. The ordinary
scales terminate on the base of the caudal by a semicircular outline, and there are also some
very small ones on the membrane beyond, extending farthest between the outer rays. A scale
from the back measures two lines and three quarters, both in length and breadth. On the sides
they are about three lines and a half wide by three lines long. A linear inch measured on
the sides includes seven scales; on the back there are nine or ten in an inch.
_CoLour.—Mr. Todd describes the back as dark, the sides dark yellow, and the belly
whitish. In the dried skin the scales, as low as the lateral line, appear blackish-green, with
very narrow pale exterior margins. On the sides the dark colour is confined more to the base
of each scale, producing an obscure reticulation. There is a black patch on the membrane of
the three posterior rays, and traces of dark clouding on other parts of the fin, particularly
behind the first ray.
* Cuvier marks the rays of this fin 2/11, but our specimen shows the above very distinctly. The second dorsal is also
marked 1/20 by him,
+ Between each pair of scales proper to the lateral line, the edges of two adjoining scales intervene and overlap, There
are one hundred and twelve scales in the row immediately beneath the lateral line.
14 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of nose to extremities of Length of lower-jaw . 3 5
caudal fin . i 3 5 A aes 6 [7 pectorals A 2 10
- i end of scales on central rays ” ventrals . . . 5 2 10
of ditto . ¢ 20 9 ” longest rays of first dorsal ‘ 2 7
my end of second dorsal lz 2 D attachment of ditto . a 10
5 5S end of anal ‘ A 16 4 . longest rays of second dorsal . 2 2
rs %) anus. 5 é - 14 0 ” posterior rays of ditto . 1 0
“8 5 end of membrane of first % attachment of ditto 4 6
dorsal . ° . 11 9 of longest rays of anal . 2 3
‘5 first spine of ditto . - 6 3 F posterior ray of ditto 0 11
5 ie tip of gill-cover . és 6 2 op attachment of ditto . 2 3
‘ . anterior margin of orbit . 1 8 . lobes of caudal 4 3 6
5) Of axis of orbit ° ° ; 1 1 3 central rays of ditto . : ont 10
© one intermaxillary . ° ce 4 Depth of caudal fork 0 10
. one labial . ° ‘i ¢ 2 3
THe Oxow, or Horn-FIsu*.
The Okow inhabits the rivers and lakes of the fur countries up to the fifty-eighth
parallel, and is, in all probability, the same species with the L. Americana.
Specimens that I prepared at Cumberland-house, in 1820, would have enabled me
to decide this matter, but, as I have mentioned in the preface, they have been
accidentally destroyed; and on referring to my original notes of the characters of
the recent fish, I perceive a few discrepancies betwixt them and the description in
a preceding page of L. Americana, particularly in the position of the anus being
under the commencement of the second dorsal, and not under its fifth ray. As the
notes in question, though carefully drawn up, were my first attempt at ichthyological
description, I do not found much upon them, but I deem it safer to place them
before the reader, rather than to run the hazard. on the one hand, of creating a
nominal species, or, on the other, of confounding two together, and thus producing
an error in our account of their geographical distribution and habits. My notes,
moreover, contain an account of the viscera, which is omitted in the Histoire des
Poissons.
The Okow spawns in May, soon after the ice breaks up. At that period, and
during the summer months, it is taken abundantly in gill-nets; but as it is seldom
or never seen in the winter, it very probably passes that season in the deepest
recesses of the lake. It is a well-flavoured, delicate fish, though, being too poor to
* Perca fluviatilis, var.? ? Ricu. Fr. Journ., p. 725, An. 1823.
Okow, Cress. Picare/, or Doré, Canapvians. Horn-fish, Fur-TRADERS.
PERCOIDE. 15
please the palates of those who have been accustomed to feast upon the White-fish
(Coregonus albus), Mathemeg (Pimelodus borealis), or Sturgeon, it is very often
abandoned to the dogs, with whom, for the same reason, it is no favourite. Even
an Epicurean ichthyophagist would relish it when fried; but from the scarcity of
lard, butter, or suet, this is not an usual mode of cooking in the fur-countries.
DESCRIPTION
Of recent specimens taken in Pine-Island Lake, lat. 54°, May, 1820.
Cotour.—Back and sides greenish-grey alternating in small spots with king’s yellow :
belly whitish. First dorsal beautifully streaked and clouded with different shades of yellow-
ish-brown, and marked on the three posterior rays by a dark patch of venous-blood red. ‘The
second dorsal, the pectoral, and caudal fins are coloured and dotted like the back, the lower
tip of the caudal being, however, whitish. The ventrals and anal are white, the latter also
tinged with red, and both marbled with king’s yellow. The top of the head is coloured like
the back, and the cheeks present some shades of light cherry-red. The irides are lilac-purple,
streaked with pearl-white, and the inside of the mouth is bluish-white, with a coating of
nacre shining through in patches. The scales are rough on their exterior edges.
Form.—Body compressed and oblong ; the back sinks slightly at the end of the first dorsal,
and the lateral line, which is parallel to it, has a corresponding depression. Anus situated
rather before the commencement of the posterior third of the fish, exclusive of the caudal.
Head.—When the jaws are closed, the profile of the head is a cone, whose apex, including the
tips of both mandibles, is rather obtuse. The anterior nasal openings have small opercular
margins, shaped like the ear of a mouse, and placed so as to catch the stream of water when
the fish moves forwards. The eyes are large and prominent. The mouth is rather large, its
gape extending. backwards with a curve downwards as far as the centre of the orbit. ‘The
jaws are equal in length, the somewhat pointed extremity of the lower one fitting into a
depression formed in the more obtuse upper one.
Trrtu.—The two largest teeth of the upper-jaw project one on each side of the snout, like
the canine teeth of some quadrupeds, and are visible when the mouth is shut: they stand on
the tntermazillaries, which are further armed with small teeth in a single crowded row. The
lower-jaw presents, on each limb, a series of teeth like the upper canines, set rather widely,
and the intervals are occupied by minute ones. The edges of the palate-bones, and the
transverse ridge of the vomer, are armed like the lower-jaw. All the long conical teeth are
very acute and have their points inclined backwards. The tongue is smooth, has a triangular
form, and its tip is free, or projects considerably into the mouth. The three inner branchial
arches are set with a double row of tubercles covered with small teeth ; the outer arch has one
row of tubercles, and also a row of rakers half an inch long, armed on their interior surfaces
with a multitude of hook-shaped teeth. The superior and inferior pharyngeal bones are like-
wise rough with innumerable minute teeth.
GiLt-covers.—The preoperculum has a prominent semicircular edge, which is armed with
irregular tooth-like processes. The rest of the gill-cover is triangular, its apex being a mem-
16 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
branous flap. The operculum is armed with a spine which scarcely projects through the skin,
and also with three smaller points, visible only when the skin dries. The interoperculum and
suboperculum are unarmed, and the latter is terminated by the membranous tip of the gill-
cover. The supra-scapular is rough with a projecting edge, and the humeral bones have also
a prominent edge which is toothed. ‘There are various patches of scales on the top of the
head, cheeks, and gill-covers, and the frontal bone exhibits several furrows through the thin
integuments, The Branchiostegous membranes overlap each other at their insertion into the
isthmus, and contain seven cylindrical curved rays.
Fins.—Br. 7; D. 15/ —21 or 22; P.14 or 15; V.1/5; A.1/12; C. 16 or 18.
The first dorsal has fifteen spinous rays. The second, commencing an inch behind the
termination of the other and over the anus, contains twenty-one or twenty-two rays. The
caudal fin is crescentic at its extremity, and is partially scaly towards the base.
VISCERA.
On laying open the abdomen the liver appears lying transversely on the stomach and ceca: a
triangular flap hangs from its centre, but it is not otherwise divided. The bile is pale; the duct
of the gall-bladder opens into one of the ceca The esophagus is distinguished internally from
the stomach by its longitudinal folds: it is short, and before it is slit open appears to be con-
tinuous with the first intestine, the stomach looking like a little bag attached to the side of
the canal. The lining of the stomach has a light red colour, and being more ample than the
exterior coats, is disposed in large crowded and convoluted folds: the pylorus is near the car-
diac orifice, the greater part of the stomach being a blind sac. About an inch below the
pylorus three cecu * open into the intestine, which they equal in calibre. Their structure is
similar to that of the intestine, consisting of a peritoneal coat with longitudinal fatty bands, a
muscular coat with longitudinal fibres, a firm gelatinous coat, much thicker than the others,
and an internal lining disposed in very minute folds. ‘The intestine makes two convolutions,
in the second of which its coats become gradually thinner and its calibre less, until it termi-
nates in the rectum by a circular projection or valve. ‘The rectum is short, and its diameter
is equal to that of the gut near the stomach. ‘The spleen lies in the first duplicature of the
intestine. The air-bladder is forked at its upper end, and a small duct, proceeding from its
middle, terminates in the same cecum with the gall-duct +. There are a number of red-
coloured fatty substances attached to the lining of the air-bladder.
* L, sandra has four ceca.
+ This passage stands so in my notes. I acknowledge that my dissections being carried on in cold weather, and in an
apartment into which the light was admitted through a small parchment window, I may have mistaken a fold of perito-
neum, or a band of vessels, for a duct. But if the duct really terminates in the cecum, it seems to furnish an argument
against M. Agassiz’s opinion of the air-bladder being an organ of respiration, almost equally strong with that derived from
the entire absence of that viscus in many fish.
PERCOIDE. 1%
DIMENSIONS.
Inches. Lines. Inches, Lines.
Total length including caudal fin , . 22 0 Length of alimentary canal from pharynx to ;
Distance between snout and caudal 4 19 0 anus . . : . . . 20 0
Fe . anus x . 12 0 » from pharynx to pylorus. 6 2 0
Height of first acca 4s : 2 6 ” pylorus to orifices ofceca . 0 9
Length of attachment of ditto . 5 0 ” ” valve of rectum 16 0
Height of second dorsal : : . 2 i) » of rectum : ‘ : : 2 0
Length of attachment of ditto . 6 . 4 0
Depth of anal fin . 0 : 0 2 0
Length of its attachment . 0 é go 0
7 ventrals : : . 3 0
” pectorals ° . ° o 8) 0
Lieutenant-Colonel C. Hamilton Smith made a drawing at Quebec of a Lucio-
perea which has some of the peculiar characters of the Okow, and which he thinks
is either a marked variety of LZ. Americana, or a distinct species. “ It is known
by the name of Poisson doré. The specimen was fourteen inches long, its anus
situated exactly beneath the first spinous ray of the second dorsal, and the fourteenth
ray of that fin opposite to the termination of the anal. The colour of the fish was
deep gold-yellow, with the black mottles running irregularly and obliquely down-
wards from the back towards the belly and tail, being quite in a contrary direction to
the streaks represented in the figure of L. Americana, in the Histoire des Poissons.
There is a black spot behind the first ray, there is another before the last of the
anterior dorsal, and there are five longitudinal streaks on the second dorsal, but none
on the caudal or ventrals. No spine was observed on the gill-plates.” (Smiru in Jit.)
[6.] 2. lLucio-percA? Canapensis. (Smith.) Canadian Sandre.
Lucio-perca Canadensis, C.H. Smirn, Grirr, Cuvier, x., Pl. 1, p. 275.
This fish, well-known at Quebec under the name of ‘‘ Green pickering,” is very
different from any described species of Lucio-perca, so much so, that we are ready
to joim with its discoverer in suspecting that it may prove to be the type of a pecu-
liar genus. In L. Americana the under margin of the bony operculum is perfectly
even; but in the Green pickering it is armed with four remarkable, acute spines,
similar to the one that terminates its point, and nearly as large. ‘The preoper-
culum appears to have no serratures that show through the soft parts. The /first
dorsal commences with a strong spine, which is higher than the succeeding ones,
D-
18 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
and stands farther back than the corresponding spine of I. Americana. The
second dorsal resembles the anterior one in its first ray, which is spinous, being the
highest, the succeeding articulated ones gradually diminishing in altitude. The
two fins are equal in height, while in L. Americana the posterior one is lowest.
In profile, the resemblance of the Green pickering to the Sandres is pretty close,
but it presents a very dissimilar section of the body. Lieutenant-Colonel Smith
remarks, that it has a strong similarity in form to the Aspro vulgaris, though it
cannot rank in the same genus, as its dentition is totally different, nor does its
likeness to that fish extend to the form of its jaws and caudal. We have been
favoured with the following extract from Lieutenant-Colonel Smith’s original
notes respecting this interesting species.
«« The specimen was caught at Quebec in the month of October, and measured about four-
teen inches in length. ‘The back was broad and flattish, its breadth nearly equalling the
depth of the body. The gape large, extending to the eyes; the teeth strong, obtuse and
standing singly. Nostrils double. Edge of the gill-plate armed with a row of five spines,
which do not extend beyond the bordering membrane. Head scaly and the body rough, and
stiff with very small scales. The two dorsals have an interval between them, and the first is
marked with three rows of large, round, black spots; the second with four streaks of the same
colour: the fail is lunate, with a half-black bar on the upper and lower rays :—these three
fins, together with the pectorals, having a yellow ground colour. The anal, commencing
under the seventh ray of the second dorsal, is ochre-yellow: the ventrals are rounded and
have a bright orange tint. The irides are black with a golden ring. The upper part of the
body is dark olive-green, the lower whitish, joining the black by a waving line: there are
a few pale yellow spots below the lateral line which curves downwards.
« Fins.—P, 12; V.1/5; D.12/ — 1/17; A. 12; C.17.” (Sirs in lit.)
[7.] 1. CENTRARCHUS &NEUS. (Cuvier.) Bronzed Centrarchus.
Fairy, Percoidee. Genus, Centrarchus. Cuv. et VAL., t. vii., p. 456.
Cichla enea, Le Sueur. Jour. Ac. Se. Phil., ii. p. 214. An. 1822.
Le centrarchus bronzé (Centrarchus eneus). Cuv. et VAL, iii., p. 84, Pl. 48.
PLATE LXXV.
This fish inhabits Lakes Huron, Ontario, and Erie, frequenting, during the
summer months, shady places, under high banks or shelving rocks. It preys upon
cray-fish, worms, and the larvee of coleoptera, and is very voracious, not sparing
the young even of its own species. Our specimen, which was procured at Pene-
tanguishene, was submitted to the inspection of Baron Cuvier, who made the fol-
ohne
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PERCOIDEA. 19
lowing remark upon it. “ Cyehla enea de Le Sueur, Centrarchus eneus, Nos.”
Since that period, however, the seventh volume of the Histoire des Poissons has
appeared, wherein the genus Centrarchus is revised by M. Valenciennes, and some
changes made in the specific names, in consequence of many more specimens
having been sent to him from various parts of the United States. In the third
volume it is said, “ Les centrarchus ont le corps ovale, comprimé, un dorsale unique,
des dents en velours au machoires, au-devant du vomer, aux palatins et sur les
bases de la langue ; le préopercule entier ; langle de Vopercule divisé en deux
pointes plates. Nous les avons nommés centrarchus ou anus épineux, @ cause du
nombre assez considérable des épines de leur anale, qui va.a cing ou six, tandis que
dans la plupart des genres voisins il west que de trois.” In the seventh volume
this character is modified as follows :—“ Nous avons vu deux espéces de centrar-
chus qui n'ont que trois épines & Canale, comme c'est Vordinaire chex le plus grand
nombre des acanthoptérygiens ; mais ce genre n'est pas moins facile cependant a
reconnaitre par absence de dentelures au préopercule et surtout parce que des
dents en velours ras existent sur les palatins, le vomer et la base de la langue.”
(p. 456.) Bryttus is distinguished from the preceding genus solely by the want of
teeth on the tongue; and Pomotis is known from both by the tongue and palate being
smooth, the preoperculum slightly toothed, and the operculum ending in a rounded,
membranous ear-like lobe. Some of these characters*, so far from being of generic
importance, will scarcely serve to distinguish species ; and it will be seen, by the
description given below, that our specimen of Centrarchus eneus has the preoper-
eulum distinctly serrated or denticulated. It appears, therefore, to us, that it
would be more convenient and better to re-unite the three genera into one, which
will stand in the division of Thoracic Percoidez having five soft rays in the
pectorals ; fewer than seven branchiostegous rays; only one dorsal; and no canine
teeth.
On comparing our Lake Huron specimen of Centrarchus eneus with the
description of the species in the Histoire des Poissons, the only discrepancies are,
that there the anal is said to commence opposite to the sixth dorsal spine, while in
Le Sueur’s original figure, as well as in our specimen, it begins opposite to the
tenth ; no notice is taken by the Baron of the singular oval plate of teeth on the
centre of each palate-bone, and he says, “ c'est a peine si [on peut dire qwil y a
une dentelure au préopercule.” 'The edge of the preoperculum, in our specimen,
* Even the character of teeth on the palate is of little importance as a generic distinction in some families of fish. See
Thymallus signifer, which resembles the Common Grayling very closely in its general form, but differs from it in having
palatine teeth.
pd2
20 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
has been cleared by insects, and the serratures are very evident; while the descrip-
tion in the Histoire des Poissons was taken, most probably, from fish preserved in
spirits, and, consequently, with the soft parts entire. Le Sueur also describes the
gill-covers as without spines or denticulations. The Baron states the scales to be
** striées en éventail, a huit crénélures ;? whereas we observe fourteen or more
crenatures. M. Le Sueur’s figure represents a more elongated fish than our
specimen. I have been particular in noting these minute and apparently trivial
differences, because of the following passage in the Histoire des Poissons, which
requires that the species of the individual we have to describe should be deter-
mined with the greatest possible precision.
“« Le centrarchus que nous désignions sous le nom de sparoide (t. ili., p. 88, et
pl. 48,) eest trouvé parmi les poissons recueillis dans Pexpédition si hardie du
Capitaine Franklin. Il avait été péché dans le lac Huron: les naturels le donnérent
au Docteur Richardson sous le nom anglais de ‘rock basse.’ Nous avons reconnu
que cette espéce nest pas le véritable labre sparoide de M. de Lacépéde ; ainsi
nous Vappellerons le centrarchus a six épines (centrarchus hexacanthus, /Vob.), et
nous reporterons le nom de sparoide a Pespéce qui nous est récemment parvenu et
qui a, comme le dessin original de M. Bose Tindique, neuf épines a Panale.” A
mistake has here occurred as to the origin of the specimen now called C. hexacan-
thus, which was not procured by us, but was very likely sent by M. Le Sueur
from the Wabash (see Hist. des Poiss., t. lii., p. 88). The only one we saw is
the one described at length below, and which, as I have mentioned above, was
labelled C. eneus by the Baron himself: it was then returned to us, and could
not have been examined by M. Valenciennes in his revision of the genus. C. hea-
acanthus is readily distinguished, not only by having but six dorsal spines, but
also by the great length of the soft portion of the anal, and many other particulars
which will at once appear on comparing our figure with t. xlviii. in the Hist. des
Poiss. M. Le Sueur’s original name of nigro-maculatus might have been retained
instead of the new one of hexacanthus, had it not been applicable to most species
of the genus.
DESCRIPTION
Of a dried specimen from Lake Huron.
Form.—Body short and much compressed : its profile oval, the back, however, more arched
than the belly, with a short strap-shaped tail issuing immediately behind the dorsal and anal
fins; the profile descends in a rapid curve from the dorsal to the snout, with a slight gib-
bosity between the orbits. The length, excluding the caudal fin, is a little more than twice
the height of the body at the fore part of the dorsal, where it is greatest.
PERCOIDEA. 4!
The HEAD measures a little less than one-third of the total length, including the caudal
fin, and is twice the length of the tail, from the anal to the end of the scales. Hyes large and
rather prominent, placed about a diameter of their orbits apart from each other, the same
distance from the tip of the upper jaw, and also from the articulation of the lower one, and
two diameters from the tip of the gill-covers *. The infra-orbitar bones form an irregular,
uneven plate before the orbit, but merely a narrow margin beneath it. ‘The cheeks are rather
large, and are entirely covered with scales. The snout is short and obtuse. The mouth,
when closed, descends obliquely towards the articulation of the lower jaw, which is opposite
to the centre of the orbit: its orifice commences in the axis of the pectoral fins, and is about
twice as much below the ridge of the back, as it is above the rim of the belly. ‘The tnter-
mazxillaries form the whole upper margin of the mouth. The /abials project more than half
their length from under the anterior infra-orbitar plate, are strong, become gradually wider
towards their lower ends, which are truncated and cover the corners of the mouth. The
under jaw has a little depth vertically at its extremity, forming a kind of chin when the mouth
is closed: there are five orifices in each limb of the bone communicating with an internal
canal, two of the holes on each side of the chin being connected with pores in the recent
specimen. The two jaws, the snout anterior to the centre of the orbits, the infra-orbitar
bones, the labials, preoperculum, some ridges and margins of the other opercular pieces, and
the branchiostegous membrane, are covered with smooth skin, but the rest of the head is
scaly.
TrETH small, short, not very acute, but numerous and crowded like velvet pile (en velours
ras) into stripes or plates, which cover the edges of the jaws and chevron of the vomer to the
breadth of a line. The outer edges of the palate-bones are covered by a narrower band of
rather shorter teeth, and there is an oval patch of them, a quarter of an inch long, near the
middles of these bones. Our specimen has lost the tongue.
GiLL-covers.—Preoperculum having its upper limb ascending vertically, nearly at a right
angle to the lower one, which is shorter and wider. ‘The anterior edge of the bone is elevated,
its surface is uneven, and its inferior margin is very regularly and distinctly denticulated with
fine grooves running upwards from between the teeth. In the recent specimen these are con-
cealed by the smooth skin. The interoperculum has a row of scales along its upper border,
which are partially covered by the serrated edge of the preoperculum: the under part of the
bone, exceeding the scales in breadth, is smooth with an even edge. The suboperculum is
very small and of a triangular form: its upper angle is covered by two small scales; its lower
border is smooth. The operculum, forming by far the largest part of the gill-cover, is also
triangular, its posterior apex terminating in two thin lobes or plates separated by an acute
notch: the upper of these plates is truncated ; the lower one projects farther, is more acute,
and is slightly jagged, or obscurely crenated on its under edge—these plates are edged with a
membrane which lengthens them out and alters their form a little, at the same time conceal-
ing the crenatures. The anterior border of the operculum is raised into an even smooth ridge,
which has a row of three scales between it and the slightly-overlying edge of the preoperculum.
* The eye is considerably larger than in the Pomotis described in a subsequent page.
Se eee See =
yy NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
‘Phe posterior flat points or plates are also covered with smooth skin, but the bordering mem-
brane, and all the rest of the operculum, are scaly. The supra-scapular, and bones lining
the posterior margin of the gill-openings, are smooth and toothless.
The Scatzs have their exterior edges forming a segment of a circle, their sides parallel,
and their bases truncated : exteriorly they are smooth to the naked eye, but under a lens
their surfaces and edges are covered with minute teeth: on the covered bases there are
diverging furrows with fourteen corresponding crenatures of the edge: the size of the scales
is greatest on the sides, smaller on the back, belly, and tail, and smallest on the head, par-
ticularly the cheeks: they cover the occiput, terminating between the eyes. One from the
sides is nearly five lines wide, and rather more than four lines long. The lateral line follows
the curve of the back at the distance of an inch. It contains forty-three or forty-four scales,
and there are forty in a longitudinal row on a line with the tip of the gill-cover. A vertical
row under the beginning of the dorsal contains twenty-one scales.
Fins.—Br.6; D. 11/11; 4.6/10; P 14; 7 1/5; C. 163.
The dorsal commences a little behind the base of the pectorals, and just anterior to the tip
of the operculum: its eleven anterior rays are spinous, very acute, and gradually increase in
height from the first, which measures four lines to the sixth, which is nine lines in height :
the soft rays are an inch and a quarter long, and the outline of that part of the fin is rounded.
There are three interspinous bones anterior to the first dorsal spine, but no vestige of rays
belonging to them. The ventrals stand opposite to the third dorsal spine; and the anal,
beginning opposite to the tenth, contains six strong, tapering, and very acute spines, the fifth
of which, being the longest, measures nearly an inch: the soft part of the fin is one inch and
a half deep, and is rounded—three or four of its rays are posterior to the last ray of the dorsal.
The caudal is very slightly two-lobed, unless when spread to the utmost, when it is almost
even: its length equals the part of the tail behind the dorsal, or constitutes one-sixth of the
total length of the fish, The bases of the caudal, dorsal, and anal, are scaly for a short
space.
Cotour.—Not having had an opportunity of examining a recent specimen, I am indebted
to Mr. Todd for the following description of the colours :—* Back dark; sides honey-yellow,
with a quadrangular black mark on the base of each scale, sometimes including the tip of the
overlying scale. These marks are most distinct on the sides, where they form rows.” M.
Le Sueur says, “ The general colour is brilliant coppery, with irregular spots of a blackish-
brown, and olive upon the back, the head, and opercula; the jaws, lips, and throat are black ;
thorax bluish-grey: these colours, which are very beautiful during life, disappear when it
dies, and become of a bluish-grey, brown, or black ; lateral scales with their base and extre-
mity black, so as by their junction they produce the lines of black spots which ornament this
fish. Pectoral, ventral, and anal fins marbled with reddish-brown and blue; the anal and
dorsal have a black border with their bases dark brown, the rays distinguished by their light
colour; the soft part of the dorsal is maculated with small irregular spots. Pupil dark blue ;
iris red and black.”
PERCOIDE. 23
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of snout to extremities of Length of lower jaw to its articulation with
caudal fin : c . ° 6 0 the preoperculum . : : 1 4
S) 5 end of scales on caudal 7 10 es attachment of whole dorsal 3 84
Fs 3) anus . F 6 4 2 - 3 spinous part of ditto 2 4
= % beginning of anal . 4 92 x highest dorsal spine 0 9
a ' first soft ray of anal 5 7 5 soft rays 1 4
3 a last ditto, ditto . 6 33 55 attachment of anal . : 5 # 1
5 5 beginning of dorsal 3 4 a es of soft rays of ditto 1 0
Re 3 first soft ray of ditto 5 5 5s soft rays ofanal . . . 1 b)
in S last ditto, ditto 6 2 Ps pectorals 0 , 1 6
ba . orbit 2 ¢ 5 W 8 3 ventrals c 0 1 5
ve 5 tip of gill-cover 2 8 5 caudal from scales on longest rays 1 6
» ofchintoditto . ° . 2 11 5 ditto from origin of longest rays = 1 10
33 orbit . . c . f 0 8 9 central rays of caudal from their base 1 6
Fi vertical diameter of orbit . 0 73 Greatest height of body 3 8
s intermaxillary 6 9 6 1 0 Vertical diameter of tail 3 ] 0
3 labial. ° ° 1 0 Distance between anus and first anal spine 0 6
M. Le Sueur has described, in the Journal of the Philadelphia Academy of
Sciences, two Lake Erie fish, which he associates with his Cichla enea, the Cen-
trarchus eneus of the preceding article. The presence of palatine teeth excludes
them from Pomotis, but as he does not mention whether the tongue be toothed or
not, nor the presence of serratures on the preoperculum, it is impossible to say
whether they belong to Centrarchus or Bryttus, or even to the same group. We
abridge M. Le Sueur’s descriptions. His first species resembles Pomotis Catesber
(Cuv. et Val.) in the streaks on the gill-covers, but differs from it in its palatine
teeth, and from all the species of the group described in the Histoire des Poissons,
in its transverse bands on the sides.
CicHLa FasciaTa. (Le Sueur.)
Form.— Body compressed, tapering at the two extremities, three and a half times as long
as the head, by one length in depth. Head narrow, scaleless between the eyes and upon the
snout, which is short. Jaws large, truncated posteriorly, intermazillary long and narrow.
Inferior jaw hardly longer than the superior one, mandible strong, enlarged, spoon-shaped.
TEETH very small, numerous, card-like on the jaws, palate, and extremity of the vomer.
Fins.—Br. 6; P. 18 to 20; V.5; D. 10/15; A. 3/12; C. 178.
Dorsal fin high, rounded behind, arched before, and very low at its junction with the soft
part. Anal rounded shorter than the soft part of the dorsal. Caudal slightly emarginated
with rounded lobes.
Scates rounded, not toothed, rather irregularly placed, large on the sides, smaller on the
back, small on the back of the neck, very small under the belly, on throat and cheek, and a
24 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
little larger on the preoperculum and suboperculum; there are also very small ones between
the rays of the anal and caudal fins. Lateral line undulated, oblique.
Cotour general brownish-olivaceous, deep and fuliginous on the back, lighter on the sides,
the middle of the scales brown, the margins black; anal fin greenish, the posterior part of the
dorsal and caudal violaceous, abdomen and throat bluish and violaceous, thirteen, fourteen, or
fifteen transverse brown bands on the side, a little deeper than the general tint; the opercula
are also traversed with many olivaceous bands. When the fish dies the colour changes, and
is then sometimes all blue or black, and the bands disappear.
LENGTH eighteen or twenty inches. It is one of the best fishes in Lake Erie, and is salted.
It is taken at all seasons of the year by the seine or hook and line.
CicHLA MINIMA. (Le Sueur.)
Form.—Body very long, sub-compressed, elevated before the dorsal. Head arched, very
large. Eye very large. Teeth very small in many ranges on the jaws and palate. Mouth
large.
Sca.es very small. Lateral line straight in the middle of the body. Co.our deep grey,
tinted with bluish on the back, with metallic reflexions on the sides and abdomen, and with
points, or small black and brown spots on the abdomen and back, and a spot on the neck.
Fins.—Br. ?; D.9/14; P. ?; V. ? A 3/10; C. 17 to 18.
Dorsal fin long, divided into two equal parts, the anterior of spinous rays much lower than
the soft part, which is rounded. Anal large, equal to the posterior part of the dorsal.
Pectorals large, placed very low near the operculum. Ventrals much smaller than the pec-
torals, and placed exactly beneath them. Caudal subtruncated.
Leneru nine lines. Livesin the small lagoons of tranquil water which discharge by narrow
channels into Lake Erie.
essa
o6)
|
1. Pomoris vuteaRis. Northern Pomotis.
Famiy, Percoidee. Grnus,Pomotis. Vax. Hist. des Poiss., vii. p. 454.
PLATE LXXVI.
This fish frequents the sheltered inlets of Lake Huron and the ponds in that
vicinity, concealing itself, in the summer time, beneath the broad leaves of the
nuphar and water-lily*, where it may be readily taken with a hook baited with a small
fish or worm. I found fragments of fresh-water shells (helix, planorbis, limneus,
&c.) in the stomachs of several individuals which I examined. In the third volume
of the Histoire des Poissons, Baron Cuvier referred a number of specimens which
* Catesby says of the species he detected in Carolina, the originale the Labrus awritus, Linn., that it covers itself with
mud or sand, and is therefore called ‘ ground-perch.”
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PERCOIDEZ. ADs,
he had received from various parts of North America to a species which he desig-
nated vulgaris, and our Lake Huron ones were examined among the rest and
returned to us under that appellation. As has been mentioned, however, in the
preceding pages, M. Valenciennes found it necessary, on receiving an additional
number of good examples from different localities, to distribute them into several
species, and to revise the characters of the genus Pomotis, of Centrarchus, so closely
allied to it, and to constitute an intermediate genus, which he named Bryttus-
He says, “ Les pomotis seront ceux des poissons de ce groupe qui auront quelques
dentelures plus ou moins marquées au bord du préopercule, les palatins et la langue
lisses et sans dents. Ils n'ont de dents que sur le chevron du vomer. Le nombre
des rayons épineux de lanale ne sera plus qwun caractére secondaire ; car nous
avons déja parlé d'un pomotis qui a quatre épines a cette nageoire.” The den-
tition furnishes, in fact, the only means pointed out of distinguishing these three
genera *, for we have already seen that our specimen of the Centrarchus eneus has
its preoperculum as conspicuously denticulated as the Pomotis vulgaris figured in
the Histoire des Poissons, though the latter is described by the Baron as displaying
this character more distinctly than its congeners. On the other hand, the pomotis
described below, has the denticulations very slight indeed, and in one specimen
scarcely perceptible. Our Lake Huron examples also want the crenatures of the
upper humeral bone, represented in the Histotre des Poissons (t. xlix.) ; their
bodies are more nearly orbicular in profile, the greatest depth equalling the distance
between the preoperculum and the posterior part of the dorsal and anal fins; the
ventrals are under the third or fourth dorsal spine, while in the figure referred to
they are opposite to the first spine of the dorsal, and the numbers of the scales
differ as well as the rays of the fins. These discrepancies were perhaps sufficient to
have authorised me to give a new specific name to the Lake Huron fish which
appears to be the most northern of the genus, but our figure was engraved previous
to the publication of M. Valenciennes’ revision of the genus under the name by
which Cuvier had himself labelled the specimen, and I have therefore, for the
present, continued to it the appellation of vwgaris. Correct and minute descrip-
tions of recent specimens are particularly necessary to complete our knowledge of
this group of Percoidee, owing to the rapidity with which the fish composing it
lose their brilliant colours after death. M. Valenciennes describes his P. vulgaris
as having no coloured streaks on the cheeks, and this, if there be no mistake,
* In the operculum ending by two points, and in the smallness of the suboperculum, C. eneus differs remarkably from
our P. vulgaris, whose operculum ends in a round lobe, and the suboperculum is prolonged so as to form the under margin
of the gill-cover. We do not know how far these characters prevail in other species.
E
26 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
would at once distinguish ours ; but his observations necessarily relate to specimens
preserved in spirits, and his correspondents may readily have committed errors in
their accounts of species so similar to each other. His Pomotis Catesbei “ se
distingue de toutes les autres par les lignes brunes et obliques des joues,” but its
form is lengthened. In ours the side of the head is ornamented by alternate wavy
lines of azure blue and gall-stone yellow. I have to remark, that my account of
the colours was noted down after comparing the fresh specimen with Syme’s book
of colours, but that the artist, having no other guide than my brief description, has
fallen far short of the beauty of the original tints and markings. Our figure, how-
ever, does every justice to the form of the fish, and agrees minutely with the
measurement of the specimen, in which no traces remained of the original brilliant
colouring. Mr. Todd was informed by the natives, that many small land-locked
lakes or ponds, in the vicinity of Lake Huron, contain no fish whatever but the
Perca fluviatilis and this pomotis.
DESCRIPTION
Of a recent specimen taken at Penetanguishene, April 20, 1825.
CoLour.—Back and sides for a short space below the lateral line blackish-green, thickly
interspersed with ill-defined, roundish spots of deep bluish-grey and gall-stone yellow (one
on the middle of each scale), and also with some obscure tints of indigo-blue. On the cheeks
and gill-covers the blue tints are brighter, approaching to azure, and are disposed in longitudinal
wavy lines alternating with gall-stone yellow. The lower parts of the sides are lighter than
the back, and exhibit some greenish reflections with larger and more distinct roundish spots
of yellow. The belly presents the pure gall-stone yellow without spots. On the ¢ip of the
gill-cover there is a large bluish-black spot, edged posteriorly with bright scarlet. The irides
are silvery shaded with yellow.
Form.—Profile broadly oval, the anterior apex rather acute and formed by the lower jaw,
which projects slightly beyond the upper one: the posterior apex of the oval is lost imme-
diately behind the dorsal and anal fins in the slightly tapering tail, whose height is one-third
of that of the body. The height of the body is greatest at the fourth or fifth dorsal spine,
where it measures three inches and three quarters, and the long axis of the oval, from the chin
to the setting-on of the tail, is five inches and a half. The height is to the whole length,
excluding the caudal fin, as 3-7 to 7*. The body is much compressed ; its greatest thickness
is on a level with the tip of the gill-cover, or in the middle of the height, and does not exceed
an inch: the ridge of the back is acute, the belly is obtuse, being nearly an inch broad. The
lateral line is arched, gradually though slightly approaching the back as it recedes from the
operculum, until it arrives opposite to the posterior part of the dorsal fin: it is there broken
by two or three successive descents of a scale’s breadth each, and afterwards takes a straight
course along the middle of the tail: it is marked out by a tube on the basal half of each scale.
* In P. vulgaris (C. et V., vii. p. 465) “ sa hauteur fait la moitié de sa longueur, la caudale non comprise.”*
PERCOIDE. a7
The Scauzs adhere firmly to the skin and are rather large. On the sides and tail there is
no great difference in their sizes; on the gill-covers, though more rounded, they are nearly as
large, but the cheeks, ridge of the back, and flattened surface of the belly, are covered with
smaller scales; while the smallest of all are on the bases of the fins and on the membrane
connecting their soft rays. The form of the scales is the segment of an oval approach-
ing to a semicircle—their bases are very evenly truncated, and are marked with fifteen
or sixteen faint furrows or lines, corresponding to minute crenatures of the margin—the
rest of their surface appears rough under the lens, particularly towards their exterior semi-
circular margins. A scale taken from the side measures four lines longitudinally, and five
transversely. A linear inch, measured on the side on a line level with the tip of the gill-
cover, contains nearly eight scales, and there are thirty-eight in all, in that row, exclusive of
four or five small ones on the caudal fin; there are forty-two or forty-three on the lateral line,
also excluding the latter. At the greatest depth of the body there are twenty-two scales in a
vertical row, of which six are above the lateral line, and twelve between it and the first ray of
the ventral, with three scales for the half breadth of the belly.
Heap small, forming one-third of the length of the fish, excluding the caudal fin. The
scales of the nape terminate on a line with the posterior edge of the orbits; the rest of the
upper surface of the head, the infra-orbitar bones, the mandibles, the preoperculum, the inferior
margins of the other bones of the gill-cover, and also the anterior ridge and ear-like tip of the
operculum, and the branchiostegous membrane, are smooth; the other parts of the gill-cover
and the cheeks are scaly. All the bones lining the gill-openings posteriorly, and those sup-
porting the pectoral fins, are without serratures on their edges: the anterior surface of the
latter is covered by a row of scales. The orbits, exactly circular, are close to the forehead,
and more than their own diameter above the articulation of the lower jaw, one diameter from
the tip of the snout, and two from the tip of the gill-cover. The anterior infra-orbitar bone is
rather large, has a rhomboidal shape, with the lower angle rounded off, and is marked with
irregular ridges and furrows. The nostrils, situated in the angle between the eye and snout,
have their two orifices rather distant from each other. The mouth is small: the intermazil-
laries, forming its upper border and attached to the snout by pedicels, are capable of a slight
protrusion. The labials, proportionably much smaller than in Centrarchus eneus, slide under the
sub-orbitar bone, leaving only a fourth part uncovered. The lower jaw shuts in before the
intermaxillaries, giving the commissure of the mouth nearly an angle of 45°. The articula-
tion of the jaw is opposite to the anterior margin of the orbit. ‘There are no pores on the
lower jaw, though there is a canal in the bone with two orifices covered by skin.
TrEetH.—The opposing surfaces of both mandibles are covered with small teeth crowded
closely together; the outer ones are nearly cylindrical and rather obtuse, the inner ones more
awl-shaped, slender, and acute. The vomer forms a strong, horse-shoe shaped projection,
chevron, or gorget, and is armed like the jaws. The palatine bones and tongue are smooth.
On the upper pharyngeal bones there is a pair of triangular plates of teeth “ en pavé?” there
being forty or fifty cylindrical teeth with flat crowns in each triangle; behind which there is
a pair of smaller irregular plates of more minute teeth. On the inferior pharyngeal bones
E 2
28 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
there is one pair of rectangular plates of teeth similar to the anterior plates above, and, like
them, larger than the teeth on the jaws. The branchial arches are each furnished with a
pair of rows of very small tubercles, which are rough with teeth so minute as to be invisible
to the naked eye.
Gitu-covers.—The upper limb of the preoperculum, descending almost vertically, termi-
nates by a curve in the lower one, whose inferior border is scarcely crenated, being only
slightly and minutely undulated. The interoperculum has a row of scales adjoining the
overlying border of the preoperculum, the largest scale being opposite to the angle of that
bone. The suboperculum, instead of being small and triangular, as in centrarchus @neus, is
long, and is attached to the whole under edge of the operculum: it is covered by a row of
scales which leave a narrow under border naked. ‘The operculum is triangular with the
posterior apex rounded : in the recent specimen this rounded tip is lengthened out by mem-
brane into the coloured ear-like appendix from whence the generic name is derived. The
anterior margin of the operculum rises into a smooth ridge, between the lower end of which
and the angle of the preoperculum there are two scales, being a continuation of the row which
exists on the interoperculum. The under margin of the operculum also forms a smooth line
betwixt the scales on its surface and the row covering the suboperculum.
Fins.—Br. 6—6; D.10/12*; P.13; V.1/5; A.3/10; C. 178.
The branchiostegous rays are considerably curved ; the posterior one is flattened, the others
are nearly cylindrical. The dorsal fin commences opposite to the tip of the gill-cover and
base of the pectorals: the ten spinous rays occupy nearly one-third more space than the
twelve articulated ones, but the latter are considerably higher. Three interspinous bones
without rays fill up the space between the first dorsal spine and the thin, elevated occipital crest
which supports the ridge of the nape. The first ray of the pectorals is spinous, though as
slender as the others; it is about half the length of the longest soft ray. The ventrals
attached opposite to the fourth dorsal spine consist of five articulated rays, supported anteriorly
by a moderately stout spinous one one-third shorter. The anal fin commences a quarter of
an inch behind the anus, and terminates opposite to the last dorsal ray: its three first rays
are strong, somewhat compressed, awl-shaped acute spines, of which the third is twice the
length of the first, but scarcely half as long as the articulated rays that follow : the outline of
the fin is rounded. The caudal fin is slightly sinuated at the extremity with rounded lobes.
Small scales cover its outer rays two-thirds of their length, but they extend only a short way
on the central rays.
INTESTINES.
Stomach a roundish sack bent up on the cesophagus and having its internal coat longitu-
dinally plaited: the pylorus is wide, and is surrounded by a collar of six cylindrical, obtuse
ceca each an inch long. The gut is a cylindrical tube bent twice upon itself between the
pylorus and anus: its coats, like those of the stomach, are rather thick, and its lining also
forms longitudinal folds.
* Another specimen has only eleven soft rays, but it has an additional short spine at the beginning of the fin.
PERCOIDE. 29
Dimensions
Of the Lake Huron specimen.
Inches. Lines. Inches, Lines.
Length from tip of lower jaw to end of caudal Length of longest dorsal spine . - 5 7 0
fin . ns 9g ‘: é 5 - 8 6 op 9 soft rays of dorsal ° 1 4
of op upper jaw (protruded) to ” pectorals . . . 5 0
end of scales on middle caudalrays . 7 0 Hy first spinous ray of ditto 7 0 104
¥ ” anus . . . - 4 6 59 spine of ventrals . 9 5 il 0
» 5 es anal fin . 4 9 x soft raysofditto . : : 1 6
” oF <5 dorsal . 6 0 ip attachment of anal . cj ~ i 5
3 op 5 orbit . 0 7x 9p third analspine . . c 0 11
» My ” tip of gill-cover 2 5 5 soft rays of anal TAY gl 1 4
x o chin to ditto . ; HY 7 3 longest caudal rays . : 1 3
» and breadth of orbit : . 0 64 oy central ditto . ° J op Ml 5
5, of intermaxillary g 9 - O 83 7 tail from behind dorsal and anal
e labial 3 5 A G 0 82 fins to base of caudal 5 ° x 1 8
of lower jaw ° 0 F 5 11 sp on to extremity of ditto. 3 0
e attachment of dorsal . . 3 5 Greatest height of body O 6 5 3 9
. » of spinous part of ditto 2 23 Diameter of tail, vertically, at base of caudal 0 11
[9.] 1. TricHopon STeLLeRI. (Cuvier.) Séeller’s Trichodon.
Famty, Percoider. Genus, Trichodon. Cuvier.
“© Trachinus trichodon. Paut., Zoogr.st. iii., p. 235.” Tiresws, Mém. de Pétersb.,
iv., p.466, Pl. 15,f.8. dn. 1813.
Le trichodon de Steller (Trichodon Stelleri). Cuv. et Vaty iii., p. 154.
Anamchlyk. ALEuTIANS,
The genus Trichodon, first indicated by the unfortunate Steller, stands in Cuvier’s
system among the Thoracic Percoidee, which have five soft rays in the pectorals,
fewer than seven branchiostegous rays, and two dorsals. Pallas and Tilesius,
suppressing Steller’s genus, ranged the only known species as a Trachinus, or
Weever; but the Weevers in the Baron’s scheme of arrangement are Jugular
Percoidez, and have besides the operculum armed with a remarkable spine; while
in Trichodon that bone ends in a flat point, and the preoperculum is armed with
four or five strong spines. The lateral direction of the eyes distinguishes Trichodon
from another genus of the same division with the Weevers, namely, Uranoscopus,
to which its flat head and vertical mouth give it a resemblance. The position of
its ventrals again under the pectorals, and the want of scales, seem to ally it to
Cottus ; but its cheeks are not mailed by the sub-orbitars, which form only a
narrow border to the orbit.
The only Trichodon hitherto discovered inhabits the most northern part of the
Pacific, being found both on the American and Kamtschatdale coasts, and abound-
ing particularly at Unalaschka. It resembles the Weevers in its habits, buries
itself in the moist sands at low water, and is dug up by the natives with their
30: NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
hands. The females deposit their roes in holes in the sand, where the males fecun-
date them, and it would appear that the parents look after their offspring, as they
are often dug up in the same pits with their little ones.
We shall conclude our notices of the PERcorDEa with some general observa-
tions on their GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. Previous to the appearance of the
Histoire des Poissons such an attempt would have been entirely futile, and even
that splendid memorial of Cuvier’s transcendent genius, a model for works on
Natural History, does not afford all the data we require, but is to be considered as
merely a frame-work to be filled up by future observers. It contains five hundred
species of this family, three hundred and twenty-seven of which, or about two-
thirds of the whole, are inhabitants of the Indian Ocean and warmer latitudes of
the Pacific: forty-nine frequent the eastern side of the Atlantic (including the
Mediterranean), and one hundred and eighteen have been detected on the American
side of that sea, the greater part of them within the tropics. Few of the Per-
coidese attain high latitudes. Perea vulgaris, one of the most northern, exists in
the Siberian rivers which fall into the Icy Sea; Lwucio-perca sandra, Acerina
vulgaris, and Trachinus draco, are found as high as Sweden; and Labrax lupus *
reaches the Danish coast. In the New World the Lucio-perca Americana (or
rather the Okow, if it be a distinct species) is the only one that has a range north-
ward at all approaching to these 1, for in America the true perches are not so
arctic as the Sandre, though in Europe they are more so. Eight other percoid
fish, described in the preceding pages of this Fauna, inhabit the St. Lawrence,
or the Great Lakes from which that river issues, but none of them go to the north
of the fiftieth parallel, while the Okow extends to the fifty-eighth. One species of
perca is found in Patagonia, and Trichodon Stelleri inhabits the sea of Kamt-
schatka, stretching over to Russian America.
Before speaking more particularly of the distribution of forms, or the range of
species, it is advisable that we should enumerate the fresh-water genera, though
the line of division betwixt them and the oceanic ones cannot be drawn with pre-
cision, because some genera, composed mostly of fresh-water species, contain one
or two which exclusively inhabit the ocean t ; or, on the contrary, a marine genus
* In page 10 the southern shores of Britain are assigned as the northern limit of the range of this species, on the autho-
rity of the Hist. des Poissons; but Professor Reinhardt enumerates it among the Danish fishes, in a paper recently read
before the Natural History Society of Copenhagen.
+ The Okow does not, however, exist in the rivers that flow into the Polar Sea.
{ All the East-Indian Dudes inhabit the fresh waters, but the two American species are found in the Caribbean sea.
|
PERCOIDE. 31
may include one or more fresh-water species *. Even the species cannot be strictly
arranged as belonging to salt or fresh-water, several that habitually reside in
rivers or lakes occasionally straying to the sea or into tidal waters { ; while of the
marine species, some are regularly anadromous, ascending the rivers every season
to spawn, others quit the sea occasionally, only, entering the fresh waters in quest
of food or shelter at uncertain periods. Allowing for these cases, then, fourteen
of the sixty genera which compose the family may be said to belong to the fresh
waters, namely, Aspro and Acerina peculiar to Europe ; Huro, Grystes, Aphro-
dederus, Bryttus, Pomotis, and Centrarchus, found in North America); and
Ambassis, Aphrites, and Dules, belonging to the East Indies. Perea has species
in Europe, Asia, the Indian Archipelago, North America, and in the West Indies ;
Lucio-perca has one representative in Europe, angther in Asia, and a third in
North America ; and Grystes has one species in the rivers of Carolina and Georgia,
and another in the Macquarrie of New Holland. ates may be considered either
as a fresh-water or marine genus, one species existing in the rivers of Northern
and Tropical Africa, and two others in the sea and rivers of the East Indies |.
It may be gathered from the preceding paragraphs, that in temperate climates the
majority of percoidez are found in rivers or lakes, while within the tropics there
is a vast preponderance of marine species.
After the above cursory review of the fresh-water genera, an equally compendious
notice of the marine ones, that are common to various districts of the ocean, will
enable us to single out the genera or modifications of the percoid form, which have
the widest distribution. Serranus (which includes a fourth part of all the species
in the family) is much more common within the tropics than elsewhere, but it is
known in the Mediterranean, on the Atlantic coasts of Europe, Africa, and of
North and South America, in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, Polynesia, and sea
of Japan, though not on the American side of the Pacific. Labrax, which con-
tains only seven species (some of which are littoral or even ascend into fresh waters),
is also widely diffused, having representatives in the Mediterranean, on the Euro-
pean, and North and South American coasts of the Atlantic, in Polynesia and the
* Twenty species of Apogon are marine, while 4. thermalis has the very extraordinary residence of warm fresh-water
springs.
{7 Perva vulgaris has been taken in the Solway firth, and is reported by Pallas to inhabit the Caspian Sea. Lucio-
perca sandra, and the common pike, are also said by the same naturalist to remain in a bay of the Caspian even in the
spawning season, without entering the neighbouring rivers, although there is no obstacle to their ascending them.
t As some species of Labrazx, or Basse. Centropomus frequents the mouths of rivers.
§ Two of the genera are not exclusively North American. Pomotis has a Brazilian species, and Centrarchus a West-
Indian one.
|| Lieutenant Allen found a Lates in the Niger, exactly resembling that of the Nile and Senegal, and Mr. Collie observed
a species among the Loo Choo Islands.
32 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
northern Pacific, but none in the African Atlantic, Red Sea, or Indian Ocean.
Ten other genera, containing one hundred and fifty-eight species, are common to
the warmer latitudes of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, viz.: Plectro-
poma, Mesoprion, Polyprion, Centropristis, Priacanthus, Myripristis, Holocentrum,
Uranoscopus, Sphyrena, and Polynemus*. Dules, which we have already men-
tioned as an East-Indian fresh-water genus, is not exclusively so, as two species
exist in the Caribbean Sea. Pinguipes has one species in the Brazilian Sea, and
another in the sea of Chili. ARypticus, confined to the Tropical Atlantic, has one
species peculiar to the Brazils, and another common to the Caribbean Sea and
Cape Verd Islands. Tvrachinus has species in the Mediterranean, and also in
the European Atlantic as far north as the Cattegat. The remaining genera are
either peculiar to a single district of the ocean, or consist of only a solitary species
each, and will be mentioned in the subsequent paragraphs.
We have next to notice a few facts respecting the range of individual spe-
cies. It were to be wished that we could throw an additional interest into this
inquiry, by pointing out the peculiarities of organization by which certain species
are adapted to inhabit a variety of climates, while others thrive in very confined
localities only ; but our acquaintance with the habits and anatomy of oceanic fish
is by far too slight for such a task. One might be led @ prior to imagine, that as
the ocean affords, as it were, a high way so easily traversed by the finny tribes,
many species would be common to both sides of the Atlantic, yet this is far from
being the case. Not one of the percoideze of European seas has hitherto been
detected on the North American coasts, and there are but four which cross the
Atlantic even in the warmer latitudes. These are Holocentrum longipinne,
which has been taken on the coasts of Carolina, the West Indies, and South America,
and also off the islands of Ascension and St. Helena: Sphyrena picuda, which
oecurs in the Gulf of Mexico, in the sea of Brazil, and at Goree, on the coast of
Africa: Polyprion cernuum, which ranges from the Mediterranean to the Cape of
Good Hope, crosses to the Rio de la Plata, and is found also at Queen Charlotte’s
islands in the Pacific: and lastly, Rypticus saponaceus which has been taken at
Martinique and among the Cape Verd islands. Two species double Cape Horn,
or at least they exist on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides of South America,
namely, Centropomus undecimalis, which frequents the mouths of rivers in the
West Indies, Brazils, and Peru: and Bovichtus diacanthus, which has been taken
off Tristan d’Acunha and on the coast of Chili.
* Polynemus approximans was observed by Mr. Collie on the coast of California. (App. Beechey’s Voy., p. 57.)
PERCOIDEZ. 33
One species may be supposed to travel round the Cape of Good Hope, viz.,
Apogon rex-mullorum, which exists in the Mediterranean, among the Canaries, in
the Indian Ocean, at the Marian Islands, New Guinea, and New Holland, but has
not hitherto been discovered in the American seas. It is, however, by no means
certain that a species which is found on both sides of a continent, or at a succession
of distant places, actually exists in the intermediate seas, or traverses them, for
Uranoscopus scaber is common to the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean, without
having been detected in the Atlantic ; and there are species of other families which
frequent the Mediterranean coasts of Egypt, as well as the Red Sea, though they
are unknown in other districts of the ocean. The range of the percoidea, and of
many other deanthopterygii, is much greater in the Indian Ocean and warmer
parts of the Pacific than in the Atlantic. Thus species which exist in the Red
Sea, at the Seychelle Islands, and the Mauritius, range by the Indian peninsula
and archipelago to New Guinea, the north coast of New Holland, and through the
Polynesian group to Otaheite, and even to the Sandwich Islands. A continuous
coast, or a chain of islands lying nearly in the direction of the zones of equal tem-
perature or parallels of latitude, seems to favour the spreading of a species over a
great extent of ocean. The shores of the Atlantic, which have a direction the reverse
of this, afford no such facilities to the migration of fish, the beds of sargasso, or
sea-weed that occur in the lower latitudes being but an imperfect substitute for
islands, and available to those fish only which feed on or near the surface.
Having made these very general remarks on the diffusion of the genera, and on
the range of individual species, we have next briefly to notice the forms peculiar to
different quarters. Europe has five genera proper to itself, Aspro and Acerina,
inhabitants of fresh waters, and Pomatomus, Trachinus and Paralepis of the sea :
add to these Pentaceros, frequenting the Cape Verd Islands, and Apsilus the Cape
of Good Hope, and we have seven different forms, containing in the aggregate
fifteen species peculiar to the east side of the Atlantic. The genera proper to
North America all belong to the fresh waters, and are, Huro, Aphrodederus,
Bryttus, Centrarchus, and Pomotis ; while the Gulf of Mexico and Brazilian
seas contain Pinguipes and Percophis, in all nine forms and twenty-one species
peculiar to the American side of the Atlantic. Centropomus and Bovichtus are
proper to South America, but they occur in both oceans. Aplodactylus is pecu-
liar to the sea of Chili. Tvichodon has been found in the Kamtschatdale Sea
only, and Miphon nowhere but in the sea of Japan. The Red Sea, Indian Ocean,
Polynesian and Australian seas, or the lands which they wash, contain twenty-three
percoid genera, not known to exist in the Atlantic or its arms, the Mediterranean,
F
34
NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Black Sea, Baltic, and Hudson’s Bay; nor in the Pacific north of the tropics.
The following list of their names exhibits the number of species belonging to each,
amounting in the aggregate to one hundred and thirty-one.
Etelis . Ae |
Enoplosus . ]
Diploprion madres
Apogon* . 20
Cheilodipterus 3
Ambassis Ro
GENERA.
Percatsicgeu uous sak F
ples BG 5 ao Gest
Wateshistscnneni eu nenr-aits A
Centropomus .....
Lucio-perca. . . . . F
JENNY coalG. dg & ot F
INiphon ie) sples een sae
APO GON ein eeu tole! @= le
PomatomuS@uncni-aiew ons
INSTR og dena vo. 0.
Swehwky Gg oo 6 quad
Plectropoma ... .
Mesoprion . . Sand F
iAiceninatemeniennca ts) cel ky
Polyprion ...-.
Pentaceros ....-..
Centropristis . ...-.
Grystesiiei eyreajey tee ks
INNO, “Gis dos d.A :
IMAGE « 6 6 6 6d 5
Aplodactylus.....
Centrarchus ....F
IPomotisereie: sere. F
BS iy,ttusfmey su lemee! 1 emes
Aphrodederus. . . . F
IPriacantbusieyeued lien
IDS 6"; Geb. 6 Alend sm
Mrichod onswemcyeesschl slits
Myripristes. . .. .
Holocentrum ... .
WUE, GG 6 Gs
Pinguipes ...
Percophis .. .
Bovichtus ... .
Uranoscopus .. .
Sphyrena ....
Parelepisic) seme eu
Polynemus. .
oe @
Gen. peculiar to India, &e.
—— | |X J | | | | | |
Oss.
Caspian and its
Rivers.
coooocococococeocococooocooocorcoeocoooeoqcoonooocr
nay
Diacope
Aprion
Cirrhites
Chironemus .
European Atlantic,
&e.
Priopis .
coocoooccooncocoocoococococeoceorocoonoooecoroorFrrF
Mediterranean andj
Black Sea.
Grammistes .
1
pike)
1
COoWrrw COocohoCcooocoooeooooooooorNOCANMRF RK OOF OCOrFNND
African Atlantic.
Therapon . 13
Datnia i 3
Pelates ts
Helotes ; 1
Nandus . Rat
Sillago f 7
A
@ 2 ome Se |'es
wS8| 28 | 2 | 2
26s BS = ag
Baal za |e | ae
—
Seas of Chili and
Peru.
The letter F follows the names of the genera which are wholly or mostly inhabitants of fresh water.
Rhynchichtys . 1
Beryx . ‘ 3
Trachichtys . 2
Percis . : 12
Aphritis . Re |
Species.
Tropical and South
Pacific, Indian
Ocean, and Red Sea
conwrnh
=
or4
ise)
bo
DOR e RK WRF wWwNRe
ee)
oe
On
bo
i
Neo)
Cone
SWOT NRE NOR KR
|
—a—
Heo
12
=a
econrwooooroovacecooororWwWSkeKCMUVuUNcocoocSe
=
Repro
i
Go
S
QS
on
S
paar
A points
out those whose species are anadromous, ascending occasionally into rivers; and S signifies sea or marine species.
* One species of 4pogon is, as we have already mentioned, found in the Mediterranean as well as in the Indian Ocean.
PERCOIDEA. 35
The preceding table presents a general view of the diffusion of the Percoidee.
We have found it convenient to divide the ocean into nine districts, the divisions
being made, as far as we could, to suit the distribution of this family of fish. To
shorten the table, twenty-two genera peculiar to the Indian Ocean and tropical
regions of the Pacific, enumerated above, are omitted, the aggregate number of
their species merely being inserted. The fresh-water species are included under
the head of the seas into which the rivers flow.
Cuvier, considering the MuLLI to have some relations to the Percoidez, has placed
them as an appendix to that family, though he says they constitute a perfectly
natural genus, which is so isolated that it may be considered as a peculiar family in
itself. The genus Mullus is distinguished from other groups of Acanthopterygii
by two distinct dorsals; large and easily detached scales on the head and body ;
but principally by two barbels attached to the chin or symphysis of the lower jaw.
The term Mullus is retained for a sub-genus which wants teeth on the upper jaw,
and that of Upeneus is given to one which has teeth in both jaws. Mudlus, in its
geographical distribution, is confined to the Black Sea, Mediterranean, and Euro-
pean Atlantic, including the Baltic. Upeneus has twenty-seven species in the
Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Pacific *, including the seas of Australia and Japan ;
four in the West Indies and Brazils, and one at the Cape Verd Islands, but none
of either sub-genus belong to North America.
* A new species of Upeneus is indicated in Mr. Bennett’s Appendix to Beechey’s Voyage, as occurring at Oahn, one of
the Sandwich Islands.
F 2
36 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
COTTOIDEA..—MAILED-CHEEKS*.
Tuts family, having many characters in common with the Percoidez, is dis-
tinguished by the sub-orbitars being united to the preoperculum, and so expanded
as to cover a large part or the whole of the cheeks. A family likeness prevails
among the fish possessing this cheek-mail, notwithstanding the various forms of
the head, that result from its greater or less development. In one group of genera,
the head has the form of a cube or parallelopiped; in another it is round or
depressed ; in a third it is compressed ; and a fourth group is composed of fish of
a hideous aspect, having a large or even monstrous head and vertical eyes. Gas-
terosteus, though belonging to this family, because it has the cheeks protected by
the sub-orbitars, does not enter any of these four groups, there being neither spines
nor tubercles on its head, nor anything very striking in its form: in this genus
the first dorsal is replaced by free or detached spines. Monocentris, which has a
large cuirassed head, and the whole body protected by scales of stony hardness,
forms a genus apart, whose affinities, owing to our ignorance of its anatomy, are
unknown : it resembles the gasterostei in its free dorsal spines. The percoid genus
Uranoscopus approaches this family in the development of the sub-orbitars, but
they are united to the temporal bone posteriorly, and not to the preopereulum.
The only forms among the Cottoidee that have anything like a general distri-
bution are the larger genera of Trigla, Cottus, Aspidophorus, Scorpena, Sebastes,
and Gasterosteus, containing the majority of the whole species. Minous, Pterois,
Apistes, and Synanceia, belong to the Indian Ocean, a single species of each of the
three latter extending to the Pacific. Platycephalus and Pelor are also genera of
those seas, a greater proportion of their species, however, extending to the more
temperate latitudes of the Pacific, three of the former existing on the extra-tropical
coasts of New Holland, and four with one Pelor in the seaof Japan. ‘The Japanese
Sea also nourishes some forms peculiar to itself, as Oplchthys, Bembras, and
Monocentris, and the sea of Kamtschatka alone produces Blepsias and Hemilepi-
dotus. Peristedion is peculiar to the Mediterranean. The European Atlantic
possesses no cottoid form exclusively; but on the American side, Hemitripterus
* Joues cuirassées. (Reg. An.) Cuvier has not furnished us with a Latin equivalent to this phrase, which might be
translated Pareioplonide or Pareiophtee, (from ragsia, gena, et ordoy, scutum, or ordirns, armatus,) but to avoid introducing
a new term, I have used Cottoidee, which will be readily understood, being derived from the most familiar genus of the
family.
COTTOIDE. BF
is widely spread in the higher northern latitudes, Cephalacanthus is proper to
South America, and Prionotus is common to both these districts. The habitat of
Tenianotus is unknown, and it is consequently scarce, and most probably found
only in one locality. Of the twenty-five genera, therefore, which compose the
family of Cottoideze, sixteen are peculiar to certain limited portions of the ocean ;
and eight of the remainder have species in two or more distinct districts. Hop-
Jostethus has one Mediterranean species, and the only known specimen of a second
was taken from the stomach of a shark, caught in the Atlantic at some distance
from the coast of South America. dgriopus has one species not uncommon off
the Cape of Good Hope, and another in the sea of Chili. Sebastes has species in
the Mediterranean, and also in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans: this
form, which approaches nearer to the Percoideze than the other Cottoidez, having
a very general distribution. .4spidophorus has several species in the more northern
latitudes of the Pacific, and on the European and American sides of the North
Sea. The Tvigl@ are known in the Mediterranean, on both sides of the northern
Atlantic, at the Cape of Good Hope, in the Indian Ocean, the Australian Sea, and
in the seas of Japan and Kamtschatka*. Cottus,a genus either littoral or frequent-
ing tidal estuaries, with some entirely fresh-water species, has a very wide distri-
bution in the northern hemisphere, existing in the rivers and lakes of Europe, Asia,
and America, in Lake Baikal, the Icy sea of Asia, the Baltic, the North Sea, English
Channel, the seas of Iceland, Greenland, and Baffin’s Bay, the Polar Sea, on the
Atlantie and Pacific coasts of North America, and in the seas of Kamtschatka and
Japan; but it is unknown in the Mediterranean and more southern districts of the
ocean. Scorpena, again, is comparatively a tropical genus, most of its species
being inhabitants either of the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and Archipelago, or of
the Polynesian seas; it is known, however, also in the Mediterranean, in the
Atlantic, on the European side from the English Channel to the Canaries, and on
the American side from the United States to the Brazils; it bears, like its sub-
genus Sebastes, a close resemblance to the Percoidee. Gasterosteus, consisting
principally of anadromous species, has a wide range in the northern hemisphere,
being found in the rivers of Europe, Greenland, and America, in the Baltic, both
sides of the North Atlantic, and in the sea of Kamtschatka. A new species has
even been detected at Otaheite by the naturalists of Captain Beechey’s Expedition,
though there is none mentioned in the Histoire des Poissons, as occurring in the
southern hemisphere.
* A species of Zrig/a is mentioned in the Appendix to Captain Beechey’s Voyage, as occurring in the harbour of Rio
Janeiro, but it was most probably a Prionotus, perhaps the punctatus, which is known to exist there.
38 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
The range of individual species is more remarkable in this family than in the
more extensive one of Percoidez, as is evident when we consider the number of
species which cross the Atlantic, and in this respect there is some analogy between
the Cotioidee and some of the higher classes of animals, it having been observed
that the quadrupeds and birds common to the Old and New Worlds are species
that have a high northern range. Trigla pini exists in the Mediterranean, on the
Atlantic coasts of France, and at New York. Dactylopterus volitans is common
in all parts of the Mediterranean, and ranges on the American coast from the
Brazils to the banks of Newfoundland, probably pursuing the course of the Gulf
Stream. Aspidophorus Europeus is found in the Baltic, English Channel, the
Iceland Sea, and Davis’s Straits. Scorpena porcus ranges throughout the Medi-
terranean, and from the English Channel to the Canaries, and it also occurs at
New York. Sebastes Norvegicus extends from the sea of Norway to that of
Greenland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It seldom approaches the surface,
living habitually at a great depth. Gasterosteus leturus, which may be reckoned
an anadromous fish, prevails all over Europe, and has been taken in the
Baltic, and also in Greenland, if one of the very nearly resembling American
species has not been, in the latter case, confounded with it. The G. trachurus has
probably an equally extensive range. Cottus gobio, a fresh-water species known
throughout Siberia, and in Kurope from Italy to Sweden, is, according to Fabricius,
also an inhabitant of Greenland; but we need careful comparisons to establish
the identity of the Greenland species : our C. cognatus, which can scarcely be dis-
tinguished from C. gobio, inhabits Great Bear Lake. C. quadricornis is common
to the Baltic, the Icy Sea at the mouth of the Jenisei, and Lake Baikal. Besides
some that have already been particularised, several Cottoidee are common to the
Mediterranean and Baltic, particularly of the genus Trigla, as T’. lineata, hirundo,
lyra, gurnardus, and cuculus ; and also Scorpena scrofa. Cottus scorpius,
C. bubalus, and Gasterosteus Spinachia are common to the Baltic and North Sea;
while Platycephalus fuscus has an extensive range in the Pacific, being found at
Port Jackson, Otaheite, and Japan.
But one specimen of the very singular genus Oreosoma has been seen. It was
brought from the Atlantic by Péron. The cheeks are but very imperfectly covered
by the sub-orbitars, hence it scarcely belongs to this family, though it appears to
have a greater aflinity to it than to any other.
COTTOIDEA. 39
: Totals
_ of
Species,
GENERA,
Ocean, and Red Sea.
Seas of Chili and
South Australian
Peru.
Polynesia, Indian
Sea.
Straits, Baflin’sBay,|
Kamtschatdale Sea,
N. W. America.
and Polar Sea.
Behring’s Straits, &
Caribbean Sea and
South American
Greenland, Davis’s
Mediterranean and
Atlantic.
European Atlantic.
Black Sea.
Afriean Atlantic.
North American
Asiatic Icey Sea.
Atlantic.
Caspian Sea and
Lake Baikal.
Sea of Japan.
—
een onc
Prienotus.
Peristedion .
Dactylopterus .
Cephalacanthus
Cottus iret
Aspidophorus .
-{ Platycephalus .
Oplichthys .
ara
bo
=
bo
wWNwooonwnococurooorcocon
Bembras...
Scorpena
Sebastes . .
Pterois
*) Tenianotus.
ges So ¢
Agriopus. ..
Apistes
Minous ..
ake 6 Gao
Synanceia .
Monocentris
Hoplostethus .
Gasterosteus
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oocoocoocoococoocoeocoooonoococoeoo
qoococcocoooocoqocooococoeoorcococeo
ooooococoocooorwoocrecor sh OOCCON
Se age Sie Sie ae ta OSE et ee
eccoocoococoroconewococe|ceceoooece
CSoermoocoocooocococoooouncooooeoorrF oF o
moocoosooocorrooroooworowre
wococooococococorocoocoocooocoonvceooo
pPocoococoonooroorooooooooeoo
ocorrrcocooowrrooer shor oCoOooCcSo
—
eoccoscoorooceoroqooooooo*rococoe]$y$s
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Nee ee Oe ee ee
e| ecoocooroocoocooocoooocoowoocoecocor
bo
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168
TRIGLA, placed by Cuvier at. the head of the family, is, in fact, the genus in
which the sub-orbitars most completely cover the cheek, these bones being arti-
culated anteriorly to the snout, projecting more or less beyond it, and united so
firmly posteriorly to the preoperculum that it moves along with them. It belongs
to the group having a parallelopipedon head and two dorsal fins, being, with its
two sub-genera, distinguished from the rest of the group by the presence of free
rays under the pectorals. The Trigle, as we have noticed in the preceding pages,
have a wide range in the Mediterranean, and on the European side of the Atlantic,
from the Canaries to Norway. One species, at least, ranges also to the American
coast, for a Tvrigla pini, or one so like it that no distinguishing marks could
be perceived in the prepared specimen, was sent to Baron Cuvier from New
York; and as this species ranges on the European side as high as the Dutch coast,
it is probable that it extends on the American one to Nova Scotia or Newfound-
land; but until it has been actually detected on the coasts of British America, it
would not be proper to enumerate it in our Fauna. The sub-genus Prionotus,
distinguished by the presence of palatine teeth, en velours, belongs entirely to
America, and though three of the four known species reach New York, yet their
40 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
range being to the Southern states, and some of them to the West Indies and
Brazils, it is not so likely that they go northwards beyond the influence of the Gulf
Stream.
[10.] 1. DactyLopreRus voLiTans. (Lacep.) Common Dactylopterus.
Famiry, “ Joues cuirassées.” Genus, Dactylopterus. Cuvier.
Trigla volitans. Linn. Le Dactyloptere commun. Cov. et VAL., iv., p. 120.
The genus Dactylopterus differs from Trigla and its two sub-genera, Prionotus
and Peristedion, in the different shape of the helmet-like casing of the head, which
is long and broad, but flat and of small depth: the sub-orbitars do not project on
the sides of the snout, neither do they entirely cover the cheeks, while the preoper-
culum is so connected with them, that instead of being entirely fixed, it retains
sufficient mobility to point its enormous spine, when required, as a defensive weapon:
the operculum is unarmed ; the teeth confined to the jaws are small, rounded, and
low, like paving stones (“ dents en pavés”): there are only six branchiostegous
rays; the ventral fins have only four soft rays (an unusually small number in Acan-
thopterygious fishes), and the supernumerary rays under the pectorals, instead of
being free, are united by membrane into a kind of parachute equalling the body in
length. The whole body is cased in large hard scales, which rise into longitudinal
ridges in various parts.
The common species enters into our list as it occurs on the coasts of Newfound-
land. It ranges also through the seas of the United States, and is particularly
abundant in the Mediterranean, but does not appear to frequent the British Channel
or the Atlantic coasts of France. A second species exists in the Indian Ocean
and Archipelago.
\
[1l.] 1. Corrus coenatus. (Richardson.) Bear Lake Bull-head.
Famiry, “ Joues cuirassées.” Genus, Cottus. Linn. et Cuv.
The genus Cottus is characterised by a large depressed cuirassed head, variously
armed with spines or tubercles, a more slender, tapering, almost naked body ; two
dorsals either quite distinct or very slightly united; ventrals of three or four rays
COTTOIDE. 4\
only under the pectorals; six branchiostegous rays ; and teeth on the forepart of
the vomer, but none on the palate bones. The stomach is an obtuse sac, the pylo-
rus is surrounded by from four to eight czeca, the ovaries have a blackish colour,
and there is no air-bladder belonging to the fish of this genus. Plaiycephalus
differs from Cottus in having a still more depressed head, which is also differently
cuirassed, large abdominal ventrals of five rays, a row of sharp palatine teeth, seven
branchiostegous rays, and a scaly body.
The Cottus which forms the subject of this article was taken in considerable
numbers in the clear waters of Great Bear Lake during the month of May, at
which period it resorts to the stony shallows to spawn. Specimens which we sent
to Baron Cuvier were returned with the remark, that they belonged to a species of
Cottus, and were “ tres semblables aux C. gobio*,” and they indeed correspond in
most particulars with the extended description of the latter in the Histoire des
Poissons. I have since compared these specimens minutely with an English gobio,
kindly lent to me by Mr. Yarrell, and the principal difference that I have been
able to detect in the American fish is the greater height of its dorsal and anal fins.
There is also a discrepancy in the number of the rays, but this can scarcely be
accounted a specific distinction, since different individuals of godio show equally
extensive variations. ‘The Bear Lake specimens having been long in spirits have
lost much of their colour, but the following particulars may still be noted. In
C. gobio the rays of the pectorais are variegated with rings alternately dark and
light; in cognatus the colour is almost uniform, but varies in intensity in different
individuals. In one small female specimen of the latter, however, there is a slight
indication of these rings, and its body likewise is marbled in a more lively manner
than the rest, having a greater resemblance to gobio. ‘The males are darker than
the females in the American as well as the European species. ‘The specimen which
we have described in detail was the largest we obtained, and was selected for
description from its being exactly of the same length with the godie with which it
was compared.
DESCRIPTION
Of a male specimen taken in Great Bear Lake, lat. 644° N., May 26, 1825, and a comparison of it with an
English C. gobo.
Form.—Head corresponding exactly with that of gobio in size and shape, except that the
mouth is rather larger: it forms one-third of the whole length excluding the caudal, and it is
* Cuvier, speaking of C. minutus of Pallas from the sea of Ochotzk, says, ‘‘ Sa ressemblance avec l’espéce commune de
nos eaux douces est telle que nous n’oserions Ven distinguer,” and I should have thought in a similar way of C. cognatus ;
but as Cuvier did not consider it to be the same with the common species, although greatly resembling it, it appears safer
to give it a distinct appellation.
G
42 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
as broad as it is long: its height is two-thirds of its breadth. The jaws are equal. There
are no conspicuous spines on the head, but the preoperculum ends posteriorly in a little point
that is bent upwards, and is concealed in the thickness of the skin. The operculum terminates
in a rounded process, whose membraneous edging has two acute angles. There are six slender
cylindrical rays in the branchiosteqgous membrane: in gobio the rays are stronger and flatter.
The membranes can be inflated: the isthmus, or space between their insertions, measures half
an inch. Body moderately compressed, and tapering gradually from the broader head to the
caudal fin: its greatest height, which is at the beginning of the dorsal, is nearly the same with
its transverse diameter there, but the compression is more decided towards the tail, whose
thickness at the insertion of the caudal is little more than half its depth. The belly and
under surface of the head are flattish, the back is more acute, particularly the posterior part of
it. The anus, situated precisely as in gobio, is rather nearer to the snout than to the insertion
of the caudal. There are no scales, the body and head being covered with soft skin. The
lateral line consists of a series of little depressions with raised margins, and runs parallel to
the ridge of the back, and nearer to it than to the belly.
TreEtTH.—The intermaxillaries, lower jaw, and vomer, are armed with short teeth, en velours.
The tongue is smooth, very broad, short, and fixed.
Fins.—Br.6; P. 15; V. 1/4; D.8/—18; A. 14; C. 15.
The pectoral fins are large and fan-shaped, their longest rays, as in gobio, equalling the
head in length. They are all articulated and unbranched. The ventrals, arising a little
behind the pectorals, contain five rays ; the first of which, a slender spine half the length of
the others, is so closely applied to the succeeding articulated one as scarcely to appear dis-
tinct until the integuments are removed. Cuvier describes gobio as having one spinous ray in
each ventral, and only three articulated ones; but in Mr. Yarrell’s English specimen these
fins correspond exactly, in the number of their rays, with cognatus.
The first dorsal commences a little farther back than the ventrals, and exactly at the same
distance from the snout as in gobio, but it extends about a line farther along the back, and
contains two more rays than in that species. All the rays are very slender and flexible, but
not articulated, and are connected to their tips by a delicate membrane. The longest mea-
sures one-third of the height of the body. ‘The second dorsal arises within less than a line of
the first, and has an attachment twice as long, reaching to within three lines of the insertion
of the caudal. Its rays (eighteen) are articulated and simple, except the two central ones,
which are very slightly forked. [The English specimen of gobio has only six rays in the first
dorsal, but Cuvier says they vary from six to nine: and the second dorsal has sixteen rays all
articulated and simple, though Cuvier describes the last ray as forked, and some of the others
as branched. There is a space, measuring two and a half lines, between the first and second
dorsals, and their rays are one-third shorter than the corresponding ones of cognatus. ]
The anal fin, similar in form to the second dorsal, has fourteen rays all articulated and
simple. It commences opposite to the sixth ray of the second dorsal, and does not reach
quite so near to the caudal fin. The caudal unites with the tail in a straight line, and con-
tains fifteen rays, all more or less forked. It forms one-sixth of the total length as in gobie.
COTTOIDER. 43
Cotour.—The under surface is silvery-grey minutely spotted with dark brown : on the sides
the dots are intermingled with crowded irregular blotches of the same colour, and on the back
and top of the head the colour is dark brown, nearly uniform, few spots of the light colour
appearing.
Dimensions. C. cognatus. C. gobuo.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Total length including caudal fin . 4 0 4 0
Distance between tip of muzzle and posterior age of Gaensalina 1 2 1 2
5H orbit . 6 0 33 0 34
3 2 first dorsal 1 22 1 2
a . anus 1 1] i] 11
Length of attachment of first dorsal. 0 73 0 53
op 6 second dorsal 6 E ] 3 1 3.
PS longest rays of pectorals 3 ; p : a Y 102 0 102
on Ap ventrals 0 ii 0 7
- of caudal . a 5 5 0 70 8h 0 8h
35 5 first dorsal 0 4 0 4
be mp second dorsal . 0 62 0 43
6p 3 anal . 0 53 0 43
Some individuals of C. cognatus, which are full of roe, measure only two and a half inches
of total length. All our specimens agree with each other in the number of rays in their fins.
There are four pretty long ceca round the pylorus, and the viscera correspond with the
description of those of C. gobio in the Histoire des Poissons. ‘The stomach contained frag-
ments of dytisci, and of other fresh-water insects and crustace@, and also of some small fish.
[12.] 2. Corrus potaRis. (Sabine.) North Georgian Bull-head,
Cottus polaris. Sapine, 4pp. Parry’s First Voyage, ccxiii. J.C. Ross, App. liii.
This species is compared by Captain Sabine to C. gobio, but that has the head
almost unarmed. It agrees with C. claviger in the number of rays in the dorsals,
but its ventrals are described as having more rays than usual in this genus.
Captain J.C. Ross informs us that it seldom exceeds two inches in length, and
that it is very abundant on the east side of the peninsula of Boothia, affording a
plentiful supply of food to the numerous water-fowl which breed there.
“ Cottus capite spinis duabus, operculis spinis quatuor armatis.”
« A species of Cottus, similar in habits to C. gobio, was very abundant on the shores of
North Georgia (lat. 75°), inhabiting the pools of water left by the tide, and the mouths of
small rivulets by which the snow on melting found its way to the sea; the largest individual
did not equal two inches in length; the head is more compressed and not so much flattened
as in the Cottus quadricornis, and is armed with two strong spines placed before and between
G2
44 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
the eyes: the gill-covers are also armed with four strong spines ; the pectoral fins are larger
in proportion than those of C. gobio, and the upper jaw rather exceeds the lower; the lateral
lines are furnished with a series of small tubercles directed backwards: colour light, with clus-
ters of minute dusky spots.
“ Fins.—D, 6—13; P.15; V.5; A.14. C.14.” (Sasine, lL. ¢.)
8—13; aye Bye Lito: 12to14. (Capt. J. C. Ross.)
[13.] 38. Corrus HExacorNis. (Richardson.) Stw-horned Bull-head.
Cottus hexacornis (Six-horned Bull-head), Ricuarns., Frankl, Journ., p. 726. An. 1823.
Numerous specimens of this fish were caught in a net set in the mouth of a
small river near the Coppermine, and the following description is drawn up from
notes written on the spot :—The subsequent calamities which befel that expedition
having occasioned the loss of all the specimens, no actual comparison has been
made with other species; but after an inspection of the Cotti brought home by
Captain Beechey, and an attentive perusal of the Histoire des Poissons, I am
satisfied that it differs from all other described species in the form of the horns, or
processes which arm the head, and in other particulars. From the peculiar shape
of these horns in our species, it might bear the name of claviger, still more appro-
priately than the one so termed by M. Valenciennes.
The individuals that we caught retained life long after they were drawn from
the water, leaping vigorously over the sands, and when touched inflating the head.
In this operation the branchiostegous membrane is distended, and the several pieces
composing the gill-covers are separated by the extension of the intervening mem-
branes. Our Canadian voyageurs were both astonished and alarmed by these fish,
and termed them Crapauds de mer, probably from a kind of croak they uttered
when first handled.
DESCRIPTION
Of eight or nine recent specimens taken at the mouth of Tree River, near the Coppermine, lat. 67° 12! North.
July 23rd, 1821.
S1zE.—About seven inches in total length.
Cotour.—Of the upper aspect a clouded admixture of brocoli-brown and olive-green tints:
of the belly white. The fins are streaked with bluish-black. rides tinged with red.
Form.—Head large and depressed. Eyes large. Six club-shaped, or rather nail-shaped
processes stand erect on the top of the head : their summits flattish, minutely cancellated, and
scabrous. The smallest pair stand between the nares: the largest over the posterior angles
of the orbits; and the third of intermediate size on the occiput. The mouth is capacious.
COTTOIDEA. 45
Its margins are formed by the intermaxillaries and lower jaw. The maxillaries have an
elongated wedge-form, and lie in a membrane behind the intermaxillaries. Both jaws and
the vomer are set with bands of fine teeth, en velours. Tongue obtuse and smooth, as are the
palate and maxillaries. The preoperculum is armed beneath with three strong divaricated
spines, the posterior one, which measures half an inch, being the longest. The gill-covers are
composed of several bones connected by membrane, and armed on their exterior edges with
four or five small spinous teeth. The bones which support the pectoral fins are also armed
with small spines and have sharp rough edges. ‘The branchiostegous membrane contains six
slender cylindrical curved rays. The Body is much narrower than the head, and tapers to
the insertion of the caudal fin. The anus is situated midway between the mouth and the
caudal. The lateral line is rough and runs near the back—above it there is a row of small
orbicular, scabrous, bony plates, the row being doubled opposite to the second dorsal. ‘There
are no other perceptible sca/es.
Bins.—Bri6 0 PilGs VV. 33) D3.) p Ash on CLL 2.
The pectoral fins are sub-orbicular and contain sixteen rays, none of them branched. ‘The
upper ray is scabrous throughout. The others are scabrous only near their middles. The
ventrals, soft and whitish, have three rays, of which the first is the strongest, but none of them
are spinous *. The first dorsal commences posterior to the pectorals and terminates opposite
to the anus. It has seven simple rays. ‘The second dorsal is larger and has thirteen rays.
Its commencement and termination correspond with those of the anal, and most of its rays
are scabrous. Both dorsals are rounded or arched. The anal fin occupies about two-thirds
of the space between the anus and caudal, commencing near the former. This fin becomes
slightly lower or less deep posteriorly. The caudal is cuneiform and has twelve rays, most of
them forked.
Ozs. In the form of the bony processes, on the top of the head, this species approaches
closely to C. quadricornis of the Baltic; but it does not appear, from the descriptions I have
consulted, that there is a distinct pair on the nasal bones of the latter. ‘There are also differ-
ences in the form of the spines of the preoperculum, those of C. hexacornis being quite simple,
while in the other they are truncated, or divided at the point. In the C. guadricornis, also,
there is a thick spine on the supra-scapular bone, which is likewise truncated; while in C. hexa-
cornis, that bone, the humerals, and the gill-covers, are merely armed with small spinous
teeth. And the rows of scales on the body are different.
It appears to me likely, that the C. quadricornis, Sabine (Zool., App. to Captain Parry's
First Voyage, p. ccxili), may be really the C. hexacornis. Captain J.C. Ross, who con-
siders it to be the same with the C. scorpioides of Fabricius, says that, though very abundant
on the Greenland coast, it is more rare in the higher latitudes, but several were taken on
both sides of the peninsula of Boothia. The natives prize it highly as an article of food,
preferring it to cod-fish or salmon. ‘The Esquimaux of Boothia call it Kaneeok, the same
name which the Greenlanders give to C. Greenlandicus.
* It is possible that asmall spine might be attached so closely to the first ray of the ventral as to escape my observation,
or, as Cuvier says of the ventrals of C. scorpius, “ Elles sont étroites, et leur Epine est si intimement unie & leur premier rayon
mou, qu’ elles puroissent n'avoir que trois rayons.”
46 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[14.] 4. Corrus ocropectmspinosus. (Mitchill.) The Seulpin.
Scorpius Virginianus, Willoughby, t. x. 15.
Le Grand Chaboisseau a dix-huit épines de Amérique du Nord. Cov. et Van, iv, 181,
This species has been confounded by several naturalists with the European
C. scorpius, but it is quite distinct and of a considerably larger size. Its preoper-
cular spine is longer than in that species, its point equalling or surpassing the
spinous extremity of the gill-cover. The spines of its dorsal are, also, strong
and pungent, instead of being flexible; and it differs much in its viscera from the
European species. ‘The stomach is a large thin bag, and the six ceca are so short
as to look like a fringe: in C. scorpius the coats of the stomach are thick, and the
pylorus is surrounded by eight czeca. ‘The Sculpin* abounds on the coasts of the
United States, and is also plentiful at Newfoundland. It is a pity that Cuvier did
not retain the original specific name given by Willoughby, who figured it correctly ;
it is preferable to octodecimspinosus, which may lead to error, there being, in fact,
twenty spines on the head. C. scorpiws has exactly the same number, ten on each
side, viz., one at the nostril, one over the orbit, one on the nape, three on the pre-
operculum, one on the operculum, one on the suboperculum, and two on the scapular
bones.
Fins.—Br. 6; D.8 or 9/ — 1/15; 4.14; C. 12; P.18; V.1/3. (Hist. des Poiss.)
[15.] 5. Corrus Granuanpicus. (Cuvier.) Greenland Bull-head.
Cottus scorpius. Fasricius. Fauna Grenlandica, p. 156.
Le Chaboisseau du Greenland (Cottus Greendandicus). Cuv. et VaL., iv., p. 185.
Kaniok. GRra@NLANDERS,
It has been usual to enumerate the quadrupeds and birds of Greenland as
belonging rather to Europe than America ; but the fish existing in Davis’s Straits,
even on the Greenland side, associate more naturally with the American ones.
The C. Grenlandicus is known only by Fabricius’s description, which agrees well
with the Sculpin of the United States above mentioned, except that he counts
only sixteen spines on the head and shoulder, and mentions obtuse, rough tubercles
* Quasi Scorpion.
COTTOIDEA. Aq
on the cranium, but no spines. It is abundant in all the bays and inlets of
Greenland, but prefers a stony coast clothed with sea-weed. It approaches the
shore in spring and departs in winter. It is very voracious, preying on every thing
that comes in its way, and pursuing incessantly the smaller fish, not sparing the
young of its own species, and devouring crustacea and worms. It is very active
and bold, but does not come to the surface unless it be led thither in pursuit of
other fish. It spawns in December and January, and deposits its red-coloured roe
on the sea-weed. It is easily taken with a bait, and constitutes the daily food of
the Greenlanders, who are very fond of it. They eat the roe raw.
Fins.—Br.6; D.10/ — 17; A. 14; C.17; P.17; V.3. (Fauna Grenl.)
[ 16. ] 6. Corrus scorpioipEs. (Fabricius.) The Pokudleek.
Le petit Chabcisseau du Greenland (Cottus scorpioides). Cuv. et Vat, iv., p. 187.
This species, according to the description given of it by Fabricius, approaches
some of the European species, and a comparison of specimens is required to esta-
blish it as distinct. It is named “ Pokudleek”’ by the Greenlanders, and frequents
muddy places near the mouths of rivers, preferring brackish water.
The rays of its Fins are D. 10 — 15; A.12; C.15; P.15: V.3. (Fauna Grenl.)
eel 7. Corrus Porosus. (Valenciennes.) Porous Bull-head.
Le Chaboisseau poreux (Cottus porosus). Cuv. et Vat., viii., p. 498.
This species resembles the C. scorpius of Europe in the armature of the top of
its head and gill-covers, and C. Grenlandicus, or scorpioides, in the great number
of its dorsal rays. A specimen, six inches long, was taken in Baflin’s Bay, which
had several hundreds of very small shrimps in its stomach.
Fins.—Br.6; D.11 — 1/16; A.13; C.17; P.18; V.1/3. (Hist. des Poiss.)
48 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[18.] 8. Corrus PoLYACANTHOCEPHALUS. (Pallas.) MJany-horned Bull-head.
“ Cottus polyacanthocephalus. Patx. Zoogr. Ross., p. 133, No. 104, pl. 23.”
La cotte a téte trés épineuse. Cuv. et VAt., iv. p, 177.
This species was taken on the north-west coast of America, in the 60th degree
of latitude, off Cape St. Elias, by Billings. It approaches to quadricornis in its
characters, but its opercula are better armed.
Fins.—D. 10 — 1/14; A. 12; P. 17; V.4; C.15; and some small ones.
(Hist. des Poiss.)
[19] 9. CoTTUS PISTILLIGER. (Pallas.) Antlered Bull-head.
“ Cottus pistilliger. Patn., Zooyr. Ross, t.iii., p. 143, pl. 20, f. 3 and 4.”
Le Chaboisseau a bois de chévreuil. Cuv. et Vat., iv.p. 193.
This very curious Bull-head, which resembles C. diceraus in some of its cha-
racters, is found at Unalaschka, and also on the Kamtschatka coast.
Fins.—D. 9/ —13; 4.16; C.13; P.18; V.1/3. (Hist. des Poiss.)
Cottus diceraus of Pallas, and C. claviger and ventralis found by Mr. Collie at
Kamtschatka, and described by Mr. Bennett in the Natural History Appendix to
Captain Beechey’s Narrative, and also in the Histoire des Poissons, together with
C. Mertensii and C. marmoratus of the latter work, may possibly exist on the
eastern as well as on the western entrance to Behring’s Straits; but as they have
not been actually detected on the American coast, they are not entitled to a place
in the Fauna of that country.
[20.] 1. Corrus (AspipopHorus Europamus.) (Cuvier.) The Pogge.
Genus, Cottns. Sub-genus, Aspidophorus. Cuv., Lacep.
L’Aspidophore d’Europe (Aspid. Europeus). Cvv. et VAL., iv. p. 201.
The Aspidophori are considered, in the Regne Animal, as forming merely a
sub-genus of Coitus, from which they are distinguished by the want of vomerine
COTTOIDEA. 49
teeth, and by the body being cased in large keeled, angular scales, and acquiring
thence the form of a slender, many-sided pyramid. The latter character gives the
Aspidophori a totally different aspect from the Cottt. The only species that has
been discovered in the European seas, is well known to naturalists as the Cottus
cataphractus of Linneus. It is very abundant on both sides of the English
Channel, particularly on the Lincolnshire coast, and ranges northward to the Cat-
tegat and Baltic, and westward to Iceland and Greenland. Its occurrence on the
Davis’ Straits’ side of the latter country entitles it, according to the plan of our
Fauna, to be mentioned here.
This species varies ia length from three to six inches. The anus is far forwards, and the
body, between it and the hinder part of the anal and second dorsal, is octagonal; the slender
tail and the forepart of the body are hexagonal; the mouth opens transversely under the
muzzle, and there are small barbels, or fleshy points, covering the whole surface of the bran-
chiostegous membrane, the corners of the mouth, and border of the interoperculum; there are
two at the extremity of the snout, and a minute one before each orbit.
Fins.—Br.6; D.5—7; A.7; C.11; P.15; V.1/2. (Some specimens have only
six rays in the second dorsal and anal.) Hist. des Poiss.
[2l.] 2. Corrus (ASPIDOPHORUS) ACIPENSERINUS. (Cuvier.) Sturionic
Aspidophore.
L’Aspidophore esturgeon. Cuv. et VAL., iv., p. 207.
This species is common at the Island of Oonalaschka, and on the coast of Kamt-
schatka. It passes under the name of /isitza, or the “ fox,” among the Russians,
and of koschadanguisch among the Aleutians. It is distinguished from the pre-
ceding by many characters, the most striking of which are the want of barbels on
the branchiostegous membrane, and the numerous polygonal plates, marked with
stelliform streaks, which cover the breast before the ventrals; while in the Euro-
pean species that part is covered by four plates only, arranged in a square form.
Fins.—Br. 6; D.9/—8; A.8; C. 11; P.17; V.1/2. (Hist. des Poiss.)
30 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[22.] 3. Corrus (AsPIDOPHORUS) MONOPTERYGIUS. (Cuvier.) Aspidophore
with one Dorsal.
L’Aspidophore 4 une seule dorsale. Cuv. et VAL., iv., p. 224; vi, p. 554, t. 169.
The two preceding Aspidophori have the second dorsal commencing close to the
end of the membrane of the first, and the mouth situated rather behind the tip of
the snout; three other species, with approximated dorsals, are described in the
Histoire des Poissons, but they have the under jaw longer than the upper one, and
the snout neither projects beyond the mouth nor supports spines. Three species
also are described with their dorsals some distance apart, and these have the jaws
of equal length, and thick spines in the first dorsal.
The species we have now to notice is distinguished from all others by having only one
dorsal placed in the middle of the body, over the anal, both these fins consisting of few rays,
all flexible, the first ray alone not appearing articulated. It is the most slender of the genus,
the height of the body, at the ventrals, not exceeding one-fifteenth of the total length. Before
the dorsal the body is four-sided, or if the facets produced by the keels of the scales be taken
into account, eight sides may be reckoned: the tail is six-sided. The snout projects beyond
the mouth.
Fins.—Br. 6; D.1/4; 4.1/4; V.1/2, CG. ; P.11.
This perdeaiers was supposed, by Bloch, 18 first describer, to come Ft India,
and it was named by Lacépéde Aspidophoroide Tranquebar ; but it has lately
been discovered to be an inhabitant of the Greenland Seas, so that this sub-genus
belongs entirely to the Northern hemisphere, and chiefly to the higher latitudes.
(Hist. des Poiss.)
[23.] 1. Hemirriererus Americanus. (Cuvier.) The Sea-raven.
Famity, Cottoider. Genus, Hemitripterus, Cuvier.
Acadian Bull-head. Pewnn., Arct. Zool., il.. p. 118. No. 101.
Yellow Scorpena (Scorpena flava). Mitchill, Ph. Trans. New York, i. p. 382, t. 2. f. 8.
L’Hemitriptére de Amérique ( Hemitripterus Americanus). Cuv. et Vat., iv. p. 268.
The genus Hemitripterus is considered by Cuvier as exactly intermediate
between the Cotti and Scorpene, the two distinct dorsals with the broad head
giving it a resemblance to the former, while its many and various tentacula, or
barbels, and its palatine teeth, bring it near the latter. The head is bristled,
COTTOIDE. Sil.
spinous, and garnished with many shreds of skin; and the first dorsal is so deeply
notched, that three dorsals have been reckoned by some. Only one species is known.
It attains the length of two feet, and inhabits the cod-banks on the coast of New
York, Nova Scotia, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where it is often taken by the
hooks set for cod-fish. Its skin is soft and finely granular, with little conical
tubercles scattered over the back and sides. The flanks have a bright carmine
tint, at least in certain localities, as at the Magdalene Islands.
Fins.— Br. 6; D. 15—12; A. 14; C.12; P.18; V.1/3. (Hist. des Poiss.)
[ 24. ] 1. HeEMILEPIDoTUS TRACHURUS. The Hiekejak.
Famuity, Cottoidee. Grnus, Hemilepidotus, Cuvier.
“ Cottus trachurus. Pau., Zoogr. Ross., t. 3, p. 138, pl. 25.”
This is another genus intermediate between Cottus and Scorpena ; but which
has, on the whole, more affinity to the latter. In the form of the head, and in the
distribution of its spines, there is a resemblance to the Cotéi ; but in the solitary
dorsal, and the teeth on the palate bones, as well as on the vomer, it partakes of
the characters of the Scorpene : it is distinguished at once from both genera by
two broad longitudinal scaly stripes on each side alternating with stripes of smooth
skin: the scales become visible as the skin dries. Captain Billings obtained one
specimen among the Kourile Islands, and another on the American coast, where
the species was observed also by Steller, who says that the inhabitants of the
Aleutian Islands name it hiekejak. Pallas described Billings’ specimen, and
Cuvier states the description to agree exactly with his H. Tilesit, except that it
gives two rays more to the soft dorsal, and that a division is mentioned between
the first three spines of that fin and the eight succeeding ones. The rays of
C. Tilesie, are, Br. 6; .D. V8; A. 1/14:.C. 125 P. 172 .V. 1/3. Steller
gives the following anatomical details of those he examined. The liver had three
lobes and many biliary ducts, but no gall-bladder was detected. The stomach of
an individual, a foot long, was no bigger than an acorn, and it contained a small
flounder, some crabs, and a madrepore. There were five pretty long c@ca at the
pylorus. (Hist. des Poiss.)
52 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[25.] 1. Scorpa#na (Sepastes) Norveaica. (Cuvier.) Northern Sebastes.
Famity, Cottoidee. Genus, Scorpena, Linn. Sub-yenus, Sebastes, Cuv.
Sea Perch. Penwn., Br. Zool., iii., p. 349, pl. 59, f. 2.
La Sebaste septentrionale (Sebastes Norvegicus). Cuv. et Vau., iv., p. 327.
The Scorpene have a strong resemblance to the Cotti in possessing a large
spiny head, large pectorals, and, in part, the thick simple rays of these fins, but
they differ in the compressed form of the head, the undivided dorsal, and in the
presence of palatine teeth. ‘They have seven branchiostegous rays. The clumsy
head and soft spongy skin of the Scorpen@ give them a hideous aspect, and the
spines with which they are armed are formidable to those who attempt to handle
them. Setting aside the bony armour of the cheeks, the spines of the head, and
the simple inferior rays of the pectorals, they have much aflinity with some of the
percoideee, particularly Grystes and Centropristis. None of the true Scorpene
are mentioned by authors as existing within the limits which we have assigned to
our Fauna, but the Seorpena porcus, which has an extensive range in Europe,
throughout the Mediterranean, and from the British Channel to Teneriffe, occurs
also at New York.
We have, however, to notice two northern species of Sebastes, a sub-genus,
which possesses all the characters of Scorpena, except that the head is scaly, is
less studded with spines and crests, and wants the skinny shreds or appendages.
The resemblance of the Sedastes to some of the Percoidez with a solitary dorsal
is such, that they have been considered as congeners by naturalists of the first rank.
The Sebastes Norvegica inhabits the Iey Sea and Northern Ocean. It is plen-
tiful on the Norway coast, and is found at Iceland, Greenland, in the Gulf of St.
Lawrence, and off Newfoundland. It inhabits the deepest bays of South Green-
land, and does not approach the shore, except when driven thither by tempests. It
feeds upon the pleuronectes cynoglossum, and readily takes a hook. Its flesh is
dry but agreeable. ‘The Greenlanders eat its lips raw, and were formerly accus-
tomed to use its spines as sewing needles. It has a swimming bladder, which the
Scorpeene have not, and which does not exist in all the Sebastes.
Its colour, when quite fresh, is a bright carmine, which is paler towards the belly, and
mixed with brown on the back ; there is likewise a blackish mark on the tip of the gill-cover.
In form this Sebastes resembles the perch, that is, its body is somewhat compressed, and its
profile oblong, the dorsal and ventral curves being slightly convex ; the mouth is oblique and
the lower jaw projects a little. The posterior sub-orbitar bone sends a process obliquely back-
COTTOIDEA. +9
wards towards the preoperculum, which it does not quite reach, so that we can scarcely say
that the cheek is mailed. The whole fish is clothed with small rough scales, even to the
extremity of the snout and on the labials, the only naked parts being the branchiostegous
membrane and the posterior borders of the gill-opening, including the base of the pectorals.
Belts of minute scales cover the basal halves of the vertical fins.
Fins.—Br. 7; D.15/ — 15; A. 3/8; C.14; P.19; V.1/5. (Hist. des Poiss. )
The Mediterranean possesses a species of Sebastes which differs from the above
in a few characters, and at the Cape of Good Hope there is one which very closely
resembles the northern species, and another which is more like the Mediterranean
one. There are two or more in the Indian and Polynesian seas, and several in
the sea of Japan. The following one is from the sea of Kamtschatka.
[26.] 2. Scorpm#na (SEBASTES) VARIABILIS. (Cuvier.) The Tockoo.
La Sebaste variable (Sebastes variabilis).’ Cuv. et Vat.,iv., p. 347.
This Sebastes has the head less armed than any other species; there are not
even crests on the cranium, or over the orbits, and no teeth on the sub-orbitars :
the preoperculum has five short, obtuse teeth, and the operculum two points. That
it belongs, however, to this genus is evident from the narrow process which the
posterior sub-orbitar sends towards the preoperculum, and which may be felt
through the skin, and also from the nine simple rays of the pectorals. Fins.—
D. 13/15; 4.3/9; C.17; V.1/5; P. 18, of which nine are simple. It is
taken plentifully among the Aleutian Islands, and is named kakootsheek by the
inhabitants, and tockoo on the American coast. Vancouver found a “ sea-perch ”
at Port Discovery, in the Straits of Juan da Fuca, which may be this species ; but
the name is too vaguely applied by sailors to render even the genus anything more
than conjectural.
[27.] 1. Buepsras tritopus. (Cuvier.) Three-lobed Blepsias.
Famity, Cottoidex. Genus, Blepsias. Cuvier.
Le Blepsias trilobé (Béepsias trilobus). Cuv. et Vat, iv., p. 375, pl. 90.
The spiny preoperculum, compressed head, mailed cheek, palatine teeth,
short, simple, and half-detached lower rays of the pectorals, and fleshy appendages
5A NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
of the snout, connect this genus with Scorp@na, from which, however, it is dis-
tinguished by its five branchiostegous rays, and its high dorsal divided into three
unequal lobes, as in Hemitripterus ; whilst the compressed head prevents it from
entering the latter genus. The detailed description of the species in the Histoire
des Poissons is founded on the examination of two individuals which were taken
on the north-west coast of America by Merk. Steller observed the same species
at the entrance of the sea of Ochotsk. The general aspect of the fish recalls that
of some Blennies with which it was associated by Steller. The skin is destitute of
scales, but is rough, with fine grains, which appear to be disposed in three longitu-
dinal stripes, separated by very narrow intervals. ‘The specimens were five inches
long.
Fins.—Br.5; D. 7/24; A.20; C. 11; P. 11; V.1/3. (Hist. des Poiss.)
Another species (B. bilobus, Cuv. et Val.) occurs in Awatska Bay, Kamt-
schatka. It has been described and figured as the type of a new genus by Mr.
Bennett, in the Natural History (Appendix) to Captain Beechey’s Voyage, under
the name of Peropus bilobus, on account of the form of its dorsal, indicated by its
specific name, and its six branchiostegous rays; in other particulars Peropus
coincides almost exactly with Blepsias. In P. bilobus there is a short spine over
the nostril, and there are six fleshy appendages to the lower jaw, and two to the
upper. The skin is hispid with short rigid bristles without any smooth stripes.
Its Fins contain Br.6; D.7—21; A.19; C.138; P.14; V. 1/3. The fol-
lowing anatomical particulars are from Mr. Collie’s notes. dir bladder wanting.
Stomach a large membraneous sac. Ceca several, ventricose. Intestinal canal
short. Liver light clay colour. (App. Beech. Voy., p. 59, pl. 16, f. 3.)
[ 28. ] 1. GasterostEus. Burnstickle.
Gasterosteus aculeatus. Fasricius, Faun. Greni., p. 169.
Kakilisak. GreENLANDERS.
This genus wants the family aspect of the Cottoidese, for the sub-orbitars being
smooth, and not distinguishable through the integuments, the cheek-mail is not
apparent, neither is the head armed with tubercles or spines. The dorsal spines
are detached, each having a separate membrane, and the pelvic bones are united to
the more than ordinarily large humerals, so as to form a kind of breast-plate. The
ventrals, situated posterior to the pectorals, are almost entirely formed of their
COTTOIDEA. Jo
single spinous ray, and the gill-rays do not exceed three. The Burnstickles, or
Sticklebacks, are the smallest of Kuropean fresh-water fishes, and probably also
the most abundant, as they exist in almost every rivulet and piece of water. ‘They
are active, lively little fish, and when any obstacle obstructs their way, will leap a
foot out of the water, in endeavouring to surmount it. They are exceedingly vora-
cious, and commit great havoc in fish-ponds, where they devour vast numbers of
young fish at the instant of their exclusion from the roe. The G. aculeatus (L.),
or the Three-spined Stickleback, the largest species, abounds in every corner of
Europe *, and even extends to Greenland, if the Kakilisak of Fabricius, above
referred to, be actually this species, and not one of the very similar American ones.
This author states, that it inhabits every pool and rivulet of Greenland, and even
those into which the tide enters, feeding on worms and aquatic insects. In Europe
two species were long confounded under the appellation of aculeatus, until Cuvier
distinguished them by the names of G. trachurus and leiurus.
In both species the forepart of the back is covered by five bony plates, on the second, third,
and fifth of which stand the three dorsal spines. ‘The third spine is sometimes wanting, and
at other times the fourth plate gives origin to an extra spine. ‘The flanks are protected by a
series of oblong plates having their axes vertical: in G. frachurus these plates are con-
tinued along the sides of the tail, there being in all twenty-five or twenty-six, exclusive of five
small ones that cover the keel of the tail and render it more prominent; in G. leiurus the six
anterior plates only are present, the posterior parts of the fish being smooth.
Fins.—Br. 3; D. 1/—1/—1/ LOjon VFA — 9, Cs ee lO Vaal le
Fabricius says that the Kakilisak seldom exceeds the little finger in length, that its forehead
is marked with black in form of a spade, and its anal fin contains ten soft rays besides the
spine: in other respects he refers to Artedi’s description (Sp., p. 96), which is that of G. tra-
churus.
Five other European three-spined Burnstickles are described in the Histoire des
Poissons, and there is one in the sea of Kamtschatka, which, at the summer sol-
stice, ascends the rivers of Awatska, Paradunca, &c., in such dense shoals that it
may be taken up with a pitcher in equal quantity with the water itself. It is named
G. obolarius t, but the detailed descriptions of Steller, Pallas, and Tilesius do not
indicate any characters so decided that Cuvier could pronounce it to be a distinct
species. It derives its name from the smooth silvery spot which intervenes
* In certain places it appears occasionally in enormous shoals, so that it is taken for the purpose of manuring the land.
A labourer, hired by a Lincolnshire farmer to collect it in the river Welland, at the rate of one halfpenny a bushel, earned
four shillings a day. (Brit, Zool.)
{ “ Obolarius aculeatus, Srevter, Mss.” “ Gasteracanthus cataphractus, Pauw., Faun. Ross.” Gasterosteus cate-
phractus, TiLestus, Mém. de Petersb., iii,, p. 225.
56 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
between the pectorals and gill-openings, having the form of a piece of Greek money.
It has thirty-one vertebree and the same number of lateral scales. The four dorsal
spines are serrated. 'The Kamtschatdales collect it to serve as food for their dogs,
and they also prepare excellent white soup with it for themselves.
G. Noveboracensis is, as the name indicates, a New York species.
It has a very strong resemblance to the G. trachurus, its most obvious peculiarities being
the narrow dorsal plates, the more prominent keels of the tail, and the position of the lateral
line, which is nearer to the back.
Fins—D. 1/1/—1/11; A.1/8; C.12; P.10; V.1/i. (Hist. des Poiss.)
[29.] 2. GASTEROSTEUS NIGER. (Cuvier.) Black Burnstickle.
L’Epinoche noire (Gasterosteus niger). Cuv. et VAL., iv., p. 503.
This species, which has also an armed tail, inhabits Newfoundland. It has a
more elongated form, and more slender spines than its European representative.
Its lateral scales amount to thirty-three, and its colour throughout is blackish.
(Hist. des Poiss.)
[30.] 3. GASTEROSTEUS BIACULEATUS. (Pennant.) Two-spined Burnstickle.
Gasterosteus biaculeatus. Forsrer, Cat. Muircuii, Phil. Tr.. New York, i., p. 430, pl. 1, f. 10.
Two-spined Stickleback. Prnn., Arct. Zool.,ii., p. 132, No. 147.
L’Epinoche a deux épines. Cuv. et Vat.,, iv., p. 503.
This Stickleback is said, by Dr. Mitchill, to inhabit the salt waters of New
York, and to consort with the Kiullifish, or Cyprinodons. M. Pilaye sent it from
Newfoundland to Cuvier. It is one of the smallest of the genus, Dr. Mitchill
assigning it a length of searcely an inch, and the Newfoundland specimen mea-
suring only seventeen lines.
{t is distinguished from the other species by a sharp flat tooth on the external base of each
ventral spine, the European species having simply an enlargement there. Notwithstanding
its name, it has three dorsal spines, the third being small and joined to the soft dorsal.
Fins.—D. 1/1/ — 1/12; A. 1/8; C. 12; P.9; V.1/1. (Hist. des Poiss.)
COTTOIDES. 57
Pennant mentions the Three-spined Stickleback as very plentiful at Hudson’s
Bay (Arct. Zool., ii., p. 132, and Intr., p. exci), but it did not come under my
notice, and as the species in that naturalist’s time were but imperfectly discrimi-
nated, its reference to G. aculeatus must be doubtful. Hutchins speaks of Stickle-
backs three inches in length, which constitute food for the pike and turbot.
[3l.] 4. Gasterosteus concinnus. (Richardson.) Tiny Burnstickle.
Uswe-atheek-asheesh. Cree INprans.
This diminutive species, perhaps the smallest of fresh-water fishes, is found at
the commencement of summer in ponds and rivers, and is supposed to be washed
out of the lakes by the floods of melted snow which occur at that period. It ranges
from the Saskatchewan in lat. 53°, to the Great Bear Lake in the 65th parallel,
and probably through a still greater extent of country. In 1820, many sledge-
loads were taken from a small pond in the vicinity of Cumberland-house for the
purpose of feeding the dogs. Although it has a strong general resemblance to
G. pungitius, or rather levis of Europe, it exhibits differences which justify us in
considering it as a distinct species. It has a still smaller size than G. /evis, a more
slender and elegant form, stronger and higher spines, and lower second dorsal and
anal fins, the portion of the tail behind these fins being thinner as well as longer.
DESCRIPTION
Of specimens taken at Great Bear Lake, lat. 644 N., and comparison with an English specimen of G. levis,
belonging to Mr. Yarrell.
Form.—Similar to that of G. levis, but the head smaller, being only a fourth part of the
total length, and the body, and especially the tail, more slender. ‘The mouth is also smaller,
and the teeth, although perceptible to the touch on both jaws, are much less conspicuous than
those of Jevis. ‘Phere are no scales whatever on the body. The lateral line is a straight
furrow until it passes the anal fin, when it rises into a very slender ridge that keels the tail.
The anus is equidistant from the snout and end of the tail: in G. levis it is a little farther
back, The abdomen is protected by a bony cuirass, formed posteriorly by the bones of the
pelvis, and anteriorly by two narrow cubital bones which join in an acute angle behind the
median insertion of the gill-membranes. In concinnus the posterior angular point of the
pelvic bones is narrower but stronger, and the space enclosed by the cubital bones is trian-
gular: in /evis this space is triangular only towards the apex, the two bones being parallel
posteriorly. The smooth space between the insertion of the pectoral and the gill-opening is
smaller in concinnus, its nine dorsal spines are both stouter and longer, and the triangular
I
58 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
membrane which is attached to each of them posteriorly, is thicker and larger than in levis.
In both species the seventh and eighth spines are smaller than the preceding ones, and the
ninth, which is contiguous to the second dorsal, is rather longer than any of the others: in
concinnus it is only one-third lower than the second dorsal; while in levis it is two-thirds
lower. The second dorsal and anal begin and terminate opposite to each other, and have
similar triangular shapes: the posterior angle of these fins in levis is more prolonged or acute ;
while in concinnus the fins have an equilateral outline, in consequence of their attachments
being shorter, and the naked tail longer. In concinnus the soft dorsal has nine rays—in
levis it has eleven. Contiguous to the anal fin of the former there is a separate spine, fur-
nished with its proper membrane, like the dorsal spines, the largest of which it equals in size:
in levis this spine is comparatively small. The ventrals are each represented by a spine
articulated to the pelvic bones, and a small triangular membrane in which there is imbedded
a very indistinct soft ray: the ventral spines do not reach quite to the point of the abdominal
cuirass in either species. All the spines, both dorsal and ventral, are moveable, and none of
them are serrated. The caudal fin is even at the end and has an elongated wedge shape.
Cotour nearly as in G. levis, olive green, with a silvery belly, and the whole body and
soft parts of the head speckled with black dots.
Fins.—Br.3; D.1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/——1/9; 4. 1/—9; P.10; C. 122; V.1/1.
Dimensions.
G. concinnus. G, levis.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of snout to end of caudal. 4 ° Bal 33 1 8}
5 a anus. B , - : 0 8 0 113
0 By tip of gill-cover A ° p10) 4x 0 42
5 of attachments of second dorsaland anal. 2 0 22 0 42
35 naked tail between dorsal and caudal . - obvekl) 23 0 23
> from anus to end of caudal . : . : 0 8 0 93
+53 of longest rays of caudal. 3 ‘ : sew) 23 0 24
3 ” second dorsal : . 0 1k 0 275
<5 55 anal 0 5 F S a0 ie 0 235
4 anal spine . é ; 2 ; 0 12 0 1
34 ventral spines . : : : : it) 13 0 12
[32.] 5. GASTEROSTEUS OCCIDENTALIS. (Cuvier.) Mewfoundland Burnstickle.
L’Epinochette de Terre Neuve (G. occidentalis), Cuv. et VAL., iv., p. 509.
This species, which was discovered in Newfoundland by M. Pilaye, is very like
the nine-spined Stickleback of Europe with an armed tail: its form is merely more
lengthened. Fins.—D. 8/9; 4. 1/9; C. 12; P.11; V.1/11. (Hist. des
Poiss.)
COTTOIDEA. 59
(33. ] |. Trmnist1A vENTRICOSA. Vorth-west Notchfin.
Famizy, Cottoidee. Gunus Novum, Temnistia* prope Hemilepidotum.
Blepsias ventricosus. Escuscnoirz, Zool. Atlas, drittes heft, p. 4, t. 13.
B. corpore fusco ; facris quatuor flexuosis maculique posticd rubris ; abdomine infiato albo
fuscoque marmorato ; pinnis pectoralibus faciis tribus hepaticis pallidisque alternan-
tibus. Escu, @. c.
This fish frequents the north-west coast of America, having been taken in Nor-
folk Sound, and off the island of Sitcha, by the Russian Expedition under Captain
Kotzebue. Eschscholtz states it to possess all the characters of Blepsias, but
though it does in part correspond with the short notice of that genus in the Régne
Animal *, it differs both in habit and in structure from the only two species of
Blepsias hitherto discovered. It belongs to that group of Cottoideze which is
characterised by the compressed form of the head, and has much resemblance in
external form to Hemilepidotus and Scorpeena, between which it will probably
stand in a natural arrangement. It is separated from the former by its body being
wholly scaly, and the presence of barbels on the head; and from the latter, by
having only five gill-rays and a three-lobed dorsal. The want of scales on the
head distinguishes it from Sebastes, and its habit, which is very unlike that of a
blenny, its long pectorals and scaly body, detach it from Blepsias. The other
Cottoid genera, with compressed heads, are still more dissimilar in external cha-
racters to this fish: Pterois has seven giil-rays, and is remarkable for the extreme
length of the rays of its dorsal and pectorals ; Apistes and Minous are armed with
a large, moveable, sub-orbitar spine; Agriopus has a scaleless body and unarmed,
imperfectly cuirassed cheeks; and Hoplostethus has its deep body protected infe-
riorly by keeled scales, and six soft rays in its ventrals. We have, therefore,
ventured on giving Eschscholtz’s fish a proper generic name; but as the Zoolo-
gischer Atlas contains no account of its dentition, nor any anatomical details, we
shall not attempt any further enumeration of the characters of the genus, than what
may be gathered from the following description of the species, which is compiled
partly from the text of the work just cited, and partly from an inspection of the
plate.
* Th. rzuyw, scindo, et iziov, velum.
7 Les Blepsias ont la téie comprimée, la joue cuirassée, des barbillons charnus sous la machoire inférieure, cing rayons aua
owes, de trés petites ventrales, et une dorsale trés haute, divisée en trois par des echancrures. Reg, An.
60 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
DESCRIPTION.
Form.—The head is much compressed, the eyes large, lateral, and closely approximated,
as in Hemilepidotus. The intermazillaries-appear to be capable of some protrusion, and to
be connected with the snout by a whitish membrane; immediately behind which, on the
upper surface of the snout, there is a pair of brown, short, cylindrical processes, and before the
eyes two pairs of white ones, all of them said to be tubular. There are three pairs of short,
slender, acute barbels on the lower jaw; a thick one with a fringed end on the lower extre-
mity of the labial, and one like it, though smaller, on the lower part of the cheek. The plate
also represents six prominent, obtuse, though small teeth (or, perhaps, barbels) on the margin
of the sub-orbitar bone; three large acute teeth, or spines, and two intervening small ones, on
the preoperculum ; a notch on the margin of the suboperculum ; and an acute angular tip to
the gill-cover. The head is entirely naked; but the body is covered with large tiled scales,
which are described as being roundish, finely toothed, and biggest on the sides, where there
are fifty-eight in a longitudinal row. ‘The form of the body is that of a Hemilepidotus, or
Scorpeena, exclusive of the greatly-inflated stomach or belly, which is pendulous and hemi-
spherical. The dorsal fin commences a very short way behind the nape, and extends nearly to
the caudal : it is supported by thirty-one rays, all spinous, and is notched anterior to the twelfth
ray, by the gradual decrease of the six preceding ones. There is another, but less decided
notch at the third ray, the membrane of which reaches only to the middle of the following
ray. The rays of the anal, pectorals, and ventrals, are also represented as spinous, or at least
simple, the caudal ones alone being forked at the tips. The ventrals are long and slender,
and are supported by five rays, the first of which is short. and closely applied to the next.
The caudal is slightly rounded at the end.
Fins—Br. 5; D.31/; P.16/; V.5/; A. 16/; C. 114.
Cotour.—The head is mostly brown, the body is also brown, with scattered darker spots,
and four transverse, broad, waved red bands, the first of them crossing just before the dorsal :
there is also an imperfect band, or large patch, of the same colour, between the dorsal and
upper base of the caudal. The belly is white, studded laterally with brown spots, which
towards its middle diminish to specks. The dorsal, anal, and caudal are reddish, the two
former being marbled with brown. The pectorals are marked transversely with three dark
reddish-brown bars, and as many alternate pale ones.
SCLENOIDE. 6]
SCIASNOIDE.
THE members of this family have almost all the external characteristics of the
Percoidee : the spiny or denticulated operculum: the toothed or armed preoper-
culum: the double, deeply-notched, or single dorsal: the scaly body ; and even
the divisions of the family which spring from the various combinations of these
characters are but repetitions of those into which the Percoidez are distributed.
The distinctive character of the Sctenoidee is the total absence of vomerine and
palatine teeth. Moreover, the cavernous structure of the cranium, and arched
form of the head, and especially of the nose, give a peculiar physiognomy to the
fish of this family, which is rarely observed in the Percoidez: the scales, also, are
less rough, and extend more generally over the head and vertical fins: but these
latter characters are not so essential as the perfectly toothless palate, and are,
indeed, mostly present in the pereoid genus Polynemus. 'The Scizenoideze have
much resemblance to the Percoidez in their internal structure, also, though their
air-bladders exhibit a greater variety of forms, being in many species complicated
with hornlike processes, or branched or fringed appendages, which Cuvier thinks
have some connexion with the grunting noises that the Scizenoideze emit in a more
remarkable degree than even the gurnards. The Scizenoidee are numerous, have
similar habits to the Percoidez, and are equally useful to man, almost all of them
furnishing a wholesome food, and many being remarkable for their’ exquisite
flavour.
Cuvier divides the Scizenoidez into two series, the first of which is characterised
by a double or divided dorsal. The Maigre (Sci@na), Corvina, and Umbrina,
three Mediterranean fish, are types of the principal genera of this series : several
smaller genera are associated with them; and all have the cranium heightened by
salient portions, the lower jaw pitted with conspicuous pores, the soft dorsal pro-
portionably long, the anal, on the contrary, very short, the preoperculum denticu-
lated, at least in the younger individuals *, the bony operculum terminated by two
flat points and seven branchiostegous rays; in short, they have a close resemblance
to the perches, except that their palates are quite smooth. Moreover, their dorsal
* This must be understood with some latitude, for Mebris and Eleginus, of this series, have the preoperculum smooth,
ar, as Cuvier says of that of the latter, ‘¢ trés entier.” In the second series, Glyphisodon, Etroplus, and Heliases,also want
-denticulations on the preoperculum.
62 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
spines are robust, the scales strong as in the perches and spari, and the whole head
is scaly. Many of them have their pharyngeal teeth “ en forme de pavé,” like the
labri; but they differ from the labri in wanting the double lips, and in having
cecal appendages to the pylorus. heir air-bladder is very large, and is fur-
nished, in many of the species, with appendages of very curious forms. The
presence or absence of canine teeth, the form of the snout, and the existence or want
of barbels on the lower jaw, serve to characterise the minor divisions of the first
series. The second series is composed of genera which have a single continuous
or very slightly-notched dorsal. They differ more from each other than those of
the first series, and it is among them chiefly that combinations of characters
analogous to those of the Percoides occur. ‘Three genera, having seven gill-rays,
constitute one subdivision, and are distinguished from each other by the number of
pores on the lower jaw, or the presence or absence of scales on the vertical fins.
Another subdivision, comprising the Scizenoidez with fewer than seven rays in the
gill-membrane, is broken into smaller groups, which are characterised by the form
of the lateral line, according as it is continuous or interrupted, or by the presence
or absence of simple rays in the pectorals, and by the preopereulum being smooth
or toothed.
The Cottoideze, notwithstanding the peculiarity of their mailed cheeks, form the
connecting link between the Percoideze and Seizenoidee. Thus the cottoid
Sebastes are so like the percoid Serrani in form, as to be often mistaken for them,
and the Scorpeenz and Sebastes have palatine teeth like the Percoidee ; while
other Cottoidez, the Synanceiz for example, have the smooth palates of the Scie-
noidez.
When we speak of the families in reference to the distribution of the majority
of their forms and species, the Percoideze may be considered as belonging prin-
cipally to the South Sea and Indian Ocean, the Cottoidez, as affecting the higher
northern latitudes, and the Scieenoideze as being more peculiarly an American
family, for more than one-third of the genera are proper to the Atlantic shores of
that continent, and there are only eight of the thirty * which compose the family
that have not one or more species there. The genera peculiar to America are,
Ancylodon, Nebris, Lepipterus, Boridia, Conodon, and Eques, inhabiting the
intertropical districts, and Letostomus, Pogonias, Micropogon, and Haemulon,
common to them and the seas of the United States: all these have two dorsals and
* Cuvier includes thirty-one genera in the family, but the origin of Lonchurus, which consists of one, or perhaps two,
species, is unknown. leginus, a genus of the Indian and South seas, and one of the eight which have no representative
onthe Atlantic side of America, has a species on the coast of Chili. ;
SCIZNOIDEZ. 63
seven branchiostegous rays. Scolopsides, Amphiprion, Premnas, Dascyllus, and
Etroplus, which are peculiar to the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Polynesia, have
one continuous dorsal, and fewer than seven gill-rays. Diagramma and Poma-
centrus, which have also seventeen or eighteen species each in these seas, have
also a single dorsal, but the former has seven gill-rays. Maquaria, containing a
solitary species which inhabits the Macquarie, a river of New Holland, belongs to
the same subdivision with the genera peculiar to the Polynesian seas. We have
enumerated eighteen genera, twelve only remain, and of these Sctena, Otolithus,
Corvina, Umbrina, and Pristipoma, typical forms of the Scizenoidez that have
seven gill-rays, and all but the last, having a double dorsal, are the most widely
diffused, as the subjoined table shows. Glyphisodon and Heliases, which have the
widest distribution among the genera with fewer than seven gill-rays, have smooth
preopercula, and are aberrant forms leading to the Sparoidez, or in some points of
view to the Labroidee.
s | 24 A aes NE enlaces
g as 3 3 a | Qe & ses £2 a i Totals
GENERA. @ 23 z SH |/se.1 8. |.8 | 24 a a of
BI 33 Bs so [348] <8 | 39 [4 » o Species.
= Be g on tose) sa Peta | dia | |S 6
3 | 2s | 2 | 2] | S52] $3 | vse] sez] 2 ¢
= |as | 4 | og [daa] 24 | edel aaa! & B
i 7stians SO Ge 1 - 1 = - 1 - - ier |
Otolithus .... - = 1 1 8 2 5 - - 15
Ancylodon ... - = - - 2 - = = = - 2
Corvina .... 1 = 4 - 4 4 19 - 1 - 31
Leiostomus . . « - = - - 1 2 = = - - 2
Larimus .... = = 1 = 1 c = = = = 2
Nebris'™ jean tsees - = - - 1 = m= = = 1
Lepipterus ... - = ~ - 1 - = - = = 1
Boridia. . . . « - = = - 1 = = - - 1
Conodon Ses - - - - 1 - = - - 1
Eleginus . Hp OeOen - - = = - - 1 1 - 1 3 Of
Higuiesig. mesten Gh - = - ~ 3 - = = = = 3. of
Umbrina .... 1 i - - 4 1 4 = - - 10 +f
Pogonias .... - = - = 2 2 = = = = 2
Micropogon ome - - - - 3 2 cS = - - 3
Hemulon... . - = - - 11 2 = = - ~ 13
II. {Pristipoma .. , - - 7 1 11 1 13 - 1 1 35
Diagramma . . . - _ - 1 - 18 = ] 20
Lobotes. . .. - - - - - 2 1 2 = = - 4
Scolopsides . . . - - - - - 19 = = =} fs AR)
Cheilodactylus. . - - - 2 1 - = 1 3 7
Latilus . ws ss - - - - 1 = 2 - - 14 4
Maquaria. ... - - - - - - = 1 = — 1
_ 27 Amphiprion = kote - = ~ - - - 13 = - = 13
\Premnas .... - - - - - - 3 - - = 3
Pomacentrus . . - - - - 2 - 17 - - = 19
Dascyllus. . .. - - - - - 3 = — = 3
Glyphisodon . . - 1 1 - 3 - 26 - - - 30
Etroplus .... - - = - - - 3 - - - 3
Heliases .... - 1 - - i - 5 - - 1 8
—\— | $<. | | | | —]| —_
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64 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Few forms, or even species, exist in the European seas. Sci@na and Umbrina
have each a species common to the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of Europe,
Corvina, one peculiar to the Mediterranean, and Glyphisodon and Heliases, one
each in the sea of Madeira, making but five European species in all. None of the
Scicenoideze appear to have a wide range; none cross the Atlantic, and none are
common to that sea and either the Indian or Pacific oceans.
[34.] 1. Scrmna (Corvina) Ricnarpsoni. (Cuvier.) The Malashegané.
Famity, Scienoidee. Genus, Sciena. Swb-genus, Corvina, Cuvier.
Le Corb de Richardson. Cuv. et VAL., v., p. 100.
Malasheganeh. Cree Inprans.
PLATE LXXVII.
Corvina belongs to the first series of the Scienoidee, or those which have a
double dorsal fin and seven branchiostegous rays. We have here followed the
Régne Animal in considering this series as constituting one large genus, named
Sciena, and divided into sub-generic groups, which are raised to the rank of genera
in the Histoire des Poissons. The characters of the series, or of the extended
genus Sciena, are given at some length in a preceding page (61). Corvina differs
from the sub-genera Sciena and Otohthus, in the robust form of its anal spine,
and from the latter by a second character, viz., the want of canine teeth: the
absence of barbels on the lower jaw distinguishes it from Umbrina and Pogonias.
The teeth of Corvina also, when closely examined, present a peculiarity of distribu-
tion; they form stripes “ en velours”’ on both jaws, but the outer rows, though
even and pointed, are stronger than the others. Boridia and Conodon have the
form and other exterior characters of Corvina, but differ in the teeth, the latter
having a row of conical teeth exterior to the stripe “ en velours,”’ and Boridia, the
jaws armed with several rows of short, thick, blunt teeth, which ally it to the Spa-
roidee, and render it a connecting link between that family and the Scienoidee.
The form of the air-bladder varies considerably in different species of Corvina,
being quite simple in some, while in others it sends out horn-like processes which
are pointed, branched, or even fringed. ‘The remarkable drum-like noise which
the Maigres, or true Scizene have the power of producing, at a considerable depth
in the water, has not been ascribed to the Corvinee. In some Corvine the pre-
operculum has merely a slightly undulated edge, in others it is denticulated or even
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SCIZNOIDEZ. 65
decidedly spiny. By far the greater number of the species are inhabitants of the
sea exclusively, some have been observed to enter the rivers of India and Africa,
but not to ascend beyond the tidal waters; the two species which occur in our
Fauna are inhabitants of fresh water only, being found in the Canadian lakes
above the falls of Niagara.
The Malashegané inhabits Lake Huron. It is taken in the Georgian Bay, on
the north side of that lake, during the summer months, in gill-nets set in deep
water, or by hooks baited with worms. It feeds much on cray-fish. It is a firm,
white, well-tasted fish, but never fat, and requires much boiling. It is called
‘« Sheep’s-head ” by the Anglo-Canadians, probably for the reason that the same
appellation is bestowed on the Sargus ovis in the United States, viz., from its
having an arched nose, and “some smutty shades of colour on the face*.” I had
no opportunity of examining the intestines of the Malashegané, though I can bear
testimony to its excellence as an article of food, in which respect it may be com-
pared to the turbot of Europe. My specimen was prepared by Mr. Todd.
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen taken at Penetanguishene, on Lake Huron.
Form.—Profile, exclusive of the short and rather deep strap-shaped tail, irregularly oval :
the curve, from the snout to the dorsal fin, is quadrantal and abrupt, the head and shoulders
being very prominent. The greatest depth is at the attachment of the ventrals, where it
exceeds a third of the total length including the caudal. The head is rather small, and
higher than long; the forehead flattish, the snout short, the lower jaw projecting a little, the
mouth cleft nearly as far back as the centre of the orbit, and the lips somewhat flabby and
sparingly protrusive, but folding back when closed. Eyes lateral, situated more than two
diameters of the orbit from the extremity of the snout and one above the mouth: the irides are
silvery. The nostrils are near the eyes, and the anterior opening is the smallest. There are
four pores beneath the end of the lower jaw, apparently leading to cells in the bone, but none
are perceptible on the muzzle, at least in the dried specimen.
TrEetH.—The opposing surfaces of both jaws are covered with small, slender, erect,
crowded teeth, the exterior row, and a small cluster on the tip of each jaw, being of a larger
size, though similar in form: “ the outer ones have their points rounded, but from their slen-
derness they appear acute: there are also two patches of teeth on the upper pharyngeal
bones, and two on the lower.”’ Mr. 'Todd,—(who does not describe their form, though it is
probable that they are “ en gros pavés ronds,” as in the nearly allied C. oscula.) Tongue
pointed and smooth.
Giti-covers.—The posterior edge of the gill-cover is irregularly curved, the tip of the sub-
operculum forming a small projecting angle on a line with the upper ray of the pectoral fin,
* Mitchill.
66 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
and there is a rounded lobe about midway between this and the upper angle of the operculuni.
The preoperculum is broad below, but its upper limb, rising at a right angle, becomes gra-
dually narrower. Its whole free edge, that of the interoperculum, and of the suboperculum
anteriorly, are finely denticulated, and the teeth, being the tips of very short marginal ridges,
are very conspicuous in the dried specimen. ‘The anterior border of the operculum, to the
width of half an inch, is scaleless and marked with fine vertical streaks : the under margin of
the bone is concealed by scales, and there is a deep rounded notch on its posterior margin
which is also covered by membrane and scales, but a rounded lobe above the notch, and
another below, are more evident from their edges being finely ridged and somewhat denticu-
lated: the tip of the suboperculum is closely applied to the lower lobe and passes it a little.
The bones lining the posterior edge of the gill-opening are scaleless and have smooth edges :
the humeral bone is remarkably large and cavernous, the cavities occupied by a net-work of
fibres. There are seven branchiostegous rays, all somewhat flattened ; the first ray is one
inch and a half long, the last one measures above four inches.
ScaLes.—The whole head except the lips, intermaxillaries, labials, branchiostegous mem-
brane, and anterior border of the operculum, is scaly, the scales varying much in size, small
and large being crowded together. The scales of the body are also unequal in size, though
mostly very large and strong, particularly on the sides, where their general form is that of a
square or rectangle, with the exterior side a little convex, and the two outer corners rounded
off: many are somewhat oblique, the lower side being the longest. The smallest scales,
excepting those on the fins, are on the humeral bone, and next those on the top of the head
and before the dorsal. ‘There are fifty-three or fifty-four scales on the lateral line, exclusive
of fourteen or fifteen very small ones on the base of the caudal; and about twenty-eight
in a vertical row behind the pectorals, eight of which are above the lateral line. A scale
taken from under the posterior third of the first dorsal and beneath the lateral line, is seven
lines long by eight and a half wide, and is marked with about ten furrows, which converge
towards the centre, but do not meet: the corresponding crenatures are not prominent, the
basal edge being nearly a straight line : the middle third of the exterior slightly convex edge
is crowded with fine ridges, visible under the lens, and apparently jointed, but the whole edge
appears smooth to the naked eye and to the touch. A linear inch measured lengthwise on
the sides, includes from three to six scales, according to the place that is chosen. The lateral
line follows the curve of the back at the distance of one-third of the height of the body, until
it comes opposite to the middle of the anal, whence it runs in a straight line through the
centre of the tail, and is continued between the middle rays of the caudal for more than half
the length of that fin. It is formed by a small tubular ridge which divides, in a radiated
manner, on the outer border of the scale, into several irregular winding branchlets. ‘The
anus is at the commencement of the posterior third of the fish excluding the caudal.
Fins.—Br. 7; P.15; V.1/5; D.9/ 1/18; A. 1/7; C. 174.
The pectorals taper to a point and are considerably longer than the ventrals, or than the
rays of any of the other fins. The ventrals are attached a little farther back than the pec-
torals, their upper ray being opposite to the under one of the latter, or nearly under the fourth
SCIENOIDEA, 67
dorsal spine. The ventral rays are robust: the first is bony, and is about two-thirds of the
height of the second, which is the longest, and, like the remainder, repeatedly divided towards
the tip. The first dorsal commences about a spine’s breadth posterior to the tip of the gill-
cover, and nearly as much anterior to the pectorals: its rays are very stout, compressed,
acute spines ; they gradually diminish in height from the fourth or longest to the ninth,
which is about one-third as high, but almost equally robust: the fifth equals the second, and
the first is very short, obtuse, involved in membrane, and closely applied to the base of the
second. ‘The membrane is scolloped between the rays, and is attached to the first ray of the
second dorsal for about one-third of its height, the two fins not being distinct but merely sepa-
rated by a notch. The second dorsal is higher than the first: it contains nineteen rays, the
first of which is spinous, and is rather more than half the height of the succeeding soft rays,
but equals the seventh spine of the first dorsal; the soft rays are forked at the tips. A low
process of membrane is prolonged for about two inches beyond the last ray of the second
dorsal, in which there are imbedded eleven obtuse cartilages, or rudimentary rays, which
increase in length as they are more posterior, from one line to three and a half: they have
twelve interspinous bones *. The base of the dorsal fins is covered with small scales which
gradually encroach on the rays as they are more posterior : the two or three first rays of the
first dorsal are visible their whole length; but the ninth, and all the rays of the second
dorsal, are more than one-third imbedded in the scales; the prolonged membrane of the
latter is scaleless. The anal is supported by a very robust, tapering, bony ray, deeply
grooved behind: there is no short spine anterior to it: the first soft ray is about one-third
longer, the remainder decrease gradually in length, the last one being shorter than the bony
ray. All the soft rays are repeatedly divided at their summits. The caudal terminates
evenly, its corners being slightly rounded off: its rays begin to divide below the middle into
five or six branches.
CoLour.—Top of the head and the back greenish-grey, with darker bands descending a
short way from the latter: sides ash-grey with silvery tips to the scales: belly cream-yellow.
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. ; Inches. Lines
Length from snout to end of caudal fin . 23 0 Length of ventrals . . : 3 3
os eo origin of ditto . : 19 0 He insertion of Ist dorsal 4 4
A er end of memb, of 2nd dorsal 17 9 7 y 2nd dorsal 5 8 8
” » end of anal ¢ 5 14 6 Ss naked space between do. and caudal 1 6
7 é) beginning of ditto . al 10 a % anal and caudal 4 4
NS 3 anus P C 12 0 5 longest spine of 1st dorsal 2 0
of 5 first ray of 2nd dorsal « LO 6 a . ray 2nd dorsal . 3 2
7 of as Ist dorsal . 8 0 65 r anal 3 3
9 °5 tip of gill-cover 5 10 5 central caudal rays 4 0
pops ea re orbit 1 8 e exterior ditto 6 . 4 0
s» Of axis of orbit 1 0 Breadth of caudal at its base 2 4
” lower jaw 2 3h ” extremity . 5 6
” pectorals 4 5 Depth of body at the ventrals . . . 8 0
* I detected the rudimentary rays by softening the membrane and dissecting it after the specimen was returned to me
by Baron Cuvier.
.
K 2
68 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[35.] 2. Scrana (Corvina) oscuLa. (Le Sueur.) Le Sueur’s Corvina.
Sciena oscula, Le Sueur. Jour. de. Sc. Phil., ii., p. 252. An. 1822. Pl.
Le Corb de Le Sueur (Corvina oscula). Cuv. et Vau., v., p. 98.
This fish inhabits Lake Erie *, where the specimens taken by M. Le Sueur had
their stomachs filled with fragments of river shells of the genera Cyclas, Paludina,
&c. This fresh-water species resembles the Corvina nigra of the Mediterranean
in its form, though its nape swells out still more.
Its usual size is about seventeen inches in length, by nearly five in height. There are five
pores on the lower jaw, and its pharyngeal teeth are large, round, and flat (en gros pavés
ronds), serving to bruise the shell-fish on which it feeds. The stomach is a large, round,
blind sac, and there are seven thick ceca at the pylorus. ‘The intestine is almost as wide as
the stomach, but its coats are very thin. The air-bladder is very large, without appendages,
and is covered with nacre. M. Le Sueur describes the colours of some specimens which he
found on the beach, where they had been left by the fishermen, as ‘‘ bluish-grey on the head and
caudal-fin, drawing upon black on the snout and above the eyes, more grey towards the back
and above the pectorals: all the other fins are of a lighter grey: there were some red tints on
the cheeks, and a yellowish reflection on the sides of the back, tail, and opercula; the abdo-
men beneath the throat was white.” (Lr Sugvr, l. c.)
[36.] 1. Scra#wa (OToLiTHuS) REGALIS. (Cuvier.) The Squeteague.
Famity, Scienoidee. Genus, Sciena. Sub-genus, Otolithus. Cuv. Rey. An.
Scuteeg, or Weak-fish. Scuokpr, Berschr. einiger Nord, &c., viii. p.169. An. 1778.
Johnius regalis, Scunemer, Syst. Ichth. Blochii, p.75. An. 1801.
Labrus squeteague (Veak-fish), Mircuii1, New York Tr., i., p.396, pl. 2, f. 6. dn. 1815.
L’Otolithe royal (Ofolithus regaits). Cuv. et VaL., v., p.67. An. 1830.
Squeteague. Narracanset Inpians. Checouts. Monecans.
The Otolitht are distinguished from all ¢ the other Scizenoidez by the presence
of a tooth on each intermaxillary bone much longer and stronger than the others,
* Cuvier says Lake Ontario, but M. Le Sueur, in the paper above cited, says Lake Erie, which is material, as it cannot
ascend thither from the sea, though it may into Lake Ontario.
+ Ancylodon jaculidens is considered, by Cuvier, as being really an Otolithus with a pointed tail, but differing from the
others in the shortness of its snout, and the extreme length of some of its teeth. 4. parvipinnis resembles the Otolithi
also, but differs from them, and also from A. jaculideng, not only in the dorsals being very small, but also in their being per-
fectly separated from each other.
SCLANOIDEA. 69
and therefore termed a canine. They resemble the mages in their structure, and
especially in the smallness of the anal spine; and have, like that sub-genus, the
exterior characters of the Scieene in general, the bulging head, the cavernous
cranial bones, and the long second dorsal. ‘The pores on the lower jaw either do
not exist, or they are so small as to be imperceptible. The air-bladders of those
which have been examined possess two pointed horn-like arms, originating laterally
and running forwards, The Otolithi inhabit the Indian Ocean and Atlantic coasts
of America, one species existing however in the sea of Goree, and another at the
Cape of Good Hope. The Indian ones have canines on both jaws, the American
species have only the upper canines, and it often happens that one of these is broken,
or, from some cause, does not grow. The two African species have smaller-sized
canines, and in one, O. equidens, they are so little remarkable that the genus might
readily be mistaken.
Dr. Mitchill informs us that the: Squeteague “ is a fish of a goodly appearance,
wholesome and well-tasted, though rather soft. He is taken both by the line and
seine, and is brought to the New York market in great numbers during the summer
months. He is called weak-fish, as some say, because he does not pull very hard
after he is hooked; or, as others allege, because labouring men, who are fed upon
him, are weak by reason of the deficient nourishment in that kind of food. Cer-
tain peculiar noises under water, of a low rumbling or drumming kind, are ascribed,
by the fishermen, to the Squeteague. Whether the sounds come from these fishes
or not, it is certain, that during their season, only, they may be heard from the
bottom of the water, in places frequented by the weak-fish and not elsewhere. The
swimming-bladder is convertible into good glue. I have eaten as fine blanemange
made from it as from the isinglass of the sturgeon.” From the same author we
learn, that this fish keeps within the limits of the salt water, never going into fresh
streams or ponds. It is known along the whole coast of the United States from
Rhode Island to New Orleans, and Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton Smith has taken
it in the Baie des Chaleurs, near the mouth of the St. Lawrence.
“Its size is commonly from a foot to fifteen inches, but it often grows larger. One, twenty-
seven inches in length by seven in depth, weighed heavier than six pounds. The head and
back are brown, with frequently a titige of greenish ; faintly silvery with dusky specks above
the lateral line, which gradually disappear on the sides, until on descending to the belly, a
clear white prevails from the chin to the tail. The eyes are large and pale yellow.’
(Mitcuitt, /. c.) There are two strong canine teeth in the upper jaw, one of which is often
broken, the rest of that mandible is armed with a single row of teeth, which are very small
but distinct and pointed, The under jaw is also furnished with a row of small teeth which is
70 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY,
doubled anteriorly. The two dorsals are well separated, and the second, as well as the caudal
and anal, is in a great part covered with small scales. The lateral line is straight, and is
continued to the extremity of the caudal, which is slightly notched. There are four cecal
appendages to the pylorus, which is very near the cardiac orifice of the stomach. The coats
of the air-bladder are very thick, soft, and nacry.
Fins.—D. 9/—1/29; A. 1/13; C.17; P.16; V.1/5. (Hist. des Poiss. *)
* Mr. Drummond sent me an Otolithus from New Orleans (O. Drummondii nob.), which appears to be quite distinct
from regadis and Carohnensis, the only two species that are mentioned in the Histoire des Poissons as frequenting the coasts
of the United States. It is more slender than regadis, and considerably more so than Carodinensis, the height of the body
being little more than a sixth of the total length, excluding the caudal. In the length of the head, which is exactly one-
fourth of the whole length, including the caudal, it resembles Carodinensis and surpasses regalis. It differs from the latter
in having two distinct rows ofsmall pointed teeth round the upper jaw, the outer row being more widely set. There is only
one canine tooth in our specimen, moderately long, slender, and very acute, but rendered very conspicuous by its whiteness.
Two very acute flat points, divided by a deep angular notch, show through the integuments of the operculum. The caudal
is rounded at the end, and the lateral line runs to the tip of the central rays. There are about sixty-six scales on the
lateral line, exclusive of the minute ones, which extend pretty far over the caudal: there are scarcely any scales perceptible
onthe second dorsal and anal. The spine of the latter is small; being slender and not above one-third of the height of
the soft ray which succeeds it. There are many small roundish blackish-brown spots on the back above the lateral line,
and on the second dorsal and caudal fins. The back appears to have been dark and the sides and belly silvery. The
labials and sub-orbitar bones have much nacry lustre. The total length of the specimen is eleven inches and a half, of
which the caudal fin occupies one inch and a half. The last ray of the ventral is divided into four branches to the base.
Fins.—D. 9/—1/25; 4.1/8; P. 16; 4% 1/5; C. 174.
SPAROIDE.
3 2 3
te a o f= A Piet
2 <a ne Sh | NE ‘2 Ea Bo a
GENERA, et at | Sy \ Serle decli te ee Veni pe
g 8 gs) | Beet. ieee ie 5
= 5 § of jaca |] se Ida laa. S
= 2 = | BY |SeS] £8 [esa leue| gs
a a | < | 52 [S684] 2a [eos |asa| &
Sargus . . 4 1 2 - 6 7) 5 =
Charax.. . 1 - - = = = as =
I. { Chrysophrys . 2 1 1 4 = 1 11 Be
Pagrus... 4 - 1 1 = 1 3 3
Pagellus 6 3 1 1 2 s Bs 3
Dentex . . . 3 - 1 2 ] = 16 =
II. { Pentapus . . - - - = = & 3 2
Lethrinus. . - 1 1 = a - 40 fc
III. Cantharus. 3 2 1 2 S os 5 s
Box, or Boops 2 2 3 = ss aN 1 es
IV fOblata Aone ] - - = = = = 1
*)Scatharus. . 1 - - = = An t iM
<Crenidens. . - - = = = 1 pe
SPAROIDEA. 71
Tuis family is characterised by the oval form of the body, a spiny, undivided,
scaleless dorsal, jaws not protractile, a toothless palate, unarmed opercular pieces,
gill-rays not exceeding six, and few ceca. It is distinguished from the Scieenoideee
by the unarmed gill-covers and the form of the cranium, which is not cavernous
and does not bulge out: from the Cheetodontoidez by the vertical fins not being
enveloped in scales; and from the Scomberoidez by the largeness of the scales on
the body. The dentition supplies characters for the division of the family into four
tribes, or genera as they are reckoned in the Régne Animal. The first (Sparus)
has the sides of the jaws armed with molars, or round teeth like paving stones.
The anterior teeth may be either cutting, or conical, or like the pile of velvet, and
the molars may be in many rows, or in two, or in a single row, and very small—
the sub-genera being characterised by the combination of these various kinds of
dentition. The second tribe, or genus (Dentea), has conical teeth, even on the
sides of the jaws, several (two, four, or more) of the anterior ones being longer and
more or less hooked, resembling canines. There are also generally narrow strips
of card-like, or velvet-like teeth, behind the others. The third tribe (Cantharus)
has the teeth in form of velvet pile only, or in card-like plates. Lastly, the fourth
(Boops and Obata) has the edges of the jaws armed with cutting teeth in a single
row, either with or without velvet-like plates behind, or small tubercular teeth, but
never accompanied by rounded molars.
The Sparoideze belong more to the European and Indian or South seas, than to
the American side of the Atlantic. Four species, viz., Sargus ovis, S. rhombor-
dalis, Chrysophrys aculeata, and Pagrus argyrops, frequent the coasts of the
United States as high as New York; and some of these, it is probable, may range
as far north as the British possessions, but we have no evidence of such being the
fact. Some of the trivial names by which these fish are known in the United
States, such as “‘ Sheepshead,” or “ T'éte de mouton,’ are used in the Canadas to
designate fish of other families. No one Sparoid species is known to exist on both
sides of the Atlantic.
~)
OO
NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
MAZNOIDEz.
Tuts small family has many characters in common with the Sparoidee, from which,
however, it is at once distinguished by the very protractile mouth, and, in some
instances, by the presence of teeth on the vomer, or denticulations on the preoper-
culum. The Meenoidez have scaly bodies, thoracic ventrals, a single dorsal,
clothed with very small scales, from four to seven czeca, and a large air-bladder,
which is often forked at its posterior extremity. The mouth, when protuded, forms
a tube, whose rounded orifice faces downwards in some genera, and directly for-
wards in others *. The teeth are en velours on the jaws with, in some cases, two
or four small canines: the ene have in addition small teeth on the vomer, but
in the other genera the roof of the mouth is smooth.
Gerres aprion, a species belonging to the Caribbean Sea, ranges as far north as
the Carolinas, but none of the family have been taken in a higher latitude. Mr.
Couch states, in a memoir published in the Linnzean Transactions, that the Gerres
rhombeus, a West-Indian species, follows drift-timber to the coast of Cornwall ;
but in Mr. Yarrell’s beautiful and able illustrations of British Ichthyology, the fish
that Mr. Couch speaks of is described as a new species of Serranus (S. Couchit).
Totals
of
Species.
GENERA.
African Atlantic.
North American
South Australian
and New Zealand
Sea of Peru and
Mexican Pacific.
South American
Atlantic.
European Atlantic.
Atlantic.
Mediterranean,
Caribbean Sea and
Mena....
oO
Smaris. ..
Cesio..
Gerres. .
Aphareus. .
* The genus zeus, and particularly its sub-genus egza/a, among the Scomberoidex, and epibulws among the Labroidez,
as well as some others, have similarly protractile mouths.
“I
eX)
CHATODONTOIDE.
CHA TODONTOIDEA.—SQUAMMIPENN.
THE fish composing this family are recognisable, at first sight, by the articulated,
and often the spinous portions of their dorsal and anal fins being thickly enveloped in
scales, and uniting so gradually with the compressed body that the line of junction
becomes almost imperceptible *. Their intestines are pretty long and the ceca
numerous. They are divided into three tribes. In the first, comprising the Che-
todontes of Linneeus, the long, slender, flexible teeth are disposed in several
crowded rows on the jaws, like the hairs of a brush; the mouth is small; the
palate and tongue are toothless; the gill-opening moderately cleft; and its mem-
brane supported by six rays only. This tribe forms a very natural group of fish,
many of which exhibit the most varied and brilliant colours, being, in this respect,
not in the least inferior to the most gay and shining of the feathered tribes. The
presence or absence of a preopercular spine ; the form of the dorsal, whether entire,
notched, or double, the extent to which it is scaly, and the elongation of its spines by
filaments ; the number of anal spines; the form of the body; the size of its scales ;
the form of the muzzle; protuberances on the head, and some other varieties of
structure, furnish characters by which the genera that enter into this tribe are dis-
tinguished from each other. The genus Platav has a row of cutting teeth
exterior to the bristle-like ones, Psettws has teeth like the pile of shorn velvet,
and both these genera have the toothless palate of the rest of the tribe. The second
tribe contains two genera with cutting teeth in the jaws, viz., Pimilepterus, which
has the incisors in a single row, with cutting edges rising vertically from horizontal
bases that project backwards and fix them to the jaw: a stripe of velvet-like teeth
behind, and also some asperities on the vomer and palate; and Dipterodon, of which
the only one species that is known has teeth like those of the Sparoid genus Sargus :
its vomer and palate are smooth. The third tribe is characterised by the presence
of vomerine and palatine teeth, and by teeth in shorn velvet, or cardlike bands on
the jaws. Scorpis, enumerated in this tribe by Cuvier, has a row of strong, cylin-
drical teeth exterior to those in a velvet-like stripe, and is, in many characters,
similar to Platax, from which it is separated by the presence of palatine teeth.
* Some of the Scienoidee, the Nebres, Lepipteri. and Equites, for instance, have fins much like those of the Cheto-
dontoidee, but they have not fine, flexible, bristle-like teeth, and in general they have a protuberant snout and cavernous
cranium. The Hemulona have also scaly fins, but they are not so thick at the base as to look like a part of the body, so
that the general aspect of the fish is very different.
L
74 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
The Cheetodontoideze belong chiefly to the Indian and South seas: the Brama
Rati, which abounds in the Mediterranean, and ranges on the Atlantic coast as far
north as Denmark, is the only European fish of the family; comparatively few exist
in the Caribbean Sea, and only four species range northward to the coasts of the
United States; Hphippus faber and gigas are found as high as New York, and
Holocanthus ciliaris and Pimilepterus Boscit have been taken on the Carolina
shores. None are recorded as visiting British America.
GENERA,
west side of Mada-
gascar.
and New Zealand.
Caribbean Sea and}
South American
Cape of Good Hope|
Atlantic.
European Atlantic. }
African Atlantic.
Ocean, and Poly-
nesia.
Pacific coasts of
Mediterranean,
North American
Atlantic.
Red Sea, Indian
South Australia
Sea of Japan.
Mexico.
Chetodon. .
Chelmon . . - - -
Heniochus . - - -
Zanclus .. - - -
Ephippus . . - - 1 =
Drepane. . . - - - -
Mo Scatophagus. } — - = =
Taurichthys . - = = a
ao
!
'
|
ft
1
{
i)
!
rtd tf ow
i
YD Ge ty ib iP |
_
Holocanthus. - -
Pomacentrus. - -
Rlataxdeeancne - -
Psettus. .. - -
Pimilepterus . - - =
—
Lonn!s]! CNWNKEN AND
Lol eowl i
—
—
II.
I
Le eee ees Teee ae
Dipterodon . - -
Brama.. . 1 1 ~
|
iN)
Scorpis. . - -
Pempheris. . -
Toxotes. .» .« -
(II.
I
—
Le ete et oe 7 tot
eet Tet) fe STE i sates al tent}
I
BEN
ne ee ee ee ee ee
1 1 2 3 4 16 | 121 ] 2 1 148
ANABASIDE. fi)
ANABASIDEAA.—PHARYNGIENS LABYRINTHIFORMES.
Tus very remarkable, though small family, offers a curious peculiarity in the
structure of the superior pharyngeal bones, which are partly divided into lamina
that intercept cells of various forms, capable of containing a certain quantity of
water. This apparatus, situated under the cranium, and secluded from the external
air by swelling gill-covers which press firmly against the body, furnishes the means
of moistening the gills when the fish leaves the water. In fact, fish of this family
have the singular habit of occasionally travelling some distance through the grass,
and it is said, even of ascending palm-trees, for the purpose of entering the pools
of water that collect in their cabbage-like tufts of leaves after a shower.
The genera are distinguished from each other by the form of the ventrals, or of
some of the other fins ; the presence or absence of denticulations on the sub-orbitar
bones and opercular pieces ; the form of the mouth; and insertion of the teeth.
Almost all the species, forty in number, are found in fresh waters, and they are all
Asiatic, with the exception of Spirobranchus, which exists in the rivers of the
Cape of Good Hope, and differs from the rest in possessing palatine teeth. The
genera are,
Anabas : 1 Colisa ‘ 9 Trichopus : 1
Helostoma . ] Macropodus 2 Spirobranchus . 1
Polyacanthus 3 Osphromenus 3 Ophiocephalus . 19
76 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
SCOMBEROIDEE.
THERE are few characters that are common to all the fish of this extensive family ;
but as even the most discordant of its members are connected by a continuous
series of intermediate forms, it is impossible to separate them, and there is, indeed,
a certain family likeness which extends to all, arising principally from the small-
ness and thinness of the scales, and the peculiarly soft, smooth aspect of the
integuments; the vertical fins are not scaly; the opercular bones are destitute of
spines or denticulations ; and the pyloric czeca are numerous and often clustered.
Most of the Scomberoideze have the sides of the tail simply keeled, or with the
keels covered by scale-like plates which are themselves keeled: many have the last
rays of the second dorsal and anal fins detached, forming spurious finlets, as they
are termed ; others have the spinous rays of the first dorsal destitute of connecting
membrane, and capable of moving separately ; very generally the caudal is remark-
ably large and powerful, and the tail tapers greatly and is very muscular ; and in
the greater part the spinous rays of the anal form a small fin distinct from the soft
portion. These characters are not all to be found in any one fish or group, but
their various combinations and modifications furnish the means of dividing the
family into several tribes, which are capable of being more exactly defined than
the family itself.
In the first tribe, of which the common mackerel is a typical species, the first
dorsal is continuous; but both that fin and the anal are succeeded by spurious
finlets, and the tail, though keeled, is unarmed: the body is fusiform, and the
vigorous caudal fin gives great natatory power. Lepidopus and Trichiurus are
considered as supplementary to this group*, though they want not only the spurious
finlets, but even all the soft rays of the dorsal: in other respects they closely
resemble Thyrsites and Gempylus, which are legitimate members of the tribe.
In the Histoire des Poissons, the small tribe of “ Espadons” (Xiphid@) follows
next. It is characterised by the elongated form of the snout, resembling the
flat blade of a sword, a javelin, or spit. The fish composing it are like the Tun-
nies in the minuteness of their scales, the keeled tail, the very powerful caudal fin,
and in their interior organization. They have a continuous dorsal, the keels of the
* They are so placed in the Histoire des Poissons, but in the Régne Animal they form the first tribe of the Tenioidee,
or Potssons en ruban.
/
SCOMBEROIDEA. ; UT
tail destitute of scaly plates, teeth like the pile of shorn velvet, and a peculiar struc-
ture of the gills. |
The second grand tribe has the spinous rays of the dorsal standing solitarily
without a connecting membrane, so that they can move separately. Chorinemus
has, in addition to these, spurious finlets behind the dorsal and anal, as in the first
tribe. Rynchobdella and Mastacembelus want the ventrals, and Notacanthus has
the anal united to the caudal, and all the rays of the dorsal detached from each
other.
The third tribe has the lateral line armed in part, or for its whole length, but
chiefly on the sides of the tail, by keeled or hooked shields, or strong scales. This
character, in passing through a succession of genera, becomes gradually less
marked, until the armour is reduced to scales so small, that they are remarkable
merely when viewed in comparison with the more minute scales of the body. The
extensive genus Caranx exhibits this kind of armour in the greatest perfection .
while Vomer may be considered as the type of that section in which it becomes
less and less conspicuous.
The fourth tribe is not so easily defined as the preceding ones, for though the
genera composing it form, by easy transitions, a natural series, there are few posi-
tive characters common to them all; so that recourse must be had to negative ones
for the limitation of the group, such as the want of spurious finlets, or free spines, -
on the back, and of keeled scales on the sides of the tail. ‘The genera Seriola and
Temnodon of this tribe have much affinity with Lichia of the second tribe ; while
Stromateus has the exterior form of many of the Cheetodontoidee. Coryphena
seems to differ widely from both in the compression and vertical height of the head ;
but Lampugus and Centrolophus are links which connect it on one side to Lichia,
and on the other to Stromateus.
The habits of the Scomberoidez are quite in accordance with their great powers
of natation: we find among them many fish that pass their lives remote from the
land in the middle districts of the ocean, and the family may be termed pelagic,
with as much propriety as some of the preceding ones have been named after the
countries where they most abound. The Bonitos and Dolphins, or Coryphzene
especially, roam about within the Tropics, pursuing shoals of various kinds of
flying fish. Several of the Scomberoidese (Coryphena equisetis, C. dolfyn,
C. azorica, Lampugus punctulatus, Centrolophus crassus) have been taken in the
middle longitudes only of the Atlantic, so that they cannot be said to belong to one
continent more than another; and there is a greater number of species that cross
the Atlantic belonging to this family than to any preceding one. Among these
78 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
are, Scomber grex, Pelamys sarda, Trichiurus lepturus, Elecate Atlantica, Lichia
glaucus, Caranx carangus, and Nomeus Mauritit. Several not only traverse the
Atlantic from side to side, but also range through other seas: thus Thynnus
pelamys and Seriola cosmopolita are known on both sides of the Atlantic and in
the Indian Ocean. Auxis vulgaris, which is common to the Mediterranean and
Caribbean seas, also extends to the Indian Archipelago, if the Taso of New Guinea
be the same species. Vomer Brownii visits both sides of the Atlantic, and also
the sea of Peru. Many of the species mentioned above as traversing the Atlantic,
exist also in the Mediterranean ; and there are several others which have an exten-
sive range in the latter sea, and through the whole eastern side of the Atlantic,
though they do not cross to America, such as Scomber scombrus, Lepidopus argy-
reus, Xiphias gladius, and Naucrates ductor * Trachurus saurel exists in the
Mediterranean, and on the east side of the Atlantic, from the English Channel to
the Cape of Good Hope: it is also found in the Indian Ocean, and in all parts of
the Pacific, but not on the American side of the Atlantic. Pelamys Chilensis has
been taken on both sides of the Pacific, namely, at Japan and Valparaiso. ‘The
genera peculiar to a single district of the ocean may be known by a reference to
the subjoined table. They are fewer in proportion than in the preceding families,
and mostly contain only a single species. There are very few fresh-water or river-
fish in the family. Rhynchobdella and Mastacembelus inhahit the rivers and
ponds of India, one species of the latter existing in a river near Aleppo. Nota-
canthus is supposed to inhabit the rivers of Greenland.
* Niphias gludius is enumerated by Dr. Smith in his list of the fish of Massachusetts, but as he has included several
other European species in his list, on very insufficient grounds, further evidence is required of its being an American fish.
SCOMBEROIDEA. 719
pe
GENERA.
European Atlantic,
Azores, & Madeira.
South Australia and
Ocean, and Poly-
New Zealand.
nesia.
Seas of Chili and
Caribbean Sea and
South American
Peru,
African Atlantic.
Atlantic.
Cape of Good Ho
to Madagascar.
Greenland Rivers
Mediterranean and
or Seas.
Black Sea.
North American
Red Sea, Indian
Sea of Japan.
Atlantic.
Scomber . .
Thynous . .
Atuxis\=sr es
Pelamys ..
I.4 Cybium. . .
Thyrsites . .
lee Ro
noe
Gempylus.
Lepidopus .
Trichiurus .
Xiphias. .
Le Makaira
Tetrapturus
Histiophorus.
Naucrates . .
Elecate. . .
Vichiay so)
Chorinemus .
II, S
|
|
f—— | De RK | wl]
1wowrel Ol eo
|
T= Tee ay
1 Ol — tm] mI] =]
[el wlepetl
a
Apolectus. .
Rhynchobdella
Mastacembelus
Notacanthus .
Trachurus. .
@aranxs 3) 2
Olistes . ..
Scyrisi ei)
* i Sake
|
i
!
I
I
Udy (4
4
wore
1
i
|
a
NH HORM KS WON ON LD H]— KH Oe ow
PN
moe RK WOE | NERF On] ReEDK |
|
iy
t
'
Gallichthys .
Argyreyosus
Lefe | Bet et
1
1—1| orl
1
I
bo
Vomertee
Hynnis, , ,
1
—
Pe ROE K | AI
i
J
i
NRK KDOWHKNWWOH ONE PRR Re ww Dw
Seriola . .
Temnodon.
Lactarius ,
Nomeus ..
Nauclerus .
Porthmeus
Psenes . .
Coryphena
IV. Lampugus
Centrolophus.
Astrodermus.
Pteraclis .,
Stromateus, .
Rhombus . .
Luvarus. . .
[ —p |
Lest
[nore
i
i
ie re |
‘
iy |
!
1 oe!
=
CG Omir d. 0
Irowl
!
i
i
| com!
i
_
=|
|
I
—
Pr tot ft bt Peoot tl ee | eR BP eR | motte tt tt | ome ep | te | Beene]
Seserinus .
Kurtus . .
Peete le wwe!
Totals 38 11 44 12 1 23 66 | 139 6 6 10 292
80 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
\
[36.] 1. ScoMBER GREX ET VERNALIs. (Mitchill.) Chub and Spring
Mackerel.
Famity, Scomberoidee. Genus, Scomber. Cuvier.
Thimble-eyed, Bull-eyed, or Chub Mackerel (Scomber grex), Mrrou1ti, New York Tr, i. p. 422.
Spring Mackerel (Scomber vernatis). IneEm, p. 423.
Le petit Maquereau de Atlantique (S. grer). Cuv. et VAL, viii., p. 45.
Le Maquereau printannier (S. vernadis), IpEm, p. 48.
The well-known Scomber scombrus, or Common Mackerel, is the type of the
first tribe of Scomberoidez, which is characterized by spurious finlets situated
behind a continuous dorsal, a fusiform body, a compact, very taper, keeled but
unarmed tail, and a large and powerful caudal fin. The tribe comprises the best-
known fish of the family, and those which are most useful to man, viz., the
Scombri, Thynni, and Orcyni, that traverse the seas in immense shoals, and form
the object of vast and expensive fisheries. ‘The Common Mackerel ranges on the
European side of the Atlantic, from Iceland to the Canaries, and penetrates into
the Baltic, Mediterranean, and Black seas, but not into the sea of Azof. It wants
the air-bladder, but there are two Mediterranean species, S. pnewmatophorus and
colias, which possess that viscus, although they are extremely similar to the scom-
brus in external form. Two American mackerel, named S. grex and vernalis by
Dr. Mitchill, also provided with an air-bladder, have precisely the exterior form
and number of parts* of pneumatophorus, and even their skeletons exhibit no
sensible variations, though there are some differences in the viscera, the stomach
of the American fish being shorter, and the length and number of the pyloric
ceca greater. The only differences between S. grex and vernalis seem to be
in their size and colour, and they are very probably different ages of the same
species. S. grev frequents the whole of the Atlantic coast of the United States,
the Bermudas, the West Indies, the coast of Brazil, and the Cape of Good Hope.
It is highly probable that it also ranges to British North America, for mackerel
exist on the coasts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and La Hontan enumerates
“ maquereaux comme en Europe” among the fish taken in the estuary of the St.
Lawrence. I have not been able to discover if there be mackerel on the Labrador
coast, and have never heard of any having been seen in Hudson’s Bay.
* In Pneumatophorus, Fins.-Br.7 ; D.10/——1/11—5 finlets; 4. 1/11—5 finlets; C.17; P.19; V. 1/5.
SCOMBEROIDEX. 8]
Dr. Mitchill describes S. grex as about ten inches long, having the back marked with
meandering lines of pale and dark green, the green becoming lighter and less mottled towards the
lateral line: the rest of the surface exhibits changeable tints like a pigeon’s neck, or variegated
copper ore. ‘This species occasionally visits the coast of New York in the autumn, as was
memorably the case in 1781 and 1813, when the bays, creeks, and coves were literally alive
with them, and the markets overloaded.
The same author says, the S. vernalis is a very elegant fish, sixteen or seventeen inches
long and three deep. Its back is marked transversely by deep-blue curved parallel bands
reaching below the lateral line. The intervening spaces are of a paler blue and reddish-
brown. The head is bluish with dark spets and shades of green intermixed. The belly is
silvery-white and iridescent, and all the hues are beautifully changeable. This fish is caught
off the New Jersey capes with the hook, and is brought abundantly to the New York market.
Pelamys sarda and Cybium maculatum, also belonging to the first tribe of
Scomberoideze, frequent the coasts of the United States as high as Massachusetts *,
but we have no account of their ranging northwards to the British possessions on
that side of the Atlantic. Pennant gives Xiphias gladius a place among the
American fish, in his Arctic Zoology, for no better reason than because it exists
in most other seas; and Cuvier, though he has traced it from the Baltic through
the North Sea, and the whole European and African Atlantic, and also in the
Mediterranean, never saw an American specimen.
Of the second tribe of this family, Naucrates Noveboracensis, as the name
implies, has been taken on the New York coast. It is most probably, according to
the Histoire des Poissons, the same species with the N. ductor of the Mediter-
ranean and the Tropical Atlantic. Gasterosteus Canadus of Linneus, which
Cuvier refers to his Hlecate Atlantica + (a South American fish that is supposed
to range to the Guinea coast), was sent to Linnzeus from Carolina, and not from
Canada, as its appellation would lead us to suppose. It exists, however, as far
north as New York, having been described and figured under the name of Cen-
tronotus spinosus, or Crab-eater, by Dr. Mitchill, in the New York Transactions
(i., p. 149, pl. 3, f. 9). Three species of Trachinotus are also found on the coasts
of the United States, viz., 7. Juscus, argenteus, and pampanus, which also range
southwards to the Caribbean Sea and Sea of Brazil.
* Lientenant-Colonel H. Smith informs me that Tunnies, most probably belonging to the first of these species, are
taken off Cape Cod, and the latter of the two is enumerated among the fish of Massachusetts, by Dr. J. V. C. Smith.
Cuvier received specimens of both from New York.
+ Elecate Americana, Rég. An.,ii., p. 203.
M
io 9)
(WS)
NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[ 38.] 1. NoracantHus naAsus. (Cuvier.) Beaked Notacanth.
Famity, Scomberoidee, Cuvier. Genus, Notacanthus (Acanthonotus), Buocu.
Acanthonotus nasus. Buocn, t.431. Scunerprr, Bloch, p. 390.
Le Notacanthe nez (Notacanthus nasus). Cuv. et VAL., viii, p. 467.
The genera Rhynchobdella and Mastacembelus, are arranged in the Histoire
des Poissons as an appendix to the second tribe of Scomberoidez, to which they
bear nearly the same relation that the Xiphidee do to the first tribe, by the want of
ventrals ; and they also, by a singular coincidence, show an analogy to the Xip-
hidee, in possessing a somewhat prominent snout. Notacanthus resembles these
genera in having a series of free spines, unconnected by membrane, in place of a
dorsal fin, free spines before the anal, which is long and joins the caudal, small
oval scales, and a prominent snout; but it differs from them in having ventrals,
and from the rest of the Scomberoidee in these fins being attached to the abdomen
far behind the pectorals. It has also some other extraordinary characters.
Its form is riband-like, being greatly elongated and compressed. The anus is about one-
seventh of the total length, nearer to the snout than to the tip of the caudal. There are
about eighty rows of scales in a longitudinal line.
Fins.—Br. 8; D. 10/0; A. 138/116; C.8; P.17; V.1/8. (Hist. des Poiss.)
8; 10/10; A.& C.13/149; 16; 2/10. (Schneider.)
There are about thirty cylindrical, slightly-flattened teeth crowded into a single row on each
side of the upper jaw, and more slender, pointed, and slightly curved ones in the lower jaw,
disposed in three or four rows anteriorly, and in one on the sides. (Hist. des Poiss.)
This fish was supposed by Bloch to be an inhabitant of the Indian Ocean; but
it is, in fact, the native of a widely-distant country. Fabricius received a specimen
from Greenland, and described it under the generic appellation of Campylodon.
It was found in the winter time, lying dead near a hole in the ice, on one of the
rivers of that country, but it was not known whether it had come out of the water
by itself, or had been taken and abandoned there by a fisherman.
Four of the third tribe of Scomberoideee, or those which have the sides of the
tail and part, or the whole, of the rest of the lateral line armed with scaly plates,
are known to frequent the coasts of the United States ; viz., Caranx punctatus,
C. chrysos, Argyreyosus vomer, and Vomer Brownii, but the limit of their range
northwards is not ascertained. Zeus gallus, L., is mentioned by Fabricius in the
SCOMBEROIDES. 83
Fauna of Greenland ; but, in the first place, it cannot now be determined what
the species was to which Linnzeus gave that appellation, as in his list of Synonyma
he has referred to fish of different genera *, and from various seas. In the second
place, Fabricius did not see the fish himself, but merely learned from the Green-
landers, who called it “‘ Kolliooseuternak,” that it was extremely rare, and was
furnished with four very long threads or tendrils, two of them placed forwards,
and two behind. Cuvier thinks that it may have been the Lampris guttatus,
which forms the subject of the next article.
The following fish of the fourth tribe of Scomberoidee frequent the Atlantic
coasts of the United States:—Seriola Boscii, fasciata, leiarchus, zonatus, and
cosmopolita, Temnodon saltator, Coryphena Sueurii, Pteraclis Carolinus, and
Rhombus longipinnus and eryptosus.
[39.] 1. Zeus (Lampris) cuttatus. (Retzius.) The Opah.
Famity, Scomberoidee, Cuvier. Gzxnus, Zeus, Linn. Sub-yenus, Lampris, Rerzivs.
Piscis maculis aureis aspersus, non scriptus. S1BBaLp, Scotia IlZ,, t. vi. £3. An. 1683.
A curious fish, &e. Biaranp and Morrimer. Pail. Tr., xlvi., p. 518. An. 1750.
Opah doree. Prnn. Br. Zool., iii., p. 299, t. 46.
Zeus opah. Ipem, 4rct. Zool. suppl., p. 419, No. 102. An. 1785.
“ Zeus guttatus. Brunnicu in Nya Samling, iii., p. 398, t. A.”
* Lampris guttatus. Rerzius, Mya Hand. ili. p.91. An. 1799. Cuv. Reg. An., ii. p. 211.
Zeus luna. Scunewer, Blochii syst., p. 96. An. 1801.
The Linnean genus Zeus, as restricted by Cuvier, comprehends fish which have
a compressed body, a very protractile mouth, small scales, and few and feeble
teeth. In the protrusive jaws it resembles the Meenoideee, and differs from the
Scomberoidee, with which, indeed, it is not connected by many other external
characters than the smallness of the scales. It is divisible into several sub-genera,
as Zeus (Cuy.), in which the spines of the notched dorsal are accompanied by long
strips of membrane, and there is a row of forked spines along the base of that fin
and of the anal. The type of this sub-genus is the well-known “ John Dory”
(jaune dorée), which has stood high in the estimation of English epicures, since
the time that Quin made the discovery of its excellent flavour. A second sub-
genus, the Capros of Lacépéde, contains only the Zeus aper of Linnzeus, a Medi-
terranean fish. It has the notched dorsal of the dories, with still more protractile
jaws, but wants the forked spines at the bases of the dorsal and anal: its whole
body is covered with rough scales. The sub-genus Hquu/a contains small fishes,
* Gallichthys, Argyreyosus, Vomer, &c.
M 2
84 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
many of them inhabitants of the Indian Ocean. They have a single dorsal with
many basal spines, the anterior ones sometimes very tall, a compressed body, a
very protractile muzzle, and the rims of the back and belly denticulated. The
genus Lampris of Retzius, or Chrysotosus of Lacépede, has also only a single
dorsal, with one small spine at the base of its very high anterior rays. The ven-
trals have ten very long rays, and the lobes of the caudal are also greatly elongated,
but all these prolonged fins wear down with age. The sides of the tail are keeled.
The opah, the only known species, is an inhabitant of the North Sea. Sir George
Mackenzie informs us, that it frequents the Iceland seas; and if Cuvier’s conjec-
ture, alluded to in a preceding page, be correct, it is an occasional visiter of the
Greenland coast. Pennant states that it has been taken at Newfoundland ; and
Dr. J. V. C. Smith enumerates it among the fish of Massachusetts. It has been
several times driven by storms upon the shores of Great Britain, and we have given
several references to authors who have noticed it*. Their descriptions, however,
differ in so many particulars, that it excites a doubt whether they had all the same
species under examination. Sir Robert Sibbald’s figure, which is the earliest, has
the high commencement of the dorsal separated from the lower part of the fin by a
small space; and Pennant’s differs in several respects from that in Griffith’s
Cuvier. The colours also vary with the describer.
In the Régne Animal the body is said to be spotted with white, and the fins to be red.
Sir Robert Sibbald calls the spots golden. Dr. Mortimer states the back to be dark blue or
violet, and, as well as the bright green sides, to be dotted all over with oblong white spots ;
the jaws pale red; the nose, gills, and belly silvery; and all the fins bright scarlet. One
caught in Torbay is described by Pennant’s correspondent as being in general of a vivid
transparent scarlet, varnished over with burnished gold, and bespangled with oval silver spots
of various sizes. Mr. Harrison, of Newcastle, speaking of another which was cast upon the
sands at Blyth, says ‘ all the fins are of a fine scarlet, but the colours and beauty of the rest
of the body, which is smooth and covered with almost imperceptible scales, beggars all
description ; the upper part being a bright green, variegated with whitish spots, and enriched
with a shining golden hue, like the splendor of a peacock’s feather ; this by degrees vanishes
in a bright silvery tint, and near the belly the gold again predominates in a lighter ground
than on the back.” (Br. Zool.) ‘This fish attains a great size ; the one mentioned above, as
being taken in Torbay, was four feet and a half long, two feet and a quarter high, but only
four inches thick: it weighed one hundred and forty pounds.
Fins.—Br.6; P.21; V.18; A. 36; C.19; D. 14/48. (Schneider.)
Br.6; P.16; V.16; A. 36; C.26; D. 56. (Retzius.)
* The following may be added from the Régne Animal. Zeus regius, Bonnar. Ene. Ichthyol. £.155. Zeus imperi-
alis, Suaw. Nat. Misc., No. 140. Z. dena, Guz1. Scomber pelagrcus, GUNNER, Mem. de Dronth., iv., xii., 1. Le Cryso-
tose June, LACEP., iv., ix. 3. Le Poisson de dune, DUHAMEL, Sect. iv. pl, Vie, f. 5.
TENIOIDE. 895
TANIOIDE#.
Tue publication of the Histoire des Poissons having as yet advanced no farther
than the Scomberoideze, we are unable to continue the tables of the geographical
distribution of the species; but taking the Régne Animal as our guide, we shall
give brief notices of the characters of the few remaining families of Acanthopte-
rygii. In the latter work the Poissons en ruban, or Tenioides, immediately
succeed the Scomberoidez, with which they are nearly connected; indeed, this
affinity is considered to be so strong, that Lepidopus and Trichiurus, which form
the first tribe of the Tzenioidee in the Régne Animal, are transferred to the Scom-
beroidez in the Histoire des Poissons. Only four genera remain, and the species
they contain have, as the family name denotes, a riband-like form, that is, a greatly
elongated body with very flat sides: the scales are very small, the gill-rays are six
in number, and the ventrals thoracic. Gymnetrus and Stylephorus form one tribe,
characterised by a small and slightly-cleft mouth. They are distinguished from
each other by the shape of the tail, which, in the former, terminates in a little
hook, and in the latter is prolonged by a slender cord that exceeds the body in
length. Gymnetrus is remarkable for the form of its fins, which are very long,
and so fragile that they are perfect in young fish only. The anterior rays of the
dorsal standing on the nape look like a tall plume; the caudal, which contains few
but long rays, rises vertically from the extremity of the tail; the ventrals are also
very long, but the anal is wanting: the mouth is very protractile, and is armed
with a few small teeth; the lateral line gives origin to a series of small spines
which are most prominent on the tail; the ceeca are numerous, but there is no
air-bladder. Four species of this very curious genus are indicated in the Régne
Animal, one of them being common to the Mediterranean and North Sea, two
proper to the latter, and two to the Indian Ocean. Sty/ephorus contains only one
known species, which was taken in the Gulf of Mexico. It had no ventrals, and
the caudal fin was shorter than in the preceding genus. Another tribe includes
the two remaining genera, which have a short muzzle and an obliquely-cleft mouth.
Cepola has but two or three non-articulated rays in the long dorsal, which are as
flexible as the others ; but the ventral spines are pungent. The anal is long like
the dorsal, and extends to the base of the caudal: there are six gill rays, con-
spicuous teeth, some ceeca, and an air-bladder. One species is indicated as inha-
86 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
biting the Mediterranean, and another the sea of Japan. Lophotes contains only
a single species, which inhabits the Mediterranean, but is very rarely caught. It
has the top of the head elevated by a high bony crest, to which there is articulated
a long and strong spine, having a membranous border ; the dorsal, continued from
this spine to the point of the tail, has short, simple rays, and there is a very small,
distinct caudal : the ventrals are scarcely perceptible. The teeth are pointed and
widely set.
SIGANOIDEH.—LES THEUTYES.
Tuis family, which is peculiar to the warmer districts of the ocean, is as closely
allied to the Scomberoidez as the preceding one ; but by other characters, such as
the lateral armature of the tail in some genera, or the spine imbedded before the
dorsal, in others. In all, the body is compressed, oblong, and surmounted by a
single dorsal; the mouth is but slightly, or not at ail, protractile; each jaw is
armed with a single row of cutting teeth ; the palate and tongue are toothless ; and
the gill-rays are four or five in number. The Siganoideze live on fuci and other
sea-weeds, and their intestines are capacious, in conformity with their herbivorous
habits. The genera are fewin number. ‘The first, Siganus, is distinguished from
every other genus of fish by the ventrals having an exterior and interior spine
which enclose the soft rays between them. It has an unarmed tail, as has also the
genus Priodon. Acanthurus has a moveable spine on each side of the tail, which
is capable of making a wound like a surgeon’s lancet, and some of the species have
also a brush of coarse hairs on the forepart of the lateral line. Prionurus and
Naseus have fixed cutting lamine on the sides of the tail, and Axinurus has but
one of these laminze on each side; it also differs from the others in its teeth being
very slender. dcanthurus hepatus is enumerated by Schoepf among the New
York fish. There are some other species in the warmer parts of the Atlantic,
but the greater part of the family inhabit the Indian and Pacific oceans. The
Acanthurus triostegus, and four others of that genus, were seen at Otaheite by the
naturalists of Captain Beechey’s expedition.
a
MUGILOIDEZ. 87
MUGILOIDE.
THE Linnean genus Mugil exhibits so many peculiarities of organization, that
Cuvier thinks it ought to be considered as a distinct family. The fish composing
it have a nearly cylindrical form, large scales, two distinct dorsals, of which the
foremost contains only five spinous rays, and ventrals situated a little posterior to
the pectorals. The gill-rays are only six in number, the head is slightly depressed,
and is protected by large scales or polygonal plates, the snout is very short, and
the orifice of the mouth is transverse, with a re-entering angle formed by a keel-
like eminence of the lower jaw, fitted to a corresponding depression on the upper
one. The teeth are extremely fine, and often nearly imperceptible, but the pha-
ryngeal bones are much developed, and give to the entrance of the oesophagus thie
form of an angular slit, resembling the orifice of the mouth, through which liquids,
or very attenuated food, alone can pass. The stomach is muscular like the gizzard
of a fowl, the pyloric ceeca are few in number, and the intestine is long and doubled
upon itself. The Mullets are esteemed to be fish of an excellent flavour. ‘They
enter bays and the mouths of rivers in large shoals, and have the habit of leaping
high out of the water. Six species are noticed in the Régne Animal, as inhabit-
ants of the European seas: viz., I. auratus, saltator, and labeo, proper to the
Mediterranean ; M. capito and chelo, common to that sea and the North Atlantic ;
and M. cephalus, likewise found in the Mediterranean, but ranging through the
African Atlantic to the Cape of Good Hope, and existing also in the Red Sea, if
it be the same species with the M. our of Forskal, as is most probably the case.
Five or six species belong to America, which have been confounded by authors
under the name of M. albula. One of them, M. kneatus, frequents the coasts of
the United States, where it attains the weight of two pounds and a half. Many
species exist in the Indian Ocean, and one was observed in the harbour of Mazatlan,
South California, by the naturalists of Captain Beechey’s expedition.
The Tetraconurus Cuvieri (Ross?), a fish inhabiting the greatest depths of
the Mediterranean, is an isolated species, which appears to be the only indication
of a peculiar family. It derives its name from two salient ridges on each side of
the tail, and in its structure it partly resembles the Mugiloidez, and partly the
Scomberoidez.
88 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
ATHERINA is also a genus which does not associate well with any other. It
comprises small fish, whose young assemble in crowded shoals, and are greatly
prized for their delicate flavour. They have an elongated body, two dorsals very
widely separated, ventrals posterior to the pectorals, a very protractile mouth,
which is armed with exceedingly slender teeth, six gill-rays and no ceca. All the
known species have a broad silvery stripe on each flank. Four species, hitherto
confounded under the name of 4. hepsetus, exist in the European seas, and there
are a considerable number in the Indian, Polynesian, Australian, and American
seas. Dr. Mitchill enumerates three among the fish of New York, 4. mordaz,
viridescens, and notata, the latter being the 4. menidia of Linneus. They are
known by the names of “ Silver sides,” or “ Silver fish.”
GOBIOIDEE.
THE Gobioidee may be recognised by the slenderness and flexibility of their dorsal
rays. They have an uniformly wide intestinal canal, no pyloric czeca, and no air-
bladder*. The family is divided into the following genera :—Blennius, Anar-
rhichas, Gobius, Calhonymus, and Platyptera.
[ 40. ] 1. Brennius (Curnus) punctatus. (Fabr.) The Akooliakeetsok.
Faminy, Gobioidee. Genus, Blennius. Sub-genus, Clinus, Cuvier.
Blennius punctatus. Fasr. Fauna Grenl., p.153, N. 110.
Centronotus punctatus. Scunerper, Bloch, p. 166.
Akooliakeetsok. GREENLANDERS.
The genus BLEeNntus has a well-marked character in its jugular ventrals, com-
posed of two rays only. The body is elongated and compressed, the dorsal single,
and its rays are almost all simple, though flexible. The skin is covered with
mucus. Many of the species are viviparous, and both sexes are provided with a
tubercle near the anus. The Blennies in general have the habit of swimming in
* Most of the Gobies have a simple air-bladder.
GOBIOIDES. 89
small parties among rocks near the shore, and of leaping about on the strand, being
capable of existing for some time out of the water. They are in no repute as
articles of food. Eight sub-genera are indicated in the Régne Animal. ‘The first
(Les Blennies proprement dits) is characterised by the single row of long, equal,
crowded teeth in each jaw, terminated posteriorly, in some species, by a long curved
tooth. The head is obtuse, the snout short, and the forehead vertical ; the dorsal
may be either two-lobed, or almost or altogether even. Most of the species have
a barbel over each eye, often in form of a tufted fringe, and many have also a tuft
on the temples. In others the superciliary tufts are scarcely perceptible, but the
head is surmounted by a membranous crest which swells and reddens in the nup-
tial season. Others again (Pholis, Artedi) have neither crests nor superciliary tufts.
Seven species belonging to this sub-genus are particularised in the Régne Animal
as inhabitants of the European seas: one as belonging to the Indian Ocean, and
another to the Sea of Brazil. There are doubtless many other foreign species, and
several have been noticed by American naturalists, as inhabitants of the coasts of
the United States *. None are mentioned by authors as frequenting the coasts of
British America.
My xodes and Salarias, the second and third sub-genera, differ from the pre-
‘ceeding chiefly in the form of the head. The former comprises some non-descript
species, and the latter fish of the Indian Ocean. The fourth sub-genus, Clinus,
has several rows of short pointed teeth, the first row being the longest. In some
species, which have tufts over the eyes, the foremost rays of the dorsal are sepa-
rated bya notch from the rest of the fin, or the anterior bit of the fin may be
altogether detached, so as to appear like a crest on the back of the head. In
others, the dorsal is continuous and even. The species indicated in the Régne
Animal inhabit the North Sea, the South Atlantic in the vicinity of the Cape of
Good Hope, and the Sea of New Zealand. The “ akoolia-keetsok ” of the Green-
landers belongs to this sub-genus. It inhabits deep waters, and is often found in
the stomachs of the gadi, pleuronectes, and other large fish. The following
description of it is abridged from Fabricius.
LenerH six inches, depth one. Bopy thicker than the head, and nearly of equal girth
throughout. Snout thin, the jaws equal, the forehead flattish. The dorsal and anal are con-
tinued to the caudal fin, the former being joined to it by membrane, but the anal distinct.
Skin lubricous with minute imbedded scales. The cotour is tawny; the head is dotted with
white, the throat, pectorals, and caudal are striped with the same, and there are about seven
* Blennius pholis, Mircu1tu. New York Tr.,i.,p. 374. B. hentz, Le Surur. Journ. Ac. Se. Phil., iv., p. 361. Blennius
genanatus, B, punctatus, Pholis novemlineatus, and Ph, quadrifasicatus, Woop. Journ. Ac. Sc. Phil., iv., p. 278.
N
90 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
brown streaks on the cheeks. There are five black spots, joined to as many white ones, on
the dorsal, and about twelve less conspicuous, and all black, on the anal.
Fins.—Br. 7; D. 50; P.17; V.4*; A. 38; C. 18.
[4l.] 2. Burennius (Cuinus) tumpenus. (Fabr.) The Lumpen.
Blennius cirris subgula pinniformibus quasi bifidis, areolis dorsi transversis. ARTEDI.
Syn, p. 45. :
Blennius lumpenus. Fasr, Fauna Grent., p. 151.
Teyarnak. GREENLANDERS.
This is another Greenland species which is considered to be the same with one
that exists on the Dutch coast. In calms it reposes on the clayey or sandy bottom
of the places it frequents, with its body bent backwards and forwards; at other
times it conceals itself among the sea-weed. It spawns among the fuci in the
month of July.
DESCRIPTION
Abridged from the Fauna Grenlandica.
Lencru eleven inches and a quarter, the thickness being scarcely one. Its body is round,
nearly of equal diameter from the head to the anus, from whence it becomes more lanceolate.
Head narrower than the body, mouth small, the upper jaw scarcely longer than the lower one.
The ventral fins are so soft, white, and slender, that they may be readily taken for gular bar-
bels ; they contain, however, three rays, the lower of which is the longest, and is divided from
the next by a fissure: the upper ray is so small as to be scarcely perceptible. The even
dorsal occupies the whole back, but is distinct from the obovate caudal: its spines curve back-
wards. ‘The scales are small, round, and firmly imbedded in the smooth skin. The back
and sides have a palish colour, and are marked irregularly with brown spotted circles: the
head and pectorals are yellowish, and the belly white, with a yellowish tint behind the anus.
The fifth sub-genus of the Blennies is Cirrhibarba, which is founded on a single
Indian species, having the form of Clinus, but teeth like velvet pile, a small barbel
over each eye, another at the nostril, three large ones at the extremity of the snout,
and eight on the tip of the jaw.
* Pinne ventrales minula quatuor quidem constant radis molhbus, &c.
GOBIOIDE. 9]
[42.] 1. Biennius (CENTRONOTUS) GUNNELLUS. (Linn.) Spotted
Gunnelle.
Faminy, Gobioidex, Cuvier. Genus, Blennius, Linn. Sub-genus, Centronotus, SCHNEIDER.
B. gunnellus. Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. xiii, i. p.442. Fasr. Faun. Groen., p. 149.
Spotted Blenny. Penn., Br. Zool., iii., p. 282.
Kurksaunak, GrEENLANDERS,
Centronotus, the sixth sub-genus of the Blennies, has still smaller ventrals than
the rest, these fins being scarcely perceptible, and often consisting of only a single
ray. The head is small, the body elongated like the blade of a sword, and the
dorsal, which extends the whole length of the back, is sustained throughout by
simple rays. The dentition is similar to that of Clinus. The Spotted Gunnelle
abounds in the European seas, is common in the gulfs and bays of Greenland, and
probably frequents the whole American coast down to Newfoundland. Fabricius
informs us, that in Greenland it dwells among the sea-weeds which grow near the
shore, and that though it swims swiftly, after the manner of an eel, it often becomes
a prey to the Bull-heads, Motellze, and other littoral fish, as well as to various sea-
birds. It feeds upon marine insects and. small crustaceze. The only American
specimen that we have seen was brought from the Labrador coast by Mr. Audubon,
and is now in the possession of Mr. Yarrell. From long immersion in rum, in the
same jar with some echini, it has become totally black, so that a comparison of its
markings with those of the European fish cannot be made, and we are also ignorant
of its internal structure. In external form, however, it bears a very close resem-
blance to a number of British specimens belonging to Mr. Yarrell, except that its
head is proportionably somewhat longer, and its gill-cover rather more pointed.
Fabricius mentions that large specimens taken on the Greenland coast are nine
inches long, and that he saw one which measured a foot ; but his description agrees
so well with the English gunnelle, that there is no ground for believing it to be a
distinct species, although the latter does not usually exceed six inches in length.
DESCRIPTION
Of a Labrador specimen preserved in rum.
Form—elongated, much compressed, particularly posteriorly : profile almost linear, the
head rather obtuse, the tail slightly lanceolate, its tip, to which the caudal is attached, being
rounded. The depth of the body, at any point between the nape and midway between the
anus and caudal, is about one-eleventh of the total length, excluding the caudal. The anus
is situated under the thirty-third or thirty-fourth dorsal spine. The head forms one-seventh
N 2
92 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
of the length, is narrow, and tapers to a ridge before the eyes, the tip of the upper jaw being,
however, rounded. When the mouth is closed, the under jaw ascends considerably, and the
commissure of the lips is at the extremity of the head; but when the under jaw is depressed
it is longer than the upper one. The lips fold back on the mandibles. The operculum is
heart-shaped, its apex having a membranous margin which forms the acute tip of the gill-
cover. Gill-membranes united under the isthmus forming a transverse loose flap. A row of
pores runs along each limb of the lower jaw, round the orbits, up the preoperculum, and
across the nape.
TrertH—short, erect, and acute merely from their slenderness, disposed in a single row on
the sides of the jaws, but aggregated anteriorly into two rows on the lower jaw, and into three
in the upper one. There is also a transverse, two-rowed cluster of rather smaller teeth on
the vomer, but the palate-bones are smooth.
ScaLes—minute, not tiled, and in most places searcely touching, enveloped in the mucus
which exudes from the skin. Lateral line straight and nearer to the belly than to the back.
Fins.—Br. 5—5; D. 78/; A. 2/43; P. 12; V. 1/1, C. 20.
The dorsal fin commences opposite to the tip of the gill-cover, and extends to the caudal,
to which it is united by membrane: it is about two lines high throughout; its rays are all
spinous and scarcely flexible, with their acute points protruding beyond the membrane. Mr.
Yarrell reckons from seventy-six to eighty dorsal rays in the English Gunnelle ; but Fabricius
enumerates eighty-eight, which is almost the only discrepancy betwixt his description and
our fish. The pectorals have an acutely lanceolate outline, and are attached opposite to the
first dorsal spine. The ventrals are very small, and contain one conspicuous spine, with a
minute branching ray imbedded in the membrane. They are situated a little before the pec-
torals. 'The anal commences close to the anus: its two anterior rays are spinous * and shorter
than the others, which are forked and as long as the dorsal spines: the membrane of the anal
unites with the cuneiform caudal, which is rounded at the end.
Cotour.—Fabricius gives the following account of the Spotted Gunelle of Greenland. The
body is greyish-yellow, with pale yellowish marks on the sides before the anus, and whitish
ones behind: there are also twelve white marks with black centres upon the base of the dor-
sal fin, and as many totally white ones of a smaller size. The fins are yellowish, the anal and
forepart of the dorsal being tawny; a black stripe crosses the gill-covers and crown of the
head; there is another between the eyes; two white stripes alternate with these ; and the
throat is white. Mr. Yarrell says, “The uniform dark colour of my American specimen
obscures every trace of spots. In the British fish, the black spots of the dorsal fin are partly
encircled with a white line; but these markings do not occur on the anal fin, which rather
partakes of the mottled alternate dark and light brown of the body.”
* One of Mr. Yarrell’s English specimens has two minute spines imbedded in the membrane behind the two ordinary
ones at the commencement of the fin. Fabricius enumerates six gill-rays; the Labrador fish appears to me to contain
five ineach membrane; while Mr. Yarrell says there is “ nothing deserving the name of branchiostegous rays beyond four,
in either the American or British specimens.”—Fabricius’s words are:—“ Membrana branchiostega, sex quidem radios habet,
duos infertores minutissimos, tamen et facile pretereundos.”
GOBIOIDE. 93
Dimensions
Of the Labrador specimen.
Inches. Lines. Inches, Lines.
Length from tip of upper jawtoendof caudal 7 4 Length of caudal fin : 2 3 5 fH) 5
: x tip of tail : 7 0 Depth of body . 5 4 z 4 0 8g
” ”n anus 4 8) 6
* 5 tip of gill-cover 0 102
9 ” nape ° 0 7
or 3 tip of labial . 0 4
The Kamtschatka “ Butter-Fisu,” the Ophidium ocellatum, or Blennius
ocellatus of Tilesius (Mem. de St. Petersb., ili., p. 237, t. 8, f. 2), which has six
round spots on the dorsal, is considered by Cuvier to be akin to the Centronoti.
It inhabits the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul. ‘Tilesius alludes to other spe-
cies that frequent the sea of Kamtschatka and the vicinity of the Kurile Islands,
as having been described by Pallas in his unpublished Fauna Rossica.
The PusTtuLATED BLENNy, noticed by Pennant in the Supplement to his
Arctic Zoology, p. 115, as an inhabitant of the sea of Newfoundland, is said te
have a pale, dull, yellow colour, with the whole body spotted in form of pustules ;
but no character is given by which we can infer that it belongs to any of the pre-
ceding sub-genera.
The Zoarcés have no spinous rays whatever ; yet Cuvier thinks that they cannot
be separated from the Blennies, which they resemble in having an anal tubercle,
intestines without czeca, a smooth oblong body, and six gill-rays. Their ventrals
are three-rayed, their teeth conical and arranged in one row on the sides of the
jaws, but in several rows in front; the palate is toothless. Their vertical fins are
united, the dorsal being, however, depressed at its junction with the caudal. The
Z. viviparus, gutter, or eelpout of the European seas, is about a foot long. The
Z. labrosus (Mitchill, pl. 1, f. 7), which frequents the coast of New York, attains
the length of three feet and a half.
O4 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[ 43. ] 1. BiEnnius (ZoaRcES?) PoLaRis. (Sabine.)
Famity, Gobioidew. Genus, Blennius. Sub-genus, Zoarces. Cuvier.
Blennius polaris, Sapine, App. Parry’s First Voy., p. ecxii.
Ross, (Captain J.C.) Parry’s Polar Voy., p. 200.
Iben, 4pp,, liii. An. 1835. i
On Captain Parry’s memorable expedition, which first explored the way into
the Polar Sea through Lancaster Sound, a blenny was found on the shore of North
Georgia, where it had been left by the tide. We subjoin Captain Sabine’s account
of this individual, which is not sufficiently minute in the description of the teeth,
and some other particulars, to enable us to refer the species positively either to
Zoarces or to any of the sub-genera. In the want of scales it agrees with Zoarces.
«Tt bears a very near resemblance to the description and figure of B. viviparus in Mul-
ler’s Zoologia Danica, but differs in the following particulars : the dorsal fin is united to the
anal and caudal: the pectoral is not orbicular, as its length exceeds twice its breadth: the
number of the rays fifteen. The teeth, though small, are sufficiently conspicuous to the
naked eye: the colour a yellowish ground, lighter under the belly, having eleven large saddle-
shaped, brown markings across its back; the middle of these markings being much lighter
than the edges ; the whole back and sides have a marbled appearance ; the yellowish ground,
when viewed in a microscope, is thickly sprinkled with minute black specks. No scales were
discovered, but they may have possibly been removed with the sand which had adhered to
the mucous coating of the skin, and which was washed off. Length seven inches. . The
upper jaw projects rather more than the plate of the B. viviparus in the Zool. Dan. Ven-
tral fins of two spines enclosed in a lax skin. This species is distinguished from the B. lum-
penus, by the union of the dorsal and caudal fins, and by the upper jaw being considerably
longer than the lower; and from B. ocellatus, Mem. de Petersb., t. 3, pl. 8, f. 2, by the ven-
tral fins, which are wanting in the ocellatus, as well as by the absence of the spots on the
dorsal fin of the latter.
« B. imberbis, pinnis anali, caudali, dorsalique unitis.”—SaBine, l. c.
Captain James C. Ross, on his recent expedition, took a specimen of this fish from the
stomach of a gadus callarias, which was caught on the west side of the peninsula of Boothia ;
and he also discovered it in the Spitzbergen seas, when accompanying Sir Edward Parry on
his most adventurous boat excursion over the ice.
GOBIOIDEA. 95
f44.] 1. AwnarRRuicHAs Lupus. (Linn.) Common Wolf-fish.
Famity, Gobioidee, Cuvier. Genus, Anarrhichas, Linn.
Anarrhichas lupus. Fasr. Faun. Greni., p. 138, No. 97.
Keegooteeleek. GREENLANDERS.
Cuvier considers the genus dnarrhichas to be so nearly allied to Blennius, that
the principal difference is in the absence of the ventrals. The dorsal extends from
the nape almost to the caudal, and is supported throughout by simple, but not stiff
rays. The anal also nearly reaches the caudal, which is rounded as well as the
pectorals. The whole body is smooth and slimy. The jaws, vomer, and palate-
bones are armed with large bony tubercles which support on their summits little
enamelled teeth, but the anterior teeth are conical and longer. There are six gill-
rays, and neither ceca nor air-bladder. The fish of this genus being generally of
a large size, and furnished with jaws so well armed, are dangerous.
The Common Wolf-fish inhabits the North Sea, being common enough as low
as the French coast; and it is not rare in the southern bays of Greenland. Fabri-
cius says that the largest one he saw was two feet long; but in the European
seas, according to Gronovius, Cuvier, &c., it reaches the length of seven feet. One,
three feet long, weighs about twenty pounds. On the Greenland coast it asso-
ciates itself with the Common Lump-fish, migrating along with it ; that is, retiring
from the coast to the deep sea in autumn, and returning again in spring. Its
great size and formidable teeth do not protect it from the assaults of the Lump-fish,
for the latter, when alarmed for the safety of its offspring, pursues the Wolf-fish, and
fastening upon its neck persecutes it to death, at least, such is the account given by
Fabricius. It feeds upon crustaceze and shell-fish, which it breaks in pieces with
its teeth. Its motion is serpentine, like that of an eel, and when it is seen reposing
in the cleft of a rock its body is undulated. It spawns in May, among the larger
sea-weeds, a short way from the shore. It has a hoary colour with a whitish
belly, dark head with white specks, and two rows of large blackish lateral spots ;
but there is considerable variety in the depth of the tints.
Fins.—Br. 7; D.73/; P. 20; V.0; 4.45; C.18. (Fauna Grenl.)
96 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[ 45. ] 2. ANARRHICHAS MINOR. (Olafsen.) Lesser Wolf-fish.
“ Hlyre (4. minor). Owarsens og Bjarne, &c. Ann. 1772, p. 592, t. xiii.”
Anarrhichas minor. Fasricius. Faun. Grenl., p. 139.
Kerrak. GREENLANDERS,
This species was seen in Greenland, and described by the Missionary Glahn in
the year 1'766, but it did not come under the notice of Fabricius. Its teeth are
said to be different from those of the preceding species in form and arrangement,
and to have a more cartilaginous texture. The fish was first described and figured
by Olafsen, in the account of his voyage to Iceland.
Fins.—D. 70; P.20; A. 44; C.21. (Fauna Grenl.)
Gosius. (Linn.) Fish belonging to this genus may be recognised at first
sight by the union of their thoracic ventrals, either along their whole length, or
merely at their bases, so as to form a single, hollow, and more or less funnel-shaped
disk. Their gill-flaps, furnished with five rays only, are generally only slightly
open, and, like the blennies, they can live for some time out of the water; they
resemble these fish likewise in the structure of the intestines, the presence of the
same little protuberance behind the anus, and in some of the species being vivi-
parous. They are fish of a small or middle size, which live among rocks near the
shore. Most of them have a simple air-bladder.
There are several sub-genera. Gobius (Lacép.) or the true Gobies, have the ventrals most
completely united, the disk extending even before their bases, where it is margined by a trans-
verse membrane. ‘The species are numerous, many inhabiting the seas of Europe, and some
even the fresh waters. Olivi, who studied the manners of one which inhabits the lagoons of
Venice, observed that it preferred a clayey bottom, in which it excavated tunnels for its winter
retreats. In the spring it selected a place abounding with fuci for its nest, and covering it with
the roots of the Zostera maritima, he male shut himself up therein to wait for the females,
who came in succession to deposit their roe which he fecundates, watches, and defends
courageously. From these facts Cuvier judges this goby to be the phycis of the ancients, the
only fish, says Aristotle, which constructs a nest. G. bose (Lacépéde) inhabits the bay of
New York *.
The' Gobioides of Lacépéde differ from the true gobies in the union of the dorsals into a
* It is the Gobius alepidotus, ScunsiweR, B/., and the G. viridi-paliidus, Mircui. New York Tr., p. 379, pl. 1, f. 8
GOBIOIDEZ. Q7
single fin, and the more lengthened form of the body. The third sub-genus Tenioides
(Lacépede) contains but one species, which has a very extraordinary aspect. It has the
single dorsal of the Gobioides with a still longer body. The lower jaw rises before the upper
one, which is very short, and both are armed with long hooked teeth. The minute eyes are
concealed beneath the skin, and the fish inhabits the muddy bottoms of ponds in the East
Indies. A fourth sub-genus Periophtalmus (Schn.) contains fish of the Moluccas which have
the whole head scaly, and the pectorals also scaly for half their length, so that these fins
appear to be supported upon arms. Their gill-openings being still narrower than in the other
gobies, these fish can live longer in the air, and they often creep and jump upon the mud to
escape from their enemies in the water, or to catch the small craw-fish, which form their prin-
cipal nourishment. Some of them have a ventral disk like the gobies, others have the ventrals
separate almost to their bases. The fifth sub-genus, Eleotris, differs from the others in
having distinct ventrals and six gill-rays. ‘There are species in the East and West Indies *,
Africa, and the Mediterranean, most of them inhabitants of fresh water, and often of mud.
Caxtuionymus. (Linn.) The fish of this genus have two remarkable charac-
ters in their gill-openings, being restricted to a hole on each side of the nape, and
in their ventrals being placed widely apart under the throat, and exceeding the
pectorals in size. ‘Their eyes are vertical, their intermaxillaries very protractile,
and their preoperculum elongated posteriorly and terminating by spines. Their
teeth are small and crowded, but there are none on the palate. They have the
tubercle behind the anus, and want the ceca and air-bladder like the blennies.
They are pretty fish with a smooth skin, and their first dorsal, which is supported
by a few setaceous rays, is often very elevated. ‘There are several species in the
European seas, and others in the Indian Ocean. Tvrichonotus setigerus (Schn.)
appears to be merely a very elongated Callionymus, but the gill-openings are said
to be fully cleft. Callionymus Baicalensis (Comephorus, Lacép.) has wide gill-
openings, with seven rays in the membrane, very long pectorals, and, what is a
peculiarity in this family, no ventrals. It is thrown up dead from the bottom of
Lake Baikal after a storm.
PLATYPTERA contains two East-Indian fish, which have the large and distant
ventrals of Callionymus, a short depressed head, small mouth, wide gill-openings,
large scales, and short dorsals placed far apart.
* Eleotris dormitatria.
98 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[46.] 1. Currus monopreryeius. (Cuvier.) Hven-finned Chirus.
.
Famury, Gobioideer ? Cuvier. Genus, Chirus. STerier.
Labrax monopterygius. Paras, AZém. de Pétersb., ii., p. 391, pl. xxiii. f. 1.
The indefatigable Steller discovered two species of fish in the sea of Kamt-
schatka, and left descriptions of them in manuscript, under the names of Lebius,
Chirus vel Labrax, and Hexagrammos. ‘Tilesius also saw two in the same seas,
one of which he described and figured as the Hexagrammos Stelleri, in the
Mémoires de L’ Academie des Sciences de St. Pétersburg for the year 1808. In
the mean time Pallas, receiving specimens of six different species from the same
quarter, read an account of them in 1809 to the Society just mentioned, under the
generic appellation of Labrax, which was published in the same volume with
Tilesius’s papers. Cuvier having appropriated the word Labrax to the Basses of
the percoid family, distinguishes the present genus, in the Régne Animal, by the
name of Chirus, and attaches it to the Gobioidee, expressing an opinion, however,
that it may prove to be the type of a distinct family. The characters of the genus
are,—-A pretty long body clothed with ciliated scales; a small unarmed head ; a
slightly-cleft mouth, furnished with small, conical, unequal teeth ; and the spinous
rays of ‘the dorsal, which stretches along the whole back, almost always slender.
Several rows of pores, resembling or forming so many lateral lines, give a peculiar
character to the fish of this genus. ‘Their intestines are destitute of cacal appen-
dages *, and some species have superciliary tufts, resembling, in that respect, cer-
tain blennies; but their ventrals contain five soft rays as usual.
Pallas says that all the known species live near the craggy shores of Kamt-
schatka, on the opposite American coast, and round the Kurile and Aleutian
islands; but in his accounts of particular species he restricts some of them to cer-
tain parts of the Kamtschatka Sea.
Chirus monopterygius was taken off the island of Unalaschka.
It differs from the other species in its forked tail, and in its perfectly even, unnotched dorsal
fin, supported by forty-six rays, which are all simple, setaceous, and flexible, the first twenty
being, however, more slender than the rest. The rays of the pectoral and anal are also simple
and setaceous. Those of the ventrals and caudal are forked. Gill-membranes conjoined and
forming a loose flap under the isthmus. Teeth small, acute, and crowded on the jaws and
* Steller describes cca as we shall mention below.
GOBIOIDEA. 99
vomer*. Scales small, closely tiled, very rough, and ciliated. Very small ones cover the
top of the head and opercula. ‘There is one porous row above the lateral line, and two
some distance beneath it. In all the species the lateral line is prolonged between the rays of
the caudal, and the membrane of that fin is minutely scaly. ‘The scales do not extend to the
other fins in this species, though they do in some of the rest. °
Fins.—Br. 6; P. 24/; V.6; A. 24/; C.17; D. 46/.
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches, Lines.
Total length 5 : ° Bae ls) 10 Length from dorsal tocaudal_ . : > il 7
Length of head and gill-cover : 3 0 » of attachment of anal . : 4 3
» from tip of snout to dorsal . 6/0) 5 3, from anal to caudal c c 0 oil 8
5, of attachment of dorsal . 6 6 » of lobes of caudal . ; ; 2 3
(Mem. de Pétersb.)
[47.] 2. CHIRUS DECAGRAMMUS. (Cuvier.) Ten-lined Chirus.
Labrax decagrammus. Pattas, Mém. de Pétersb., i., p. 386, t. xxii, f, 2.
This species was taken by Billings off Cape St. Elias.
It is covered with small roughish scales, which are least on the belly, top of the head, and
gill-covers: there are also minute scales on the bases of all the fins betwixt the rays. The
rows of pores are five on each side, including the lateral line, and one of them is interrupted
between the ventrals and middle of the anal. The dorsal is deeply notched in the middle,
the twenty rays of its anterior portion being simple, the twenty-four of its posterior one
forked. The gill-cover ends in a membranous point. The body is bluish above, the back
and sides being marked with pale and dusky blotches: the belly is whitish. The dorsal is
spotted, the pectorals yellowish and clouded, and the anal and caudal blackish.
Fins.—Br. 5; P.24; V.6; A.24; C. 16; D.20/24=44. (Meém. de Pétersb.)
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Total length . : : . - 13 11 Length of attachment of second part of dorsal 4 1
Length of head and gill-cover . Q 2 9 5s ay anal 2 e 4 3
» from tip of snout to dorsal . 5 8 0 » from dorsalto caudal . ‘ oll 5
» of attachment of first part of ditto 4 0 (Mém. de Pétersb.)
* Labrazx lagocephalus and hexagrammus are also mentioned by Pallas as having teeth on the vomer, as we have ren-
dered the expression areo/a palati ; but in the accounts of the other species maxillary teeth only are noticed. Tilesius’s
figure of Hexagrammos Stelleri represents the vomer and palate smooth, and two crowded groups of teeth on the upper
pharyngeal bones. Pallas speaking of C. hexagrammus says, “ Areola palati itidem asperata,” which refers to the vomer,
and not to the palate-bones, as is evident from Steller’s more precise language: “ palato medio non procul a labiis pariter
areola denticellis obsita est, ut et tuberculum imo ori denticulatum supra gulam ipsam.”
02
100 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
€
[48.] 3. CuHrrus ocrogrammus. (Cuvier.) Hight-lined Chirus.
Labrax octogrammus. Pauwas, Mém. de Pétersb., ii., p. 393, t. xxii, f. 2.
This species abounds on the eastern coast of Kamtschatka, and also among the
Aleutian Islands. It is named Terpugh, or “ the file,’ by the Russians, on
account of the roughness of its seales, and Idgajuk by the Aleutians.
Jaws rough with crowded feeth, the anterior ones of the lower jaw a little longer. Gull-
covers ending in a membranous tip. Gill-membranes separate. Scales middle-sized, very finely
ciliated, and exceedingly rough. The top of the head, gill-covers, and suborbitars, are covered
with minute scales, as are also the membranes of the dorsal and caudal. There are two
porous lines above the lateral line, and two below, the one next the dorsal fin short and incon-
spicuous. The dorsal is notched, the posterior part being higher than the anterior one, but
both are supported by setaceous rays, as is also the anal fin. The rays of the pectorals and
caudal are bifid. The colour of the back is olivaceous, and it is thickly dotted, as well as the
sides, with brownish spots; the belly is yellowish.
Fins.—Br. 5; P.19; V.7;A.24/; C.15; D. 19/24/=48/.
Dimensions,
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Total length : . . 15 8 Length from dorsal to caudal : Ape Il ib
Length of head and gill-cover .. ; 3 3 » of attachment of anal ‘ ; 4 8
» from tip of snout todorsal . ) uo 5 », from analtocaudal . : eel 7
» Of attachment of dorsal . : 6 3 (Mem, de Pétersb.)
[49.] 4, CuHIRUS SUPERCILIOSUS. (Cuvier.) Tufted Chirus.
“ Lebius, Chirus vel Labrax. Sre.ier, Obs. Icthyol. Mser.”
Labrax superciliosus. Pattas, Mém. de Pétersb., ii., p. 388, t. xxii, f. 3.
This species was taken abundantly off Unalaschka by Billings, who sent many
specimens to Pallas. That author has added to his description, Steller’s account
of the colours of the recent fish, and also some anatomical observations, which, if
there be no mistake as to the identity of the species, are incompatible with the pas-
sage in the Régne Animal, which denies ceca to this genus. Steller describes
sixteen long pyloric ceca, and two shorter ones. He also says that there is no air-
bladder, and that the fish feeds upon crabs and worms.
GOBIOIDEA. 10]
The Turtep Cuirus is distinguished by a sub-cartilaginous six-cleft superciliarly barbel.
In this respect, in the thickness of its fins and skin, as well as in its general habit, Pallas
thinks that this species is allied to the Blennies. The scales are small, thin, adhering firmly,
and are finely streaked and ciliated. The top of the head and the gill-covers are scaly, but
there are no scales on the fins, the caudal excepted. ‘There are two thick porous lines above
the lateral line and two below. The dorsal is notched, the rays of the anterior portion being
simple, those of the posterior articulated. The rays of the anal are thick and scarcely forked.
Colour of the body brownish-olive, with transverse irregular blotches of pale green. ‘The
under jaw, throat, and anterior part of the belly, are tawny-yellow. The dorsal is clouded ;
the pectorals have two broad brown stripes towards their bases, and the anal is marked with
about five wavy bands of sea-green.
Fins —P: 19: V.5; A.22; C. 16; D. 20/23=43.
DIMENSIONS.
Inches, Lines. Inches. Lines,
Total length 5 é 5 ; o dG 7 Length of attachment of anal 3 , a 10
Length of head and gill-cover ; 3 4 5, from anal to caudal ; 4 1 10
» from tip of snout to dorsal A) fe} 0 », of caudal , 5 : 5 1 1]
» of attachment of first part of ditto 5 0
cf = second ditto 4 4 (Mém. de Pétersb.)
Chirus lagocephalus and hexagrammus are not mentioned as having been taken on the
American coast. The latter is considered by Pallas to be the Hexagrammos asper of Steller,
and is said to be very frequent during the autumn, in the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul.
Like the C. octogrammus, it is named Terpuck, on account of the roughness of its scales; and
in Pallas’s opinion Steller confounded these two species together. In C. hexagrammus the
dorsal is deeply notched, and the rays of both parts, and also of the anal, are simple and
setaceous. Steller describes it as wanting an air-bladder, and having ten or twelve pyloric
ceca. ‘The stomach, which was a sac of the size of a pigeon’s egg, with the pylorus on the
right side, contained Nereides and roe of fishes.
The Hexagrammos Stelleri of Tilesius is also called Terpuck at Kamtschatka, and is con-
sidered by its describer to be the Hexagrammos asper of Steller; but it differs from Pallas’s
figure of that species in having a three or five-cleft superciliary tuft, and indeed from all the
species of that naturalist, in the number of its rays and several other particulars. Tilesius’s
figure was drawn from a living fish, and ought to be more correct than Pallas’s, whose speci-
mens were dried, and who may therefore easily have overlooked the superciliary tufts. It
deserves to be remarked, however, that the number of rays in Tilesius’s figure do not cor-
respond with his own description.
Fins—Br.5; P.19; V.5; A.22; C17; D. 20/24. C. lagocephalus. _ Pall.
6; Uf nO, 22k 14; 9 22/21/. C. hexagrammus. Pall.
6; 18; 6; Doe 20 ; 30,12. Hexagr. Stelleri. Tiles.
Vas oe Zan 19; 44/. Hewxagr. asper. Stell.
Meém. de Peétersb.
102 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
BATRACHOIDEZ.—LES PECTORALES PEDICULEES.
Turs family is composed of monstrous-looking acanthopterygious fish, whose pec-
toral fins are supported upon a kind of arm formed of the elongated carpal bones
which in some genera perform the functions of hind feet, enabling the fish to creep
over sand or mud like small quadrupeds. The ventrals are jugular, and the gill-
plates and rays (four, six, or seven) are enveloped in loose skin, which restricts the
gill-opening to a small hole. Cutaneous appendages or barbels generally fringe
the lips, or whole lower jaw to the pectorals, or even the entire body. The skin,
except in some Batrachi, is destitute of scales, but is sometimes partially, or even
generally, studded with bony tubercles. The skeleton is, for the most part, but
imperfectly osseous. The pyloric ceeca, when present, which is rarely, are short,
and do not exceed two in number. Some genera have an air-bladder, others want
it. In almost all there are two distinct dorsals; and in Lophius and Chironectes
an interspinous bone, lying horizontally forwards on the head, supports several
moveable free rays, whose summits are often swelled and fleshy, or even foliated or
tufted. Batrachus has a spiny operculum and suboperculum, and a flat head
broader than the body, but not very disproportionate in length: its gill-opening is
situated before the ventrals, and it has two dorsals, the anterior one being supported
by spinous rays. Lophius has a depressed form, and Chironectus a compressed
one, and both have monstrously large heads, with a small hole behind the pectorals
for an opening to the gills. In Malthe the head is flat, and greatly lengthened
laterally by the projection of the large subopercula. Its gills open by a hole
above and behind the arms which support the pectorals.
The Batrachoidez can live long out of the water, in consequence of the small-
ness of their gill-openings. The Chironectes, in particular, are able, even in warm
countries, to pass two or three days in creeping over the land. All the Batra-
choidez conceal themselves in the mud or sand, and lie in wait to take their prey
by surprise. Those species which have free rays on the head, with summits
resembling worms, are said to move them backwards and forwards for the purpose
of enticing small fish within their reach, and hence the name of “ fishing-frogs”
has been popularly applied to them. The Batrachoidez exist in the Atlantic,
Indian and Pacific oceans. Several inhabit the European seas. Lophius pisca-
‘
q
»
4
7
7
, A
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‘ .
es :
i Ps
—
7
o
,
:
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LPO ty Day ehaghe
BATRACHOIDE. 103
torius *, Chironectes levigatus (or Lophius gibbus, Mitchill), Malthé vespertilio
(Loph. vespert., Schcepf.), Batrachus tau (Loph. bufo, Mitch., or Batr. vernueil,
Le Sueur), B. variegatus, Le Sueur, and Batrachus grunniens (or Cottus grun-
niens, Li. Scheepf.) frequent the sea of New York.
The THutinamee, or WV ind-fish of Hudson’s Bay, which is said to come to the
surface in windy weather only, belongs most probably to this family. It is, indeed,
referred by Pennant to Lophius piscatorius, but on the authority merely of a short
notice by Mr. Hutchins. It does not occur in the Fauna Grenlandica.
[50.] 1. Lopurus (MaLrne) cusiFrrons. (Richardson.) Square-browed
Malthe.
Famity, Batrachoidee. Genus, Lophius. Linn. Sub-genus, Malthe. Cuv.
The sub-genus Malthe has the following characters assigned to it in the Régne
Animal, 'The head much depressed and greatly widened by the jutting out of the
elongated subopercula; the eyes far forward; the snout projecting like a small
horn; the protractile mouth, of a moderate size under the snout; the gill-mem-
branes sustained by six or seven rays, and opening on the dorsal aspect by a hole
above each pectoral; a solitary, small, soft dorsal; the body studded with bony
tubercles and furnished along the sides with barbels, but no free rays on the head>
neither pyloric czea nor air-bladder.
Mr. Audubon has very kindly presented to me a fish of this sub-genus, taken
on the Labrador coast, which appears to belong to a species hitherto undescribed.
I have compared it with the figures of Malthe vespertilio (Bl. 110 and Edwards
283), of M. nasuta (Seba., i., 74, f. 2), and of MW. stellata (Krusenstern’s Voy.,
Ixi., lower fig.), to all of which it is very dissimilar in the form of the cranium,
and particularly of the snout. Three other species are indicated in the Régne
Animal, which are still unpublished; viz., MM. notata, angusta, and truncata. The
last of these names is the only one which is in any respect applicable to our new
species, in which the forehead may be said to be truncated, instead of gradually
_ narrowing into a projecting snout. I have received no account of the habits of
the Square-browed Malthe. Its intestines were filled with small crabs and uni-
* The Lophius piscator, or Bellows-fish, of Mitchill, as far as his description goes, does not appear to differ from the
L. pescatorius of the European seas. His variety, foliatus, is most probably a distinct species.
104 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
valve shells, none of them crushed, the shells passing entire, per anum, after their
inhabitants have been digested.
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen taken on the Labrador coast and preserved in rum,
Form—much depressed, the head very wide posteriorly from the spreading of the sub-
opercular bones. ‘The body tapers gradually from behind the pectorals to the caudal fin,
becoming at the same time less and less depressed, the extremity of the tail at the insertion of
the caudal fin being decidedly compressed. ‘The gill-openings are about midway between
the snout and end of the tail, and the anus is halfway between the pectorals and anal fin, or
very little posterior to the gill-openings. The head (excluding the gill-plates), or rather the
cranium, which is slightly moveable on the spinal column, is not at all disproportioned to the
size of the fish ; it has a cubical form, and the large eyes, having a perfectly lateral aspect,
occupy the anterior halves of its sides. ‘The upper surface of the cranium is flat, slightly hol-
lowed between the orbits, where it is narrower, becomes again wider before them, and arching
a little in a longitudinal direction, terminates abruptly and evenly, being supported on each
side by a vertical pillar that forms the anterior margin of the orbit. On the edge of the
forehead, between the tops of these pillars, there is a rounded knob about the size of a grain
of duck-shot, coarsely granulated like the rest of the skin, and very unlike the tapering, acute
snouts of M. vespertilio, nasuta, or even stellata. Beneath the knob-like snout, and between
the shafts of the pillars above mentioned, there is a deep circular cavity, which is lined by a
whitish membrane. A canal capable of receiving a crow-quill passes from the bottom of the
cavity between the orbits to the back part of the cranium. From under the orifice of the
canal there proceeds a long barbel, composed of a bony ray with a thickened tip and a coating
of soft skin: it is apparently capable of being protruded from the cavity, or retracted within
it, at the pleasure of the fish. The nostrils open by two small orifices before the base of each
of the orbital pillars. The mouth is situated directly under the anterior margin of the fore-
head when it is closed, and from the lower jaw inclining upwards the commissure of the lips
has then a crescentic form ; but when the mouth is open the descent of the lower jaw causes
the intermaxillaries to advance on their pedicles, so that its orifice, which is then circular and
about equal in diameter to one of the orbits, is protruded beyond the snout. The labials lie
in the membrane behind the intermaxillaries.
‘TretH—like very fine shorn velvet, cover the opposing surfaces of the intermaxillaries and
lower jaw, the whole upper surface of the tongue, a broad rectangular plate on the vomer, a
smaller contiguous plate on each palate bone, and four convex plates on the upper side of the
gullet—the pharyngeal teeth being rather coarser than the others.
GiLi-covers.—The very thick, nearly semicylindrical suboperculum extends from the cheek
to the middle of the arm that supports the pectoral fin, rendering that part of the fish
much wider than the body. The thin, flat, nearly horizontal operculum, fills part of the space
between the suboperculum and the spine. The gill-opening is a small. round hole, situated
between the arm of the pectoral and the spine, and opposite to the extremity of the suboper-
culum.
BATRACHOIDEA. 105
The Skin is every where closely covered with rough roundish grains, which are much
smaller on the under surface of the fish. On the dorsal aspect of the head and body there
are also many scattered, conical, granulated, bony tubercles, the largest being about the size
of a split pea, occupying the middle of the back, and the roughest ones margining the sides of
the tail. There are no vestiges of any barbels on the sides of the head or body.
Fins. —D. 5; C.9; 4.4; V.5; P. 11.
The rays of the fins are with difficulty discernible through the thick and partially granu-
lated skin which envelops them. They are all articulated. The pectorals have a fan-like
form ; their rays, which are jointed but undivided, being about equal in length to their carpal
elongation or arm. ‘The ventrals, attached opposite to the middle of the preoperculum, are
dilated and truncated at their ends. The anal fin is far back, and is about half the size of
the ventrals: all its rays are articulated. The dorsal very small, and situated a little pos-
terior to the anus, but a considerable distance before the anal fin contains five undivided
rays, all articulated at the tips. The caudal is rounded at the end: its rays are forked and
project a little beyond the membrane.
Cotour.—The specimen has been so long immersed in rum, that its original colour cannot
be determined. At present, its upper surface is greyish-white, with some brown blotches, as
if of dirt, adhering to the grained skin. The caudal and pectorals are whitish, with small
round brown spots. The under surface of the body is uniformly greyish-white.
IntestinEs.—The stomach is a thin bag, an inch and a half long by an inch wide; the
pylorus much contracted, being at one side of the fundus; the rest of the gut is delicate, hav-
ing a diameter of about a quarter of an inch, and a length exceeding thrice that of the fish,
being twice doubled upon itself. There are neither ceca nor air-bladder. The liver is large
and oily.
Dim EnsIons.
Inches, Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from frontal tubercle to tip of caudal 7 8 Diameter of orbit . ° . . - O 7
me as base ofcaudal . 6 5 Ps orifice of mouth . ; . 0 6
Fz . dorsal 4 0 Distance of ditto beneath snout . 6 0 3
es 9 gill-openings 3 2 Length of intermaxillary . ° ° 0 6
3 5 tip of suboperculum 3 23 - labials ‘ 0 7
5 tip of under jaw to tip of caudal 7 6 sp limb of under jaw 5 ° 0 7
~ 1; anal fin - 4 10 5 subopercular bone . oY 3
SP rp anus . 3 4 » rays of pectorals . 1 3
x cp ventrals 1 10 3° » caudal . ° . sid 5
3 a base of rays of ” » ventrals . 3 . 1 3
pectorals . . 5 G 4 10 » my fell 5 6 e0 10
Re i tips of ditto . 5 0 », stomach O ° 3 1 6
», Of small intestines ‘ . 24 0
106 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
LABROIDE.
Tue fish of this family are readily recognisable by their general aspect, their
oblong scaly body, and single dorsal, whose anterior rays are spinous, with often
a shred of membrane attached to them. heir pharyngeal bones are armed
with teeth stronger than usual, but varying in form in the different genera. They
have a strong air-bladder, and either no ceca or only two very small ones. The
Linnean genus Labrus forms a group which is distinguished by having one set of
lips attached to the sub-orbitars, and another to the jaws, close gill-membranes
supported by five rays, conical jaw teeth, the anterior and middle ones longest, and
pharyngeal teeth in form of paving stones. ‘The minor groups are characterised by
combinations of several varieties of structure, such as the smoothness or scaliness
of the head, the presence of denticulations on the preoperculum, the protractility of
the mouth, which, in several sub-genera, can be projected in a tubular form, so as
to seize small fish that are swimming within its reach, the straight or broken
lateral line, the encroachment of the scales on the caudal, or even on the other
vertical fins, as in the Cheetodontoidez, the prolongation of the first dorsal rays by
long filaments, and some differences in the dentition. In the sub-genus Anampses
the jaws are armed with only two flat teeth, which project from the mouth and
curve outwards. The genus Xirichthys differs from Labrus chiefly in its very
compressed form and the vertical profile of the head: it has large scales and an
interrupted lateral line. Chromis resembles Labrus except in the jaw and pharyn-
geal teeth being in card-like plates, the vertical fins filamentous, and the lateral
line interrupted. Cyehla has all the teeth like velvet pile and in broad stripes.
Plesiops differs from Chromis in having a compressed head and very long ventrals.
Malacanthus, with the general characters and jaw teeth of Labrus, has the pharyn-
geal teeth of Chromis, the operculum ending in a small spine, and a long dorsal in
which the spines are very few, slender, and flexible. Scarus is remarkable for
convex jaws covered anteriorly and on their edges with teeth like scales. The
pharyngeal teeth are in transverse plates, the sub-orbitar lips of the preceding
genera are wanting, there being only those on the jaws, the scales are large and
the lateral line interrupted. Cadlliodon and Odax, with some of the characters of
Scarus, have others more closely resembling Labrus.
Many of the Labroidez are remarkable for the intensity and purity, as well as
FISTULAROIDEX. 107
brilliancy of their colours. They are very generally distributed, being found in all
parts of the ocean, and also in lakes and rivers. Upwards of forty species exist in
the European seas, chiefly in the Mediterranean, though there are several in the
North Sea. The following occur on the coast of the United States: Labrus
Americanus (IL. tautoga, Mitch.), Cheihnus radiatus, Lachnolaimus suillus,
Crenilabrus burgall (L. chogset, Mitch.), Xirichthys psittacus, X. lineatus, and
some others.
Fabricius, while sailing along the Greenland coast, saw a fish of a shining
blue colour swim past. The Greenlanders named it Keblernak, and Fabricius
supposes that it may have been the Labrus exoletus of Linneeus, a North Sea fish,
which is a Crenilabrus in Cuvier’s system, and is remarkable for having five spines
in its anal fin. The sub-genus Crenilabrus is distinguished from the true labri
solely by having a denticulated preoperculum. Its numerous species were included
_ by Bloch in his genus Lutjanus.
FISTULAROIDEA.—LES BOUCHES EN FLUTE.
Tus family is characterised by a long tubular muzzle, formed of the prolonged
ethmoid, vomer, preopercular, interopercular, pterygoid, and tympanitic bones, at
the extremity of which is the mouth, composed as usual of the palate bones, inter-
maxillaries, labials, and lower jaw. The intestinal canal is either straight and
furnished with two cecal appendages, or destitute of czeca, and twice or thrice
doubled upon itself. The air-bladder is in some extremely small, in others of a
moderate size, or even very large. ‘The gill-rays are six or seven in number, or
only two or three, and very slender. The scales are of a moderate size or small, or
even so minute as to be invisible. ‘The forepart of the back is more or less per-
fectly protected by osseous or scaly plates, which, in some instances, exist also on
the flanks. The dorsal is either single and supported, like the anal to which it is
opposed, mostly by simple rays, or it is preceded by free spines, or there are two
dorsals, the soft one being generally far back. There are two generic groups, F%s-
tularia, in which the body is cylindrical, and Centriscus, in which it is compressed
and oval.
Fistularia tabaccaria frequents the coast of the United States, F’. serrata the
West Indies and sea of Brazil, Centriscus scolopax inhabits the Mediterranean.
Most of the others belong to the Indian Ocean.
P 2
108 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
The preceding family is the last of that division of the Osszous FisuxEs which
is named Acanthopterygian, or Spiny-finned, on account of the spinous rays
which support the whole of the first dorsal, when there are two of these fins, or the
forepart of the fin when there is only one: in some instances all the rays of a soli-
tary dorsal are spinous, and occasionally the spines are free or unconnected by
membrane. ‘The anal has also one or more spinous rays, and there is generally
one in each ventral. Several genera, however, are admitted into the division,
although the spinous character of their fins is very imperfect, and also some which
are absolutely destitute of spines*, because their habits and their anatomical struc-
ture, in general, ally them intimately with groups that are decidedly acanthoptery-
gian.
The exposition of Cuvier’s system of arrangement occupies more space in
the preceding pages, than may appear to be necessary in a local Fauna; but we
found it difficult to give, in any other way, correct characters of the various groups
of spiny-finned fish which fall within the proper scope of the work, or to exhibit
their true situation in the system, without a reference to the intermediate or con-
necting families. For it happens that this great division, though richer in genera
and species than any other, does not admit of being split into orders, its only
practicable subdivision being into natural families, which are so intimately linked
to each other, that, as Cuvier says, the whole division might be considered as one
great family. Owing to this close dependence of one group of acanthopterygii
upon another, they are often more readily distinguishable by comparative cha-
racters than by positive ones, thus requiring the whole series to be noticed. These
remarks are not so applicable to the remaining divisions of the class, and we shall,
therefore, in treating of them, greatly restrict our quotations from Cuvier.
* Zoarces and malthe for instance.
MALACOPTERYGIIL ABDOMINALES.
THE second division of osseous fishes is named Malacopterygian, or Soft-finned,
because all the rays of the fins are articulated, excepting sometimes the first of the
dorsal or pectorals. It can be conveniently divided into three orders, named
Abdominal, Jugular, and Apodal, from the position of the ventrals on the hinder
part of the belly, their suspension to the humeral bones, or their total absence.
The first order, or that in which the ventrals are attached to the belly behind the
pectorals, but unconnected with the humeral bones, is the most numerous of the
three, and includes most of the fresh-water fish. It contains five families, of which
the first is the
CYPRINOIDEE.
Fisu of this family are readily distinguishable by their slightly-cleft mouth, fur-
nished with weak and frequently toothless jaws bordered by the intermaxil-
laries ; by their strongly-toothed pharyngeal bones; and by the fewness of their
gill-rays. They have a scaly body, no adipose fin, a stomach destitute of a cul de
sac, and no pyloric ceca. They abound in the fresh waters of all quarters of the
world, and are the least carnivorous of fishes. They exist in the arctic regions of
the North American continent, as high as the 68th parallel, though it is remark-
able that none occur in the Fauna Grenlandica, nor were any detected on the
North Georgian islands, or Boothian peninsula, by the recent expeditions. The
following North American species are indicated in the Régne Animal :—Barbus
species nove ; Labeo cyprinus (Catastomus cyprinus, Le Sueur); Catastomus,
17 species; Leuciseus species nove; Pecilia multilineata, Le Sueur; Lebias
ellipsoidea, Le Sueur; Fundulus cenicolus, Valenciennes (Cobitis heteroclita,
Linn., Mud-fish, Scheepf.); Fundulus fasciatus, Valen. (Hsox pisciculus et
zonatus, Mitch.); Molinesia latipinna, Le Sueur; Cyprinodon flavulus, Valen.
(Hsox flavulus, Mitch., Peciha majalis, Schn.); Cyprinodon ovinus (Hsox
ovinus, Mitch.). In Dr. Mitchill’s paper on the New York fish, we find the fol-
lowing, which are not in the above list: Cyprinus oblongus, very probably a Labeo;
110 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
and C. ehrysoleucas and atronasus, which are most likely Leucisci. Notwith-
standing that Dr. J. V.C. Smith has mentioned as inhabitants of the waters of
Massachusetts the Gold-fish of China, and the species so well known to European
anglers by the names of Roach, Dace, Bleak, and Chub, we require more circum-
stantial evidence before we can venture to affirm that any of the Cyprinoidez are
common to the Old and New Worlds.
[51.] 1. Cyprinus (AsrAmis?) Smirnit. (Nob.) La Quesche.
Famity, Cyprincidee. Genus, Cyprinus. Sub-genus, Abramis, Cuvigr.
The Cyprint form a very numerous and extremely natural generic group, and
may be easily recognised by the small mouth, toothless jaws, and three flat gill-
rays. ‘The tongue is smooth; the palate is lined by a thick and highly-irritable
substance, known vulgarly under the name of the carp’s tongue; and the gullet
exhibits a powerful masticatory apparatus: viz., large teeth attached to the lower
pharyngeal bones, and fit for squeezing the aliments against a stony or enamelled
disk, which is set in a process of the basilary bone. ‘The dorsal is single, and the
body covered by scales which are often of a great size. The Cyprini inhabit fresh
waters, and are perhaps the least carnivorous of all fish, living in a great measure
on seeds, herbs, or even mud. ‘Their stomach is continuous with the intestine,
CYPRINOIDE. 111
which is destitute of ceeca, and the air-bladder is divided into two by a contraction.
Cuvier distributes the fish of this genus into nine sub-genera, which are distin-
guished from one another by the extent of the dorsal and anal fins, the spinous or
articulated structure of their second rays, the position of the dorsal, the smallness
of the scales, the presence of barbels on the upper jaw or angles of the mouth, and
the size and form of the lips. The sub-genus 4bramis is characterised as having
a Short dorsal situated farther back than the ventrals, and a long anal, but neither
spinous rays nor barbels. To this sub-genus I have, for the present, referred the
Quesche of the Canadians, a cyprinoid fish, of which Lieutenant-Colonel C. H.
Smith has sent me a brief notice, accompanied by a drawing, which is copied in
the annexed wood-cut*. In profile, and in the relative size and position of the fins,
the Quesche bears a resemblance to the common Bream ; but one of the rays of its
dorsal and anal being spinous, it does not correspond in that respect with the cha-
racter assigned to Abramis by Cuvier; and the size of its anal fin excludes it from
the sub-genus which contains the true Carps. The very forward position of the
nostrils is unusual, and its toothed tongue is at variance with the definition of the
genus Cyprinus. Its specific name is intended as a compliment to its highly-
talented discoverer.
“The specimens were taken in the Richelieu, at its confluence with the St. Lawrence, and
were all about nine or ten inches long; in form much compressed, the back arched, the dor-
sal nearer the tail than head, the anal long and oblique, extending to near the caudal fin,
which is forked with pointed lobes, the eye very large and near the snout, the nostrils opening
on the tip of the latter, the under jaw longest, the tongue toothed, gill-covers round and
smooth, lateral line straight, containing sixty scales, scales commencing on the forehead above
the eyes, rather large, shining, and pellucid, reflecting a brilliant green on the back, but
having a silvery lustre on the sides and abdomen. I do not know in what division to place it,
for though it has the form of an Abramis it has a spinous ray in the dorsal and anal, and
teeth on the tongue.
« Fins.—Br. 3. P.12; V.7; D.1/12; A. 1/27; C.18.”. (Smira in lit.)
* The wood-cut is a correct copy of Colonel Smith’s sketch except in the scales, which are too small and crowded on
the posterior part of the body. There ought to be only sixty scales on the lateral line, as mentioned in the text.
112 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[52.] 1. Cyprinus (Catastomus) Hupsonius. (Le Sueur.) Grey
Sucking-carp.
Faminy, Cyprinoidee. Gxnus, Cyprinus, Cuv. Sub-genus, Catastomus, Le Surur.
Cyprinus catastomus. Forster, Phil. Tr., 63, p.158,t. vi. An. 1779.
Namaypeeth and Sucker. Prnn., Arct. Zool., Intr., p. ecxcix., and il., p. 402.
Catastomus Hudsonius. Lz Sueur, dc. Sc. Phil., i., p.107. Ricuarpson, Fr. Journ. p. 717.
An, 1823,
Grey Sucker. Fur Travers. Carpe blanche. Canaprans. Namaypeeth. Crezs.
In the Régne Animal the sub-genus Catastomus is characterised as having the
same kind of thick, pendent, fringed or crimped lips with Labeo; and the short
dorsal of Leuciscus opposed to the ventrals*. ‘The species inhabit the fresh waters
of North America. The first that we have to notice is the Grey Sucking-carp,
or Namaypeeth of the Cree Indians. It is a common fish in all parts of the fur
countries, abounding in the rivers, and even in land-locked marshes and ponds,
but preferring shallow grassy lakes with muddy bottoms. In the beginning of
summer it may be seen in numbers forcing its way up rocky streams, and even
breasting strong rapids, to arrive at its proper spawning places in stony rivulets :
soon afterwards it returns to the lakes. Its food, judging from the contents of the
stomachs of those which I opened, is chiefly soft insects ; but in one I found the
fragments of a fresh-water shell. In the winter and autumn it is caught in nets,
and in the spawning season (June) may be readily speared, or even taken by the
* Mr. Le Sueur’s account of the genus is as follows :—“ Back with a single fin. Gud/-membrane three-rayed. Head
and opercula smooth. Jaws toothless and retractile. Mouth beneath the snout; “ips plaited, lobed, or carunculated,
suitable for sucking. Throat with pectinated teeth.’—He adds some particulars applicable to the sixteen species which
he detected in the waters of the United States. ‘* Sca/es in almost all marked with radiated lines, and fimbriated on their
edges; their form more or less rhomboidal or roundish, Gié/-covers large, and composed of three pieces; the anterior
“one small in some, as in macrolepidotus, large in others, as in communis: opening wide. Teeth none in the jaws, but those
of the throat, on each side, are composed of a range of bones generally blunt and thick at their summits, placed in a pecti-
nated form on an osseous arcuated bone, of which they are a component part, and sometimes terminated in a hooked point
as in macudosus. The teeth are enveloped in a thick mass of a whitish substance, which covers the throat and supplies the
place of a tongue. Mouth generally lunated: to the palate is attached a membrane. V%scera.—The intestinal canal is
very much developed, and it has its origin near the throat; the stomach is simple and without plaits or curvatures, being
a continuation of this canal, and appearing to be confounded with it. The intestines make a number of convolutions: in
a macro/epidotus, sixteen inches long, they measured three feet five inches. The liver is deliquescent and soon passes into
oil after exposure to the atmosphere. The air-b/adder is sub-cylindric and is divided in most species into two parts:—in
macrolepidotus it is divided into four. Inthe intestines river-shells (Lymnea, Budimus, &c.), which dwell on aquatic plants
and on rocks or bottoms of rivers, are found. The Catastomi are enabled to take these shells by means of their lips,
which are protruded forwards by their jaws. It is necessary to remark, that in all the species which I have examined,
there is a line that runs from the nape beneath the eyes, and another along the head above the eyes, of small orifices for
the passage of mucus; which lines are well defined after the fish is dried and desiccated, but not so conspicuous when
recent. Some species also, in a dried state, have a tuberculated appearance on the head, not discernible in the living
fish.” Ler Surur, Z. c.
CYPRINOIDEX. 113
hand, in shallow streams. It is a very soft watery fish, but devoid of any un-
pleasant flavour, and is considered to be one of the best in the country for making
soup. Like its congeners it is singularly tenacious of life, and may be frozen and
thawed again without being killed.
DESCRIPTION
Drawn up from recent specimens at Cumberland-House, lat. 54°, March 10th, 1820.
Form.—The head is smooth, flattened laterally and on the vertex, convex before the eyes,
with an obtuse snout: it increases in thickness, gradually, from the nose to the nape, which
is broader than the shoulders. The greatest girth of the body is about half way to the dor-
sal fin, from thence it tapers till it passes the anal fin, and the tail is nearly linear: the depth
of the body exceeds its thickness rather more than one half. The sides and back are some-
what flattened. The laferal line runs equidistant from the back and belly, straight till it
comes opposite to the anal fin, when it inclines upwards at a very obtuse angle, and passes
along the middle of the tail, giving that member a direction slightly different from that of the
body. Scares for the most part broadly oval, or nearly obicular, and of a medium size, being
one quarter of an inch in diameter. ‘They are larger towards the tail, and smaller on the
belly, particularly between the pectorals. The uncovered portion of each scale is vertically
oval, and is marked with diverging lines corresponding to obscure crenatures on the edge.
Heap constituting one-fifth of the total length. The eyes are situated about one diameter
of their orbit distant from the upper part of the gill-opening, and twice as far from the tip of
the snout. The nostrils are placed immediately before the eyes ; the anterior larger opening
has a soft skinny lid which shuts it when thrown forwards, and when turned backwards closes
the posterior smaller opening. GriLL-covers.—The operculum is thrice the size of the sub-
operculum ; their free edges unite into an even elliptical curve. The interoperculum has a
narrow upright limb connected to the whole anterior edge of the operculum. The preoper-
culum, somewhat crescentic in form, is broader but shorter than the interoperculum, being
included within its limbs. Various lines and tubercles, very evident on the head of the dried
specimen, are not perceptible in the recent fish, the whole head being covered with a thick, f
smooth, mucous skin. The brain is protected by a piece of cartilage which, on maceration
or boiling, drops out, leaving a rectangular opening before the nape one inch long and a
quarter of an inch wide *.
MovtH retractile, placed under the snout, and capable of being protruded a very little
beyond it. Lips attached to the intermaxillaries and lower jaw, studded with large soft
papille, most conspicuous on the lower lip, which is much more developed than the upper
one, and expands into two pendulous flaps. ‘The commissure of the closed lips is shaped like
a horse-shoe, but when the jaws are extended, the orifice of the mouth is nearly quadrangular,
and wide encugh to admit the point of the fore-finger. ‘There are no barbels. ‘The palate
* When the head is cooked the brain becomes visible through this opening, and is supposed, by the Indians, to be a
small frog, which resides within the head of the fish.
Q
114 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
is lined by a thick, gelatinous, light-red membrane, which rises anteriorly into two uvula-like
eminences. A furrow which commences between these is closed at the back of the palate by
a large pulpy cushion, against which the branchial arches can be pressed. This cushion
conceals a number of small bones and cartilages that lie between the extremities of the
branchial arches. Attached to the posterior part of the cushion there is a white, firm, cor-
diform substance, which lines an irregular cribriform plate projecting from the basilary pro-
cess of the occipital bone. ‘There are no feeth, but their place is supplied in the following
manner. ‘The two inferior pharyngeal bones have, when united, the form of a horse’s hoof,
and go nearly two-thirds round the pharynx. From the edge of each bone thirty-six pro-
cesses spring in a pectinated manner; they are compressed laterally, somewhat chub-shaped,
a little worn on their summits, and gradually diminish in size as they recede from the median
line: two or three of the lowest and largest project through the very soft lining membrane,
exhibiting narrow crowns of a very compact texture resembling enamel: the smaller pro-
cesses are tipt with soft pulpy rakers, having the form of those on the branchial arches. A
strong muscular apparatus surrounding the pharynx, serves to press these parts against the
cordiform cushion above mentioned with sufficient force to bruise the substances on which the
fish preys. There are no superior pharyngeal bones, unless the irregular expansion of the
basilar process may be so denominated. The rakers consist of a double row of thin and
rather rigid crests, with scolloped edges springing from the inner margins of each branchial
arch.
Fins.— Br. 3—3; P.17; D.12to14; V.10; A.7 or8; C. 183.
The gill-membranes are united to each other by a plicated skin, destitute of scales and
separated from the integuments of the abdomen by a transverse superficial furrow. They
contain on each side three broad flat rays. The pectoral fins are elliptical, and contain seven-
teen crowded rays, of which the first is the strongest, its articulations being scarcely percep-
tible towards its base, and the fifth or sixth is the longest, the more posterior ones diminishing
rapidly in length and strength. The ventrals, placed a little nearer to the gill-openings than to
the caudal fin, have an obovate outline : their second ray is the strongest ; the first, which is
half the length of the second and closely applied to it, appears upon a cursory examination to
be spinous ; but when it is divested of integument, some articulations may be perceived with a
lens. The anal, extending to within its own length of the caudal, contains eight, or some-
times only seven, thick rays, the first short and scarcely perceptibly articulated ; the others
divided at the tips. When this fin is turned backwards its tip reaches the base of the caudal.
The caudal has eighteen rays, with three short ones above and below: its margin is slightly
crescentic. The dorsal is nearly quadrangular, and contains generally thirteen rays, though
some specimens have one over or under that number: the second ray, about half as long as
the succeeding one, appears to be spinous, or, at least, its articulations are not perceptible
even through a lens: the first is so short as not to be readily discovered, and is closely
applied to the second; the other rays are distinctly articulated, except at their bases, and
divided twice or thrice at their summits, which spread slightly.
Cotour.—Back and sides bluish-grey with considerable lustre, the back being darkest, and
CYPRINOIDE. ES
the tint of the sides gradually passing into the pearl-white of the belly. Dorsal and caudal
fins bluish-grey: pectorals and ventrals ochre-yellow tinged with red: anal flesh-red. Trides
saffron-yellow with pearly lustre.
IntestinEs.—The intestinal canal, in its course from the gullet to the anus, makes four
convolutions and a half, and bears a proportion to the length of the fish, excluding the caudal
fin, of 50 to 18: the proportions, however, vary a little in different individuals. At the com-
mencement of the canal there is a very short, thick, glandular @sophagus, succeeded by a
stomach whose diameter exceeds that of the rest of the intestine only so much as to leave a
gibbosity at what may be termed the pylorus, or first turn of the intestine. From this turn
the diameter of the gut, and the strength of its coats, diminish gradually: its inner mem-
brane forms delicate and minute longitudinal wrinkles, waved and indented into each other
in a very beautiful manner. ‘There are no ceca. The lobes of the liver are numerous and
greatly involved in the folds of the intestine: the colour of the liver is pale. The gall-bladder
lies between the intestines and air-bladder: its duct enters the stomach within an inch of the
gullet: the bile is pale. The spleen is large and lies in a semicircular form round the exterior
convolution of the intestine. The air-bladder extends the whole length of the cavity of the
abdomen, and consists of two divisions, united by a very short tube which is bound to the
spine by a strong fold of peritonzeum: the upper division is the shortest, and is enveloped by
a remarkably thick, shining, white capsule, which adheres strongly at its upper end to the
spine and septum of the thorax: the bladder may be thrust from its capsule by a slight force.
The proper coats of the air-bladder are much thinner, but firmer and stronger than the cap-
sule. A small tube proceeds from the top of the lower division of the air-bladder, but its
termination was not traced. The kidneys, as long as the cavity of the abdomen, are connected
superiorly by a transverse lobe; and the wrinary bladder is a long tube whose calibre scarcely
exceeds the joint diameters of the ureters. The lining of the abdomen is white. Many small
parasitic worms were found attached by a kind of proboscis to the interior of the intestinal
canal.
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from end of snout to tipsofcaudal 21 9 Length of pectorals > . ° - 3 2
5 oa end of scales on ditto . . 18 9 Height of dorsal . . 2 2
FP a9 beginning of anal . - 1 6 Length of its attachment . 3 0
A 5 first ray of ventrals . - 10 7 sp ventrals . 2 2
3 % ditto of dorsal ° 9 0 Depth of anal . . ° 2 11
a 55 edge of gill-cover a ot! 0 Length of its attachment 5 . ° 1 4
3 rf: nape. . : . 3 6 Space between it and base of caudal 2 1
a cf centre of orbit . ° », 2 3 Depth of body before dorsal . 3 ai
Breadth of nape . 2 2 Weight of recent fish 5lbs.
Dr. Gairdner has forwarded to me from the Columbia and its tributaries several specimens
of a catastomus, which agrees both externally and internally with the preceding, except in the
belly being tinged with ochre-yellow. The stomach of one of them is filled with very young
shells, apparently of an Unio. There are from 74 to 77 scales on the lateral-line, 46 vertebree
in the spine, and from 15 to 17 rays in the dorsal fin.
Q 2
|
116 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[ 53. ] 2, Cyprinus (Catastomus) Forsterranus. (Rich.) Red
Sucking Carp.
Cyprinus catastomus, var. Forstsr, Phil. Tr.,1xiii., p- 158. An. 1779.
Mithomapeth. Prnn., Arct. Zool. Intr., p. ccxcix.
Catastomus Forsterianus. Ricnarpson, Fr. Journ. p. 720. An. 1823.
Red Sucker. Fur Travers. Meethqua-maypeth. Cress.
This fish is well known in every part of the country that lies north of Canada:
we found it in Lake Huron and Great Slave Lake, and north of the latter it exists
in greater abundance than the preceding species, which it entirely resembles in its
habits. It makes a more gelatinous soup than any other of the northern fish, and
is the best bait for trout or pike. It spawns in June. Though Forster has ranked
it merely as a variety of the preceding, it is perfectly distinct, both in external
appearance and in various internal characters.
DESCRIPTION
Drawn up from recent specimens and revised from prepared ones.
Form.—The back is broader and straighter than in the foregoing species, and the depth of
the body is less, being about one-fifth of the length exclusive of the caudal, or scarcely exceed-
ing the thickness: the back and sides are alittle flattened, and the profile tapers gradually from
the shoulders to the tail. Head contained five times and a half in the total length including
the caudal fin: it is not so much compressed as in the foregoing and following species, and
the snout is longer and more acute, as well as more moveable. The forehead is straight, not
arched, and the anterior margin of the orbit is exactly midway between the tip of the snout
and posterior edge of the gill-cover. Mouth larger than in C. Hudsonius and farther back,
the upper lip, when protruded to the utmost, being scarcely even with the end of the snout.
The pendulous flaps of the lower lip are also broader, and the papille larger. The interior
of the mouth and gullet are similar to the same parts in C. Hudsonius.
Scates broadly oblong, their sides parallel, their ends segments of a circle; their surfaces
impressed with lines radiating from the centre to all sides ; their margins nearly even, instead
of being crenated as in C’. Hudsonius. They are considerably smaller than those of the latter
fish, the difference being most apparent in the scales which cover the forepart of the back.
Their size increases with their distance from the head, and those on the shoulder are but little
larger than those between the pectorals. A scale taken from beneath the lateral line, midway
between the pectorals and ventrals, is four lines long and three broad. A linear inch mea-
sured on the side near the gill-openings, contains nine scales, seven over the ventrals, and five
over the anal. There are from 98 to 107 scales on the lateral line, thirty in a vertical row
CYPRINOIDE. 117
behind the pectorals, and twenty-three just before the ventrals. The /ateral line is straight,
making no perceptible angle at the junction of the tail and body.
Fins.— Br. 3—3; P.18; D. 12 to 14; V. 10; A. 8or9; C. 183.
The height of the dorsal exceeds the length of its attachment ; and its eighth or ninth ray
is opposite to the first of the ventrals. The anal, when turned back, does not reach quite to
the base of the caudal.
Cotour of the back intermediate between honey-yellow and oil-green (like old olive-oil) ;
the sides are occupied by a series of patches of light lake-red, more or less continuous, forming
a broad irregular stripe: the belly is white. The under fins are tinged with ochre-yellow,
and at some seasons have a red hue; the dorsal and upper part of the caudal have nearly the
tint of the back.
InrEsTINES.—The lining of the abdomen is covered with a pigment similar to that which is
attached to the choroid coat of the human eye: it is most abundant on the capsule of the air-
bladder, and soils the fingers, but is easily washed off. As it is not present in the foregoing
or following species, it forms a convenient distinguishing character. ‘The air-bladder is
divided into two sacs, the lower of which sends a slender contorted tube to the cesophagus.
The spleen lies in the centre of the convolutions of the gut. The length of the whole alimen-
tary canal is to that of the fish, excluding the caudal fin, as 47 to 17.
Dimensions.
“Inches. Lines. Inches, Lines.
Length from end of snout to tips of caudal 22 4 Length of ventrals . ‘ 2 )
ms 5 end of scales on ditto . 5. Ly) 3 a longest rays of anal 3 0
a 3 endofanal . : eG 7 sp its attachment . : 1 3
7 anus . 3 ; ° 15 2 3 longest rays of caudal 3 5
; 3 ventrals . : a ail 3 op central rays of ditto . 1 10
as 3 dorsal. . cl 8) 9 Depth of body where greatest 3 6
ss » posterior edge of gill-cover 4 0 Circumference there - 10 0
i - nape . : ° : 3 7 Longitudinal axis of orbit . 0 7
os * orbit : : Z 0 Vertical ditto fc 6 6 0 6
» of pectorals : 3 4 Spread of caudal fin. F j D 5 0
5 longest rays of dorsal : 5B 3 Length of aliment,. canal from gullet to anus 47 0
i its attachment 2 2 Weight of recent fish . 0 . 4 73lbs.
118 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[54.]. 3, Cyprinus (Catastomus) Suguri. (Rich.) The Picconou.
Catastomus Le Sueurii*. Ricuarpson, Ir. Journ., p.772. An, 1823.
Picconou. VoyacEurs. Wawpawhaw-Keeshew. Cress.
This handsome species was observed by us only in Pine-Island Lake, lat. 54°,
long. 110°; but it is not unknown in other parts of the fur-countries, though much
more rare than the two preceding species. It may be at once distinguished from
them by the size and lustre of its scales and the form of its lips, as well as by the
anatomical peculiarity of having its air-bladder divided into three portions. There
seems to be considerable variety in the form of the air-bladder in this sub-genus ;
in C. macrolepidotus of Le Sueur it has four divisions ; but in the majority of the
species only two. ‘The habits of the Picconou are the same as those of the pre-
ceding species. It spawns in June.
DESCRIPTION
Of recent specimens at Cumberland House, April, 1820, revised from prepared ones,
Cotour.—Back, sides, and gill-covers wood-brown, reflecting when opposed to the light
many brilliant tints, in which emerald-green and gold-yellow predominate ; bases of the scales
bluish-grey, producing an appearance of reticulation ; belly reddish-white. The dorsal has the
hue of the back with a reddish margin, the other fins are almost entirely red.
Scares large, quadrangular with parallel sides and irregularly curved ends: their length
and breadth nearly equal. Except in the pectoral region, where they are small, their size
when in situ appears nearly the same over the whole body: the vertical height of their un-
covered portion considerably exceeds its length. A linear inch measured longitudinally on the
sides includes three scales, but vertically only two. ‘There are 47 scales on the lateral-line,
and about 10 in a vertical line under the dorsal. A scale detached from near the lateral-line
above the ventrals measures eight lines and a half in length, and seven and a half in width.
The lateral-line turns up decidedly at the anal as in C’. Hudsonius.
Form more compressed than in the preceding species. Profile oblong, having the greatest
height, (which is about one-fourth of the total length, including the caudal,) at the beginning
of the dorsal. The head is smaller than in either of the preceding species, forming scarcely
the sixth of the total length. ‘The very small mouth is farther back than in C. Hudsonius,
being, when the jaws are retracted, an inch behind the tip of the rather narrow snout, and just
even with it when they are protruded. ‘The lips, instead of being papillated, are furrowed -
vertically in a very regular and beautiful manner. The palate and gullet resemble the same
parts in C. Hudsonius, but are smaller, the comminuting apparatus being more delicate, and
the cesophagus remarkably contracted at its origin.
* The original specific name has been altered by dropping the prefixed article, as being more agreeable to the usual
custom.
CYPRINOIDEZ. 119
Fins.—Br. 3—3; P.16; D.14; V.9 orl0; 4.9; C. 183.
The dorsal fin is larger than in the foregoing two species, and is nearly in the middle of the
fish. The pectorals measure rather less than one-fifth of the distance between the gill-open-
ings and caudal fin. The ventrals are under the middle of the dorsal. The tip of the anal,
when turned back, rather overlaps the base of the caudal: its last ray is very small, and its
first one short and applied to the base of the second. The caudal is more forked than in the
preceding species. ‘The rays of all the fins are thick, particularly those of the anal.
IntEstiNES.—Lining of the abdomen white. There is no distinction between the stomach
and rest of the gut. The alimentary canal makes four convolutions between the gullet and
anus, and bears a proportion to the total length of the fish, excluding the caudal, of 41 to 16.
The lining of the intestine has the same minute longitudinal ruge as that of the preceding
two species. The air-bladder is divided into three portions, the central one being the largest,
and communicating with the cesophagus. ‘The upper one alone has a thick shining capsule.
Dimensions.
Inches. Inches.
Length from snout to tips of caudal. : a ay) Greatest depth of body . . q ° - 12
Fs caudal . ; . 5 16 as circumference . ‘ 5 . 5 5
Ss anus . . . eel; Length of alimentary canal 4 . 2 - 41
| 55.] 4, Cyprinus (CATASTOMUS) AUREOLUS. (Le Sueur.) Gilt
Sucking- Carp.
Catastomus aureolus. Lx Surur, Journ. Ac. Sc. Phil., i., p. 95. An. 1817,
M. Le Sueur, who discovered this fish in Lake Erie, gives the following account
of it, which we quote because no specimen came under our notice.
“ Anal fin long, pointed, and passing considerably beyond the base of the caudal, which is
forked with pointed lobes, the inferior lobe being the largest : abdominal fin truncated.” ——
“ Body sub-cylindric, elevated at the nape; head quadrangular, gibbous above the eye, almost
as high as long; the rays of the anal fin are very strong and large; scales rhomboidal, equal ;
body of a beautiful orange colour, which is deepest on the back, the base of the scales dark-
red; the sides are heightened with golden reflections; pectoral, ventral, and anal fins of a fine
red orange, caudal fin of a deep carmine colour—the dorsal is paler than the rest of the fins ;
the lateral line is nearly straight, and commences on a level with the eye. Length of indi-
vidual described sixteen inches: its depth three, and its thickness two inches and a half.
Stine Pals; Dit; V. 9); AS Casi (lan SUEUR, Lc. )
120 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[56.] 5. Cyprinus (CaTastomus) nigricans. (Le Sueur.) Black
Sucking-Carp.
Catastomus nigricans. Lr Sueur, Journ. Ac. Sc. Phil., i., p.103. An. 1817.
This species is, like the preceding one, an inhabitant of Lake Erie, where it is
known to the fishermen by the names of “ Shoemaker,” and “ Black Sucker.”
M. Le Sueur gives the following description of it.
« Head large, quadrangular ; anal fin straight, its extremity reaching to the base of the
caudal ; eyes oblong ; the lateral line straight, below the level of the eye.’——* Body sub-
quadrangular near the head; fail straight, short; caudal fin forked with pointed lobes;
dorsal quadrangular and small ; scales roundish ; colour of the back blackish, of the sides and
abdomen reddish-yellow, with dusky blotches ; pectoral, abdominal, and anal fins reddish ;
caudal and dorsal dashed with black. Length of specimen thirteen inches.
ns: —P. 18; DP 1s “V9-C A. 8)-8C 218... LE sunuR, ie.
[57.] 1. Cyprinus (Leuciscus) @racriis. (Richardson.) Saskat-
chewan Dace.
Famiry, Cyprinoidee. Genus, Cyprinus. Sub-genus, Leuciscus. Cuvier.
No-natcheeges. CreE Inp1ans.
Puate 78.
The Leucisci, or Daces, have a short dorsal and anal, are destitute of spinous
rays or barbels, and exhibit nothing peculiar in the structure of their lips. The
species which we have figured abounds in that part of the Saskatchewan which
flows through the prairie district, and is taken at Carlton-house in nets during the
summer. It is but an indifferent article of food. Our specimen having been sub-
mitted to the inspection of Baron Cuvier, was returned with the following note
attached to it: “ Hspéce particuliére de Cyprin voisin de notre Cyprinus micro-
cephalus.”
; DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen taken in the Saskatchewan, April, 1827.
Form.— Profile approaching to fusiform, most gibbous between the head and dorsal fin:
belly flatter. Head small, crown broad and flat, muzzle rounded. The length of the head is
contained five times in the total length from the snout to the tips of the central caudal rays.
In the dried specimen lines or sutures can be observed on the top of the cranium, dividing it
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CYPRINOIDEZ. 121
into nine rectangular pieces. yes large and lateral: the orbits are two lengths of their axis
from the end of the snout, and three lengths from the tip of the gill-cover; the space between
them is flat. Nostrils close to the orbits. Mouth small, toothless: its upper margin, formed
by the intermaxillaries, has a slight motion, shutting within the labials. ‘The labials form,
as it were, an outer lip, which is continuous with the rounded extremity of the snout that pro-
jects about a line beyond the orifice of the mouth. Palate.and vomer smooth,
GiLt-covers.—Preoperculum a narrow crescent, exhibiting in the dried specimen five or
six pores on its surface, connected with an internal tube which pervades the whole bone.
Operculum four-sided, larger than all the other bones of the gill-plates taken together: its
anterior and under sides are the longest, and the latter overlaps the margin of the strap-
shaped suboperculum its whole length. A membranous border edges the gill-plate and forms
a flap at its apex.
Sca.es large, thin, and, when dry, semitransparent. ‘They vary little in size, and their
length, which scarcely exceeds their breadth, is about eight lines. Their exterior edges are
semicircular and uneven, but not. regularly crenated, and their bases are cut almost trans-
versely, but with a slight point m the middle. The surface of their uncovered segment. is
marked with ten or twelve fine streaks radiating from the centre. ‘The lateral line is straight
and contains fifty-five scales: there are seventeen scales in a vertical row under the dorsal, of
which seven are above the lateral line. In the dried specimen there is a clear longitudinal
streak along the centre of each row of scales, occasioned by the narrow space which intervenes
between the adjoiming rows becoming apparent from the transparency of the covering scale.
Cotour pale oil-green on the back, fading to white on the belly. Sides of the head nacry.
ans bros Dao Pld sie As LOC, LOX
The dorsal commences opposite to the attachment of the ventrals, and consists of nine rays,
the first short and concealed by the skin; the second almost spinous, its articulations being
only faintly visible at the tip; it is about half the length of the third, and is closely applied to
it without the intervention of membrane. ‘The articulations of the other rays are also obsolete
towards their bases, but their summits are more or less branched. ‘The pectorals have seven-
teen rays, the first one being much stronger than the others, and its articulations visible only
at its summit. The ventrals are attached exactly midway between the gills and the anal fin:
their rays have strong bony bases, with their upper halves distinctly articulated. The anal
has ten rays, the two first being very short ,; they are all articulated, and the posterior ones
are much branched. The caudal fin is forked and has nineteen rays, with four short basal
ones above and five below. ‘The depth of the fork equals the length of the central rays.
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of snout to the tips of the ' Length of pectorals . . . 5 Ll
caudal . C é 0 ° - (12 2 x ventrals . . . 1 6
ne o base of central caudal rays 10 4 a attachment of anal . . ~ 0 93
nH 6 eee Te é 6 en, 0 ep longest rays of ditto . : 1 7
3 , dorsal or ventrals 4 10 x lobes of caudal . ° ° 5 2 4
9 5, tip of gill-cover 5 2 3 7 central rays of ditto ° Q 0 11
He 9 centre of orbit 5 0 11 7 extent of scales on the tail beyond
» of attachment of dorsal 1 2 the bases of the caudal . 5) 6
” third or longest ray of ditto . 1 10
9 last ray of ditto c . 0 7 R
122 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[58.] 2. Cyprinus (LEuciscus) cHRYsoLEucAS. (Mitchill?) Mew
York Shiner.
New York Shiner (Cyprinus chrysoleucas), Mircuii1, New York Phil. Tr., p.459 ?
Mr. Todd, of Penetanguishene, sent me a short notice of a small fish which he
considered to be the same with the New York Shiner. It is caught in the month
of May, while spawning, on the shallows of Lake Huron, and is said to associate
with the Pomotis vulgaris *. It evidently belongs to the group of Leucisct which
have the dorsal far back, but the descriptions given by Dr. Mitchill and Mr. Todd
are not particular enough to enable us to infer, with any degree of certainty, that
these gentlemen had the same species before them. They do not agree in their
enumeration of the rays of the fins.
DESCRIPTION
By Mr. Todd of the largest individual which he saw.
“‘ Head smooth, small, depressed on the upper aspect. Mouth small, even, toothless.
Eyes large: irides yellow. Body deep, its depth being an inch and three-quarters in a fish
six inches and a halflong. Lateral line taking the curve of the belly. Dorsal fin far back.
Tail forked. Colour of the back dark, of the sides golden-yellow.
“« Fins.—Br. 3; P.10; V.9; D.8; A.12; C.13. (Mr. Todd.)
3; P.17; V.9; D.9; A.14; C. 19.” (Dr. Mitchill.)
Under the appellation of ExogLossuM NIGRESCENS, or Black Chub, M. Rafi-
nesque describes a Cyprinoid fish which inhabits Lake Champlain. His account
of it is exceedingly brief, and his genus Hxoglossum, founded chiefly on the
Cyprinus maxilingua of Le Sueur, is not adopted in the Régne Animal.
“ Head short, forehead smooth and convex ; lower lip trilobated. Body oblong, blackish ;
lateral line nearly straight. Pectoral fins short, obovate ; dorsal fin in the middle of the
back ; tail slightly forked.”” (Rafinesque, Journ. Ac. Sc. Phil., i., p. 417.)
* Dr, Mitchill says that his C. chrysolewcas is found in the company of the Perca flavescens and Pomotis vulgaris.
ESOCIDA. 123
ESOCIDA.
Fisu of this family want the adipose fin, and the border of their upper jaw is
either formed solely by the intermaxillaries, or if the labials enter at all into its
composition, they are destitute of teeth. Their intestinal canal is short, without
ceca, most of them have an air-bladder, and, with the exception of the Microstoma
of the Mediterranean, all that are known have the dorsal and anal fins opposite to
each other. The Hsocide are voracious fish, many of them inhabitants of rivers.
Most of the family is comprised in the Linnean genus Esox, which is subdivided
in the Régne Animal into ten sub-genera, that differ from each other by many
striking characters, such as the form of the body, which varies from a tolerably thick
shape to a very slender one: the size of the scales, which may be moderately large,
or quite imperceptible, or there may be a series of strong scales on the lateral line,
or a row of keeled ones on each side of the belly: the mandibles also vary greatly
in form, and somewhat in composition; thus both jaws may be moderately long
and of equal length, or the upper one may be very short and the under one either
simply projecting beyond it, or having its symphysis lengthened out into a half
beak, or both jaws may be prolonged in the shape of a slender bill; the labials
may form almost the half of the upper border of the mouth, or they may be alto-
gether posterior to it, or even fixed to the cheek: there is an equal variety in the
dentition, the teeth being, in some cases, small and confined to the margins of the
jaws, in others long, card-like, and densely crowded on the mandibles, vomer,
palate-bones, base of the tongue, branchial arches, and pharyngeal bones, or the
pharyngeal teeth may be en pavé: the gill-covers have also very different forms in
the different sub-genera, and in one case they are reduced to little membranous
flaps: the gill-rays vary in number from three to eighteen or more. The stomias
barbatus differs from the rest of the genus sox in having a very long barbel on
the lower jaw.
The following species, among others, belong to the seas or fresh waters of the
United States. Hsox estor, reticulatus, niger, phaleratus, and lucius, Belone
truncata, Scomber-esox scutellatus, and perhaps equirostrum, Exocetus exiliens,
EF. furcatus, Mitch. (or H. Nuttallii, Le Sueur, J. c., f. 1), and EH. comatus,
Mitch. (or H. appendiculatus, Wood, Journ. Ac. Sc. Phil., iv., p. 278). Several
species of Belone, Hemiramphus, and Exocetus frequent the Caribbean Sea. The
R 2
124 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
sub-genera Alocephalus, Microstoma, Stomias, Chauliodus, and Salanx, contain
one, or, at most, two species each, and belong to the Mediterranean, with the excep-
tion, perhaps, of Salanxz, whose habitat is not mentioned in the Régne Animal.
[ 53. ] 1. Esox Lucius. (Linn.) The Common Pike.
Famizy, Esocide. Genus, Esox. Sub-genus, Esox, Cuvier.
Esox lucius, Aucrorum. Ricuarpson, Fr. Journ. p. 716.
Eithinyoo-cannoosheoo, Cree Inprans. Gedd, Scoris. Gedde, Danis.
The true Pikes form the first division of the Linnean genus Hsov. Their
slender intermaxillaries, armed with small pointed teeth, occupy two-thirds of the
border of the upper jaw: the labials which lie on the sides of the jaw are tooth-
less. The vomer, palate-bones, tongue, pharyngeals, and branchial arches, are
stuck full of teeth in card-like plates, and the sides of the lower Jaw are armed with
a row of long pointed ones. The snout is oblong, obtuse, broad, and depressed :
the solitary dorsal is opposite to the anal. The stomach, wide and plaited, is con-
tinuous with a slender intestine, which is twice folded upon itself and has no ceca:
the air-bladder is very large.
The Common Pike, a well-known inhabitant of the rivers and lakes of Europe
and northern Asia, and even of the Caspian Sea, exists also in the United States of
America, and in every piece of fresh water up to the arctic extremity of the con-
tinent ; but it has not been found on the islands of the Polar Sea, nor is it men-
tioned by Fabricius as a native of Greenland. As it takes a bait set under the ice
more readily than any other fish of the same districts, it forms an important
resource to the Indian hunter in the depth of winter, when the chase fails him.
In the summer it is occasionally shot while basking in shallow waters, but except
in very urgent cases, powder and ball are of too high value in the fur countries to
be thus expended. No quadruped, bird, or fish, that the pike can capture, seems
to be secure from its voracity, and even the spiny perch is an acceptable prey to
this water tyrant. The pike rarely weighs more than twelve pounds in the north-
ern parts of America, Our specimen, taken in Lake Huron, was submitted to
Cuvier’s inspection, and it has also been carefully compared with English pike,
without any specific differences having been detected.
ESOCIDA. 125
DESCRIPTION.
Cotour.—Back tinged with blackish-green, which changes on the sides to light greenish-
grey, and on the belly to pearl-white: on the tip of each scale there is a bright speck having
the form of the letter v, and there are seven or eight longitudinal rows of oblong yellowish-
grey spots on the sides of the head, body and tail. The cheeks yield brilliant emerald-green
reflections ; the under jaw and gill-membranes are white: the irides greyish-purple with a
gold-yellow circle round the pupil. The dorsal and caudal fins are blackish-green, the former
marked with four patchy, longitudinal bands of oil-green, and the latter striped between the
rays with the same: the anal is pale greenish-grey with two or three horizontal bands of yel-
lowish-grey, or buff-orange: ventrals the same, with brownish-orange tips; and pectorals
mostly brownish-orange shaded with grey.
Sca.es thin, broadly oval, their outer edge semicircular, their covered portion deeply divided
by fissures into three or four lobes whose edges overlap *. The cheeks and upper half of the
operculum are scaly, the rest of the head is covered with smooth skin. The scales on the
sides, which are somewhat larger than those on the back, measure three lines and a half in
jength by two and a half in breadth. There are 124 on the lateral line, and 36 in a vertical
row before the ventrals: a linear inch, measured on the sides, contains seven scales. The
lateral line is straight and rather nearer to the back than to the belly ; it is formed by a deep
notch in every third or fourth scale, and a groove in the subjacent one: there are several rows
of these emarginated scales on the back and sides, resembling lateral lines.
Form.—Profile oblong or lanceolate. Body four-sided, the back broader and flatter than
the belly ; the vertical diameter of the fore and middle parts of the body is about equal to one-
seventh of its total length, caudal included: the transverse diameter is two-thirds of the ver-
tical one, and the body carries its thickness to near the anal and dorsal fins, where it thins off
into the compressed, tapering tail. Head forming one-fourth of the total length, caudal
included. Orbits lateral, close to the crown and midway between the tip of the snout and the
gill-openings. The space between the orbits is concave; the snoué is broad, rounded, and
depressed, and its tip is formed of a narrow cartilage covered by smooth membrane attached
to the end of the vomer, and lying between the intermaxillaries. There are upwards of
sixty pores on the head, disposed round the orbits, on the preopercula, occipital suture, and
along the limbs of the lower jaw. The mouth is capacious. The infermazillaries are very
narrow, and are separated from each other by the somewhat dilated extremity of the vomer to
which they are articulated: they are the only portion of the upper lip which is toothed. The
labials have an oblong form, and are thrice the length of the mtermaxillaries: their posterior
piece is very moveable and projects a little beyond the anterior one. ‘The under jaw is longer
than the upper one by the thickness of the lip merely. The palate-bones are connected to the
* In our English specimens there are only three lobes to the scales: in the Lake Huron one, most of the scales have
four lobes, and their texture is more compact. These variations are, perhaps, to be attributed to a difference in the age of
the fish. The Lake Huron specimen is larger, and may therefore be considered as older than the English ones with which
we compared it.
126 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
vomer by membrane which allows a free hinge-like motion. The tongue is broad and trun-
cated at the tip.
Trretu.—The intermazillaries and forepart of the lower jaw are furnished with a single
crowded row of small slightly-hooked teeth: on the sides of the lower jaw there is a row of
rather remote, long, straight, very sharp, awl-shaped teeth, implanted into the bone, with some
pretty large ones merely adhering to the gums. The palate bones and vomer are armed with
card-like bands of teeth, the interior rows on the former, and anterior one on the latter, being
longest: the teeth on the vomer become finer, and the band narrower, posteriorly, until it ter-
minates in a point opposite to the angles of the mouth. The base of the tongue, the inferior
and superior pharyngeal bones, and a series of small plates at the inferior union of the bran-
chial arches, are rough like a file with minute teeth. The branchial arches are destitute of
rakers, but a row of awl-shaped teeth, flanked on each side with nacry stripes of teeth, like
velvet-pile, crowns their acute edges.
Gitt-covers.—Preoperculum narrow, slightly curved, and carrying its breadth to its extre-
mities. Operculum quadrangular, four times the height of the suboperculum, which exceeds it
a little in length. Jnteroperculum almost concealed beneath the edge of the preoperculum.
The gill-openings are very large: the left membrane overlaps the right one at their insertion
into the isthmus: the rays are cylindrical, the upper one alone being flattened *.
Fins.—Br. 15; D. 20; P.16; V.10; A.18; C.183. Lake Huron specimen.
13; 226 14; 10; 20; 182. English specimen.
The dorsal contains twenty rays, of which the first four are short and closely applied to the
fifth: the fin is considerably rounded, and the length of its attachment is equal to its height.
The ventrals are situated midway between the tip of the snout and extremities of the caudal.
The anal is shaped like the dorsal, and equals it in the length of its rays, but has a shorter
attachment : it is opposed to the twelve posterior rays of the dorsal. The caudal is sharply
forked.
InresTrNES.—On opening the belly the iver presents itself, having an oblong form without
lobes. The duct of the gall-bladder enters the intestine about an inch below the pylorus. ‘The
stomach is a straight tube, plicated internally and capable of great distention: its muscular
coat is strong, and several longitudinal bands of fat and blood-vessels are continued from its
peritonzeal coat along the rest of the intestine. Below the pylorus, which is much contracted,
the intestine gradually diminishes in calibre and in the strength of its coats: but the rectum is
a little wider. A cordiform spleen is attached to the stomach. A large air-bladder extends
the whole length of the abdomen: it has a tendinous capsule to which it adheres but slightly.
The kidneys, of a wax-yellow colour, speckled with black, extend along the spine from the
gullet to an inch beyond the anus: the urinary bladder is separated from the kidney by the
lower end of the air-bladder.
* One of our English specimens has 12 gill-rays, another has 13, and a third has 13 on one side and 14 on the other.
ESOCID. 127
DIMENSIONS
Of Lake Huron specimen, dried.
Inches. Lines. Inches, Lines.
Length from end of snout to tips of caudal 26 6 Length of pectorals : . ° ee 2: 6
eS a tips of central and caudal rays 25 6 a ventrals . . A 2 aj
> 5 end of scales on caudal . 23 8 % attachment of dorsal ° 2 10
a Af anus . : e 18 0 ” central rays of ditto . 2 8h
rp a beginning of dorsal . a ile 6 op attachment of anal . . Ben 74 1
oh ch tip of gill-cover . , 6 3 9) central rays of ditto 0 2 7
Aj of orbit < : 0 eee 9 - lobes of caudal 6 ° 3 1]
» of labials C 6 ; 5 2, 5 . central rays of ditto . Py 1 8
Fe intermaxillaries oO : 0 9 Dp lateral line . 6 . 6 lle/ 3
5S lower jaw 4 1 Extent of scales beyond base of caudal . 1 0
Of recent specimen taken in the Saskatchewan.
Length from end of snout to tips of caudal. 26 6 Length of esophagus and stomach . ots} 0
6 5 base of ditto : : 22 6 » from pylorustorectum . . 15 0
a 3 anus 0 A 3 5 is 0 » of rectum . 5 : 9 ene”? 6
» ofcaudalfin . . . ° 3 6 bp whole alimentary canal : 25 6
[ 54. ] 2. Esox restor. (Le Sueur.) The Maskinonge.
Esox.estor, Cuvier, Rég. An., ii., p. 282.
Our specimen of this pike was obtained at Penetanguishene, on Lake Huron,
where it is rather scarce, being more common in Lake Erie and the southern
Canadian waters. We did not meet with it in any of the rivers or lakes that dis-
charge themselves into Hudson’s Bay or the Polar Sea. Mr. Todd informed me
that in the spring, which is its spawning season, it frequents the small rivers that
fall into Lake Simcoe, and that it feeds on “small, gelatinous, green balls which
grow on the sides of banks under water, and on small fishes.” It attains the weight
of twenty-eight pounds, and is considered as much preferable to the common pike
for the table. It is a curious circumstance, that though the Maskinongé first
received a distinct specific name from M. Le Sueur, his original description (Journ.
Ac. Se. Phil., i. p. 413), quoted in the Régne Animal, applies exactly to the
E. lucius, and not at all to estor. Our specimen of the latter was identified by
Cuvier.
DESCRIPTION
Of a Lake Huron specimen,
Cotour.—It differs from the Common Pike, in the general tint of the body being lighter
than the markings: the back is rather dark, the sides light bluish-grey, interspersed with
roundish distinct or confluent spots about the size of buck-shot. When exposed to a strong
128 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
light, a quadrantal segment of each scale reflects bright colours, which change their place
when the fish is moved, but there is no fixed pale angular mark on the tips of the scales, as in
E. lucius. The scales are about half the size of those of the latter, and of a different form,
their length and breadth being equal: and their middle lobe is the smallest; whereas in
the Common Pike the middle lobe is rather the largest. The lateral line, measuring fifteen
inches and a half, contains 162 seales, and there are about 45 in a vertical row before the ven-
trals: a linear inch on the sides contains a little more than-ten scales. The structure of the
gill-cover is nearly that of E. luctus, but the suboperculum is slightly broader and more
rounded posteriorly, giving a curve to the edge of the plate, which is almost straight in E.
lucius ; there is also a distinctive mark in two rows of scales which descend on the anterior
edge of the operculum in E. estor, until they reach the upper angular process of the suboper-
culum. The length of the head is contained four times and a half in the total length, includ-
ing the caudal.
Fins.—Br. 18; D. 21; P.12; A. 21; C. 192.
The five anterior rays of the dorsal are short and applied closely to the base of the sixth.
The four anterior rays of the anal are in like manner applied to the fifth.
Dimensions
Of a dried specimen,
Inches. Lines. Inches, Lines.
Length from tip of snout to extrem. of caudal 23 33 Length of attachment of dorsal F ae 1] 5
3 m central caudal rays, 22 10 93 central rays of ditto S . 2 Z
i 55 anus . oe als) 6 oa attachment of anal. : 5 0
s a beginning of dorsal 14 63 3 central rays of ditto 2 7
r; . tip of gill-cover 5 5 5 lobes of caudal S . - 4 0
i » orbit 2 4 i; central rays of ditto ° 1 8
» of intermazxillaries 0 103 Extent of scales beyond bases of caudal 0 11
5 labials f 3 A ° 2 1 Depth of caudal fork . : ° 5 1] 42
s lower jaw . 5 4 ao 6
” ventrals . . . 2 43
M. Le Sueur describes three other species of Esox which inhabit the fresh
waters of the United States: viz., reticulatus, niger, and phaleratus ; the first of
which is known by its scaly opercula, and its flanks marked with brownish lines,
which cross occasionally so as to form meshes.
[55.] 1. ScomMBER-Esox scuTELLATUS. (Le Sueur.) Newfoundland
Saury-Pike.
Gxnus, Esox. Linn. Swb-genus, Scomber-esox. Lacer., Cuv. (Sairis, Rafinesque.)
The scombrésoces of Lacépéde have a general resemblance to the Belones, gar-
fish, or sea-needles, the same kind of long, slender bill, the upper border of which
ESOCID&. 129
is entirely formed by the intermaxillaries ; and also a row of keeled scales on each
side of the belly, the scales which cover the rest of the body being scarcely appa-
rent ; but they are like the mackerels in the posterior rays of the dorsal and anal,
being distributed in detached finlets.
The S. scutellatus, described by Le Sueur, was taken from the stomach of a cod
caught on the banks of Newfoundland; and the S. equirostrum of the same natu-
ralist is known only by a specimen in the Boston Museum. Nothing is said of
their habits, but they are probably similar to those of the European species—the
Gowdnook, or Egypt-herring of the Scottish fishermen, which enters the Firth of
Forth in considerable shoals almost every autumn. “It is,’ says Mr. Neill, “a
stupid inactive fish, which is left on the shallows at the ebbing of the tide, with its
long nose sticking in the mud, and is picked up in hundreds by the people from
Kincardine, Alloa, and other places *.”
[56.] 2. The Braziiian PrxKe of Pennant is most probably a Scomber-esow.
It resembles, it is true, a Hemiramphus in the great prolongation of the lower jaw ;
but this sub-genus is characterised in the Régne Animal as having moderately
large round scales, and no detached finlets behind the dorsal and anal: the known
hemiramphi, moreover, inhabit the tropical seas, and it is, therefore, less likely that
one should be found so far north on the Labrador coast as Croque Harbour, where
Pennant’s fish was taken. The following is that naturalist’s account of it.
« Pike with the under jaw very slender, and twice as long as the upper: the head smooth :
body covered with small scales: the dorsal and anal fins opposite: between them and the tail
a row of small spurious fins like the mackerel. Taken off Croque Harbour, and communi-
cated to me by Sir Joseph Banks.” (Arctic Zoology, Suppl., p. 145.)
[57.] 1. Exocrtus exiniens. (Bloch.) North American Flying-fish.
Famity, Esocide, Cuvier. Genus, Exocetus, Linn.
The Hzoceti, or Flying-fish, are readily known from all the other groups of the
same order by the very great size of their pectoral fins, which spread out so as to
* Wernerian Transactions, i, p, 542.
130 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
form a kind of wings capable of sustaining the fish during a short flight through
the air. They have scales on the head and body, and a raised line of keeled scales
along each flank, as in the gar-fish and saury-pikes; the head is flattened above
and on the sides; the dorsal is over the anal; the upper lobe of the caudal is the
shortest ; the eyes are large; the intermaxillaries have no pedicles, and form the
whole border of the upper jaw ; the teeth are small and pointed on both jaws, and
“ en pavés” on the pharyngeals; there are ten gill-rays ; the air-bladder is large,
and the intestines straight without caeca. Some species have barbels on the lower
jaw.
The Flying-fish inhabit all the warm and temperate districts of the ocean.
Cuvier remarks that their wing-like pectoral fins serve as parachutes merely, but
after daily observation of their flight, during a voyage of several months within the
tropics, I can give my testimony to the correctness of Mr. Collie’s statement, made
in the Appendix to Captain Beechey’s voyage, that these fish not only possess the
power of descending and rising in the air without touching the water, but also of
suddenly changing the direction of their flight, and going off even at a right angle
previous to alighting in the sea. Their flight can extend to several hundred yards,
and is very rapid, being apparently scarcely inferior to that of a swift bird: their
descent into the water is sometimes sudden, as if they dropt down from exhaustion,
at other times gradual like their ascent, and they occasionally bury themselves in
the brow of a rising wave. They often rise from the water in a perfect calm, but
they seem to take to the air more frequently during the prevalence of a moderate
breeze, though this may be partly accounted for by our field of observation being
increased when the ship was in motion. The approach of the vessel often occa-
sioned the flight of a shoal of these fish, and we could then easily ascertain that the
angle of the course with the wind varied, though I never saw them fly directly
against a breeze, however slight. In the moonlight nights many fiew into the ports
of the small frigate in which I was then serving, and furnished a very agreeable
addition to our breakfast.
The exocetus exiliens, which Bloch obtained from Carolina, is distinguished by the position
of its long ventrals behind the middle of the body. It is figured by Dr. Mitchill (pl. v., f. 3)
under the name of the New York Flying-fish, although he makes no mention of it in his text.
The young have black bands on their fins, and M. Le Sueur’s E. fasciatus, taken in the
Gulf-stream, is, in Cuvier’s opinion, merely one of these. It is probably this species which,
keeping in the warm waters of the Gulf-stream, ranges northwards to the banks of Newfound-
land. Cuvier observes, that the E. exiliens and mesogaster of Bloch resemble each other so
much that it is not easy to distinguish the species by the descriptions and figures of voyagers.
ESOCIDA:. 13]
Dr. Mitchill mentions the mesogaster as an inhabitant of the sea of New York; and Dr.
Smith enumerates it among the fish of Massachusetts; but the notice of the former is too
slight to prove that he has applied the name rightly, though sufficient to show that he is not
speaking of the species which he has figured as the New York Flying-fish ; and the latter writer
gives no descriptions or figures in his work, whereby a naturalist may judge of the correctness
of his determination of the species. The EL. volitans, the most common species in the Atlantic,
has small ventrals situated before the middle of the body. Both forms occur in the Pacific.
Lieutenant-Colonel Smith makes the following remark on an exocetus which he observed off
the Isle of Sable, near Nova Scotia. “I would have taken it for mesogaster or exiliens, but
the wings, instead of being rounded beneath, were very unequally and acutely two-lobed, by a
notch extending obliquely to near their lower margin; the eye was very large, the scales
broad ; the colour greenish-grey; and the length about ten inches.
72)
iw)
132 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
SILUROIDEZ.
‘Tuts family is distinguished from the others of the same order by the skin being
either naked, or protected by large bony plates, but always destitute of true scales.
The intermaxillaries, suspended under the ethmoid bone, form the border of the
upper jaw, while the labials are lengthened out into barbels, or are simply rudi-
inentary. The intestinal canal is wide, without ceca, and doubles upon itself;
the air-bladder is large, and adheres to a peculiar bony apparatus; the dorsal and
pectorals have almost always a strong spine, with a joint for their first ray, and
there is very often an adipose fin as in the Salmonoideee. ‘The family contains four
genera, Stlurus, Malapterurus, Aspredo, and Loricaria, the first of which, being
by far the most extensive, is divided into twelve sub-genera. The species abound
in the rivers of warm countries and are numerous in America. The following
species have been detected in the United States. Bagrus marinus, Pimelodus
catus, albidus, nebulosus, eneus, cauda-furcata, nigricans, natalis, and insigne
(livrée, Le Sueur). Doras costatus, Callichthys (Silurus callichthys, Linn.) and
Aspredo (S. aspredo, Linn.). The Mysti, Hypostomes, and Loricari@, are South
American fish. The Schilbes, Synodontes, Heterobranchi, and Malapteruri, are
inhabitants of the Nile, Senegal, and some Asiatic rivers. The Plotoses are Indian
fish. The Silurus glanis is the largest fresh-water fish that exists in Europe, being
sometimes upwards of six feet long, and weighing three hundred weight.
[58.] 1. Sr~turus (PIMELoDUS) ca@Nosus. (Richardson.) Huron
Pimelode.
Famiry, Siluroidex. Gernus,Silurus. L. Sub-genus, Pimelodus. Lacepr., Cuv.
Fish belonging to the genus Si/urus have the mouth at the extremity of the
snout; and in most of the sub-genera the first ray of the pectoral fins is a strong
spine, articulated in such a manner to the shoulder-bone, that the fish can at plea-
sure lay it along the body, or fix it perpendicularly, so as to render it capable of
inflicting a very dangerous wound. The head is depressed, the intermaxillaries
SILUROIDEZ. 133
suspended to the ethmoid, and not protractile, the labials very small, but almost
always prolonged into a fleshy barbel, besides which there are other barbels attached
to the lower jaw, and even to the nostrils. The gill-covers want the subopercular
bones; the strong, heart-shaped air-bladder adheres by its two upper lobes to a
bony apparatus belonging to the first vertebra. The stomach is a fleshy cul-de-sac ;
and the gut is long and wide, without czeca.——Characters to distinguish the sub-
genera from each other may be found in the number and extent of the dorsal, or
the presence or the absence of the adipose fins, the spinous or soft structure of the
first dorsal ray, the form of the head, the number of barbels or their absence, the
nakedness of the skin, or the presence of bony plates on the head, nape, lateral
line, or whole of the sides, the dentition and the structure of the gills.
In the sub-genus Pimelodus, which is very rich in species, the body is destitute
_ of lateral armature, being clothed merely with a smooth skin; the jaws, and fre-
quently the palate-bones, are furnished with teeth like velvet pile, but there is no
band of teeth on the vomer parallel to that on the upper jaw, as in the sub-genus
bagrus. There is very great variety in the form of the head, and in the number of
barbels appended to it. The Pimelodus cenosus inhabits Lake Huron, where it
frequents muddy rivers and attains the weight of several pounds. It takes a bait
readily and is excellent eating. A somewhat mutilated specimen, taken at Pene-
tanguishene, and presented to me by Mr. Todd, having been sent to Baron Cuvier,
was returned with the following remark: “ Pimelode trés voisin du Silure noir de
Lac Erie de La Sueur. Notre travail sur les Silures n étant pas encore terminé
nous n avons pas fixé son nom.” This pimelode belongs to the division or tribe of
the sub-genus, in which there is only a single band of teeth on the upper jaw, and
the head furnished with eight barbels, has an oval shape, without any bony plates
appearing through the smooth skin.
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen from Penetanguishene.
Form.—Profile oval, tapering into the tail. Head broadly oval, forming two-ninths of the
total length. Orbits small and nearer to the snout than to the gill-opening. Nostrils situ-
ated some distance before the eye; a slender barbel, half an inch long, springs from their
posterior margin. Snout obtuse. Labials ending in a tapering barbel, which is an inch and
a quarter long and reaches to the gill-opening ; there are also two slender barbels on each
side of the chin. Both jaws are armed with a brush-like band of short teeth, very con-
spicuous in the dried specimen. The palate and vomer are smooth. ‘The bones of the skull
are firmly united together, and it is difficult to distinguish the pieces of the gill-covers through
the skin. ~ The upper gill-ray runs under the edge of the operculum, and is firmly joined to
134 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
it at one corner, thus supplying the place of the suboperculum, which is wanting in this genus :
the preoperculum, though firmly connected to the operculum by bone, is marked out by its
slightly-elevated edge, but the interoperculum cannot be traced through the skin. There are
nine gill-rays, all cylindrical except the two superior ones, which are flattened at their upper
extremities. The gill-openings are rather confined. The humeral bones are strong and
spreading, with a process which can be felt through the skin, extending backwards above the
pectoral ; the nape is smooth.
Fins.— Br. 9; D. 1/7—0; P. 1/8; V.8; A. 24; C.172.
The dorsal contains seven branched rays, the first of which is sheathed in the deep posterior
groove of a strong acute pointed bone, that can be erected or depressed at the will of the fish.
This bony spine is a little shorter than the first soft ray. The adipose fin corresponds to the
hinder part of the anal. The pectoral is armed still more strongly than the dorsal, by a
bone which is triangular at the base and compressed towards its acute tip: its posterior edge
is serrated by ten or eleven acute teeth pointing downwards. ‘The ventrals are posterior to
the dorsal, and a little nearer to the caudal fin than to the end of the snout. The anal
and caudal are large, and their outline, like that of the dorsal, is slightly rounded: the former
has twenty-four rays, including three short anterior ones, and the caudal has many short basal
ones, with seventeen long ones.
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines, Inches, Lives.
Length from end of snout to tips of central Length of adipose fin . : . 5 7
caudal rays ’ C . : - 10 4 ” pectoral spine 1 0
of op centre of orbit 1 1 ip rays of pectoral 1 3
5 ” posterior angle of gill-cover 2 4 0 ventrals . : 9 1 1
os ty dorsal fin . 3 24 £6 attachment of anal dj faa 9
a sp ventrals ° 4 8 oH its central rays 1 2
“ S anal 6 0 ch lateral caudal rays . : & 8s
» of attachment of dorsal 0 94 ih its central rays 1 6
” central rays of ditto 1 5
» dorsal spine 1 0
[59.] 2. Sr_urus (PIMELoDuS) NiGRESCENS. (Le Sueur.) Black
Pimelode.
©
Pimelode noiratre (P. nigrescens). Le Surur, Mém. Mus. @Hist. Nat. Paris, v. p. 153,
Pl.16. Lowest figure.
The black pimelode described, together with six other species, by M. Le Sueur,
in the work quoted above, inhabits Lakes Erie and Ontario and their tributary
rivers, frequenting places where the bottom is muddy. It is said to attain a great
size, and is a sluggish, inactive fish, generally lying still for a long time in one
b
SILUROIDEA. 135
spot, so that it can be very readily captured by passing a noose over its head. It
is also speared in the night time, by torch-light, which is a common mode of fishing
in the lakes.
M. Le Sueur distinguishes this species by the orbicular shape of its head, the form of its
body, which is broad anteriorly and compressed posteriorly, and by the black colour of its
iris. It has eight barbels in the ordinary situations: the two pairs on the lower jaw are of
equal length; the eyes are small; the anterior nasal openings are tubular, and, as usual, a
barbel springs from the hinder margin of each of the posterior ones; the cheeks are rounded ;
the snout is broad and depressed ; the upper jaw projects beyond the inferior one, and both
are provided with fine, long, closely-crowded teeth, which are buried to their tips in the thick
integuments : the gullet is also furnished with tubercles covered with teeth ; the dorsal, broad
and rounded, has its bony ray set posteriorly with teeth which point toward its base ; the ana!
and ventrals are also rounded: the former is very long, the latter and the adipose fin are of
medium size; the caudal is slightly crescentic at the end; all the rays of the fins, except the
bony ones of the pectorals and dorsal, are divided and concealed by the very thick skin in
which they are enveloped. a
Fins.—Br. 8; D.7; P.10; V.8; A. 25; C.16. (Le Sueur, l. c.)
[ 60. ] 3. SimuRus (PIMELODUS) BOREALIS. (Richardson.) The
Mathemeg.
Cod mathemeg. Prnn., Arct. Zool. Suppl, p.115. No.94. Intr., exci.
Silurus felis? Ricu., Frank. Journ., p. 723.
Le Chat. Canapran Voyaceurs. Mathemeg. Crezs.
The mathemeg, or land cod of the residents in the fur countries, is taken spa-
ringly, during the summer months, in the lakes through which the Saskatchewan
flows. It is the most northern American species of the family, but does not range
higher than the 54th parallel. It is prized as a well-flavoured, rich fish, though
its aspect is by no means prepossessing to one who is a stranger to its good quali-
ties. Its Cree appellation signifies “ ugly fish.” A specimen which I brought
home in 1821, is not now within my reach, but the species differs manifestly from
the two preceding ones in the shape of its dorsal fin, and in its pectoral spine being
void of serratures. The size of its head also requires it to be included in that tribe
of the sub-genus which is indicated in the Régne Animal by the name of Les
Chats, or Cats, in which the head is very broad, covered with naked skin, and fur-
136 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
nished sometimes with six, sometimes with eight barbels: there are no palatine
teeth.
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen caught in Pine-Island Lake, lat. 54° N.
Cotour dark greenish-brown on the back and sides: on the belly whitish.
Form.—Body oblong, tapering posteriorly ; belly tumid before the ventrals. No scales :
lateral line straight. Head flat and broad, its breadth equalling its length. There is a small
lengthening of the cranium at the nape, which is concealed by the thick smooth skin. Snout
obtuse, almost semicircular. Mouth at the extremity of the head, the upper lip slightly
overlapping the lower one. There are eight barbels, two formed by the tapering labials and
reaching to the gill-openings ; two springing from the upper borders of the nostrils, about an
inch long; and two pairs on the lower jaw, the outermost and longest measuring two inches
and a half. Teeth small and erect in brush-like plates on both jaws: the palate and vomer
smooth. Dorsal sub-quadrangular: its bony first ray smooth. The pectoral spine also free
from denticulations. Adipose fin rather large and opposed to the posterior third of the anal.
Anal large and long, terminating one-third of its own length from the base of the caudal.
The latter has a wide shallow fork with obtusely-rounded lobes. The length of the specimen,
excluding the caudal, was thirty inches.
Fins.—D. 1/6; P.1/6; V.9; A. 25; C. 173.
SALMONOIDEZ. 137
SALMONOIDE.
Tue fish of this family were collected by Linnzus into a single great genus, which
is concisely characterised by a scaly body; a first dorsal having articulated rays ;
and a second small one, not sustained by rays, but formed merely of a fold of the
skin enclosing fat, and hence named the adipose fin. The Salmoncidee have
numerous ceca and an air-bladder ; they almost all ascend rivers, their habits are
voracious, and most of them are highly esteemed as articles of food. The sur-
prising variety which exists in their dentition, and in the structure of their jaws,
furnishes characters for the numerous sub-genera into which Cuvier has divided
this extensive genus: but owing to the absence of obvious peculiarities by which we
may distinguish one species from another of the same group in this family, and the
difficulty of collecting specimens from various countries for comparison, inextri-
cable confusion has crept into the synonymy. ‘The loss which science has sus-
tained in the death of Cuvier has deferred the rectification of this, which must
be accomplished by some ichthyologist of adequate means and talents, before a
precise statement can be made respecting the geographical distribution of the
species.
In the TRoutTs, or TRUE SALMON, constituting the first sub-genus (Salmo, Cuvier),
the labials form a large portion of the border of the upper jaw, and there is a row
of pointed teeth on these bones, the intermaxillaries, lower jaw, and palate-bones,
and two rows on the vomer, tongue, and pharyngeals, so that the dentition is more
complete than in any other tribe of fish. In the old males the point of the lower
jaw is incurvated, and lodges in a cavity formed in the forepart of the roof of the
mouth, anterior to a transverse membrane. The shape of the trouts is known to
every one. Their ventrals are opposed to the middle of the dorsal, and the adipose
is over the anal. They have about ten gill-rays. Their long, narrow stomach
doubles upon itself, and the pyloric czeca are very numerous; the air-bladder
reaches from one end of the abdomen to the other, and communicates with the
upper part of the cesophagus. The trouts have almost always spotted bodies, and
they are generally excellent food. They ascend rivers to spawn and surmount
cascades, thus attaining the rivulets and small lakes of the highest mountains.
Such is the compendious character of the sub-genus contained in the Régne Animal,
to which we may add, that the group is an exceedingly natural one, so much so,
T
138 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
that very minute observation and much practical skill are requisite for the due dis-
crimination of the species. No attempt that has hitherto been made to frame
proper specific characters for the trouts has succeeded, and a great number of
names have consequently been introduced into science which it is almost impos-
sible to appropriate correctly. In some instances, several nominal species have
been created, by the description of different states of the same trout under separate
names, and as frequently two or more species have been confounded together.
Most of the American trouts, though perfectly distinct, have been described as
identical with the common European ones. The rectification of this confusion is
a matter that concerns the legislator as well as the naturalist, for nothing certain
can be learnt of the habits of a trout until we have the means of recognising it in
its various stages of growth; nor without such knowledge can the legislative enact-
ments which abound in North America, as well as in Europe, be of much utility,
or indeed fail of being actually injurious. Figures, unless perfectly correct in all
the details, do not aid us much in distinguishing species which are so similar in
external form; and descriptions of colour, if unaccompanied by notices of peculia-
rities of structure, as is the case in many ichthyological works, are of still less ser-
vice. ‘The hues and markings of the trouts are modified by their age, food, and
other circumstances. The younger individuals are generally more spotted than the
older ones, which have a more uniform and often a deeper colour. When a trout
has abundance of its proper aliment, as must be generally the case before it can
attain a spawning condition, its scales acquire a splendour, and its markings an
intensity and distinctness very different from what the same fish exhibits when out
of season—so that we might say with M. Agassiz, these fish bedeck themselves, like
birds, in a nuptial garb. This gentleman also observes, that the tints of the trouts
are most brilliant, and their colours most vivid in the autumn, and at the time of
the greatest cold, or in the months of October, November, December, and January ;
which is the precise period of the development of the spawn in many of the species.
He likewise states that the most beautiful Salmon-trout are found in waters which
abound in small crustacea, direct experiments having shown to his satisfaction
that the intensity of the red colour of their flesh depends upon the quantity of
gammarine which they had devoured. Dr. Knox’s researches give a nearly
similar result, by proving the red substance which is generally to be found in the
intestines of a salmon that has recently quitted the sea to consist of the eggs of
echinodermata and crustacee. ‘To this rich aliment he attributes the brilliancy of
the scales of a salmon in prime condition, and the high flavour and deep colour
of its flesh.
SALMONOIDE. 139
Being convinced that much assistance in discriminating the different species of
trout may be obtained by carefully observing the forms and relative sizes of the
various parts of the head, particularly the opercular pieces, the heads of the Ame-
rican trouts, described in the following pages, are figured of the natural size, and
two plates of the heads of British trouts are added for the purpose of comparison.
The proportion of the head to the whole body, the dentition particularly of the
vomer and tongue, and the form and size of the scales, have also been carefully
noted in the descriptions. I have recently been led to conclude that the number
of the pyloric czeca ought to be taken into account as a specific distinction; but
living as I do in a part of the country where there are no trouting streams, and
far distant from waters affording a variety of species, I have been unable to carry
my anatomical researches to the extent that I could have wished; and I much
regret that I did not turn my attention to this subject when I had it in my power
to examine recent American specimens. I have been indebted, it is true, to kind
friends for numerous presents of trouts from the Orkneys, Sutherlandshire, Kin-
rosshire, Dumfriesshire, and Wales; but such distant land-carriage was productive,
in many cases, of so much injury to the specimens, that I could not always satis-
factorily determine how far differences in the number of the czeca were connected
with variations of external form.
The following species of trout are mentioned in the Régne Animal as existing
in Europe. Salmo salar, hamatus, Schiefermulleri, hucho, lemanus, trutta, fario,
punctatus, marmoratus, salvelinus, alpinus, salmulus (samlet or par), and wmbla*.
From the want of continental specimens for comparison, I am unable to say, with
any pretension to correctness, how many of the British trouts can be arranged under
* Nilsson enumerates as inhabitants of the waters of Scandinavia,—I, Trurrm :—Salmo salar, ocla, trutta, truttula,
fario, punctatus. II. Sarve.int :—Salmo ventricosus, carbonarius, alpinus, pallidus, salvelinus, and rutilus, M. Agassiz,
however, reduces the species on the continent of Europe to six, but admits that he has seen additional ones in Great Bri_
tain. His species are :—
©], Satmo umsna, Linn., the Char of England, the Ombre Chevalier of the Lake of Geneva, the Rathei of Swiss Ger-
many, and the Schwartz reutal of Saltzburg.—Synonyms: S. salvelinus, alpnus, Linn., salmarinus (but not the S.
alpinus of Bloch). This fish is found in England, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, and in all the southern parts of
Germany.
“2, §, rario, Linn—the Trout of brooks, Common trout, Gillaroo trout, and Par. Synonyms: Sadmo silvaticus,
Schrank, alpinus, Bloch, punctatus and marmoratus, Cuvier, and erythrinus, Linn. It is found as extensively as the
first species.
“3. S.rrutra, Linn. Sea Trout—Salmon Trout. It is the same as the Salmo demanus of Cuvier, and the S, albatus of
Rondeletius. It is found as extensively as the two preceding species.
“4, §, vacusrris, Linn, The same as the S. wlanca and Schiefermulleri of Bloch. It is found in the lakes of Lower
Austria, and in the Rhine above Constance.
“5, §,satar, Linn, Thetrue Salmon. The Sa/mo hamatus of Cuvier is the old fish, and the S. Gadenit of Bloch is the
young. Found in the northern seas, whence it ascends the rivers even as high as the Swiss lakes.
“6, S.nucuo, Linn. Peculiar to the waters of the Danube.” (Agassiz. Paper read before the British Association at
the Edinburgh meeting, reported in Lit. Gaz.)
T 2
140 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
the preceding names: but to serve as an explanation of plates 91 and 92, and also
as an introduction to the descriptions of the American trout, I shall give a few
notices of the British ones that I have had an opportunity of examining. Of the
correct designation of our most important trout,
1. Samo satar there can be no doubt. The head of a “ run fish,” or of one taken on
its way to the sea after spawning, is represented on Plate 91, f. 1. ‘The posterior edge of the
gill-cover is the segment of a circle, into the formation of which the suboperculum enters
largely, and there is but one tooth on the vomer. ‘The specimen was taken in the Water of
Urr, a river of Galloway, in the month of December: some other particulars respecting it will
be found in our account of the Quebec Salmon. Mr. Yarrell informs me that the Common
Salmon has 60 vertebrz in the spine *. The number of pyloric ceeca appears to vary. The
gentleman just mentioned having sent me the viscera of two large female salmon, brought to
the London market, in prime condition, in the month of April, I found 63 ceca in the one,
and 68 in the other. The gut and larger ceca of the former were filled with botriocephali,
the roe was about one-third grown: the latter, which was not quite so far advanced towards
the spawning state, was not infested with tape-worm: the alimentary canal of both was
thickly lined with a tenacious mucus, mixed with some specks of a red matter resembling
lobster spawn.
2. Saumon-trout. Under this name a fish is brought in large quantities to the London
market in the beginning of summer. It has a very close resemblance to the Common salmon,
of the same size, but has nevertheless an aspect so peculiar as to be readily recognised by the
fishmongers. Its head is proportionably somewhat larger than that of the salar, but its
vomerine teeth are nearly the same, that is, they vary in number from one or two to five or
six, and are placed, in the latter case, two in front, the others in a single row, but turned
alternately to opposite sides. The teeth generally are more slender and acute than those of
the Common salmon. The gill-cover differs from that of the latter in the curve of its pos-
terior edge being elliptical, in consequence of the suboperculum being much less rounded off.
According to Mr. Yarrell, the Salmon-trout has only 59 vertebra, or one fewer than the S.
salar. One specimen from the Nith had 59 ceca, another 61. The head of the latter is
represented in Plate 92, f. 1, A, with a view of its open mouth (f. 1, B), to show the denti-
tion. The scales of the Salmon-trout are thin and delicate, and the spots on the sides have
sometimes a slender crescentic form ; at other times they assume the shape of two crescents
turned back to back, or that of the letter z. I have obtained specimens from Loch Stennis,
in the Orkneys, from the rivers Nith and Medway, and from Wales. In the latter quarter it
is confounded with another species, under the name of Sewin. It feeds more upon fish than
the Common salmon +. I took a young coal-fish and a fragment of sand-stone from the
* Artedi says of the Common salmon of the Baltic (Lax Suecorum), ‘“ Vertebre in universum quinquaginta sez.”
+ Lieutenant-Colonel Lawrence, an ardent and experienced angler, informs me that the salmon is more in the habit of
springing out of the water than the Salmon-trout, and will do so either to take the artificial fly, or to disengage itself from
the hook when it feels the smart ; but the Salmon-trout, as soon as it is struck by the angler, descends directly to the bot-
tom of the pool, and can scarcely be dislodged.
SALMONOIDE. 141
stomach of an Orkney specimen. Some British ichthyologists consider our Salmon-trout to
be the Salmo trutta ; but it is certainly not the species so designated on the continent, which
has a prolonged double series of vomerine teeth. The brief remark in the Régne Animal, on
the Truite de mer, or Salmo Schiefermulleri, applies in all points to our Salmon-trout.
3. The Hiruine of the Nith, and Whiting of the Esk, Phinoc, or Salmo albus, of Fleming,
Salmo Cumberland, or Le Sawmon blanc, of Lacépede, resembles the two preceding so much
as to be readily mistaken for either. The head bears the same proportion to the body as in
the Common salmon, and its scales are larger and still more delicate than those of the Salmon-
trout, but the colours and markings are nearly the same. It is most readily distinguished by
its vomerine teeth extending farther back in two rows, and being clustered in front. In
several specimens the caeca were found to be 49. The intestines were lined with the same
kind of grey mucus, mixed with spots of the red substance which is found in the guts of the
salmon. This species enters the rivers in July and August, its flesh has a deep salmon colour
and a very excellent flavour. The usual size is from one to two pounds. Larger individuals
are confounded with young salmon, and are sold indiscriminately with them in the Dumfries
market, under the name of “ grilses.”” Salmon-trout are also frequently sold by the name of
Hirlings.
4. Plate 91, f. 2, represents the head of a trout which is in Mr. Yarrell’s possession. It
was taken from a Glamorganshire fish, said to be the Sewn (Salmo Cambriscus of Donovan),
which is very probably the same species with the Bull-trout of the weed, and the Salmo
hamatus of Cuvier. We have already remarked that the Salmon-trout is also called Sewin in
Wales; indeed, the whole article in Pennant’s British Zoology on the Grey evidently refers
to the Salmon-trout *. As I have not seen an authentic specimen of the salmo humatus of
the Regne Animal, I am unable decidedly to controvert M. Agassiz’s opinion that it is merely
a nominal species, founded upon a change of form which takes place in the old males of Salmo
salar ; but the evidence I have gleaned from authors induces me to follow Cuvier in ‘consider-
ing it to be quite distinct. There can be no question that the two heads represented on our 91st
plate belong to different species : now the lower one is very like the head of the Tweed trout,
which, in the whole shape, as well as in the markings of the body, closely resembles Bloch’s
figure, t. 98, quoted by Cuvier as his Salmo hamatus. Were the peculiarities of the latter merely
the effect of age, we should not find it more thickly and generally spotted than even the younger
individuals of the Common salmon, which is in fact the case. The following passage, quoted
from the Lachesis Lapponica, tends to prove, not only the northern range of the Salmo hama-
tus, but also that the hook of the lower jaw is developed even in young fish; but the old
males of the Common salmon that we usually see in the Nith, and some other British rivers,
have a comparatively slight hook. “Here,” in Lulean Lapland, “ the Common salmon is
found with the under jaw occasionally hooked. I inquired whether this variety was esteemed
a distinct species, or whether a difference arising from age: both of which questions I was
* Pennant quotes doubtfully Sa/m eriox, Linn., as synonymous with his Grey. It is described by authors as having a
deeper body than the Common salmon, grey spots, and an even tail, characters which all occur in an old Salmon-trout.
The caudal fin becomes even in several species of trout as they advance in age.
142 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
answered in the negative. I was shown a fish of the smallest size, which had in proportion
as large a hook to the lower jaw as the largest. I inquired whether the hooked salmon were
furnished with roe or milt. I was answered they had always milt. On opening seven of
them I found this verified; whereas four salmon which were not hooked had roes. The
hooked or male salmon is so called because the point of its lower jaw is bent inward and has
a taper form resembling a finger, while, on the contrary, the upper one is formed with a cavity
to receive the point, embracing it like a sheath for about half its length.”
The Bull-trout of the Tweed is in little repute for the table; and Cuvier says that the flesh
of the Salmo hamatus, though red, is not so rich as that of the Common salmon, and is held
in less-estimation. ‘The Bull-trout of the Orkneys is also said to have the flesh hard and
dry, and consequently to be little sought after by the country people; but as it had not
entered Loch Stennis in the spring, at which time the other trouts of that lake were sent to
me, I have not been able to procure a specimen, and am consequently ignorant how far it
resembles the Tweed fish bearing the same name.
5. Nuitu Trout, &c. Plate 92, f.2, A and B, exhibits the head of a trout which was
taken in the latter end of December in the river Nith. ‘The entire specimen measured four-
teen inches to the tips of the tail, or twelve inches and a half to the end of the scales on the
base of the caudal fin. Figure 4, A and B, represents a young fish from the Clouden, a tri-
butary of the Nith: it measured seven inches to the end of the scales on the caudal, and
three-quarters of an inch more to the tips of that fin. I have received fine specimens of pre-
cisely the same kind of trout from Loch Crosspiel, below the manse of Durness, Loch Kes-
caig, which discharges its waters into the Atlantic near Sandwood in Sutherlandshire, and
from Loch Stennis in the Orkneys. It is a handsome fish, not so deep in the body as the
Salmon-trout, and assuming a different general aspect, from its much darker colours and its
smaller scales. The colour of the back is a dark mixture of oil-green and brocoli-brown, the
sides are greatly paler, and the belly is whitish with dusky shades. In some localities, or at
certain seasons, the sides have a reddish-brown tinge, and the belly is more or less deeply
glazed with orange. ‘The forehead, snout, and gill-covers are crowded with rather large
round or oval blackish-brown spots, and there are many roundish or stelliform marks on the
back and sides, for some distance below the lateral line, some of which are surrounded by a
paler circle, or tinged with aurora-red. ‘The dorsal is variegated by several rows of smaller
brown spots of different shades, and the adipose fin and upper lobe of the caudal are also
spotted. ‘The scales have an oval form, are considerably smaller, less flexible, and not so
caducous as those of the Salmon-trout, and have a beautiful golden lustre. In the dried
specimens an acute, prominent median ridge extends from the nape nearly to the tip of the
snout, and the lateral ridges of the cranium are also conspicuous : in the fresh state, the head
is smooth and rounded above, and the snout is very obtuse. The under jaw is exactly equal
in length to the upper surface of the head. ‘The vomerine teeth run back in a double row
about half way to the gullet, and there are six teeth on each side of the tongue. The head
in the females constitutes somewhat less than one-fourth of the total length excluding all the
caudal beyond the scales : in the males the head is larger, four of its lengths extending from
SALMONOIDEA. 143
the tip of the snout to the centre of the middle caudal rays. ‘The dorsal vertebree are 58 in
number, and the pyloric ceca varied, in ten individuals, from 49 to 53. The young have
paler colours, silvery scales, and about seven arterial blood-red spots on the lateral line, with
pale areole. They descend to the sea and return into the rivers to spawn in the winter time.
Individuals varying from sixteen to twenty inches in length contained mature roe. This trout
is not very choice in its selection of food, the stomachs of those which I opened containing
river shells, larvae of insects, seeds of various vegetables, bits of straw and charcoal, much
sand, small pebbles, the common coralline of our sea-shores broken down, and the roe
apparently of its own species. The intestines of the young were filled with minute crustacez,
flies, river-shells, and cod-bait, the last appearing to be a favourite food of the young of the
salmon tribe.
Our Nith Trout possesses many of the characters ascribed to the Salmo trutta by continen-
tal ichthyologists *, but in the absence of the power of referring to authentic specimens
for comparison, I am unable to give it that appellation with confidence, especially as the
descriptions and figures of trutta, by many authors, apply nearly as well to our Salmon-trout.
The liberality and kindness of Captain Barou have furnished me with a beautiful stuffed
specimen of the Salmo Lemanus of Cuvier, which is said by M. Agassiz to be merely a par-
ticular state of Salmo trutta. It has at first sight a very different aspect from our Nith trout,
owing to its much paler general colour, smaller and more numerous spots, and somewhat
larger scales; but on examining the details of external structure, the relative proportion of
parts, and the dentition, they are found to be very similar to those of the Nith trout. The
posterior angles of the gill-cover are, however, more rounded, giving a convex curve to its edge
approaching to that of the Salmon-trout, and the length of the under jaw rather exceeds that
of the top of the head. I have had no opportunity of examining the viscera of the Swiss trout.
6. Locu Leven Trout. I am indebted to Mr. Arnott for very fine specimens of this
celebrated trout, which, in external form, the proportional size of the various parts of the head
and gill-cover, the size of the scales, and the dentition, agrees with the Salmo Lemanus ; the
only difference that I can perceive, between the specimens that I have compared, being in the
almost white hue of the one, and the deep shades of colour in the other. The scales in both
dry in the same manner, producing a small ridge in the centre of each, which I do not per-
ceive in other trouts. Three individuals of the Loch Leven trout, that were dissected, had
each 73 pyloric ceca, and in one of them 59 vertebree were counted. ‘The largest of the spe-
cimens measured twenty inches and a quarter including the caudal fin, and two inches less
to the end of the scales. Its colours were as follows. The back liver-brown, nape hair-brown,
top of the head wood-brown, sides of the head and body silvery tinged with rose-red, under
jaw, throat, and belly whitish, partially glazed, particularly near the ventrals, with Dutch-
orange. The top and sides of the head are marked with round blackish-brown spots, which
are largest on the gill-covers, where they equal swan-shot in size. The whole side of the fish,
from the ridge of the back to half way between the ventrals and lateral line, is ornamented with
* Nilsson’s character of the Laz/iring of the Swedes, which is his Sa/mo trutta, applies exactly to our Nith Trout.
144 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
many larger spots of venous blood-red margined with crimson. These spots are roundish,
stelliform, or cruciform *. There are nine or ten rows of small brown spots on the dorsal, and
some on the adipose fin and upper lobe of the caudal. The ridges on the top of the head,
visible in the dried specimen, resemble those of the Nith trout in form, but they are more
acutely prominent, particularly the lateral ones. The scales are broadly oval. The stomach
contained the larve of insects, the remains of a fish, much sand, a bit of charcoal, and two or
three fragments of sand-stone.
7. Samo FERox. Sir William Jardine and Mr. Selby have recently given this name to
a northern Scottish trout, of which a specimen has been kindly transmitted to me by Mr.
Selby, the well-known ornithologist. It resembles the Loch Leven trout in its dentition and
the proportional size of the head; there is also a resemblance, though not a perfect one, in
the form of the gill-cover; but the labials are much stronger and more curved, and the cra-
nial ridges much less prominent and acute. The most decided difference is in the form of the
scales, which in Salmo ferox are broadly oval, more nearly approaching to circular than in
any of the preceding species; they are as thin and flexible as those of the Salmon or Salmon-
trout, though being more thickly covered with epidermis they are not so caducous. In colour,
this fish is described as resembling the Loch Leven trout, but the spots in the specimens we
have seen are fewer and larger. The caudal fin is even at the end, as in the old individuals of
many other species of trout. The Salmo ferox inhabits Loch Awe, in Argyleshire, where it
attains the weight of twenty-eight pounds. It spawns on the sides or near the gorge of the
lake, rarely entering the feeding streams; and although it is occasionally taken in the river
Awe, by which the lake discharges itself into the sea, it is said that it never attempts to reach
the salt water. Its stomach is generally filled with fish. The colour of its flesh is orange-
yellow, its flavour coarse and indifferent. There is a good account of this great trout in the
last edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, under the article Angling.
8. Satmo FaRIo. The Common trout, the Burn trout of Scotland, is generally known
throughout Great Britain. It varies very greatly in the hue of its body and the colour and
brilliancy of its markings. Plate 92, f. 3, A and B, represents the head of an individual nine
inches and a half long to the end of the scales on the caudal, and ten inches and three quar-
ters to the extremity of that fin. The under jaw is shorter than the top of the head, and the
ridges of the palate bones and vomer, into which the teeth are implanted, are much more
prominent than in any other species that has come under my observation. The vomerine
teeth run far back in a double row. ‘The specimen was taken in the Lake of Lochenbreck, in
Galloway, and had the dusky yellowish hue of this trout when it inhabits dark waters. A
much more glittering kind is taken in the Nith, Tweed, and other clear rivers, but I have not
the means of ascertaining whether there be any structural difference or not. Mr. Yarrell
informs me that. the Salmo fario has 58 dorsal vertebre.
9. Cuar. Torgoch, or Red-bellied trout. Plate 92, f. 5, A and B, exhibits the head of
a female char taken in Llyn Cawellyn, near the foot of Snowdon, on the 17th of January,
* The spots of my specimen of the Sa/mo Lemanus are considerably smaller than those of Loch Leven trout, but the
case might be different were a greater number of individuals compared.
92.
Plate
;
|
SALMONOIDE. 145
when ready to spawn. The scales of this trout are small, the colours peculiar, and there is
merely a tuft of fine teeth on the forepart of the vomer, the rest of that bone being perfectly
smooth. I owe the specimen to the kindness of J. L. Wynn, Esq., of Coéd Coch, in Denbigh-
shire. The Tarrogan from Loch Borley, in Sutherlandshire, has a deeper body and larger
scales than the Welsh Torgoch, but the want of good specimens has prevented me from insti-
tuting a fair comparison between the two. They agree in dentition, and differ from the pre-
ceding trouts in the scales being less crowded, and in many parts of the body not tiled but
simply in contact.
The want of a sufficient number of specimens of the Par, and of some other Scottish trouts,
causes me to pass them over without further notice *.
[61.] 1. Sautmo savar. (Auctorum.) The Common salmon.
Famity, Salmones (Salmonoidee), Cuvier. (Salmonacei, Nizsson.)
Salmon abound in the rivers of Labrador, Canada, Newfoundiand t, Nova
Scotia, the New England States, and in the waters of New York which fall into the
St. Lawrence. Previous to the colonization of America, they appear to have
ranged more to the south on the Atlantic coast than they do at present. The cele-
brated but unfortunate Hudson says, that on the 14th of September, 1609, while
sailing up the magnificent river which bears his name, he saw “ great store of
salmons ;” but in recent times even a solitary salmon has rarely been known to
stray thither, and the most southern stream on that coast which this fish now fre-
quents, is Connecticut river, in latitude 414° N{. Even there, however, it is
becoming daily more scarce, the erection of weirs, milldams, and other obstacles to
its ascent in the spawning season, having impeded its reproduction, and the New
York market is now supplied with salmon from Kennebec river in the state of
Maine. The salmon ascends the St. Lawrence and its tributaries as high as Lake
* Sir William Jardine has published an interesting paper on the Sutherlandshire trouts in the New Edinburgh Philo-
sophical Journal, which I did not see until the preceding observations on the Salmonoideew had mostly gone to the press.
He gives the following as the most convenient distinguishing marks of the Par, or Salmo salmulus, Ray :—“ The great
size of the pectoral fins, the shortness of the maxillary bone, and consequent diminutive gape, and the breadth between
the rami of the lower jaw.” In Pennant’s British Zoology (8vo. ed., 1812), the figure in pl. 70, judging from the con-
figurations of the markings and general habit, is that of a young salmon, while the lower figure, in pl. 87, is the true Par,
+ The earliest account we have of Cabot’s discovery of this island in 1497 (recorded on Adams’s map) mentions salmon
among its natural productions. Hakluyt, iii., p. 6.
{ “ White salmons,” noticed by Smith in his account of Virginia, and by subsequent writers, as abounding in the creeks
of Pennsylvania, are evidently the Labre salmoide of Lacépéde, or Grystes sadmotdes of Cuvier, a percoid fish, which we
have already alluded to in p. 31. It is called “ trout” by the inhabitants of Carolina and the neighbouring states.
U
146 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Ontario, its progress farther up being effectually barred by the falls of Niagara.
It has been noticed as a remarkable fact in the history of the fish, that it has never
been known to enter the Niagara, or even to have been taken within thirty miles
of its mouth, though there is nothing to hinder it from ascending to the foot of the
falls, about fifteen miles from the lake. De Witt Clinton has, however, accounted
for this fact in remarking the want of gravel beds in the Niagara, fitted to be
depositaries of the salmon-spawn. Salmon are found in Lake Ontario at all sea-
sons, and they have been caught in the Seneca, or Onondaga river, which falls into
the south side of the lake in every month of the year, sometimes weighing thirty-
seven pounds. “They pass,” says De Witt Clinton, “Oswego at the entrance of this
river in April, are then in fine order, and spread over all the western waters in that
direction, returning to Lake Ontario in October, much reduced in size and fat-
ness.” ‘‘ Numerous conical erections of gravel, found in several of the western
rivers, must have been raised by them.” Another account states, that these fish
make their appearance in Lake Oneida, which communicates with the Onondaga,
in May, and that they eat nothing during their residence there, which continues
till winter *. Mr. Todd informed me, that they enter the shallow, gravelly rivers
in the vicinity of Toronto, on the north side of Lake Ontario, in August, are taken
in great abundance in September, and continue to ascend until November. Their
average weight is about eight pounds, and their length two feet anda half. They
are taken in nets or speared by torch-light. Some years ago, a considerable fishery
was established at the head of the lake, and great quantities of fish were cured for
exportation, but the establishment was broken up by the war. No salmon have
been seen in the Mississippi or its tributaries.
Salmon enter the rivers that fall into Hudson’s Bay north of the 58th degree of
latitude. According to Hearne, they are very numerous, in some seasons, in
Knapp’s Bay and Whale Cove, so that a vessel might speedily be loaded with
them, but they are very scarce in other years. They are, he says, sometimes so
plentiful in Churchill river, that upwards of two hundred fine fish have been taken
in one tide, from four small gill-nets set within a mile of the fort; but at other
times they are so rare that twenty nets have scarcely yielded the same number
during the season, which begins in the latter end of June, and closes about the
middle or end of August. The commencement of the season coincides with the
breaking up of theice ¢. The weight of the fish varies from eight to twenty pounds.
* Lit. and Phil. Trans. of New York, i., p. 147 and p. 500.
+ The following dates were extracted from a Journal kept by Mr. Topping at Churchill factory, five or six miles above
the mouth of the river :— oe
SALMONOIDE. 147
Having seen only dried specimens of the Salmon of the Atlantic coasts of Ame-
rica, I cannot unequivocally refer it to the Salmo salar of European ichthyologists,
though popular writers affirm them to be the same. The identity of the Hudson’s
Bay salmon rests on more uncertain grounds, as I am not aware that it has been
examined by any naturalist. I have for many years used every endeavour to pro-
cure a specimen in vain. An argument may even be adduced against the specific
identity of the Hudson’s Bay salmon with the salar, from the fact of its being
unknown farther south in the bay than the Churchill river, in latitude 58° 47’ N.,
though Nelson, Hayes, Albany, and Moose rivers, lying between the 50th and
57th parallels, abound in the gravel-beds which salmon delight to spawn in. Dried
salmon are among the articles of traffic brought to ships by the Esquimaux of
Hudson’s Straits, and the Salmo salar is mentioned in the Fauna Grenlandica,
though Fabricius states it to be so rare that he never saw it there, and had merely
heard of its existence in two bays. It was not taken on any of the late expeditions
to the arctic coasts of America or the Northern Georgian islands. It is said to
frequent the Kamtschatdale rivers, and though in much smaller numbers than
any of the many other anadromous trouts that are known there, it may, perhaps,
range to the American side of the sea of Kamtschatka. Every voyager who has
visited the north-west coast speaks of the great quantities of salmon taken by the
natives; and Langsdorff mentions that “ several sorts” of salmon resort to the bays
and rivers of Oonalashka, Kodiak, and Norfolk Sound. Eschscholtz, however,
who stayed from March to the middle of August in one year, and during the latter
part of August and beginning of September in another, on the island of Sitchka,
in Norfolk Sound, observes that “‘ there is no great variety in the kinds of fish, but
the individuals are numerous, especially a well-flavoured sort of salmon.” We
shall have occasion hereafter to quote some of Lewis and Clark’s notices of the
trouts of the Columbia. The accounts given by authors of the habits of the Ame-
rican salmon are so very meagre, that it is necessary to borrow what we have to
say of the natural history of the Sano salar from the ichthyologists who have best
described it as it exists in European waters.
Few fish have attracted more attention than the Common salmon of the Old
1809. June 17. River broke up.
1810. 19, Riverclear. July 3. Caught the first salmon.
1811. 23. Riverclear. July 31. Plenty of Sea-trout. August 12. Sea-trout gone.
1812. 10. River beginning to open. July 5. River clear.
1813. 20. Riverclear. June 30. First salmon caught.
It is to be observed, that the ice accumulates at the mouth of the river for some days after it has broken up opposite to
the fort.
*
Wine
148 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
World, its excellence as an article of diet, and the variety of interests involved in the
fisheries established for its capture, rendering a correct knowledge of its natural
history an object of much importance in an economical point of view. A well-
authenticated and connected account of its growth, from the newly-evolved fry to
the full-sized fish, is, however, still a desideratum, for, although many facts have
been established by competent observers, there are several gaps in the history of
this trout, and in particular the form it assumes when half grown has not been fully
discriminated from the young of other species. It is greatly to be regretted that
our acquaintance with the Salmon of the American rivers is so very limited, for
should it happen that the Salmo hamatus and trutta, or other closely-resembling
species, are unknown in America, we might more readily ascertain how many of
the forms known in Great Britain by the local names of smelts, smolts, or smouts,
grawls, gilses, grilses, salmon-peel, kippers, liggers, &c., actually belong to the
salar. 'The natural history of the Salmon, prosecuted in a country where conflict-
ing interests have not as yet sprung up to cause the perversion of facts, would
furnish a rich field of research for ichthyologists, and afford the means of clearing
up many mistakes which have crept into the works of naturalists,—great care being,
of course, taken to ascertain the correct specific appellations of the subject under
observation.
The Common salmon is an inhabitant of all the northern. European and Asiatic
seas, from the entrance of the Bay of Biscay round the North Cape, and along the
coast of Asia to Kamtschatka and the sea of Ochotsk, including the Baltic, White
Sea, Gulf of Kara, and other inlets. It is found in Iceland, and, according to
Guldenstedt, it also inhabits the Caspian. At certain seasons the Salmon quits
the sea, and ascends the rivers towards their sources for the purpose of spawning,
preferring those streams which have stony or rocky bottoms, and convenient gra-
velly banks for the reception of the spawn. Nilsson, however, informs us, that m
some instances the Salmon resides permanently in fresh water, for it is known, says
he, to winter in the interior Swedish lakes, named Wenern and Siljan, from
whence it ascends the rivers at the close of spring, without entering the salt water
at all *.
As the Salmon is never taken on the British coast except in estuaries, rivers, or
lakes, the depths of the sea to which it retires are unknown +; but the microsco-
* In interioribus quibusdem lacubus, Wenern, Sifjan hiemem degit, und? vere preterlapso fluvios adscendit. Lacubus
igitur ut mari, pro hibernis utitur, aquam salsam nunquam attingens. Verne horum lacuum dicuntur pinguiores et carne
saturatiores, quam marini, qui, itinere et impedimentos fatigati, dictos’ lacos inturdem attingunt. Nuixsson, Pisces
Scand.
+ The following extract from Leems’s Journey into Danish Lapland may throw some light on the matter. ‘ At the
SALMONOIDES. 149
pical researches of Dr. Knox have shown, as we have already mentioned, that its
food, previous to its quitting the salt water, consists of the eggs of various echino-
dermata and erustace@, this rich aliment giving the colour and flavour for which
its flesh is so highly prized. On entering the fresh water for the purpose of spawn-
ing, it seems, like many other animals in the nuptial season, to lose its appetite for
food, but will rise occasionally to the natural or artificial fly, and has been known
to take both the minnow and worm*. Salmon in prime condition are taken in
estuaries at every period of the year, but they do not quit the sea in considerable
numbers until the summer is well advanced, and they continue in the tide-way-
ascending with the flood and descending with the ebb, until the spawning season
approaches. At first the fish has a bright silvery hue, with deep black spots on the
back and sides, a head small when compared with the girth of the plump body
loaded with juices and fat, the spawn occupies but little space, the salmon-louse
(Caligus piscinus) adheres to the gills, and tape-worms fill the intestines. As the
reproductive organs advance to maturity, the salmon hastens up the river towards
the gravelly deposits in the upland streams, which are its proper spawning places.
surmounting the natural and artificial barriers that oppose themselves to its pro-
gress with surprising agility. Pennant mentions the perpendicular falls of Ken-
nerth and Pont Aberglasslyn, in Wales, Leixlip, in Ireland, and EKast-eivel on the
Tummil, in Scotland, as salmon-leaps, which evince the extraordinary muscular
efforts that the fish is capable of making; and travellers have recorded with admi-
ration its perseverance in working its way up the cataracts of the Norwegian and
Lapland rivers. Soon after its entrance into the fresh water, the dark spots on
close of the autumn, when the salmon taken in the rivers are lean and no longer saleable, the maritime Laplanders are
accustomed to row out a little from the shore into the deep, to take the salmon (who at this time of the year remain im-
moveable at the bottom of the sea), with an iron-headed spear, called in Lapland Harses. Lest the darkness of the night
should obstruct them in this business, a fire is made on the prow of the vessel of pieces of fir-tree and the bark of the
birch, which they call bara.” (Pinkerton’s Voy.,i., p.427.) The salmon while feeding upon the ova of echinodermata
will, no doubt, remain almost stationary ; but if they continue in a moderate depth of water, so as to be attracted by the
light of a torch, or easily speared, one would expect them to be occasionally taken in the trawl-nets in such constant use
in the British Channel.
* Mr. Niell relates that salmon kept along with other sea-fish in a salt-water pond in Galloway, were fed with eels,
shell-fish freed from the shell, and herrings cut into pieces. The habits of fish in captivity do not furnish correct indica-
tions of the food they would prefer when at liberty ; but the following passage in Sir William Jardine’s paper tends to
prove. that salmon do not feed exclusively on crustacee@, entomostraca, or the ova of echinodermata, during their residence
in the ocean, though it is certain that it is the remains of these substances which are chiefly distinguishable among the
mucus which thickly lines the intestines of salmon when they ascend rivers in spawning condition. “ In the north of
Sutherland a mode of fishing salmon is sometimes successfully practised in the firths, where sand-eels are used for bait:
a line is attached to a buoy or bladder, and allowed to float with the tide up the narrow estuaries. The salmon are also
said to be occasionally taken at the lines set for haddocks, baited with sand-eels. At the mouths of rivers they rise freely
at the artificial fly within fifty yards of the sea, and the common earth-worm is a deadly bait for the clean salmon.’ The
following additional remark occurs in a note: *‘ Faber, in his Natural History of the Fishes of Iceland, remarks, that
the Common salmon feeds on small fishes, and various small marine animals—Fleming says its favourite food in the sea
is the sand-eel,” (Jarprne, /, c.)
150 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
the back and sides are effaced, the salmon-louse shrivels and drops off, and the tape-
worms die and are discharged. As the spawn augments in volume, the flesh of the
salmon deteriorates, growing lean, flabby and insipid, and the bright silvery tints of
the scales are replaced by brownish stains, giving rise to the epithet of “ red-fish,”
in contradistinction to that of “ clean,” which the fish had on its first arrival from
sea in high marketable condition. The gravelly shoals selected as spawning places
are generally as high up the river as the fish can ascend. Furrows about eighteen
inches deep being formed in the gravel by the male, according to some observers,
or by both male and female as others report, the latter deposits in them her roe,
and the former his milt, and carefully covers them up. The fish has been said to
plough up the gravel with its fins, but it is more probable that it uses the nose for
this purpose. Mr. Potts (quoted by Pennant) thinks that the tail is the instru-
ment by which the gravel is filled in over the spawn, as he had observed the skin
rubbed off that part; this abrasion, however, may be the result of friction against
stones, in the efforts the fish makes to ascend the shallow streams. After securing
the spawn, the salmon commences its return to the sea, being now named, in the
language of the fishermen, a “ foul fish,” ligger, kipper, or kelt ; its gills are in-
fested by the gisler, or brachiella salmonia, and it continues to have a dark colour,
lank form, and to be unfit for food during the remainder of its stay in fresh water.
The period of a salmon’s stay in a river is determined by various causes. ‘The
ascent of most streams is facilitated by the land-floods of wet seasons, or rendered
impracticable for a time by droughts; and Dr. Fleming thinks it probable that
circumstances which favour the upward passage of the fish tend also to accelerate
the ripening of the spawn*. In returning to the sea the fish keep the middle of
the stream, and seek the deepest and saltest water of the estuary.
The following observations on the spawning of the salmon, and subsequent
evolution of the young fry, in one of the tributary streams of the Tweed, are re-
corded by Dr. Knox in the paper we have already cited. “In November the
river Whitadder, which has its source in a mountainous country nine hundred feet
above the level of the sea, abounded in all the different kinds of salmon usually
taken in the Tweed, with which this stream communicates at a short distance from
Berwick. 'They were engaged every where in spawning, this being the usual
time in which the act is carried on. A pair, seemingly f of the ordinary Tweed
* Ed. Phil. Journ., x., p. 375, in a paper which gives a detailed account of the aceaaatd of the Salmon in the river
Tay. The facts therein stated coincide generally with Mr. Potts’s history of the Tweed salmon in Pennant’s British
Zoology.
+ The Tweed Bull-trout, or Sa/mo hamatus, might be readily mistaken for the Sa/mo salar.
SALMONOIDE. 151
salmon, from fourteen to sixteen pounds in weight, were watched. The ova were
observed to be deposited near the sources of the stream on the 2nd of November,
and covered up with gravel in the usual way. The spawning bed was placed at
the foot of a pretty long and placid pool, and just at the top of a stream where the
water first begins to feel the effects of the approaching descent. The water was
about fifteen feet broad, with a depth of six inches. The breadth of the bed seemed
to be about eight feet, and its length three or four, the whole having rather an oval
form. It had the appearance of washed gravel, in consequence of the whole mass
having been turned over by the salmon during the process of depositing the ova.
On the 25th of February, or one hundred and sixteen days afterwards, hundreds
of ova were turned up with the spade from the depth of from nine to twelve inches
below the surface of the gravel. They were clear, transparent, and seemingly
unchanged. On the 23rd of March the ova were found to be changing ; the outer
shell cast ; the fry lying imbedded in the gravel as fishes, being twenty weeks from
the period of their deposition. By the lst of April most of the fry had quitted the
bed, by ascending through the gravel, and on the 19th of that month many
were taken eight cr even nine inches long, in excellent condition. Fry of the
same size, but probably of a later deposit, were abundant in the same streams on
the 5th of May. In a former year the roe was found unchanged on the 10th of
April, but on the 17th the excluded fry were imbedded in the gravel, and on the
22nd smoults were taken about the size of the little finger. The depth at which
the ova are deposited varies, being sometimes about two feet below the surface of
the bed. The food of the fry is exactly the same with that of the trout found in
the rivers at the same period ; viz., small insects, larve of flies, beetles, and cod-
bait, with which the gravel of the stream abounds in an incredible degree. In the
gravel-bed the ova of salmon and trout lie safe from every living enemy, and in the
midst of profusion of food, whose habitat is the same as their own; and whose
progress of incubation and subsequent rise through the gravel is quite similar. The
great variety and quantity of these insects, together with the depth of their situa-
tion (for the spade which took up the ova was also full of them), was truly sur-
prising. It is probable that as these larvee of insects, for such they mostly are,
rise above the gravel to assume new forms, they offer ready food for the trout and
salmon fry of all sizes which may be in the river ; but I do not suppose that these
fishes dig under the gravel in search of food at any time *.
* No trout affords the young angler more certain amusement than the salmon fry. These unsuspicious smouts have
keen appetites and rise with avidity at the artificial fly, however rudely made, provided it be small enough—but a cadis
worm, ora gentle impaled on a hackle, is a still more alluring bait. We have known a bare-legged truant kill thirty dozen
in one day with the most inartificial tackle.
152 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
“The growth of the fry is very rapid. On the 20th of April the rivers were
full of salmon-smoults, varying from six to nine inches, having attained that length
in about three weeks. They were in the finest possible condition, covered with
small silvery scales, differing in shape from those of the trout or par. They are
very tender, and constantly die a short time after being touched. During the
months of March, April, and May, the rivers abound with kelts, or spawned sal-
mon, descending towards the ocean, and smoults, or fry, pursuing the same course.”
Dr. Knox, in the appendix to the able paper from which the foregoing passages
are abridged, remarks that there are two circumstances which persons of sound
judgment and great experience with regard to the salmon question still think un-
decided, or at least demanding a more extended proof. The /irst is a series of
experiments to determine the growth of salmon-fry from the state of the egg to its
attaining the length of six, seven, eight, or nine inches, before which it is seldom
seen by the angler, and after which it ceases to be found in fresh-water rivers ;
secondly, proof that the fish we call salmon-fry, taken in salmon-rivers by angling
during the months of April and May, do really proceed to the ocean and return
after a period to the rivers as gri/se, Salmon-trout*, and salmon. ‘The facts
ascertained by Dr. Knox, in conjunction with the previous observations of others who
have attended to the subject, go towards the answer of the first question; and the
following extract from Sir William Jardine’s paper may be considered as a reply
to the second. <‘‘ It has always been a subject of dispute whether the fry returned
to the rivers as grilse in the same season in which they descended. I have had no
doubt of this for several years, but it was very difficult to prove. In the Tweed I
have killed grilse early in the season, so small as to weigh only two pounds, and
seen them gradually increase in size as the season advanced ; the intermediate size,
however, between the fry and the two pound grilse was wanting. During the two
years which the fisheries of Sutherland have been in the possession of the Duke, a
set of experiments have been instituted by his factors, one of which leaves no doubt
upon the subject. Last spring, several thousands of the fry were marked in the
different rivers, among others by Mr. Baigrie, in the Laxford and Dinard, on the
west coast. In the Laxford, the first grilse (marked in April as fry) returned on
the 25th of June, and weighed three pounds and a half. Many others were got
_ during the season, from this weight to six pounds and a half, returning to the rivers
where the fry were marked, which was known by a particular mark being used in
each, and showing that a return to their breeding ground was as frequent, or rather
* Dr. Knox considers our Salmon-trout to be merely a variety of the Sa/mo salar,
SALMONOIDEZ. los
as constant, as among the higher animals. These marked grilse were unfortunately
killed; but next year it is proposed to return them to the river with an additional
mark, and endeavour to take them again a second season.”
The spawning season commences in most of the British streams in October, is
at its height in November, and continues through December, comparatively few
salmon spawning in January, February, or March. It is necessary that the dif-
ferent kinds or species of salmon should be more fully made out before we can
refer to the history of the Common salmon the statements to be found in authors
of the great differences in the spawning seasons in different rivers*.
The salmon has many enemies, of whom man is undoubtedly the chief, for its
numbers diminish rapidly as civilization and the arts advance on the banks of the
rivers it frequents. Notwithstanding the proverbial { activity of this fish, it is
hard pushed in its own element by several of the mammalia. Captain Cartwright
saw a bear taking salmon in the mouth of one of the Labrador rivers by diving in
deep water{; the otter too, a well-known river poacher, makes great havock
among the salmon of all ages; and the seal has been observed, on the coast of
Scotland, coursing a salmon like a greyhound in chase of a hare, turning it on
every attempt it made to get to seaward, and finally securing it through the exer-
tion of superior strength and sagacity. The following anecdote is told by the Rev.
Mr. Hamilton, of a dog leaguing with man against this fish. “In riding from Port
* Dr, Arthur Young informs us, that “ in all the rivers which run into the Ban, the salmon spawn about the beginning
of August, and as soon as they have done swim to the sea, where they stay till January, when they begin to return to
fresh water, and continue doing so till August, in which voyage they are taken, The nets are set in the beginning of
January, but by Act of Parliament no nets or weirs can be kept down after the 12th of August. The young salmon are
called grawis, and grow at a rate which I should suppose scarce any fish commonly known equals; for within the year
some of them will come to sixteen and eighteen pounds, but in general ten or twelve pounds : such as escape the first year’s
fishery are salmon ; and at two years old will generally weigh twenty to twenty-five pounds. This year’s fishery (1776)
has proved the greatest that ever was known, yielding four hundred tons of fish; and they had the largest haul, taking
one thousand four hundred and fifty-two salmon at one drag of a single net.”—(Tour in Ireland.)
Linnzus states that the salmon-fishery of the Laxholms, or Salmon islands, in Lulean Lapland, commences “ a fort-
night before Midsummer (June 19th) and ends on St. Bartholomew’s day, August 24, and that during that space of time
the salmon keep ascending the river. After that day none of the fishermen remain. Few of the fish escape being taken,
so as to return down the river. At Michaelmas (29th of September) the fishermen come here again, when they catch a
smaller sort of salmon.” (Lachesis Lapponica, ii., p. 118.)
Leems relates that in the river Alten, which has its rise in the remotest mountains of Lapland, the fishery begins on the
festival of St. John (June 24th), at which time the salmon are very fat, and so large that a tun can scarcely hold sixteen,
but those which enter the river as the autumn is approaching, are of a much smaller size and also lean. In the Thana, the
principal river of Eastern Finmark, the season lasts from the beginning of spring until two weeks after the festival of St.
John the Baptist (July 8th). The fish in this river are peculiar for their breadth and fatness, and are accounted the very
best of their kind. (Lzems, Journey into Danish Lapland. An. 1767.) Sir William Jardine, in speaking of the spawning
time, remarks that “ The northern rivers, with little exception, are the earliest, a fact well known in the London markets.”
“ It isa mistaken notion to suppose that the spawning season is only between October and February. In many rivers it
would commence in the end of August, if the grounds and entrance to the rivers were left open and unmolested.” Jar-
DINE, /. ¢.
+ “ Dicttur namque salmo a saltu.’’ Oaus Macnus, Hist. Sept., p. 523,
{ G. Cartwriaur, Sizrleen Years’ Residence in Labrador.
154 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Rush to the Giant’s Causeway with some company, we had oceasion to ford the
river Bush, near the sea; and as the fishermen were going to haul their net, we
stopped to see their success: as soon as their dog perceived the men to move, he
instantly ran down the river of his own accord, and took post in the middle of it,
on some shallows where he could easily run or swim, and in this position he placed
himself with all the eagerness and attention so strongly observable in a pointer dog
who sets his game :—we were for some time at a loss to comprehend his scheme,
but the event satisfied us, and amply justified the prudence of the animal; for the
fish, when they feel the net, always endeavour to make directly out to sea. Ac-
cordingly, one of the salmon, escaping from the net, rushed down the stream with
great velocity towards the ford, where the dog stood to receive them at an advan-
tage. A very diverting chase now commenced, in which, from the shallowness of
the water, we could discern the whole track of the fish, with all its rapid turnings
and windings. After a smart pursuit, the dog found himself left considerably
behind, in consequence of the water deepening, by which he had been reduced to
the necessity of swimming. But instead of following this desperate game any
longer, he gave it over, and ran with all his speed directly down the river till he
was sure of being again seaward of the salmon, where he took post as before in his
pointer’s attitude. Here the fish a second time met him, and a fresh pursuit
ensued, in which, after various attempts, the salmon at last made its way out to
sea, notwithstanding all the ingenious and vigorous exertions of its pursuer.
Though the dog did not succeed at this time, yet I was informed that it was no
unusual thing for him to run down his game; and the fishermen assured me that
he was a very great advantage to them in turning the fish towards the net. During
the whole of the chase, this sagacious animal seemed plainly to have two objects
in view; one to seize his game, if possible, and the other to drive it towards the
net when the former failed; each of which he managed with a degree of address
and ingenuity extremely interesting and amazing*.”
I have been able to procure only four specimens of the American salmon. ‘The
first one, described below, was taken from a tierce of salted fish, which a_fish-
monger assured me was imported from Quebec. The colours of the skin were
remarkably well preserved by the salt, and the specimen, which had been split along
the back with a sharp knife, was easily restored to its original form. It had then
a very perfect resemblance to a British salmon of the same size. Three other
specimens were prepared for me at the instance of James Keith, Esq., of a Chine,
* Rey. W. Hamilton, Hist. of the Basaétes on the Coast of Antrim, &ec. 1784. (Pincx, Coll., iil., p. 877.)
SALMONOIDEX. 155
by a gentleman in charge of the fur-posts on the Mingan and Musquaw rivers,
which fall into the St. Lawrence near its mouth. Were it not that the skins
of these appear to have been overstretched in drying, so as to account, at least
in some degree, for the differences of the relative positions of the fins, I should
have considered them as distinet from the Salmo salar, and I still think that their
identity with that species is somewhat doubttul.
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen preserved in salt, imported from Quebec.
Cotour.—Head bluish-grey above, very silvery on the sides; two round black spots about
the size of a pea between the eye and the nape, and one upon the operculum. Back and
upper parts of the sides pearl-grey with a strong silvery lustre, reflecting a purplish tint when
opposed to the light: the lower parts of the sides have an uniform pearly tint with much
lustre. There are four rows of black spots above the lateral line, each spot surrounding one
scale, and running into the interstices of the adjacent ones: some of the rows cease towards
the head and tail; they contain about thirty spots on each side. The under jaw, throat, and
belly are unspotted white. The pectorals and caudal are white at the base, their tips and
the whole of the dorsal being bluish-grey : the anal and back of the ventrals are grey with
whitish rays.
Scates thin, flexible, and nacry; the uncovered portion of each on the back and upper
part of the sides is rhomboidal. Near the dorsal fin there are seven scales in a linear inch,
but adjoining to the lateral line there are only six. On the lower parts of the sides the mar-
gins of the scales are segments of circles. A scale taken from the lateral line is oval, obtuse at
both ends, and about one-third longer than it is wide. There are 124 scales on the lateral
line, including the small ones on the base of the caudal, and 47 in a vertical row below the dor-
sal, of which 20 are above the lateral line, and the same number between it and the ventrals.
Form.—Head small and neat, forming one-fifth of the total length excluding the caudal :
it is convexly conical when the jaws are closed, the profile of the forehead being a continua-
tion of the moderate curve from the dorsal. Tip of the snout rounded but not broad. Orbits
circular, placed one diameter from the upper end of the labials, two from the tip of the snout,
and three and a half from the posterior edge of the gill-cover. The nostrils are as near again
to the orbit as to the end of the snout. The intermawillaries are cartilaginous and are one
half the length of the Jabials. The labials are thin and flat with a slightly curved anterior
edge: they are narrow at their junction with the intermaxillaries, but spread out into ellip-
tical plates towards the angles of the mouth: the posterior piece, or apophysis, which is
acutely elliptical, forms more than half the breadth of the labial, but does not reach quite to
the tip of the latter. The distance between the tip of the snout and extremity of the labial
reaches a little beyond the base of the snout *, or a line drawn from the posterior edge of one
orbit to that of the other. The under jaw is acute and projects slightly beyond the snout
* Linea rostri basalis of Nilsson.
x 2
156 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
when the mouth is open, but its tip is received within the intermaxillary teeth when the jaws
are closed. The lower jaw is about two lines shorter than the distance between the tip of the
snout and the nape.
TEETH conical, acute, mostly pointing backwards, and placed in a single row on the
under jaw, edges of the palate-bones, and round the entire margin of the upper jaw, except
about half an inch of the lower extremity of the labials: those on the sides of the snout and
towards the tip of the lower jaw are a little longer than the others. There are two teeth on
the anterior part of the vomer, one before the other, and five on the tongue, two on one side
and three on the other. (In the head of the Scottish salmon, figured on plate 91, there is but
one tooth on the vomer and four on the tongue.) Neither the vomer or palate-bones rise into
ridges where the teeth are implanted, either in the American or European salmon, and there
are no small teeth on the tip of the tongue.
Gitt-covers.—The free edge of the gill-cover is semicircular, instead of being elliptical or
angled as in many species of trout. Preoperculum broad, being but little narrower in its
middle than the cheek, and more than half the width of the operculum: its posterior edge is
even, but there are five irregular, diverging, tubular prominences on the surface of its lower
limb. Operculum about one-fourth higher than broad, and marked on its posterior and inferior
borders with fine furrows. Suboperculum about one-third of the height of the operculum, but
equalling it in width. Interoperculum irregularly triangular, with a long narrow limb pass-
ing forwards beneath the preoperculum to the articulation of the lower jaw. Gill-rays twelve
on the left side and eleven on the right.
Fins.—Dorsal containing thirteen rays, the first one being very short and with the second
closely applied to the third, which nearly equals the fourth and longest. The ventrals are
opposite to the ninth and three following rays of the dorsal. The anal contains ten rays, the
first one being very short. ‘The adipose fin is partly opposite and partly posterior to the ter-
mination of the anal. The caudal is forked. '
A specimen of the Mincan River Satmon, prepared for me by Mr, Cumming, corresponds
closely with the above description, except in the following particulars. Part of the snout
before the orbit proportionally longer. Vomer perfectly toothless—Ventrals rather more pos-
terior, being opposite to the three last rays of the dorsal. The adipose fin is also farther back,
being wholly behind the anal. The caudal is almost even at the end when extended, being
very slightly crescentic. The specimen has lost most of its colours in drying, so that its
markings cannot be compared with the Quebec fish.
The kindness of the same gentleman has also furnished me with two specimens of the
Musquaw River Satmon.—The largest has quite lost its colours and has been overstretched
in stuffing, so that the dimensions of its body cannot be quoted with safety, but in the relative
dimensions of the parts of its head it resembles the Quebec fish more closely than the pre-
ceding *. It has two teeth on the vomer, one before the other, and two on each side of the
* On comparing the dimensions of the larger Musquaw River salmon with that of a prime Scottish one of the same
length inthe subjoined table, the head of the former appears altogether smaller, but, as we have remarked above, the skin
may have been overstretched, and the total length consequently disproportionately increased.
SALMONOIDE. 157
tongue. The smaller specimen is in perfect preservation, except that its colours are faded.
The four rows of black spots are, however, distinct enough. ‘There are four teeth on the
vomer, the two anterior ones being abreast. It does not seem that in this specimen the relative
position of the fins could have been in any way altered, yet the ventrals correspond to the
three last rays of the dorsal, and are even partly posterior to that fin. In other respects there
is no material difference between it and the Quebec fish, and a close comparison with a small
Scottish salmon, or grilse of nearly the same size, showed an almost perfect similarity in the
scales and external form.
In the following table of dimensions I have given exact measurements not only of the
American specimen but also of several British salmon with which I compared them.
Fins.— Br. 11—12; P. 13; D. 13—0; V.9; A. 10; C. 208. Quebec salmon.
11—12; ies} 140; )e dls; 192. Mingan R. ditto.
1l1—11; 14; 15—0; OF 12; 193. Musquaw R. ditto.
10—12; 14; 140; le 12) 194. Ditto, ditto.
DIMENSIONS.
No. 1. | No. 2. | No.3. | No. 4. | No. 5. | No.6. | No. 7. | No. 8.
Scottish | Prime A Young
Mingan | Musquaw] Musquaw Spawned] Salmon, Grilse. Salmon,
: Salmon, same River London
River River River River River. Nith. | Market,
Nith. Wt. 150z.
Decem, +} August. | March.
Quebec
Salmon. | Salmon.| Salmon. | Salmon.
=
i=}
=)
i=}
=
5
=
5
. lin.|In. lin.{In.
23 4 38
22 1137
39
Length from tip ofsnout toextremities of caudal.
end of central caudal rays
end of scales on caudal .
end of base of adipose fin
end of attachment of anal
anus ; 6
first ray of venteals
end of dorsal. : 6
commencement of dorsal 6
posterior edge of Bue ve .
nape .
posterior edge of orbitar bones
base of snout (hind. co of orbit)
centre of orbit . .
tips of labials 5 0
ok
oF
bo
on
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ww
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MODNWONR RENO
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ROCOMKROCWWONANKEKKH OCSCANUWWWYH
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3
of intermaxillary
labial. : :
lower jaw.
pectoral rays.
ventrals 6 :
ventral appendage
attachment of dorsal
longest rays of ditto
last ray of ditto
attachment of adipose
height of adipose
attachment of anal
longest ray of ditto
space between anal and caudal.
lobes of caudal
central rays of ditto from end of scales .
Depth of caudal fork . . . .
iol
ico
ol oe
belie
Op Nl
—
— _—
MDWWONNWOHYARWROHNY
a Ole) Sep Cl
ab
Cm WW RK RK CORK NNCRYNNKHK CHK HNN LO
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ee BWDWEK RK CONN KF NNNKONK NW
SCOP RN NRK ORK NKR KE NWNRKFOCOHNNWWH
SCRUONNK SH WWENWWRFONNNWWHW
KH WADWONOMONWOONWW
SCNUORWNRK CRF WWE WERRDORWHWREROD
Sr oor rooCr CORP RP RP RK OOF RK OKYPNUNADSO
NASON NANnNoaoounonekoone
WAWONHDBANOHMAMSL:
fois
_
—
—
Ozs. The dimensions of the intestines of two English salmon are given in a subsequent page, at the end of our account
of the True trouts.
see
158 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[62.] 2. Saxtmo Scoutert. (Richardson.) Odservatory Inlet Salmon.
Fanmity, Salmonoidew. Genus, Salmo. Cuvier. Sub-genus, Salmo. Ip.
PuatTE 93.
Fig. A, entire fish, one-third nat. size. B, head, and C, roof of the mouth, nat. size.
I am indebted to Dr. Scouler, of the Dublin Institution, for a specimen of this
very interesting salmon, which he obtained when on the north-west coast of Ame-
rica, in the service of the Hudson’s Bay Company. It was taken in the month of
August in Observatory Inlet, and Dr. Scouler remarks that ‘ this arm of the sea
was frequented at the time by such myriads of the salmon, that a stone could not
have reached the bottom without touching several individuals, their abundance sur-
passing the efforts of imagination to conceive. ‘The little brook that empties itself
into the inlet was swarming with the fish ascending to spawn, and in the course of
about two hours we killed sixty with boarding pikes. The hump before the dorsal
fin consists of fat, and appears to be peculiar to the males, who acquire it after the
spawning season, when their snouts become elongated and arched.” Having
directed Dr. Scouler’s attention to Pennant’s notices of the Kamtschatka salmon, he
favoured me with the following second communication. “ I will endeavour to answer
your questions seriatim. I think the Observatory Inlet salmon comes nearest to
the gorbuscha* of Kamtschatka. According to the best of my remembrance, the
colour of the belly is white, inclining to yellow, and the back is of a bluish leaden
colour. Nothing can be more different than the appearance of the two sexes in the
spawning season. ‘The female is round and beautiful, with the jaws of equal
length ; while the male is compressed laterally and has a long arehed snout with
powerful teeth. The flesh of this salmon is red, and we thought it excellent, quite
equal to that of the English salmon,—no one on board objected to it.” The na-
tives of the Columbia use two modes of cooking salmon. One consists of steaming,
which 1s accomplished as follows: A number of heated pebbles are thrown into a
* “« The gorbuscha, or hunch-back, ascends the rivers in July. In form it resembles the Grayling: never exceeds a
foot and a half in length: is of a silvery colour, and unspotted: the tail forked; the flesh white. After it has been some
time in fresh water it changes its shape (the male especially) in a most surprising manner. The jaws and teeth grow
prodigiously long, especially the upper, which is at first shortest, but soon shoots beyond the under, and grows crooked
downwards: the body becomes emaciated and the meat bad: but what is most characteristic, an enormous bunch rises
just before the first dorsal fin, to which it owes its name. Its flesh is bad, so that this fish falls to the share of the dogs.
Rays. D,14—0; P.15; V.11; 4.18.” (Penn., Arct. Zool., Intr., p. cXXV.)
‘YAU SUIYMUYT BINOY Lazy
QZIS*}eU FO SAV
pe
-ouis* you
a O
TVS
nO
SALMONOIDE. 159
wooden trough, and some bits of wood or small branches placed over them; the
pieces of fish are then put in, a little water added, and the whole covered with
mats until the fish is cooked. The second mode is broiling the salmon. The
intestines are taken out, and two or three bits of wood inserted into the body of the
fish to keep it expanded transversely ; a stronger stick is passed through the tail
and head, and its lower end stuck into the ground at a convenient distance from
the fire. The salmon is to the north-west Indians what the cerealia are to us, the
fishing season being their harvest. During the summer the natives reside near the
coast, or on the banks of rivers in which the salmon are abundant, and occupy
themselves in curing the fish for winter use. They cut two long and broad slices
from each side of the fish, dry it in the shade, and eat them like bread. Vast
quantities are thus prepared, and though no salt is used it forms a palatable food,
which I have often eaten. Sometimes the dried fish is broken down, kept in bags,
and eaten by handfuls, when it may be called the pemmican of the north-west
coast. After the salmon season the Indians retire inland with their abundant
store.
“ Pennant says the Kamtschatka salmon die without returning to the sea, after
spawning. I never heard such an opinion mooted on the north-west coast, and
saw nothing to confirm it; but as the streams which the American salmon ascend
are often extremely shallow, and as they spawn in Observatory Inlet during the
months of July and August, when the water is at the lowest, I should suppose that
great numbers must perish from emaciation (for their flesh then becomes white, or
at least a great deal less red and of bad quality), and from the extreme difficulty
they must experience in returning to the sea from the want of water, and perhaps
from its high temperature. Thousands must also be devoured by the osprey, the
white-headed eagle, and the otter, in the fresh waters, and by the seals in the sea,
so that I should think few survive. I am unable, however, to say whether any
return to the sea or not; or whether the large teeth drop and the incurvated snout
returns to its former dimensions. The females want the large teeth, and so do the
males before spawning, at least I saw none with large teeth in the Columbia in
April or May. We left that river in June, and did not return until September.”
(Scouler, in it.)
The following extract from Sir Alexander Mackenzie’s Journey to the Pacific,
describes the mode in which the salmon roe is prepared for food by the natives of
New Caledonia. “He took the roes out of a bag, and having bruised them be-
tween two stones, put them in water to soak. His wife then took a handful of dry
grass in her hand, with which she squeezed them through her fingers; in the
160 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
meantime her husband was employed in gathering wood to make a fire, for the
purpose of heating stones. When she had finished her operation she filled a
watape * kettle nearly full of water and poured the roes into it. When the stones
were sufliciently heated, some of them were put into the kettle, and others were
thrown in from time to time till the water was in a state of boiling. The woman
also continued stirring the contents of the kettle till they were brought into a state
of consistency ; the stones were then taken out, and the whole seasoned with about
a pint of rancid oil. ‘The smell of this curious dish was sufficient to sicken me
without tasting it, but the hunger of my people surmounted the nauseous meal.
When unmixed with oil the roes are not unpalatable.”
We have no means of ascertaining whether the Observatory Inlet salmon be one
of the several kinds seen by Langsdorff at the island of Kodiak and on the adjacent
coast, nor whether Dr. Scouler’s conjecture, that it is the same species which abounds
in the Columbia be correct; but Lewis and Clark’s account of the salmon they
observed in that river is subjoined to the following description of Salmo Scouleri.
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen taken in Observatory Inlet by Dr. Scouler, 1825.
Form.—The profile is much arched between the nape and the dorsal fin, and the body there
is thick but gradually tapers to the caudal. Head convex, transversely between the eyes, but
in profile descending nearly in a straight line from the nape to the nostrils. Orbit ovate, situ-
ated more than thrice its length from the posterior edge of the gill-cover. The posterior orbitar
bones reach backwards to the upper angle of the preoperculum. The nostrils open about half
an inch anterior to the orbit. The jaws are very long, and, in our specimen, the intermaxil-
laries are greatly prolonged and incurvated, projecting beyond the lower jaw: they are about
two-thirds of the length of the labials. This prolongation and incurvature is said to be pecu-
liar to the male after spawning +, and is accompanied by great enlargement of the teeth which
are implanted in the intermaxillaries and knobbed extremity of the lower jaw. The labials
are linear-lanceolate and straight : their posterior tips pass a little beyond the upper angle of
the preoperculum, or within half an inch of the nape: the union between the two pieces of
the labial is so complete that the suture cannot be distinguished. ‘The under jaw is termi-
nated by a dilated and slightly incurved knob which is armed with very strong hooked teeth :
its articulation is about an inch posterior to the nape, and its length exceeds that of the upper
surface of the head, including the snout, by about three quarters of an inch. The head, mea-
sured from the tip of the lower jaw to the edge of the suboperculum, forms one-fourth of the
* Watape is the root of the pine-tree, and the kettle is a basket made of the flexible twigs woven so compactly together
as to be water-tight. by
+ A specimen of a salmon, probably Salmo hamatus, once belonging to Donovan, and now in the British Museum, has
a hooked nose very like that of Sa/mo Scouleri,
SALMONOIDEX. 161
total length including the caudal, or if the measurement be made from the knob of the lower
jaw to the tip of the central caudal rays, the head still constitutes one-fourth part.
TreETH.—There are nine very strong and considerably incurved teeth in a row on each
intermawillary, exclusive of four smaller ones which occupy the tip of the snout on both sides
of the principal row. The labials are closely set with much smaller teeth in a single series.
and the teeth on the limbs of the lower jaw are likewise close, numerous, and curved: those
on the dilated knob of the jaw are very much curved and are the largest of all, being upwards
of a quarter of an inch long. The palatine and vomerine teeth equal the posterior ones on the
lower jaw in size, and are implanted in double rows : there are none on the anterior knob of
the vomer. The tongue is long and narrow, and is armed with distant teeth on each side,
about the size of those on the labials.
Giit-covers.—The posterior edge of the gill-cover is formed by the union of three small
segments of large circles. The operculum is strongly marked with lines which radiate from
its anterior upper angle: its lower edge slants downwards and forwards, so as to interpose
itself between the preoperculum and suboperculum. 'The latter forms an acute spherical tri-
angle, its convex side occupying nearly as much of the edge of the gill-cover as the operculum:
the borders of both these bones are finely radiated. The interoperculum is shaped much as
in other trouts, but its posterior angle reaches the edge of the gill-cover instead of being sepa-
rated from it by the suboperculum as usual. The preoperculum is broad, being at its greatest
width nearly equal to the operculum, and it is marked, as well as the adjoining part of the
interoperculum, with close raised lines and furrows, very different from the short diverging
tubular ridges of this bone in other trouts. The bones of the head, in general, have an un-
usually fibrous texture. iull-rays flat, but narrower and shorter than in most other species :
the longest are the central ones under the articulation of the jaw, the more posterior ones being
a little shorter: there are 12 on the right side and 13 on the left.
Fins.— Br. 12—13; P.16; D.14—0; V.11; A.17; C. 198.
The pectorals contain sixteen rays; the dorsal fourteen, the height of the fourth, fifth, or
sixth, which are the longest, equalling the length of the attachment of the fin. The adipose
fin is opposite to the three last rays of the anal. The ventrals are under the ninth, tenth, and
eleventh dorsal rays. The ventral appendages are long, reaching to within one-third of the
tips of the fin. The anal contains seventeen rays, the first one short, and the second nearly
equalling the third, which is the longest ; the last one is half as long as the third. The caudal
fin has an unusually tapering base, and is forked at the end, the depth of the fork being half
the length of the central rays; it contains nineteen rays exclusive of nine short basal ones
above and below.
The Scauzs are small and vary in form, some being oval, others four-sided with the corners
rounded. They are most regular and closest on the tail, being in contact but not tiled: on
the anterior part of the back they are separated by spaces equal to their own breadth, but on
the sides they are not so far apart. Under the dorsal fin, and near the lateral line, a linear
inch includes eleven scales, the intervening spaces occupying about one-third of the inch.
There are 170 scales on the lateral line, and 70 in a vertical row anterior to the ventrals, of
Y
162 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
which 30 are above the lateral line. The lateral line marked out by a small raised tube on
the anterior part of each scale, is equidistant from the dorsal and ventral fins. The anus is
situated at the commencement of the posterior third of the fish, caudal included.
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of snout to upper tipofcaudal 29 0 Length of transverse axis of orbit 0 102
5 of base of central caudal rays . 26 6 of lower jaw 5 4
3 sy commencement of dorsal . 14 0 # toothed margin of ditto 2 5
ss FF edge of sa ae reek 23 1 attachment of dorsal 3 1
3 5 nape 4 8 of longest ray of ditto . 2 10
. 3 base of snout ° 4 Bie 0 " last ray of ditto 1 83
» 99 lower tip of labial. ° 5 0 e adipose fin 1 2
y sp centre of pupil 3 8h A pectorals . ° . 3 2
- 3 anterior edge of orbit 3 3 y ventrals : : 2 6
» from tip of lower jaw to lower tip of 7 ventral appendages : . 1 6
caudal . ° 28 6 s attachment of anal . 2 94
» 99 base of central caudal rays 26 0 a longest ray of ditto 1 94
2 i) Meanus: : 19 0 i last ray of ditto 0 103
», from centre of pupil i edge o of gill- 5 central ray of caudal 1 6
cover 3 7 longest ray of ditto . 3 7
», from orbit to ditto : 8} 2 lobes of ditto 4 6
y of intermaxillary . . . Mae 1 De nth of caudal fork 1 0
” labial . 3 1 Distance between anus and base of eacdall 6 2
vertical axis of ana 0 8
”
The anadromous trout of the Columbia river are described by Lewis and Clark under the
names of the Common salmon, Red char, and Salmon-trout, which they state to be inhabitants
of both the seas and rivers.
‘The ComMON SALMON are usually the largest, and weigh from five to fifteen pounds: they
extend themselves into all the rivers and little creeks of this side of the continent ( Pacific
coast), and to them the natives are much indebted for their subsistence. They begin to run
early in May. They are never caught with the hook, and we do not know on what they feed.
The body of the fish is from two and a half to three feet long, and proportionably broad : it is
covered with imbricated scales of a moderate size: the eye is large and the iris of a silvery
colour: the pupil is black, the rostrum or nose extends beyond the under jaw, and both jaws
are armed with a single row of long teeth, which are subulate and inflected near the extremi-
ties of the jaws, where they are also more closely arranged: there are some sharp teeth of
smaller size, and the tongue, which is thick and fleshy, is armed with sharp points: the fins
of the back are two; the first, placed nearer the head than the ventral fins, has several rays ;
the second, situated far back near the tail, has no rays. Both the fins and the belly are some-
times red, particularly in the male. The flesh of this fish, when in order, is of a deep flesh-
coloured red, and every shade from that to orange-yellow ; when very meagre it is almost
white. The roes are in high estimation among the natives, who dry them in the sun, and pre-
serve them for a great length of time: they are of the size of a small pea, nearly transparent,
and of a reddish-yellow cast: they resemble very much, at a little distance, our common gar-
den currants, but are more yellow.
‘©The Rep cHar are rather broader in proportion to their length than the Common
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SALMONOIDE. 163
salmon : the scales are also imbricated, but rather larger, the rostrum exceeds the under jaw
more, and the teeth are neither so large nor so numerous as those of the salmon. Some of
them are almost entirely red on the belly and sides; others are much more white than the
salmon; and none of them are variegated with the dark spots which mark the body of the
other: their flesh, roes, and every other particular with regard to form, are those of the
salmon.
‘* Of the SaLMon-TROUT we observe two species differing only in colour, They are seldom
more than two feet in length, and much narrower in proportion than the salmon or red char.
The jaws are nearly of the same length, and are furnished with a single series of small, subu-
late, straight teeth, not so long nor so large as those of the salmon. The mouth is wide, and
the tongue is also furnished with small subulate teeth, in a single series on each side: the fins
are placed much like those of the salmon. One of the kinds, of a silvery-white colour on the
belly and sides, and a bluish light brown on the back and head, is found below the Great
Falls, and associates with the red char in little rivulets and creeks. It is about two feet eight
inches long, and weighs ten pounds. The eye is moderately large, the pupil black, with a
small admixture of yellow, and the iris of a silvery-white, and a little turbid near its border
with a yellowish-brown. ‘The fins are small in proportion to the size of the fish. Fins.—
D.10—0; P.13; V.10; A. 12.—The other kind is of a dark colour on the back, and its
sides and belly are yellow, with transverse stripes of dark brown: sometimes a little red is
intermixed with these colours on the belly and sides towards the head. The eye, flesh, and
roe are like those of the salmon. Neither this fish nor the salmon are caught with the hook,
and we know not on what they feed. The white kind, found below the falls, is in excellent
order when the salmon are out of season and unfit for use.” (Lewis and Ctark, iii.,
p. 66—68.)
[63.] 3. Sazmo Rossi. (Richardson.) Ross's Arctic Salmon.
Salmo Rossii. Ricuarpson, in Nat. Hist. App. to Ross’s Voyage, p. lvi.
Eekalook. Esquimaux of Boothia Felix. x
Prate 80, one-quarter nat. size. Prare 85, f. 2, head of nat. size.
This species is named in honour of a highly-valued friend, Captain James Clark
Ross, an officer who has had the singular fortune of being engaged in five succes-
sive expeditions of discovery in the Arctic seas: whose professional skill, exertions,
and perseverance, are the subjects of Sir Edward Parry’s eulogium, and whose
scientific acquirements and contributions to Natural History are so generally known,
that any attempt of mine to commend him would be want of taste, were it not
allowable for one who has also spent the prime of his life in the same regions and
y 2
164 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
in similar occupations, to add his meed of praise to retiring merit. To his friend-
ship and liberality I owe the acquisition of this and three other trouts, taken in
Regent’s Inlet on his last expedition. The Salmo Rossii is so extremely abun-
dant in the sea, near the mouths of the rivers of Boothia Felix, at certain seasons,
that three thousand three hundred and seventy-eight individuals were obtained at
one haul of a small-sized seine. They varied in weight from two to fourteen
pounds, and rather exceeded, in the aggregate, six tons. In some the colour of
the flesh was of a dark red, in others it was very pale, the dark ones being the
firmest and best flavoured. As an article of food this salmon was much relished
by the crew of the Victory. The madma, or golet of the Russians, which enters the
rivers of Kamtschatka, agrees with the Salmo Rossii in its comparatively slender
cylindrical form, scarlet spots on the sides, and the colours of some other parts; but
we cannot, from the short notice of the malma by Pennant, offer an opinion respect-
ing the identity or difference of the species. The habits of the two are evidently
unlike, if it be true that the mad/ma never congregates in shoals*. The Green-
landers give the same name to the Salmo carpio of Fabricius, that S. Rossi
receives from the Esquimaux of Boothia Felix ; viz., Hekalook.
DESCRIPTION
Of a dried specimen from Regent’s Inlet.
Form, as compared with the Common salmon, more slender, with a straighter back, much
less arched forehead and shoulders, and slightly larger head. The remarkable length of the
under jaw, and the truncated snout, give a peculiar appearance to the fish, and in conjunction
with the nature of the scales, and the colour of the skin, readily characterise the species.
Head, when viewed from above, appearing broad and flat, there being very little convexity
either longitudinally or transversely. The snout is very obtuse. The head, measured as
usual from the tip of the snout, is one-fifth of the whole length to the end of the scales on the
caudal, and if the measurement be made from the tip of the lower jaw, which is an inch longer
than the upper one, five lengths of the head reach to the extremities of the caudal. In the
dried specimen there is a smooth median ridge extending from between the eyes to the nape,
and an even lateral ridge on each side, commencing at the nostrils and curving down behind
the orbit. A series of pores runs along the lateral ridge, and down the scapular bones to the
lateral line; a row crosses the nape, another runs down the preoperculum, and lastly, one,
beginning at the nostrils, curves under the orbit, and upwards to the middle of the lateral
* “ The malma, or go/et of the Russians, grows to the weight of twenty pounds, and to the length of about twenty-eight
inches. It is the most slender and cylindrical of all the genus. The head resembles that of a trout: the scales are very
small: the back and sides bluish, with scattered spots of scarlet red: the belly white: ventral and anal fins red: tail
slightly forked. It is sporadic, going dispersedly and not in shoals, ascends rivers to their very sources, feeds upon the
spawn of other species, and grows very fat. The natives salt those they take in autumn, and preserve frozen those which
are caught when the frost commences.” (Arct. Zool. Intr.,i., p. cxxvi.)
SALMONOIDEZ. 165
ridge, passing through the middle of the sub-orbitar bones. These pores exist in other trouts,
but are rendered conspicuous in this species by the prominence of the ridges with which they
are connected. Hye equidistant from the tip of the snout and nape. The orbit has an oval
shape, and the nostrils are rather nearer to it than to the tip of the snout. Labials thin and
of a narrow lanceolate form. ‘The distance from the snout to the tip of the labial reaches
from the former to the nape, and extends beyond the posterior sub-orbitar bones. The lower
jaw is long, exceeding the length of the upper surface of the head by an inch and a quarter :
its tip is a small incurvated knob. In the general form of the head the S. Rossii strongly
resembles the British species figured in Plate 91, f. 2: it differs in the greater length of the
jaws, in the whole margin of the intermaxillaries being toothed, and in other particulars
readily discoverable by comparing the plates,—the British fish has an edentate depression at
the extremity of the snout for the reception of the knob of the lower jaw.
TreeTtH.—In the only specimen I have had an opportunity of examining, part of the teeth
have been injured and removed. ‘They appear to have stood in a single series on the upper
and lower jaws: the remaining ones are short, straight, and mostly obtuse, as if worn; there
is also a single row of short, conical, but very acute teeth on each palate-bone; and though the
vomer has been broken in preparing the specimen, two similar teeth remain on its anterior
extremity, and one farther back, The teeth on the tongue, amounting to about thirty, are
smaller and more crowded than the palatine ones ; they form two or more rows across the tip
and one down each side.
GrLL-covEeRs.—Operculum rhomboidal with the corners rounded, its height being nearly
twice its breadth. The swboperculum has the same form in a different position, its length
corresponding with the breadth of the operculum. Both these bones are marked with cir-
cular indented lines crossed by straight ones radiating from the centre. The posterior edge
of the interoperculum is indented and somewhat concave. Preoperculum rather wide, its
breadth being about half that of the operculum: on its middle there are raised diverging
tubular ridges, and fine lines radiating from its centre to its posterior margin. ‘The posterior
edge of the gill-cover is inclined to the under one at an acute angle, the corner formed by the
suboperculum being rounded. ‘The gill-rays are flat, twelve on the right side and thirteen
on the left.
Fins.—Br. 12—13; D. 13—0; P. 14; V.10, A.11; C. 216.
The dorsal has thirteen rays, the first scarcely perceptible, the next also short, the third
one quarter shorter than the fourth, which is the longest: the ninth ray is exactly opposite
to the origin of the ventrals, and stands midway between the tips of the snout and of the cen-
tral caudal rays: the last ray is divided to the base. ‘The adipose fin is opposite to the
penultimate anal ray. The pectorals are scimitar-shaped and contain fourteen rays. The
ventrals have ten rays and the usual scaly appendages. The anal has eleven rays, of which
the fourth and fifth are the longest. ‘The caudal fin is forked, and contains twenty-one broad
deeply-divided rays, with six short basal ones above and below.
Scates.—This species differs remarkably from all the American trouts that have come
under my observation (except, perhaps, S. Hearnii) in the scales. They are small, particu-
166 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
larly on the forepart of the back, where they are also most remote: and though rather larger
and more crowded on the sides they are nowhere tiled, each scale being surrounded by a
distinct space of smooth skin, Their general form is ovate or oval, and they are covered with
a mucous skin, except a round or oval spot on the tip. The naked tips are larger on the
sides, where they often assume a slightly crescentic form, and many of the scales there are
truncated. As the skin dries the tips of the scales become elevated and rough to the touch.
There are 134 scales on the lateral line, and 78 in a vertical row under the dorsal, 30 of them
being above the lateral le. On the forepart of the body each scale on the lateral line cor-
responds to two rows above and below, so that there are in all between 240 and 250 rows on
the sides. A linear inch includes about ten or eleven scales on most parts of the body. The
lateral line is an inch nearer to the ridge of the back than to the upper ray of the ventral : it
is formed by a series of ovate, dilated, acuminated scales, each having an elevated tube pos-
teriorly, and a small pore on its tip. The distance between the anus and the base of the
inferior caudal ray is contained two times and a half between the anus and gill-opening.
CoLour.—The back, top of the head, dorsal and caudal fins, have a hue intermediate be-
tween oil-green and hair-brown ; the cheeks are nacry, and the sides pearl-grey, with a blush
of lilac and a silvery lustre ; there are a number of scattered dots of carmine in the vicinity
of the lateral line ; the colour of the belly varies in different individuals from faded orange to
tile-red and arterial blood-red. These colours are described partly from the dried skin and
partly from two drawings made by Sir John Ross.
Dimensions
Of the dried specimen.
Inches, Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of upper jaw to tip of caudal 33 0 Length of lower jaw 3 * 4 7
5 » endofscales . ¢ - 29 4 3 its toothed margin 2 6
Vie MADUSS , ts . é - '2i 0 ” attachment of dorsal 3 0
a a commencement of dorsal . 13 11 3 longest rays of ditto 3 9
3 3 tip of suboperculum - 6 0 i. last ray of ditto : * Sa ll
i nape ° : . <n 5 . pectorals 5 2
» » centre of pupil . 4 2 23 > ventrals . : 4 : «4 2
ee en orbit ° d : osual 9 4 ventral appendages 5 . 0 82
Hi) tip of under jaw to tip of caudal 34 2 a attachment of anal . 3 5 # 23
Hs i tip of suboperculum 6 103 5 longest rays of ditto . : 3 1G
H centre of pupil to ditto 3 10 5 last ray of ditto . 1 23
on posterior edge of orbit to ditto. 3 4} Sy lobes of caudal % 4 8
» of transverse axis of orbit . 5 0 103 central rays beyond the scales . 2 2
5) vertical axis of ditto . : - O 7 ‘ from anus to base of caudal 6 8
Ms intermaxillary bone 0 11 Breadth of occiput . . . - 5 2 3
7 labial ° 2 10 » between the orbits. 0 ° 2 0
SALMONOIDE. 167
[64.] 4. Sazmo Hearnit. (Richardson.) Coppermine River Salmon.
Salmo Hearnii. Ricuarpson, Franklin’s First Journ., p. 706.
This, which is another anadromous trout, was taken in the Coppermine River
and adjacent sea, on Sir John Franklin’s First Expedition. Its flesh is red, and,
though similar in flavour to that of the Common salmon, is, perhaps, less firm and
more oily. Our party subsisted upon it for several days, but the Indians who then
accompanied us, being unused to it, thought it unwholesome, and our Canadian
voyagers were soon infected with the same apprehension. The well-known cala-
mities that befell us on our return, prevented me from bringing home specimens of
the fish, and I can introduce the species to naturalists, only through the medium
of a description hastily drawn up on the spot, which does not altogether coincide
with the account of any other salmon that I have seen or read of. The affecting
story related by Hearne, of the slaughter of a poor old Esquimaux woman, by the
Indians of his party, while she was engaged in taking this salmon at a cascade
near the mouth of the Coppermine, subsequently named, from the transaction,
Bloody-fall, may be appropriately quoted here; as it contains the earliest notice of
the fish, and, indeed, the only one previous to the publication of Sir John Frank-
lin’s narrative.
“ Tt ought to have been mentioned in its proper place, that in making our retreat
up the river, after killing the Esquimaux on the west side, we saw an old woman
sitting by the side of the water taking salmon, which lay at the foot of the fall as
thick as a shoal of herrings. Whether from the noise of the fall, or a natural
defect in the old woman’s hearing, it is hard to determine, but certain it is, she
had no knowledge of the tragical scene which had been so lately transacted at the
tents, though she was not more than two hundred yards from the place. When
we first perceived her, she seemed perfectly at ease, and was entirely surrounded
by the produce of her labour. From her manner of behaviour, and the appearance
of her eyes, which were as red as blood, it is more than probable that her sight
was not very good, for she scarcely discerned that the Indians were enemies till
they were within twice the length of their spears of her. It was in vain that she
attempted to fly, for the wretches of my crew transfixed her to the ground in a few
seconds, and butchered her in the most savage manner. There was scarcely a man
among them who had not a thrust at her with his spear; and many in doing this
168 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
aimed at torture rather than immediate death, as they not only poked out her eyes,
but stabbed her in many parts remote from those which are vital. It may appear
strange, that a person supposed to be almost blind should be employed in the busi-
ness of fishing, and particularly with any degree of success ; but when the mul-
titude of fish is taken into account, the wonder will cease. Indeed, they were so
numerous at the foot of the fall, that when a light pole, armed with a few spikes,
which was the instrument the old woman used, was put under water and hauled
up with a jerk, it was scarcely possible to miss them. Some of my Indians tried
the method with the old woman’s staff, and seldom got less than two or three at a
jerk, sometimes three or four. These fish, though very fine and beautifully red,
are but small, seldom weighing more, as near as I could judge, than six or seven
pounds, and in general much less. Their numbers at this place were almost in-
credible, perhaps equal to anything that is related of the salmon in Kamtschatka,
or any other part of the world.”—After murdering the helpless old woman, toge-
ther with upwards of twenty of her countrymen, and destroying all the property
left at their tents, the party sat down to feast on the salmon, or, in the words of
our author, “‘ After the Indians had completed this piece of wantonness, we sat
down and made a good meal of fresh salmon.” (Hearne, Journ, &c., p. 158.)
DESCRIPTION
Of a recent fish taken at Bloody-fall, Lat. 67° 42’ N., on July 16, 1821.
Cotour.—Back olive-green ; sides pale; belly bluish; several longitudinal rows of flesh-red
spots on the back and sides, largest on the latter, where they are as big as a pea; cheeks and
gill-covers nacry. Sca.es firmly imbedded in a mucous skin and very small, but possessing
much pearly lustre.
Form like that of the Common salmon, with a proportionably larger head. Eyes small,
situated opposite to the middles of the labials, and half an inch above their toothed edges.
. Nostrils midway between the eye and end of the snout. The intermazillaries form a compa-
ratively small portion of the margin of the mouth, and project somewhat from the rest of the
jaw: the labials are strap-shaped. The lower jaw terminates in a small knob, which is
received into a depression in the intermaxillaries. The gill-membrane contains ten oblique
rays: the cpenings are wide.
TEETH subulate, in a thin row on the labials and lower jaw: a solitary tooth of the same
size stands on each side of the intermaxillary notch: there are likewise rows of teeth on the
palate-bones, a few on the anterior part of the vomer, and some stronger ones on the tongue,
all subulate.
Fins—Br.10; D. ; VV. ; 4.10*;C.
* In the Appendix to Sir John Franklin’s First Journey, the anal is stated to have 18 rays, from an error in the tran-
scription of my original notes. ;
turkiinee® Wee Tes? i a4
eves wd fers dewabr sr] Vio Re gael mw Hv ueals ohd-elonartantt 2 t yedten STR te lea
a #1 Jaliv re daddee aends rod) atone aPurg cenit ol eal lewtdhege joo
deat wid oi heqolyess of Edevala Hopi pannel wil eat Laas vefidoe ening Me haayhd organ
elwan owl) note iol ; eee Wd vite a (ie itela yfralyy eLriaiy luie omit le «s
at wre Gault omhal — smaes [epee oul) amen at, tated & del Vo de
jeedeye W & 4 die ber: slog bibyyh a maidw Wildy bie SAF hed li Up Retr
bolwad fine reiawe vali trey eave, phen dodannen lvngth iaanarrbont oul tan obyite
» bere apedbal yer le rie snot weiner of silsblimeoy viowaait aw ti altmh a ater qe
@ te eerdt vo eet aarti ges! dorm oeohlow (nvm Tipton ealtere ble wet tie werditsesr yah
"Soom netechbtnadand toma 2c aprons cg uscd hk bend Der nero erondtornitny abeny
waven x0 ate cedraintt bine Tee vente Croat qidghew wallow , Hea tad ove
al tevatla’ wow eoale ait? te eden se ot sown Loewy ad lam shower
Madde vi iconlie ot Wo otal ab that gaiitegae Ubi s nymbing alititors
+" wean hha eenlled oilt guivetregin spotty" sikveval Welt Woh Pag wails Yow’
ghey walt Me gallyortests hee nnnrcapaden oad do fateh to elaawign tate vols
Po elrwaw colt atk yee jorwoiin odd qo dene, of. cowed: Maw oetaa oll otal tind te ol
iil ee aieraawe We wersig vide batalyenie tid arabia ah eA xedsen sow
pa a aca etphaat oem . pendency iy ee
sha ok ec enn dn-gueth eh aA,
fepethed We oe 94 losiigdignol leversy thaivsth -glal olan wade eiete tills acca .
brig ed enh er Te ee ee
apes, el inet pe th kh sree 9h a rts ghee exaiet seve atoning
Se ee
Slidaen soy Sronid seg xhituitnenperoy i ive wit in wiesrenee ky Yor Hea gg src
pattie babreenit ri-wi rradtee cdovet on Maced tevin alinbelnd aly op conlbibes a vveks wot inibieingiges Bopreninte
PS & ar wor Winamerind hl yon syle la het fasta ips gts dey rt, Gerben alec
Sali mere te acrid card arene Donte Hoa Auer lh Writings os! 0 rie my Umer elors re
es ee AE. esipmabieqycer vw Sanpiliak ot ome
snpilat we) eniasepa aesidovurdliy WT, Ei necervntiin tidak prieoreyals atid Meeicvees
0) ida our egatitongel ld wirge
ey a ae ci Tee a. a Sacto
De ee ily bo ober haw ne ebatens qe
BEES Oe yawn annie han tT YL penn. 1) oe oot sang
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wot seal reel seh.us boll A gibi’ AS a ’ *
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SALMONOIDES. 169
The space between the anal and caudal is greater than the length of the base of the former.
The caudal is large and very entire, being truncated with a slight rounding of the angles.
The dorsal is opposite to the ventrals.
INTESTINEs similar to those of the trouts; stomach rather small: between thirty and thirty-
six cylindrical ceca from one to two inches long.
[65.] . 5. SaLmo ALIPES. (Richardson.) Long-finned Char.
Genus, Salmo. Cuv- Sub-genus, Salvelinus. Nuitsson.
Salmo alipes. Ricuarpson, Nat. Hist. App. Ross’s Voy., p. lvii.
Puate 81, One-third nat. size, and Piave 86, f. 1, the head of the nat. size.
This trout evidently belongs to the Salvelini, or Chars, a sub-generic group
characterised by the smallness of the scales and the arrangement of the vomerine
teeth in a cluster on the anterior extremity of the bone, without running backwards
along a median ridge in a single or double row. The European chars have a
peculiarly neat aspect from their small bright scales; and in the spawning season
their bellies generally assume a deep red or orange colour, agreeing in these re-
spects with the majority of the American trouts that have come under our notice.
The Salmo alipes, though it differs from S. Rossii in the smooth manner in which
the scales are imbedded in the skin, in the relative proportion of the jaws, and in
other particulars, resembles it closely in the general form, and especially in the
shape of the various bones of the face and gill-covers. It is remarkable for the
great length of its fins, but in the opinion of M. Agassiz this cannot be regarded asa
specific distinction, trouts inhabiting rapid, rocky streams, having their fins always
much developed. Our specimen was taken with many other individuals in a small
lake which discharges itself into Prince Regent’s Inlet by a stream about half a
mile long. It most probably visits the sea, though the fact of its doing so was not
ascertained. Several brachielle adhered to the inside of its under jaw. The
Esquimaux of Boothia Felix included it with several other kinds of trout, under
the general appellation of eekalook-peedeook.
DESCRIPTION
Of a prepared specimen from a small lake in the peninsula of Boothia.
Form slender. The head forms more than a fifth of the total length, caudal included: it is
convex above, both in profile and transversely, the cranial ridges being similar to those of S.
Rossii, but more prominent and acute. Snout very obtusely rounded, receiving the knobbed
Z
170 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
extremity of the lower jaw in a toothless space. Orbit ovate, situated twice its length from the
end of the snout, and about three lengths and a half from the posterior edge of the gill-cover :
its transverse axis is contained six times and a half in the total length of the head, but rather
less than four times in the distance between the tip of the snout and nape of the neck: its
upper margin is marked, in the dried specimen, by a few raised diverging lines. Nostrils twice
as near to the orbit as to the end of the snout. Jaws nearly equal, the lower one appearing
longer than the other when depressed. Intermaszillaries one-third of the length of the labials,
each containing four teeth. Labials of medium length, thin and slightly curved, so as to
approach the form of an italic f; their appophyses do not reach quite to their tips, and are
as broad again as the limb of the bone to which they are attached. The distance from the
tip of the snout to the posterior end of the labial nearly equals the length of the upper sur-
face of the head. Lower jaw moderately strong, tipped by a small knob, and extending
about half an inch beyond the snout, when depressed to the utmost.
Trrta.—The labials, intermaxillaries, and lower jaw are armed with short, conical, acute,
and very slightly-curved teeth in a single series: there is also a row of rather larger teeth
intermixed with smaller ones on the elevated outer edge of each palate-bone, and a projecting
cluster of six or seven on the knob of the vomer, the posterior part of that bone being flat,
smooth, and toothless. The tongue has six teeth in a row on each side, equal in size to those
on the jaws, and three or four clustered rows of smaller ones on its tip: it is smooth in the
centre,
Gitt-covers.—The forms of the opercular pieces, though similar to those of S. Rossi, differ
in their relative dimensions, the breadth of the operculum being greater in proportion to its
height, while that of the suboperculum is less: the preoperculum is also wider. There are
twelve flat gill-rays on the left side, and eleven on the right.
Fivs.— Br. 11—12; P. 15; D. 13—0; V.9; A. 10 orlil; C. 198.
The pectorals contain fifteen rays, and twice their length reaches from the gill-opening
to the middle of the ventrals. The ventrals, when turned back, almost touch the anus.
The fifth dorsal ray is the longest, the first one being minute: the attachment of the fin is
two-thirds of its height. The adipose fin is opposite to the last rays of the anal. The anal
is small in proportion to the dorsal, its rays being about one-fourth shorter than those of the
latter. The caudal is forked: it contains nineteen broad deeply-divided rays, and six short
basal ones above and below. The eighth dorsal ray is midway between the tip of the snout
and extremities of the central rays of the caudal.
Scates small, thin, and roundish, firmly and smoothly imbedded in the skin: they are
mostly in contact but not tiled, those on the back small and more remote ; they are also small
on the belly, but more crowded and of an oval form: on the sides they are somewhat trun-
cated. The lateral line is formed of 126 scales similar to those of S. Rossi ; there are about
285 scales in a row close to the lateral line, and 70 in a vertical row anterior to the ventrals
29 of which are above the lateral line, and ten below the upper edge of the ventral. The
anterior scales on the lateral line are so large and remote, that they correspond to two or three
of the rows which descend from the back.
at
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SALMONOIDEX. ret
Contour, as far as one can judge from the dried skin, hair-brown on the upper parts, the
sides paler with yellowish marks, the belly white or yellow, and the under fins orange with
some darker streaks.
Dimensions
Of the dried specimen.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of upper jaw to extremities Length of lower jaw Q d 4 3 )
of caudal . > : : : AZO 10 a toothed margin of lower jaw 2 3
+ = end of scalesoncaudal . 24 3 5 attachment of dorsal . 2 8
$5 +5 anus 6 : ° o lee 6 . its longest ray ‘1 D 3 8
*, commencement of dorsal . 11 4 55 its last ray 2 4s
es sy edge of suboperculum 5 6 96 pectorals 4 8h
D p nape . 5 ° 5 3 5 ” ventrals . 3 1
D 5) centre of pupil . : gH 2 ” ventral appendages 0 7k
” edge of orbit . : F 1 8 1) attachment of anal 1 gi
es 5) under jaw to tips of caudal . 27 0 » its longest ray 3 0
rs » edge of suboperculum 5 82 » its lastray . 1 AL
» from centre of pupil to ditto iit 6 ” longest caudal rays 3 6
», from posterior angle of orbit to ditto 3 1 ” central ditto 1 103
» Of transverse axis of orbit 0 92 Breadth of occiput . : 2 0
5 vertical axis of ditto . 5 nO) 7 5) between orbits ; E UL 84
5 intermaxillary bone : . 0 93 Distance between anus and tip of caudal . 9 4
” labial. . : : meee 7 Depth of body at the dorsal. : 8} 8
[ 66. | 6. Sautmo niTipus. (Richardson.) The Angmalook.
Salmo nitidus, Ricuarpson, Nat. Hist. App. Ross’s Voy., p. lwii.
Angmalook. Esquimaux.
Prarte 82, f. 1, one-third nat. size. Puars 86, f. 2, head of nat, size.
This Char was found in the same lake with the preceding one, to which it is
similar in the size and form of its head, and in the general appearance of its scales.
If one may judge, however, from the inspection of a single prepared specimen of
each, it has a thicker body, shorter upper jaw, and shorter fins. It is possible that
these differences may be owing to age or individual variation, but the colours
appear also to be dissimilar: hence it seems safer to describe the angmalook as a
distinct species.
DESCRIPTION.
Form.—Back nearly straight as in S. alipes, but the body is thicker, the belly more pro-
minent, and the fins shorter. ‘The middle of the tip of the snout and of the central caudal ray
falls under the ninth dorsal ray, and a very little posterior to the origin of the ventrals. The
Tee
172 ; NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
adipose fin is placed at the commencement of the fourth quarter of the fish, including the
lobes of the caudal, and the anus is nearly twice as far distant from the snout as from the
latter, being consequently farther back than in S.alipes. Head less arched above, both in
profile and transversely, than in S. alipes: the mesial ridge and lateral porous curves are less
prominent, and there are no radiating lines above the orbit: the head forms less than a fifth
part of the entire length of the fish. The ovate orbit is the length of its axis and a half
from the tip of the snout, and three lengths and a half from the posterior edge of the gill-
cover, being proportionally nearer the snout than in S. alipes: six diameters of the orbit are
equal to the extreme length of the head. In this, as in S. alipes, the upper surface of the
head measures just the same with the distance of the posterior edge of the suboperculum from
the centre of the pupil, while in S. Rossii the top of the head is half a diameter of the orbit
shorter. The nostrils are a little nearer to the eye than to the tip of the snout. The upper
jaw is shorter than in S. alipes. ‘The snout is rounded, and there is a small edentate space
for the reception of the slightly-knobbed extremity of the lower jaw, which is a little shorter
than the upper one when the mouth is shut, and scarcely surpasses it when the jaws are open.
The intermazillaries are less than one-third of the length of the labials; and the latter are
shorter, stronger, and less curved than in S. alipes. ‘The total length of the lower jaw exceeds
the distance between the tip of the snout and nape by about two lines.
TEETH as in S. alipes, the cluster on the knob of the vomer being, however, less prominent
and not so crowded : the form of the cluster is triangular, three teeth wide anteriorly, and
one tooth in the posterior angle.
GiLL-covers.—The opercular bones greatly resemble those of 8. Rossii and alipes, though
the breadth of the operculum is less, being only half its height, and but just equal to the
greatest width of the preoperculum. 'The height of the suboperculum is half its length. There
are eleven gill-rays on the right side, and twelve on the left.
Fins.—Br. 11—12; D. 14—0; P.17; V.10; A. 12; C. 198.
The fifth and sixth dorsal rays are the longest, the first being scarcely perceptible. The
attachment of the anal is equal in length to the space between it and the base of the caudal.
The adipose fin is opposite to the last rays of the anal.
Scates tiled, small, roundish: truncated on the sides: smaller and more pointed on the
belly. ‘There are 120 on the lateral line of a larger size, and about 270 in a row adjoining to
that line, or 19 in a linear inch under the dorsal: a vertical row there contains 92, of which
36 are above the lateral line, 42 betwixt it and the ventral, and 12 or 14 below the first ray
of the latter.
Cotour, according to Captain J. C. Ross, as follows: ‘* Body above the lateral line deep
green, softening towards the belly, which is of a beautiful yellowish-red tint posterior to the
pectoral fin: throat and region of the pectorals white, slightly clouded by yellowish-red.
There are several rows of occellate red spots, confined principally to the space between the
lateral line and yellowish-red of the belly: they vary in size, the largest being as big as a pea.
Dorsal fin coloured like the back. Under fins dusky-red, the anal paler, and the first rays of
the pectorals, ventrals, and anal white.”
i DI WENN CC . v7!
alt gethalsin diel ali lo rend Aeeed call We rien oi, tat beemebe at tt eer jude
abt apeth ob temas i) i) sce gt eo (re od eee item dela at
fh Mad corede bralow et hoot) peglln ad edly Aiea pect empapes ye — 0!
meal eth Fears svormeg Jovorgl law oghet isl enya aed) where bo thera,
AAR 2 oF!) 0! oom toed ahd Sa etl wonil pibialhar det wen edd td Pei >
41a) 6 fon open ot Wulraeol gl ot Wie oli af Tell Goh an, aged Hence atts mn
[hy wi! ww phe Palys ee) @ love eH tga wpa) Yen yd A en pitinsts nen
ub balew el! Vo eretreil Bie | ragyphwigl bi iol? Jig ll a eee
4 lo mele cepa! ele Ah wl ieee oe a Hrial errille WP) hace
arot ayviloerrgtqasl an ail? db ands eV ohevng G60) Ve cooiiriwidy aeakt ie otmen SLD tea, wero alll
lidew Wh Wy -eetadiailin Ved ol bed ali apt walt fees: wet eldalw olicpiny sd eh Rahim a
veppe ll Sige swale hh ait wali we pels gy lt aN tegen ONL O wee Hivtnod wif” Peroul
eupy: hbnirrdy i Lise mm at overly bua ,teolcgner et tema ooDN anaidlen Ab wt nil netynile a) ay
Verde Cte ei aide al Fired Bd: Wapiti Lei ngTeily the Weld Ye anieg aes. at ony
deaqy te wa ad) mage mem pags sede lave tide ab sleemne eit aimee ele wry catty ed’
weg retiel salt Dra (Pihaed al? F) igre. Ail) Yo tren) en wad? tered ge ei aggvies FT
wivwwree wel vores! wll te rye Lana 1 esp J, wi, sal Keven ool ih Mar jody
sr set Slain. yd yt Pte WIRe waht gt ile. Glare eet as 10
mlianig otal vevssnind yest mane by Nie dual Gill nn Samah Od¥t pee te a
Hit (qlinte= we view ben eds Aalgnan? A Pitas wit Wo cowl oft linkter me die bes
ky Umea, mile. nds
yy sy ley toa Hetil Bs oo gues ahlaparry (leery mann! yaduurctagie ait Eee dmiN inkl tT
ee ee ee eC ee eg
all dissed oiled wi ealemongidy wit ty vigil i'l a a ea)
. Ty! ood) cue ve) pet dyye calm Febggly walt ite byten ty aye woe
Tee Dh OL Tt (8 oT A E
eT eM epery riowpt yet ede jeoped afi et as \aarvols itppu: heats A «afl
Sabena wir Ve ~s.! iT hae fh eel ad Ard of Nerpo ot let al begat.
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ali wa either act ills atl ee eli co; we targets Wltee,
# getehaihd eo ng UE Hehe Raw yeaa Whe bah Ciera ct ee ge oe
Seige Wo 20 eniarons spalyy workelieie Heke emt tamil oe MEE Riot 910°
mn barry ifien Sta eset rhage wel deengl wd eee eon
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“eae teat Le fips athe lied pe Wael date la walt cl nw gee
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SALMONOIDEZ. 173
DimEnsI0ns
Of the prepared specimen.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of upper jaw to upper extre- Length of last ray of dorsal. : eel 3
mity of caudal. . ° : . 20 4 % adipose fin . 5 ° 0 7
§ 3 end of central caudal rays 19 6 Ry pectorals é - 3 5
> 5 end of scales on ditto . - 18 3 D ventrals : : 0 5 2 10
3 3 anus maps 9 : 5 | 183 6 5 ventral appendages . é 0 7
ey ~ beginning of dorsal. ‘8 3 ry longest ray of anal F 2 3
& edge of suboperculum 4 3h ” last ray of ditto 0 5 5 ol 0
5 & nape C : t 2 8 5 attachment of ditto ; 6 1 54
*) Dy centre of pupil 1 / is lobes of caudal 6 ; Siac 43
” S edge of orbit x 3 ” longest rays of ditto . 3 0
55 3 centre of pupil to edge of sub- ” central rays of ditto . Pell 6
operculum F 4 : , 2 82 Depth of caudal fork . . 9 0 8
o posterior angle of orbit tu ditto 2 5 Distance between anus and tip ofcaudal . 7 2
» Of transverse axis of orbit e - O 83 a between anal or adipose fin and
en vertical ditto 0 5 base of caudal ‘ ° : . 2 0
a intermaxillary . 0 ; 0 63 & ditto or ditto to end of scales on late-
sp labial . : 5 9 1 104 ral line : 4 P Ff g Russ) 3
a lower jaw . s 6 ~ 2 9 Depth of body at the dorsal . a 3 3 6
6 toothed margin of ditto . Q 1 5 Breadth of occiput . g d : Pay 74
5 attachment of dorsal . - Le, 3 a between the orbits é . 1 §
” longest rays of ditto 2 6
[ 67. ] 7. Satmo Hoopr. (Richardson.) The Masamacush.
The Masamacush. Hurtcuins’s Mss.
Salmo Hoodii. Ricuarpson, Nat. Hist. App. Ross's Voy., p. \viii.
Puiare 82, f.2. Prare 83, f. 2, one-third nat. size. Pare 87, f.1, head nat. size.
This Char, well known in the fur countries by its Cree appellation of Masa-
mécoos, is common in every river and lake from Canada to the northern extremity
of the continent. It is voracious, and readily takes a cod-hook baited with a piece
of sucking-carp, pork, deer’s heart, or the belly of one of its own species. We
took many at Fort Enterprise in March, in gill-nets set under the ice, in the neigh-
bourhood of an open rapid by which the waters of Winter Lake were discharged
into a river that remained frozen up until June. At that time their stomachs
were filled with the larvee of insects. During the summer this fish is supposed to
retire to the depths of the lakes, but it reappears in smaller numbers in the autumn,
and is occasionally taken in the winter in nets, but seldom, by the hook, except
in the spring. The spawning season is in April or May, judging from the great
development that the spawn then acquires, though the spawning beds are unknown
tous. The masamacush attains a weight of about eight pounds, but begins to
spawn before it weighs more than two or three.
Two representations are given of this species, the one (Plate 82, f. 2) being
174 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
copied from a coloured drawing by Lieutenant Hood, of a recent fish taken in Pine
Island Lake, lat. 54°, the other is of a dried specimen, brought from Boothia Felix
by Captain James Clark Ross, who took it in a small lake. The figure of the
latter (Plate 83, f. 2), and particularly that of the head in Plate 87, f. 1, exhibit
the correct forms of the opercular bones, and the relative size of the head and other
parts which were not so rigidly attended to in Mr. Hood’s spirited drawing. The
arctic fish differs a little from the one common in the more southern parts of the
fur countries, in having shorter labials, more crowded and brighter scales, with a
different arrangement of colours, and longer fins ; but the proportions of the other
parts are so nearly the same, that I have not ventured to separate them in the
absence of a comparison of their internal structure. ‘The shortness of the head dis-
tinguishes S. Hoodit from the two preceding species, to which its general resem-
blance is very close. For the purpose of comparison I have added the dimensions
of a British Char in Mr. Yarrell’s possession. ‘That specimen, as well as the one
from Llyn Cawellyn, the head of which is represented in Plate 92, f. 5, has shorter
labials, and a larger eye than any of the American Chars which I have seen.
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen from Boothia Felix.
Form.—The body is more slender than that of S. nitidus, and the head is a little more than
a sixth of the total length, caudal included. The orbit is nearer the end of the snout than in
S. nitidus, the intermaxillaries are shorter, and the labials shorter and somewhat wider. The
lower jaw, when the mouth is closed, projects beyond the upper one by the depth of the chin,
and it appears still longer when the mouth is open: its length, applied to the upper surface
of the head, passes about a quarter of an inch beyond the nape.
TEETH smaller than in S.nitidus, but otherwise very similar, except on the tongue, that organ
being armed with a single row on each side which meet in a curve at its tip : there are also two
or three scattered teeth on the centre of the tongue, but no double or triple rows anteriorly.
GiLL-covers.—The operculum is narrow, its transverse diameter being scarcely half its
height. The height of the suboperculum exceeds half its length or transverse diameter.
Scaes much like those of S. nitidus but somewhat brighter. There are 126 on the lateral
line, 268 in a row immediately above it, 53 in a vertical row before the ventrals, of which 12
are below the first ray of that fin, and 28 above the lateral line.
Fins.—Br. 10—11; D. 12—0; P.15; V.10; A. 11; C.198. From Boothia Felix.
Br. 10—11; D. 12—0; P.18; V.8; A.10; C. 198. From Mingan River.
A larger individual from Mingan River, which falls into the estuary of the St. Lawrence,
differs from the preceding in having more remote scales, there being only 120 on the lateral
line: shorter labials: shorter fins ; and caudal even atthe end. Inother respects the resem-
blance is complete. The Mingan River fish is the ordinary form of the masamacush, and the
one from Boothia Felix ought, perhaps, to be considered as a variety with longer fins, arising
SALMONOIDE. 175
irom the nature of the rapid, rocky streams which it frequents: it is not, however, unlikely
that an examination of recent specimens may reveal differences of internal structure sufficient
to prove it to be a distinct species. A female specimen of the masamacush, taken in a small
lake a little to the northward of the 64th parallel of latitude, on the 16th of August, exhibited
the following tints of colour. Back and sides intermediate between olive-green and clove-
brown, bestudded with yellowish-grey spots as big as a pea: a few of these spots on the gill-
covers. Belly and under jaw white, the latter thinly dotted with bluish-grey. Dorsal and
upper lobe of the caudal marked with smaller spots. Irides honey-yellow. Scales rather
dull. This individual was twenty-one inches long, its flesh was red, and its roe but little
developed. The intestines had the structure usual in the trouts, the caeca were numerous,
their insertions occupying about three inches of the length of the canal, the valvule conni-
ventes occupied two inches, and there was about an inch of smooth gut next the anus. The
liver, small and triangular, had several small incisions on its inferior edge. The rakers and
pharyngeal bones were armed with short teeth like velvet pile.
Dimensions.
From From British
Mingan Boothia Char.
River. Felix.
In. lin. In. lin. In. lin,
Length from tip of snout to tip of caudal : : . | 24:0 20 6 18 3
_ % end of central caudal rays . 23 9 19 6 17 7
én - end of scales on ditto . : 22 2 18 2 70
ry nf anus 6 3 3 16 7 13 9 11 10
. F beginning of dorsal . c 10 2 8 5 ao
is . edge of suboperculum 4 2 3.8 3.0
=) 7 nape P 3 2 9 2 2 111
45 7 centre of pupil 1 63 1 43 1,2
hy 0 edge of orbit i 8 1 0 0 103
” lower jaw, depressed, to tip of caudal 24 6 20 9 0 0
» a edge of suboperculum 4 4 3 08 0 0
of centre of pupil to edge of suboperculum . 2 64 2 44 0. 0
. posterior edge of orbit ditto ° 2ee3 A ile 0 0
> Of transverse axis of orbit 0 9 0 84 0 63
Sp vertical ditto OWNS 0 54 0 0
a intermaxillary 0 0 7 0 5 0 4
% labial a 9 : : 2 12 1 63 1 3
” lower jaw. 3) fl 2 5 1 10
if toothed edge of ditto . 1 8 1 2 0 0
op attachment of dorsal : : - 2. 4 ay 111
x longest rays of ditto 2, 2 Az 2 2
D its last ray ial 14 a)
rs adipose fin : ° : 5 : b 0 71 0 5 07
pectorals 2 41 32 2 4
Pe ventrals . : 6 ; 2 A 20 2-3 2 0
3 ventral appendages : » . . 0 72 0 7 0 0
fp attachment ofanal_ . c 4 1 8 1. 53 ln 3
45 longest ray of ditto : : . 4 Deed 2 2 2 2
a its last ray c - . : . 0 92 011 0 0
” lobes of caudal 0 . : ¢ . SE 3 82 0 0
os longest rays of ditto . : : é 2 6 3 0 We
its central ray (from end of scales) é ° 0 74% 1 43 5
Depth of caudal fork ‘ ; - : ; Omr0n 1 1 0 7
Distance between anus and tip of caudal . 4 : 7 10 if) th 6 0
p anal and lower tip of ditto . ; 6 0 5 74 0 0
adipose and upper tip of ditto . fy 5 8L 0 0
Depth of body at the dorsal fin . 0 ° . é By. 48 3.4 3 6
Breadth of occiput 2 . 6 5 . ait 1 73 1G 0 0
55 between the orbits 9 . 0 ( 1 & [yyy 0 0
176 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[ 68. ] 8. SALMO FONTINALIS. (Mitchill.) Mew York Char.
Common Trout (Sa/mo fontinais). Mrrcnii1, New York Ph. Tr.,i., p. 435.
Prare 83, f.1, half nat. size. Puare 87, f. 2, head nat. size.
Dr. Mitchill describes this trout in the paper above referred to, inaking the fol-
lowing observations upon it. “ He is reckoned a most dainty fish. They travel
away to Hempstead and Islip for the pleasure of catching and eating him. He is
bought at the extravagant price of a quarter of a dollar for a single fish, not more
than ten or twelve inches long. He lives in running waters only, and not in stag-
nant ponds ; and therefore the lively streams, descending north and south from
their sources on Long Island, exactly suit the constitution of this fish. The hea-
viest Long Island trout that I have heard of weighed four pounds and a half.”
One caught near New York, measuring twenty-four inches in length, weighed four
pounds eight ounces: the average weight of those usually caught is about three-
quarters of a pound. No opportunity occurred during the progress of the expedi-
tion of obtaining this trout in a recent state, but Mr. Todd kindly sent me a pre-
pared specimen from Penetanguishene. He states that it ascends the rivers from
Lake Huron in the month of May, and readily takes the hook during the summer ;
that the flesh is red, and that he never saw one exceeding the weight of a pound and
a half. Mr.'Todd’s specimen was submitted to the inspection of Baron Cuvier, who
returned it with the following remark: “ Id nous parait bien nommé Salmo fonti-
nalis de Mitchill. C’est probablement le Salmo Geedenii de Bloch.” The latter
synonym appears very strange, and must have originated in some mistake, for not
to mention other differences, the S. Gedenii has tolerably large scales, while the
scales of S. fontinalis are so small, that in Dr. Mitchill’s description the skin is
said to be “ scaleless.” The S. Gedenii inhabits the Baltic, and is considered by
M. Agassiz to be the young of the Common salmon. The Salno fontinalis may
be readily distinguished from the other species that we have already described, by
the smallness of its scales, the shortness of its intermaxillaries, and the length and
narrowness of the labials, exclusive of its colours, which are peculiar.
DESCRIPTION
Of a prepared specimen from Penetanguishene, on Lake Huron.
Form thickish. Head rather small, being contained five times and one-fifth in the total
length. Mouth large. Jaws of equal length. Intermazillaries very short, being scarcely a
quarter as long as the labials. The latter are long, linear, and straight, with still narrower
ou1g “Ww Na
‘ITCOOH OWTIVS’e@ SITVNICGNOA OWTVS ‘LT
beret
=
EY IM
S
Plate 37
Re
SS REN
( ZN). 7
A, VOTRE DZ
wr. by Piaterhous Lronted by Graf & Soret
SALMONOIDEX. IL7eF¢
appophyses ; their tips go beyond the posterior orbitar-bones and reach nearly to the articu-
lation of the lower jaw. The distance between the tip of the snout and the extremity of the
labial equals the length of the upper surface of the head, and the lower jaw is about two lines
longer.
TEETH rather long, slender, acute, and slightly curved, those on the labials smaller: the pala-
tine teeth run far back on a slightly prominent ridge, and there isa triangular cluster of about
ten teeth on the anterior part of the vomer. ‘The tongue is armed with six teeth on each side.
GiLL-covers.—Inferoperculum short and triangular. Preoperculum narrow and much
curved, with an even edge. The suboperculum is half as high as the operculum, and its angle
touches the preoperculum. The right gill-membrane contains twelve rays.
Fins.—Br. 12; P.13; D. 11—0; V.8 or 9; A.10; C. 198.
The fifth dorsal ray is the longest, the first being almost imperceptible in a recent fish.
The adipose fin is about its own breadth behind the anal. The latter equals, or rather ex-
ceeds the dorsal in the length of its rays, and is more remote from the caudal than usual,
there being almost twice the length of its insertion between it and the base of the latter.
Sca.es small, roundish, in contact, but not tiled, and firmly imbedded in a mucous epidermis
which almost conceals them: they are smallest on the forepart of the belly. There are 244
rows of scales meeting at the lateral line, which contains only 116: these are longer than the
ordinary scales, and have each a mucous canal elevated above its surface. A vertical row
under the dorsal contains 95 scales, viz., 41 above the lateral line, 42 between it and the upper
edge of the ventral, and 12 below the level of the first ray of that fin.
Cotour.—(“ Back mottled, pale and brown: sides dark brown with yellow and red spots
above and below the lateral line, the yellow surrounding the red, which appears like scarlet
dots : sides of the belly orange-red: lowest part of the abdomen whitish with a smutty tinge.
First rays of the pectoral, ventral, and anal fins white, the second black, the rest purplish-red :
dorsal fin mottled with yellowish and black. Hyes large and pale.” Dr. Mitchill.)
Dimensions
Of a prepared Lake Huron specimen.
“Inches, Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of snout to tip of caudal . 14 3 Length of attachment of dorsal 1 4
7 3 end of central caudal rays 14 0 a its longest rays 1 5¢
es 3 end of scales’. 2 + 13 0 A its last ray 0 8
5 69 anus 9 2 i adipose fin . 0 5
op 3 eSutnenceniont of aoreatl 5 10 a pectorals 1 82
os A edge of suboperculum 2 9 a ventrals i 4
Fp oF nape 1 8h x ventral appendages . 0 43
ij a centre of pupil 0 11 a7 attachment of anal 1 1
, » edge of orbit 0 9 “ its longest ray 1 7%
», from centre of pupil to edge of atte op its last ray . 0 6
operculum é 1 10} 3 lobes of caudal 2 0
7 posterior ie: of ead to ditto 1 74 op its longest rays 1 8
» Of transverse axis of orbit . 0 54 its middle rays 1 0
9 vertical ditto 0 42 Depth of caudal fork 0 0 5
7 intermaxillary 0 4 Distance from anus to tip of caudal 5 1
a labial. a C ; 1 5 hs anal to lower caudal iD 4 0
pr lower jaw < 1 9 my) adipose to upper tip ofcaudal 3 7
3 toothed margin of ditto 0 11 Depth of body at the dorsal . ° i 8
QA
178 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
The Salmo fontinalis is probably what is called in the narrative of Lewis and
Clark’s Journey to the Pacific, the MOUNTAIN, or SPECKLED TROUT of the United
States. Another species, which inhabits the upper waters of the Missouri and
Columbia, is thus described in the same work. ‘“ We caught in the Falls half a
dozen trout resembling in form and the position of the fins, the mountain, or
speckled trout of the United States, except that the specks of the former are of a
deep black colour, while those of the latter are of a red or gold colour: they have
long sharp teeth on the palate and tongue, and generally a small speck of red on
each side, behind the front ventral fins; the flesh is of a pale yellowish red, or,
when in good order, of a rose-coloured red. We never saw this fish below the
mountains, but from the transparency and coldness of the Kooskooskee, we should
not doubt of its existence in that stream, as low as its junction with the south-east
branch of the Columbia. It is not so abundant in the Columbia as in the Mis-
sour.” (i, p. 398, and iii., 601.)
I am unable to decide from Fabricius’s account of the Greenland trouts, whether
they are identical with any of those described above, or whether they ought to be
reckoned as distinct species. His S. cArpro, named Hekallook, Kebleriksoak,
Satooack, and Sardlooak, by the natives, is probably S. Hoodii. It is an inhabi-
tant of the rivers, lakes, estuaries and bays of Greenland, and feeds upon caplin,
herrings, sticklebacks, small crabs, worms, and spawn of fishes. It is named Laa,
or the Salmon, in the histories of Greenland, and is supposed by Fabricius to be
the same with the Kundsha of Pallas, a trout which abounds in the gulfs of the
Icy Sea and of Kamtschatka, but is said not to ascend rivers.
Another Greenland trout with an orange belly, named by the natives Hekallook
and Iviksarok, was considered by Fabricius to be the same species with his S.
carpio, but he changed his opinion, in some degree, after leaving the country, and
referred it to the S. ALpinus of Linnzus, when he had no longer an opportunity
of comparing it with carpio. It congregates with the preceding, and may possibly
be the trout I have described under the specific name of S. natidus, the tawny-
orange colour of the belly in both being confined to the spawning season.
The S. stagnalis (Fauna Grenl., p. 175) agrees best with our S. alipes. It
inhabits alpine waters, and never descends to the sea. It is named Hekallookak.
faid aera “ly oviterian 4) af {vile ak hudhor “yibestorny wi sRioniindy valet, oT
batia J wH lo ToonT ate 0 eee reson wilt aitioal ot ot yourwol © dvald
lute Frvowei lt al) Qo moder > atidolini shaielyr eaten shillens, al?
a Had lol ol) ui Jalypsvas ow TO pitiie oilt al badinses|) aul? wi Aidaule, }
yin lwo silt aad olf Jo oq odd how srk gt yalldavwany tut noah
w by axe touewl elt Wo tooqd odt sault dqpeud aot irotinU ot to tows alongs
wad yo: -woloe blem 10 fen a to we nattil galt Wo omndd alidvr suolor gould queb
ue fin lo dene Uaom « qifoneg ban augaot bins stalaq gilt 0 alton quae gel”
aw den deiwolloy, ofaq o Yo et dealt wit peat fertagy tet ot hnisied .obie ten
adi woled deh vil wae dovaa oW bay bértoke-seur @ lo pate beoy uF nude
bigade vw cenleoodaooAl od) ta masthilye bein Gonsvapaner add cunt rol wcriap oii
tedgy-ttuor out dive noltonu] ai ae wal se Hiteg te taal} at spunodeixe dio fduob rov
eae #0 aisitanlo) odt al ape jon iT cohol) od Vo dno
, er iit es necuihpitds inte
ieee 1 ‘ ;
sisi Pa ae oe )
inet mi ere ' aad viwe
Tua kia)
alate: vatvot hastawnt) ads te treo a nuisindadh pple Adah wit elenh th don
af ua Yitywo Godt asiltsd v6. rode hadivenots deads ho yeia Atiw Inaitnohi srurewie
Ww bona Orme a -cesivege oniteth sa bemoan
cidndet ou ai 1J Shoot A ipliladong af wovitow Gd ed. Anouiywws Baw AsGoorer,
tilqao woqu ation baw bavlugnt to has geisiuies oils! arovh olf to thai
geod bsition ai 1 oiled loewuye bow anciony ders Moore »londolilite..nyarrrel
od of awivindel yl boeoqque ti has dhmaluger) Yo adivotaid old ci roenlst ailtae ~
ili Yo Surg oat i ehiowonly oldioe prion a walléT Yo WKAOCA vats ditty orton wy
= i ee
2 oe cteagagpiier eb
:
diiw ji yao an
StS wvod T weil et
ay val Att lbw! oilt Jo sy arp
mavwaly wilinirynte
shan tu voraluw ie periihl
gaan y fg My PiU
GL AUT
YSRINDUD WT
O7ZIG “VN oh
ay4f ( .uPrUTOZ )
“"HSMOAYWVYN OW TVS
maynny amoyaguy Ag uMvig
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SALMONOIDEZ. 179
The SAtmo RIVALIS (Fauna Grenl., p. 176), named by the Greenlanders
Aunardlek and Eekalloogak, if it be not the young of some of the preceding, is
most probably distinct from any that we have described. In the minuteness of its
scales it resembles S. fontinalis. It inhabits rivulets and ponds, feeds upon insects,
and buries itself in the mud in the winter, where it is frozen up, never visiting the
sea. It is only six inches long. The word Hekallook seems to be the general
Greenland and Esquimaux name for the trouts of the middle or smaller size.
[ 69. ] 9. SALMO NAMAYcUSH. (Pennant.) The Namaycush.
Namaycush. Hurcuins’s Mss., p. 115.
Salmon namaycush. Pewnn., Arct. Zoo/., ii., Suppl, p. 139, No. 165; and Intr., p. exli.
Salmo amethystus. Murcnitt, Journ. Ac. Sc. Phil., i.,p. 410. dn. 1818.
Nammécoos. Cree Inpvians. Thlooeesinneh. Cuepewyans. Keyteeleek.
Esquimaux. Salmon-trout. Canapians.
Pare 79, one-third nat. size. Prats 85, f. 1, head nat. size.
This magnificent trout, which equals or surpasses the Common salmon in size,
is a denizen of all the great lakes that lie between the United States and the Arctic
Sea, but it does not exist, as far as I have been able to ascertain, in any tidal
waters. According to the report of fishermen on Lake Huron, seventeen pounds
is its average weight, but they occasionally capture individuals weighing sixty
pounds; and Dr. Mitchill states, that at Michilimackinac it has been known
to attain the enormous size of one hundred and twenty pounds. Such a weight
must, however, be very rare, for Carver, who passed a winter at Michilimackinac,
does not appear to have met with any at all approaching to that magnitude.
“ One of my chief amusements,” says he, ‘‘ was that of fishing for trouts.
Though the straits were covered with ice, we found means to make holes in it, and
letting down strong lines, of fifteen yards in length, to which were fixed three or
four hooks baited with small fish, we frequently caught two at a time, of forty
pounds weight each, but the common size is from ten to twenty pounds.” Particular
lakes in the fur countries were mentioned to us as yielding trout of sixty or even
ninety pounds, but none exceeding forty pounds came under our own observation *.
The namaycush is the tyrant of the lakes; no fish inhabiting the same waters can
* According to La Hontan, “ Les plus grosses Truites des lacs ont cing pieds et demi de longueur et un pied de diametre ;
elles ont la chair rouge.” (Mém., de Amérique, ii., p. 58)
2a 2
180 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
resist its voracity. The grey sucking-carp is most frequently found in its stomach ;
in the month of March, in lat. 64°, we saw that capacious receptacle crammed with
the young of the dota maculosa, and Mr. Todd says that the Herring salmon forms
its principal food in Lake Huron.
The habitual residence of the namaycush is in the deepest parts of the lakes, but
at certain seasons it resorts to the shallows to spawn, ‘This movement occurs in
Lake Huron about the 10th of October, and in the course of three weeks it retires
again to the centre of the lake. During its stay in the narrow channels which
separate the innumerable islands that skirt the northern borders of the lake,
the Indians spear it in the night, by torch-light. In the fur countries it is taken
occasionally in the autumn, in nets, and from March till May more abundantly by
cod-hooks baited with sucking-carp, and set through holes in the ice in eight or nine
fathoms water, but it is rarely seen in the summer or winter months, except when
fished for at great depths. It resorts to the shallows in the spring, most probably in
quest of food, as at that period many fish, upon which it preys, seek the borders of
the lakes where the ice first breaks up, to feed upon the larvee of insects which
then swarm near the shore. The flesh of the namaycush is reddish or orange-
coloured, being paler when out of season. When in good condition it yields much
oil, and is very palling to the appetite if simply boiled, but roasting renders it a
very pleasant article of diet. The Canadian voyageurs are fond of eating it raw,
in a frozen state, after scorching it for a second or two over a quick fire, until the
scales can be easily detached, but not continuing the application of the heat long
enough to thaw the interior. The stomach when boiled is a favourite morsel with
the same people.
The American trouts described in the preceding pages are, with the exception
of S. Scouleri, similar to European species in the forms of the different bones of
the face and gill-covers, but the namaycush exhibits much peculiarity in these
respects, and its cranium is composed of much stronger and firmer bones than is
usual in the genus. The coats of its stomach are remarkably thick, though they do
not equal those of the Coregonus albus.
DESCRIPTION
Of specimen (Plate 79) taken in Lake Huron, October, 1824.
Cotour.—The head, back, and sides have a dark greenish-grey colour, which, when exa-
mined closely, is resolved into small roundish yellowish-grey spots on a bluish-grey ground,
which covers less space than the spots: the latter are most evident on the sides, where they
are as big as duck-shot, each of them including three or four scales. The uncovered portion
SALMONOIDES. lsi
of each scale is roundish, and its convex centre, having a greyish hue and silvery lustre, is
surrounded by a dark border of minute dots which are deficient or less numerous on the yel-
lowish-grey spots, and also on the bluish-white belly. The dorsal and caudal fins have the
greenish-grey tint of the back, and the ventrals and anal are muddy-orange, this colour also
partially tinging the pectorals. The irides are bright honey-yellow with blue clouds. ‘The
teeth, gums, and roof of the mouth have a tinge of purple, whence Dr. Mitchill gave the
name of amethystus to the species.
ScaLes moderately small, thin, flexible, obtusely oval, tiled, and firmly imbedded in the
skin; the uncovered roundish part of each scale measures less than a line. The scales on
the under surface of the tail, and adjoining part of the belly, are rather larger, and those on
the lateral line, 133 in number, are mostly elliptical, being narrower and somewhat longer
than the others. About 221 rows of scales meet at the lateral line, and a vertical row be-
neath the commencement of the dorsal contains 82, of which 32 are above the lateral line.
There are thirteen scales in a linear inch measured on the sides, and a single detached scale
measures about one line and three-quarters. The lateral line is about an inch nearer to the
dorsal than to the upper ventral ray.
Form much like that of the Common salmon: the profile of the head and body bulges a
little, and the sides are somewhat flattened. ‘The head forms one-fourth of the total length
from the snout to the tips of the caudal: it is flattish above and slightly convex in profile.
Radiating lines on the frontal bone appear through the dried skin, but the elevated central
ridge and curved lateral uneven ones, conspicuous in several of the trouts already described,
are nearly obsolete in this species. The skull is more bony than that of the Common salnion,
and the snout, instead of being cartilaginous, is formed of firm bone. Eye midway between
the tip of the snout and nape, and twice as near the former as to the hinder edge of the gill-
cover, the measurement being made from the centre of the pupil. There are seven diameters
and a half of the circular orbit in the total length of the head, and five and a half in that. of
its upper surface. The nostrils, consisting of two small contiguous orifices on each side, are
situated before and a little above the angle of the orbit: the foremost orifices have a soft ele-
vated edge, and are the largest.
The jaws are very strong. In the male the upper one overlaps the conical knob of the
lower one by about half an inch: in the specimen now under consideration, which is supposed
to be a female, the jaws are nearly equal, but the soft parts have been partly eaten by insects.
The /abials, not quite thrice the length of the intermaszillaries, are strong and nearly cylin-
drical (not a thin plate as in other trouts), and the appophysis, attached above like a crest,
projects beyond the limb of the bone, in which respect also this trout differs from its congeners.
The distance between the tip of the snout and lower extremity of the labial reaches from the
snout to about an inch beyond the orbit, falling fully three-quarters of an inch short of the
nape. The under jaw, thick and rounded, is articulated to the lower end of the preoperculum,
and also by a hinge-like joint to the jugal-bone. The length of the lower jaw is equal to that
of the upper surface of the head. The porous lines on the heads of other trouts exist like-
wise in this, being mostly connected with foramina in the bones.
182 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Teetu.—The borders of the intermaxillaries, labials, lower jaws, and palate-bones are
armed with very acute, slightly-curved, strong conical teeth: there is a circular cluster on the
knob of the vomer, a double row extending at least half an inch backwards on that bone, and a
row on each side of the tongue equally strong and more curved than the others: a deep furrow
runs down the centre of the tongue between the rows of the teeth, and the soft parts form a
smooth median ridge in the roof of the mouth, without any corresponding elevation of the
bone. All the teeth are surrounded by soft gums, in which some small moveable teeth are
implanted. The following is a scheme of the dentition in the individual under examination.
Tereru.—Intermaz. 7—7 ; Labials 19—19; Lower Jaw 19—19; Tongue 8—8; Vomer 7—7*; exclusive of the
smaller teeth, which fall off with the soft parts.
GiLL-covers.—Preoperculum moderately curved, nearly vertical. Suboperculum deeper
than in the other trouts, articulated at its inner angle to the operculum and preoperculum by
a Slender process which is concealed by these bones : its edge forms fully one-half of the free
border of the gill-cover and is finely grooved. The gill-rays, 12 in number, are flat, those
uearest the gill-cover being the broadest : seven of them are inserted into the long appophysis
of the hyoid bone, one or two into the intermediate cartilage, and the remainder into the
posterior appophysis.
Fins.—Br. 11—12 +; D. 14—0; P.14; V.9; A.11; C. 198.
The dorsal fin is situated in the middle of the fish, the exact middle between the end of the
snout and tip of the central caudal ray, being opposite to the eighth dorsal ray and a little
anterior to the ventrals: the height of the dorsal exceeds the length of its attachment: its
fourth ray is the longest, the third is half as high, and is, together with the two very short
aaterior ones, closely applied to its base. The adipose fin is small and has a club-shaped
profile. The ventrals contain nine rays each, the first being about twice as stout as the others.
The anal contains eleven rays, the first of which is one-third shorter than the second and is
closely applied to it: the last ray is two-thirds shorter than the second and is opposite to the
adipose: the space between the anal and caudal measures more than the attachment of the
former.
IntEsTINES.—(Of a male killed in Winter Lake.) Stomach a large sac continuous with
the cesophagus and not to be distinguished from it, bent upwards and bulging a little at the
bend: its inner membrane is longitudinally plaited. Ceca numerous, their insertions occu-
pying three inches and a half of the intestine. The internal coat of two inches of the lower
part of the gut is disposed in circular valvul@ conniventes. The air-bladder communicates
with the cesophagus by a tube as big as a crow-quill. In a female specimen I found a
number of long, slender, opake worms in the air-bladder, of a whitish colour, with a slightly-
* The vomer is injured, so that the exact number of its teeth cannot be ascertained, but the above number still exists
upon it.
+ The specimen from which the figure was taken consists of the left side of the fish only, and shows twelve gill-rays ;
but as that side of the membrane generally has a ray more than the right side, I have marked it as above. I noted an
individual which I examined at Winter Lake, lat. 643° N., as having only eleven rays, not adverting to any difference
between the two sides. Dr. Mitchill’s scheme of the rays of his Lake Huron specimen is as follows :—
Fins.— Br, 13; D.13—0; V9; 4.13; C. 193 or &.
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SALMONOIDE®. 183
curved stripe running along one side: they were pointed at both ends, the least acute being
the end that moved most, and having apparently an orifice in its apex. The male namaycush
measured thirty-five inches, including the caudal, and sixteen from the tip of the snout to the
dorsal. The colours mentioned in the preceding description are those of this individual at
the time of capture ; the spots become more evident as the skin dries. ‘The trout described
by Dr. Mitchill was brought from Michillimackinac, and weighed thirty-two pounds and a
half after the intestines were removed. It was fifty-four inches long, nine deep, and twenty-
four in circumference.
DIMENSIONS
Of the Lake Huron specimen described above.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of snout to tip of caudal. 29 6 Length of labial. 5 . 5 a Ss 0
55 3 end of scales . : 9 4B 0 55 lower jaw. : 4 8
5 35 anus oO 5 : . 19 0 5 toothed edge of ditt 2 ll
" _ dorsal . : . C 13 6 a attachment of dorsal 3 0
* * edge of suboperculum 7 4 ” its longest ray . ‘ 5 Ae) 9
pe op nape . ‘ ‘ : 4 9 ” its last difto . . O 1 2
eS 5 tip oflabials . — 3 10 ” ventrals . ° . . 3 6
7 x basal end of snout . : 2 1] 7 attachment of anal a 2 2
$ % centre of pupil . : a 4 6 3 its longest ray . : : 3 7
a anterior edge of orbit 2 1 % its last ditto : 1 0
© centre of pupil to edge of gill-cover 5 0 ” lobes of caudal . ° - 5 0
o hind edge of orbit to ditto . 4 2 » central rays of ditto . . 1 9
» of transverse axis of orbit . 0 11 Distance between anus and base of caudal . 5 10
5 vertical ditto. 5 - 0 10 Depth of caudal fork. : 9 2 2
Bo intermaxillary = 1 0
[70.] 10. Satmo Macxenzu. (Richardson.) The Inconnu.
Inconnu. Macxenzir, Voy. in N. Amer., p. 9, and elsewhere.
Salmo Mackenzii. Ricuarpson, Frank. Journ., p. 707, plate.
PuarteE 84, one-third nat. size. f. a., nat. size.
This, according to Indian information, is an anadromous species, and is only
known to exist in the Mackenzie and its tributaries, to which it can have access from
the sea. It is never taken-above the cascades of Slave River, in latitude 60° N. ;
but it forms an important article of food, at certain seasons, on Great Slave Lake
and the Mackenzie. Its flesh is white, and when in good condition tolerably
palatable, though rather soft and oily, and soon becoming disagreeable when used
as daily food: it is firmest and best near the mouth of the Mackenzie, and when
out of season is considered by the natives to be very unwholesome. The Incon-
184 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
nues usually taken in the nets vary in weight from five to fifteen pounds, but indivi-
duals are reported to have been caught of thirty or forty pounds.
The Inconnu differs from the typical trouts in its general aspect, and in the small-
ness of its teeth, which are crowded like velvet pile, and are altogether wanting
on the labials: it seems to stand on the confines of the sub-genus, and to connect
the trutte with the coregoni. It disagrees with the latter in the number of its
gill-rays, in having palatine and vomerine teeth, and in the form of the body.
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen taken in Great Slave Lake in the spring of 1822.
Cotour of the back and sides changing from bluish-grey to greenish-grey when moved in
the light : of the belly bluish-white; the sides have a strong silvery hue. Scales sub-orbi-
cular, four lines in diameter, and possessing much pearly lustre. Lateral line straight.
Form.—Body roundish ; in profile lanceolate. Head long and compressed with a flat-
tened vertex. The sagittal line rises between the orbits into a smooth acute ridge. Orbits
large, oval, situated as near again to the tip of the snout as to the edge of the gill-cover. The
sub-orbitar bones, apparently about six in number, form a circular plate mostly posterior to
the eye ; a narrow process runs under the eye to the anterior orbitar, which is sub-orbicular
and radiated on the surface. Nostrils close to the orbit: the anterior opening has a raised
margin, and is contiguous to the posterior one. The intermavillaries, forming about one-third
of the border of the upper jaw, lie transversely, overlapping the curved articular ends of the
labials, and giving a truncated form to the snout. The labials, thick and strong, have a lan-
ceolate shape ; they are articulated with the cartilaginous ends of the palate-bones through
the medium of a small curved process. ‘The under jaw is strong, and has broad, flat sides
with an obtuse and slightly-knobbed extremity, which projects four or five lines beyond the
upper jaw: its articulation being as far back as the posterior edge of the orbit, admits of con-
siderable depression, but the opening of the mouth is not of corresponding magnitude, for it is
contracted by a fold of integument which extends from the middle of the labial to the side of
the lower jaw.
Teretu.—The intermaxillaries, extremity of the lower jaw, vomer, palate-bones, and tongue,
are armed with narrow bands of teeth “ en velours,’ as are also the root of the tongue and
the superior and inferior pharyngeal bones.
GiLi-covers.—The operculum and suboperculum form a very regular semicircle by the union
of their posterior edges. The preoperculum is much curved, and includes a naked cheek,
not wider than itself, between it and the sub-orbitars. The gill-openings are large : the mem-
branes contain ten flat rays. The branchial rakers are rigid, awl-shaped, and rough interiorly,
with minute teeth: those on the upper arch exceed half an inch in length, the others are
smaller.
Fins.— Br. 10D 150P. 175 -V. 12; Al 8° C2 228:
The dorsal, opposed to the ventrals, is about its length nearer to the caudal fin than to the
SALMONOIDE. 185
snout: it is obliquely quadrangular and higher than long: its three first rays are short and
lie closely against the base of the fourth. The anal has a slightly-crescentic margin, and occu-
pies more than half the space between its last ray and the caudal fin: its three anterior rays
are minute. ‘The caudal is large and forked.
[NTESTINES.—The @sophagus and stomach three inches long, have nine internal longitu-
dinal folds, and make a short turn upwards before terminating in the pylorus. A space of
two inches between the pylorus and the insertion of the gall-duct is surrounded by crowded
ceca ; beneath the gall-duct the insertions of the czca are confined to one side of the
intestinal tube: the ceca are very numerous, slender, conical, and about a quarter of an inch
long. The remainder of the intestine descends in a straight line to the anus: the valvule
conniventes occupy an inch and a half of its lower end, a small piece next the anus being
smooth *, The air-bladder is large and communicates by a wide tube with the cesophagus.
There is a large spleen attached to the curvature of the stomach.
Dimensions.—The length from the tip of the snout to the end of the caudal is twenty
inches and a half, or to the end of the scales on that fin, eighteen inches.
[71.] 1. Satmo (OsmERus) EPERLANUS. (Artedi.) The Smelt.
Famiry, Salmonoidew, Genus, Salmo. Linn. Sub-genus, Osmerus. ARTEDI.
Osmerus radiis pinne ani septemdecem, Arrept, Spec., p. 45. Syn.,p, 21.
Salmo eperlanus. Linn, Avucrorum, Spirling. Scoris.
According to Cuvier there is only one known species of this sub-genus, the
highly-prized Smelt of the European seas and estuaries of the larger rivers.
It exists as far north as Sweden, and is enumerated by Lawson and Catesby among
the fish of America, but it does not occur in the Fauna Grenlandica. M. Le
Sueur has described a smelt taken between Newport and Boston, under the name
of Osmerus viridescens ; but as Cuvier, though well acquainted with that gentle-
man’s ichthyological papers, has not noticed this smelt in the Régne Animal, we
* The following dimensions of the intestines of two English female salmon, omitted to be inserted in a preceding page,
may be contrasted with the above,
No. 1.—63 ceca. No, 2.—68 czxea.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines,
Length from gullet to bend of stomach . 3 4 10 6 10 0
” bend to pylorus : 4 : : : 3 10 3 9
aS pylorus to lastcecum , . 3 . 5 9 5 3
5 remainder of gut, : . : ld 0 16 10
» of whole alimentary canal . : 6 3 37 1 35 10
“ space occupied by the thirty or forty valvule conniventes 9 0 0 0
» longest cecum é 4 : : , 6 0 5 3
186 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
may infer that he did not consider its title to rank as a species sufficiently esta-
blished. Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton Smith has sent me a drawing of a smelt,
which having been taken at Halifax, in Nova Scotia, is therefore likely to be the
same with the New England one: this bears an almost exact resemblance to the
European fish, except that the ventrals are farther back, commencing under the
sixth ray of the dorsal. Steller and Mr. Collie mention the common smelt as fre-
quenting Awatscha Bay.
The European Smelt has a row of small, short, closely-set teeth on the intermaxillaries and
labials ; somewhat longer and more remote ones on the lower jaw; and a row on both edges
of the palate-bones, the teeth of the outer row being long and distant; there are four long
teeth on the anterior end of the vomer, viz., two on each side continuous with the outer row of
the palatine-teeth. The triangular tongue is armed with about ten strong teeth, two large
ones being implanted in the apex, one before the other. The branchial arches are attached
below to a narrow isthmus proceeding from the root of the tongue, and having two rows of
minute teeth on its surface, but the upper pharyngeal bones are smooth. The slender rakers
are rough with teeth internally, as in the trouts. The roof of the mouth and the head gene-
rally have some resemblance to the same parts of a pike, and the palate-bones have a similar
membranous attachment to the vomer, admitting of lateral movement as in that fish. The
under jaw is longer than the upper one, even when the mouth is closed. The gill-covers are
those of a trout, the rays being however fewer. The first rays of the dorsal and ventrals are
opposite to each other, and stand midway between the tip of the snout and termination of the
scales on the caudal. The adipose fin is attached a little posterior to the middle of the anal,
which is long. The tail is slender and the caudal fin forked with acute, widely-spreading
lobes and a tapering base. The scales are large, thin, very deciduous, and brilliant, reflecting
beautiful green tints on the upper part of the body; the sides and belly are silvery. The
body is unspotted. The smell of the fish, when recently taken from the water, is like that of
a cucumber.
Fins —Br. 7—8; P. 14; D.10——0; V.8; A. 16*; C. 1932
* Artedi reckons seventeen anal rays, and Lieutenant-Colonel Smith counted the same number in his Halifax smelt.
In our specimen of the European fish, the last ray is divided to the base, so that there appear to be seventeen on a cursory
examination,
SALMONOIDEZ. 187
[72.] 1. Satmo (Matxotus) vittosus. (Cuvier.) The Capelin.
Faun.x, Salmonoidee. Grnvs,Salmo. Linn. Sub-genus, Mallotus. Cuvier.
“ Clupea villosa. Mina, Prodr., p. 425.”
Salmo arcticus. Fasricius, Fauna Groend., p.177. No. 128.
Capelan. Penn., Arct. Zool., ii, p. 141. No. 175.
Salmo Grenlandicus. Buocu, t. 381. Ricwarvson, Frank. Journ., p. 710.
Angmaggéuck. Esqumavx. Angmagsak, Sennersulik (male). GReEnLANDERs.
This sub-genus, like the preceding one, contains only a single ascertained
species, which frequents the northern seas. It swarms on the coasts of Norway,
Lapland, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland, the Welcome, Coronation Gulf, and,
if the Ouzki, or Salno catervarius of Steller be the same, it inhabits the Sea of
Kamtschatka. It has not been mentioned by travellers as existing in the Icy Sea
of Siberia, but is very probably an inhabitant of that sea also, thus completing the
circuit of the arctic coasts. It approaches the shore in dense shoals in the spawn-
ing season, the females preceding the males. ‘The latter, at this period, acquire
elevated bands on the sides, composed of soft, tumid, elongated scales, by which it
is said they adhere together, sometimes to the number of ten or more, and in this
state they are occasionally driven on shore by the wind in immense quantities.
Some males, named sennersuitsut by the Greenlanders, want the ridges of enlarged
scales. April, May, June, and July are the months in which the Capelin ap-
proaches the Greenland coast. In the beginning of August we observed mul-
titudes of the males congregated on some sandy shoals near the mouth of Back’s
River, which falls into Bathurst’s Inlet. Many of them leaped into the canoes and
furnished a very acceptable dish of fish for our table, much relished by the whole
party. Mr. Anthony Parkhurst, who is said by Pennant to be the first author who
has noticed this fish, in a letter to Hakluyt written in 1578, after indulging in
some facetious remarks respecting his skill in charming it and the squid or cuttle-
fish to come ashore, observes, that the nature of the squid is to come by night as
well as by day ; but the other, which is like a smelt, and is called by the Spaniards
Anchovas, and by the Portuguese Capelinas, “ commeth also in the night, but
chiefly in the day, being forced by the cod that would devoure him, and therefore
for feare comming so neare the shore, is driven drie by the surge of the sea on the
pibble and sands. Of these being as good as a smelt you may take up with a
shove-net as plentifully as you do wheate in a shovell, sufficient in three or four
houres for a whole citie.”
The Malloti are very nearly allied to the Osmeri, the principal difference being
2B 2
188 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
in the smallness of their teeth. Their resemblance to each other in the form and
structure of the head is very close: both have, when fresh, a strong smell of cucum-
bers, and both are said to emit, occasionally, a very noisome stench. Nilsson states
that the stinking smelt, named ors by the Swedes, is a smaller kind, but differ-
ing only in size from the larger, which is named Slom. 'The Capelin is much used
in the Newfoundland fishery as a bait for cod, and it is also dried in large quan-
tities and exported to London, where it is sold principally in the oyster shops.
Dried capelin forms so important an article of food in Greenland, that it has been
termed the daily bread of the natives.
Although authors have taken it for granted that there is but one species of
Capelin, we do not know that the fact has been fully established by a comparison
of specimens from different seas. The description quoted below from my notes, of
the appearance of a recent individual taken in the American polar sea, differs from
the Newfoundland fish (of which through the kindness of M. Audubon, I possess a
number of specimens preserved in spirits) in the appearance of the scales on the
back, and in the top of the head being granulated ; but when I recollect the dis-
advantages under which that description was originally drawn up, I cannot venture
to consider it as sufficient to warrant me in concluding that it relates to a new
species.
DESCRIPTION
Of a male specimen taken in Bathurst Inlet, lat. 67° N., August 4, 1821.
Form.— Profile of the body linear, the head forming a lanceolate termination on the one
side, and the attachment of the anal fin sloping suddenly up towards the tail on the other.
The back is broad. Head. The eye is large, and the centre of the pupil is eight lines dis-
tant from the obtuse extremity of the upper jaw. ‘The under jaw, acute and longer than the
upper one, is capable of considerable depression. When the mouth opens its sides are formed
by the labials, whose posterior piece is very moveable, as in the Coregont. The jaws, tongue,
palate, and vomer, are furnished with minute teeth, which are more readily felt than seen.
The branchial arches are set with a single row of bristle-like rakers, which appear to be
smooth under the lens. The gill-openings are very large: the membranes contain nine rays.
Scates.—lInstead of scales of the ordinary form, the back is covered with small smooth
grains like shagreen, but soft to the touch, which are continued along the upper surface of the
head to the snout. A prominent obtuse ridge, of nearly equal breadth throughout, extends
along the lateral line from the gill-opening to the caudal fin: it is composed of soft, tumid,
semi-lanceolate, acute, diaphanous processes, or altered scales, minutely spotted with black
and densely tiled, with the points turned towards the tail. There is a similar but less promi-
nent ridge between the pectorals and ventrals, which re-commences behind the latter fins, and
is continued, though less conspicuously, to the anal. These ridges cause the sides to appear
SALMONOIDES. 189
hollow as if pressed in. They are said by Cuvier to be peculiar to the male in the spawning
season, and to be produced by a modification of the scales. The sides and belly are covered
with delicate and very bright silvery scales, which are dotted on the margins with black specks :
they are tiled and adhere firmly.
Fins.— Br. 9; P.17; D. 14—0; V.8,; A. 22; C.
The pectorals are large, sub-orbicular, and placed near to each other. The first dorsal
commences about midway between the occiput and caudal: it measures three-quarters of at
inch in height, and contains fourteen rays, of which the two anterior ones are short, and the
remainder forked at the tips: the connecting membrane is very thin and transparent. ‘The
ventrals, situated opposite to the dorsal, resemble the pectorals in size and form: they contain
eight bifurcated rays, and measure, when expanded, an inch in diameter. The anal is sup-
ported throughout by rays of nearly equal length, but owing to the form of the part. to which
it is attached, its margin forms a convex curve: it contains twenty-two rays, the anterior being
the strongest, and having the membrane scolloped between them, the posterior ones are deli-
cate: its attachment exceeds an inch in length, being thrice as long as the space between it
and the caudal. The adipose fin is five lines long and one line and a half high : it is situated
a little anterior to the termination of the anal, and is composed of a thin membrane attached
to a small ridge of the smooth tubercles that cover the back. The caudal is deeply forked.
Cotour of the back and top of the head dull leek-green, with bright green and yellow
reflexions when moved in the light. The sides and belly are silvery, minutely dotted with
black. The gill-covers and jaws are mostly bluish-black with some bright silvery spots ; the
irides are silvery.
InTESTINES.—The esophagus opens into a forked stomach, both parts of which point down-
wards ; one is a blind sae, the other, of equal size, terminates in a delicate gut, which is con-
tinued in a straight line to the anus. Six ceca of unequal length surround the pylorus. The
feces are of a honey-yellow colour. The melé of the specimen was large and mature.
DIMENSIONS.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length excluding the caudal . . 5 © 0 Length of attachment of anal . : > i! 1
» from tip of snout tv anus 4 6 5 5 adipose . A 0 5
» of longest dorsal rays . : 20 g) Height of adipose . 6 ; ’ g 1 13
9 pectorals : 1 2
In my Newfoundland specimens, which are all males, the teeth are small and acute, set in
a single series on the intermaxillaries, labials, lower jaw, across the front of the vomer, and on
the anterior part of the outer edge of the palate-bones and posterior part of their inner edge.
The tongue has a flat oval surface, which is surrounded by about twenty teeth, there are
two or three minute ones scattered over the central space, and two rows exist on the isthmus
which supports the branchial arches, as in the smelts. A small median ridge extends the
whole length of the upper part of the head; the lateral ridges, more prominent, rise into
even, acute-edged, bony crests over the orbits. The back is covered with small, round.
thin, flat scales, of a different colour from those on the lower part of the body, and having
190 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
no lustre. Were these scales to become tumid they would assume the granulated appear-
ance noticed in the account of the Bathurst Inlet fish. The top of the head is covered
with smooth skin on which there are many black specks. The pectorals almost touch below,
and include an acutely elliptical space between their origins and the gill-openings. The anal
is attached to a compressed, acute, and somewhat projecting portion of the tail. In other
respects the description of the Bathurst Inlet fish applies exactly to those from Newfoundland.
The rays vary in different specimens, as may be observed in the following table.
Fins.— Br. 9—10; D. 14—0; P.20; V.8; A. 23; C. 1944. No. 1.
9—9; 140; 20: 8: 2s 1924, 2:
9—9; 13—0; 19; 8: 21; Ses
9— 9; 14—0; 13; 8; 23; HO2
9—9; 13—0; 20; 9;
9—8; 13—0 ; 19; 8
8—8; 13—0; 18 ; 8; 23; 1Oxs.
In all, the last ray of the dorsal is divided to the base, and that of the anal day so. The
caudal is much forked.
NO)
—
—
ale
Nook &
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of snout to tip of caudal 6 9 Length of pectorals i s 4 to) 10
5 F tip of central caudal ray . 6 43 <5 ventrals : A 4 A 0 gz
» 9» end of scales - 6 a Ai attachment of dorsal c . 0 8h
y ” anus. : . . 4 Zh 3 its longest ray . ; : 0 9
5 5 dorsal 3 3 % attachment of adipose 5 5 W 52
5 ventrals 3 2 sf its height . , : 4 0 2
ny Fi edge of gill-cover 1 3h . attachment of anal . Z sie 24
3 » nape ¢ ; . 0 1] % its longest ray é : 5 0 6
3 . tip of labials ° 0 if of lobe of caudal . 5 5 o I 1
3 centre of pupil a - 0 3 y) its longest ray. 0 : 0 92
53 of intermaxillaries , ‘ a0 23 its shortest ditto é , 5 44
3 labials ; é : : 0 53 Depth of caudal fork ‘ : : 6 4k
. under jaw é a ‘ 40 82
[73.] 1. Satmo (THYMALLUs) sienirER. (Richardson.) Back’ s
Grayling.
Faminy, Salmonoidew. Genus, Salmo. Linn. Sub-genus, Thymallus. Cuvier.
Coregonus signifer. Ricu., Fr. Journ., pl. 26, p. 711. Cuvier, Reg. An. (sub. Thymallo.)
Hewlook-powak. Esquimaux. Poisson bleu. Canapran VoyaceErs.
PLATE 88.
This very beautiful fish abounds in the rocky streams that flow through the
primitive country lying north of the 62nd parallel of latitude, between Mackenzie’s
T
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SALMONOIDES. 191
River and the Welcome. Its highly-appropriate Esquimaux name, denoting
“ wing-like fin,” alludes to its magnificent dorsal, and it was in reference to the
same feature that I bestowed upon it the specific appellation of Signifer, or the
“ standard-bearer,” intending also to advert to the rank of my companion, Captain
Back, then a midshipman, who took the first specimen that we saw with the arti-
ficial fly. It is found only in clear waters, and seems to delight in the most rapid
parts of the mountain streams. In the autumn of 1820 we obtained many by
angling in a rapid of Winter River, opposite to Fort Enterprise. ‘The sport was
excellent, for this grayling generally springs entirely out of the water when first
struck with the hook, and tugs strongly at the line, requiring as much dexterity to
land it safely as would secure a trout of six times the size. ‘The stomachs of the
individuals that we then took were filled with a black earthy-looking matter, mixed
with what appeared, on a cursory examination, to be gravel, but which was perhaps,
in reality, fragments of the shells that abound in the waters it inhabits. The roes
of individuals caught towards the end of August were considerably developed, but
neither the spawning places, nor the precise period of spawning, were ascertained
by us. The Indians say that it spawns in the spring, and that its winter residence
is in the lakes.
The characters by which the Graylings are distinguished from the trouts in the
Régne Animal, are the smallness of the mouth, the fineness of the teeth, the great
size of the dorsal fin, and the largeness of the scales. ‘The stomach is a very thick
sac, the gill-rays are seven or eight in number.
The plate which is given of Back’s Grayling in the narrative of Sir John Frank-
lin’s First Journey, was executed from an individual taken in Winter Lake, and
carefully skinned and dried. I much regret that that specimen having gone to
decay, I cannot compare it with the one brought by the last expedition from Great
Bear Lake, of which the figure in the present work is an exact representation,
drawn on a scale of half the natural size. The two figures differ in the relative
size of the head, depth of the body, and some other particulars. The dorsal fin in
the first plate is incorrect, not from any fault of the skilful artist who drew it, but
owing to a part of the fin, which was broken off in the carriage, having been sup-
plied by guess. The individuals taken in Great Bear Lake were much duller in
their tints of colour than those we obtained in Winter River, probably because the
latter being nearly in a spawning condition, were more brilliant than at other
seasons.
192 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen from Great Bear Lake, latitude 65° N.
Cotour.—Back dark; sides of a hue intermediate between laveuder-purple and bluish-
grev ; belly blackish-grey with several irregular whitish blotches. There are five or six
quadrangular spots of Prussian-blue on the anterior part of the body, each tingeing the margin
of four adjoining scales. The head is hair-brown above, the cheeks and gill-covers the same,
combined with purplish tints, and there is a blue mark on each side of the lower jaw. The
dorsal fin has a blackish-grey colour, with some lighter blotches, and is crossed by rows of
beautiful Berlin-blue spots ; it is edged with light lake-red. The ventrals are streaked with
reddish and whitish lines in the direction of their rays.
Scaxes covered with a thickish epidermis and consequently having little lustre; they are
semi-oval, their exterior edges being a segment of a circle, and appearing under a lens finely
but irregularly toothed or serrated : their bases are truncated, and show three lobes or teeth
corresponding with four deep grooves that converge in the middle of the scale: the fine con-
centric lines of structure are waved. The scales are smaller on the forepart of the back
and belly: on the sides they measure four lines transversely, and rather less from their
exterior edge to the ‘base. There are 87 on the lateral line, including three or four small
ones on the base of the caudal, and 27 in a vertical row anterior to the ventrals, of which nine
are above the lateral line. The scales do not end on the caudal as in the trouts, lavarets,
&e., but extend farthest on the lobes, having the same forked termination with the fin itself.
In this respect, and in the roughness of the scales, the Graylings have an analogy with the
Percoidee and other rough-scaled fishes. The lateral line is straight, and the scales com-
posing it, though of equal size with the others, show only half as much surface when in their
place.
Form.—Body compressed with an elliptical profile, the head, when the mouth is shut,
ending acutely, but when viewed from above, or in front, the snout. is obtuse. The greatest
depth of the body is scarcely one-fifth of the total length, caudal included. Head small,
being one-sixth of the total length, excluding the caudal, or one-seventh including it. In the
dried specimen there is a slightly-elevated sagittal ridge, the occiput is radiated, and the
tubular lateral ridges extend conspicuously from the nostrils to the upper angle of the gill-
cover. A line of tubes also passes along the middle of the infra-orbitar bones, another down
the upper limb of the preoperculum, and there are three diverging tubes on the lower limb of
that bone. Orbit large, distant half its own diameter from the tip of the snout, and two dia-
meters from the edge of the gill-cover. Nostrils midway between the orbit and tip of the
snout. ‘The infra-orbitar bones consist of four distinct radiated ones behind the eye, a narrow
tubular ridge beneath the orbit, and a small thick plate with diverging tubular lines before
the eye. Mouth not cloven as far back as the edge of the orbit. Jntermazillaries narrower
and longer than in the coregoni, but overlapping the articular ends of the labials less than in
the trutte. Labials thin elliptical piates, the posterior piece lanceolate and as broad as the
anterior one. Under jaw tolerably strong and rounded at the tip, which, when depressed,
projects about four lines beyond the snout.
SALMONOIDES. 193
TEETH small, subulate, pointed, and slightly curved, standing in a single crowded series on
the intermaxillaries, labials, and under jaw ; in two rows on the acutely projecting edge of the
palate-bones; and ina cluster of six or seven on the anterior extremity of the vomer; the
latter bone is flat and smooth posteriorly. The tongue is also smooth, but the pharyngeal
bones and the cartilaginous rakers of the upper branchial arch are rough: the rakers of the
other arches are smaller and softer.
Gitu-covers.—Preoperculum having the form of a moderately-curved and rather wide
crescent. Suboperculum more than half the height of the operculum, and not exceeding it in
length. Interoperculum small and acute-angled. Hight gill-rays on the left side and nine
on the right.
Fins.— Br. 9—8; D. 23—0; P. 15; V.9; A. 13; C. 19s.
The dorsal contains 23 rays, which increase in succession from the first minute one: the
three last and longest ones exceed in height the greatest depth of the body: the commence-
ment of the dorsal is far forwards, or about half way between the gill-openings and ventrals,
and its attachment is equal to the distance between its first ray and the centre of the eye, or
between its last ray and the adipose fin. The adipose fin is partly behind the anal. The
ventrals originate a little anterior to the middle between the snout and the base of the caudal,
or under the eighteenth dorsal ray. Their scale-like appendages are long, thin, and pointed.
Anal rather small and rounded anteriorly. Caudal deeply forked.
InTEsTINES.—The alimentary canal, having its lining disposed in five large longitudina}
folds, descends from the gullet for two inches and a half, when it dilates considerably, bends
upwards upon itself, and terminates in a narrow pylorus: the dilated part resembles the
stomach of the coregonus albus, or attihawmeg, in its structure, but its coats are thinner. The
intestine, having very thin coats, runs in a straight line from the pylorus to the anus, being
exactly equal to the abdominal cavity in length. It gives origin, within three-quarters of an
inch of the pylorus, to eighteen czeca, and between two and three inches of its inferior part
are furnished with internal circular folds, or valuule conniventes. The liver is small, without
lobes, and there is a large spleen attached to the curvature of the stomach. The air-bladder
is large and communicates with the esophagus. The feces were black.
On comparing the American specimen with a fine English grayling, for which I am
indebted to Mr. Yarrell, the following were the most obvious differences. The English fish is
much lighter in colour, with more lustre, and exhibits about sixteen faint longitudinal bands
passing through the centres of the same number of rows of scales. Its body is thicker, its head
larger, and the distance between the orbit and end of the snout measures double to what it
does in Back’s grayling. The tubular ridges on its head are less conspicuous, and its mouth
is wider; but its under jaw does not not project so far as in the latter. It also presents a
remarkable difference in the want of palatine-teeth, these bones being quite smooth and
rounded on the edge. The teeth on the mandibles are smaller than in the American gray-
ling, and those on the vomer are perceptible only by the aid of a lens. Both have teeth on
the pharyngeal bones and rakers. There are 81 scales on the lateral line of the English
2c
194. NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
grayling, the scales are more nearly smooth on the edge tahn in the American fish, and the
teeth of their bases are smaller and more numerous, being four or more.
Dimensions.
Back’s English
Grayling, Grayling.
—
inn
im]
BRS SHED ASC CI CAL SS WS SAS) CIN CODIRI CISD LICE
Length from tip of snout* totip of caudal. .
end of caudal rays of aitco G
end of scales on central rays .
anus 5 :
ventrals : A 6
dorsal . Cc
edge of gill-cover
nape 0 cS
edge of orbit
nostrils .
Breadth between articulations of labials
55 Of occiput ; 6 0
Length of labials . 5 0 +
lower jaw c °
attachment of dorsal’ 6
its penultimate or Jonge ml
adipose fin .
pectorals ° . .
ventrals .
ventral appendages
attachment of anal
its longest rays : d .
lobes of caudal . :
its central rays béyond the Reales
Depth of caudal fork : C .
ble
bl
SrPNRF KF OCONNOKRWNOKFCOCOOFN
KFPONFRFPOCONNONWNOrRKCCONNUN
—
SSMOAANNAMOS
f74.] 2. Satmo (THyYMALLUS) THYMALLOIDES. (Richardson.) Lesser
Grayling.
Coregonus thymalloides +. RicHarpson, Frankl. Journ., p. 714,
A much smaller grayling was taken in Winter River along with Back’s gray-
ling, from which it differed in its tints of colour, brighter scales, and in the shape
and size of its dorsal fin. At the time, I thought these variations sufficient to
characterise it as a distinct species, but having since ascertained that the dorsal fin
varies greatly in size, and even in shape, in the European graylings of different
* Or articulation of labials, and not including the intermaxillaries, which project beyond the snout when the mouth
opens,
+ Thymalloides is objectionable as a specific name in the sub-genus Thymallus, but I did not consider necessary to alter
it, as the species is a doubtful one.
SALMONOIDE. 195
ages, I think it probable that it may have been the young of the Thymallus sig-
nifer. The subjoined imperfect description is all that I have to guide me in
forming a judgment on this matter now, as I neglected to prepare a specimen in
the autumn, when this small fish was plentiful, and none were seen in the spring.
The Lesser grayling rises eagerly at the artificial fly. The stomachs of those
which we opened were filled with sand and black earth.
DESCRIPTION
Of a recent specimen taken in Winter River, August, 1820.
Form.— Body compressed with a lanceolate profile, belly rather broader than the back.
The dorsal fin has, like Back’s grayling, from twenty to twenty-four rays, but the posterior
ones do not branch out so much, and scarcely exceed the others in height ; the three first rays
only being shorter: the height of the fin is one inch. Ventruls situated under the middle of
the dorsal.
Cotour.—Sides bluish-grey with purplish reflections, belly white. The scales have a bright
pearly lustre. The head is hair-brown, and the gill-covers exhibit some purplish tints. Dor-
sal fin dark bluish grey, with several rows of purplish spots bordered by lighter red. Ventrals
streaked with opake white.
Fins.—Br. 8; D. 23—0; P.17; V.9; A. 10; C. 198.
Lenertu, excluding the caudal, eight inches and a half. Distance between the tip of the
snout and anus six inches.
fivosl| 1. Sautmo (Coreconus) asus. The Attihawmeg.
Famity, Salmonoidez. Gunus, Salmo. Linn. Sub-genus, Coregonus. Cuv.
Salmo lavaretus (Gwaad and Tickomeg). Pxunn., Arct. Zool., Intr., p. 298,
and i1., p. 293, excluding synonymes.
Coregonus albus. Lz Surur, Journ. Ac. Sc. Phil.,i., p. 232. Cuv., Reg. An, ii, p.308.
White fish. Fur Travers. Poisson blanc. Canapians.
Attihhawmegh. Cree Inprans.
Prare 89, f.2, A and B, half nat. size.
Several species of this sub-genus have been celebrated for the delicacy of their
flavour, but none have been more justly so than the Attihawmeg, which is an in-
habitant of all the interior lakes of America, from Erie to the Arctic Sea. Several
Indian hordes mainly subsist upon it, and it forms the principal food at many of
the fur posts, for eight or nine months of the year,—the supply of other articles
of diet being scanty and casual. Though it is a rich, fat fish, instead of producing
satiety it becomes daily more agreeable to the palate; and I know, from experience,
2c 2
196 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
that though deprived of bread and vegetables, one may live wholly upon this fish for
months, or even years, without tiring. Its good qualities were known as early as
the time of La Hontan, who says, “ Les poissons des Lacs sont meilleures que
ceuw de la mer et des riviéres, surtout les Poissons blanes ; qui surpassent toutes
les autres espéces en bonté et en délicatesse.” The colour of its flesh is bluish-
white at all seasons, changing to a pure opaque white when boiled, whence its
appellation of “ white-fish,” for though there are many other white-fleshed fish in
the northern waters of America, this is by far the most important one.
In certain lakes, and in some seasons, the Attihawmeg is loaded with fat, par-
ticularly about the shoulders, where it produces a hump. After the spawning season
its flesh becomes lean and rather watery, but not unwholesome, and it may be im-
proved by suspension in the open air for a month or six weeks. ‘Though the cool-
ness of the weather, at that time of the year, prevents putrefaction from proceeding
far, the fish acquires a strong taint, while it becomes richer, firmer, and altogether
more agreeable to the palates of the icthyophagists of the fur countries than when
fresh. The mode of cooking the Attihawmeg is generally by boiling. After the
fish is cleaned, and the scales scraped off, it is cut into several pieces, which are
put into a thin copper kettle, with water enough to cover them, and placed over a
slow fire. As soon as the water is on the point of boiling, the kettle is taken off,
shook by a semicircular motion of the hand backwards and forwards, and replaced
on the fire for a short time. If the shaking be not attended to exactly at the proper
moment, or be unskilfully performed, the fish coagulating too suddenly becomes
comparatively dry to the taste, and the soup is poor. 'The stomach, when cleaned
and boiled with the rest of the fish, is a favourite morsel with the voyageurs.
The Attihawmeg does not exist in the St. Lawrence below the falls of Niagara,
and, according to Mr. Hutchins, it is never seen in the tidal waters of Hudson’s
Bay * ; but it is common enough, and of fine quality, in the mouths of the Mac-
kenzie, Coppermine, and other rivers that fall into the Arctic Sea. We did not
actually take any in the salt water, but it most probably can live indifferently
in fresh or salt water, like several species of trutt@, and coregoni that occasion-
ally wander to the sea, though they are not strictly anadromous. Many lakes,
either absolutely land-locked, or cut off from the sea by lofty cascades which fish
cannot surmount, contain fine Attihawmeg, together with the Round-fish, an allied
species to be afterwards described, which we also found in the Arctic Sea. In
* The ‘‘ Titymeg as big as a Herring,” mentioned in the narrative of the Voyage of the Dobbs and California as
abounding in Hayes and Nelson rivers, within reach of the tidal waters of Hudson’s Bay, is, I believe, of a different spe-
cies, named by Mr. Hutchins Winepeg-attihawmeg, and by Pennant Sea-guiniad.
SALMONOIDEA. 197
October the Attihawmeg quits the lakes and enters the rivers, for the purpose of
depositing its spawn. It ascends the stream in the night-time, and returns to the
lake as soon as it has spawned. Dr. Todd informed me that it enters Severn
River from Lake Huron about the 25th of October, and retires to the depths of the
lake again by the 10th of November; but that in some rapid rocky rivers of that
lake individuals are taken throughout the year. A few spawn in the summer. It is
a gregarious fish, and resorts to different parts of a lake according to the season of
the year, its movements being in all probability regulated by its supply of food.
In winter the fisheries are generally established in deep water, remote from the
shore ; towards the breaking up of the ice they are moved near to the outlets of
the lake, and in the summer comparatively few Attihawmeg are caught, except
what are speared in the rivers. After the spawning period the fall-fishery, as
it is termed, is more productive in shallow bays and on banks near the shore.
I was informed, in the fur countries, that this fish preys on insects, and that
it occasionally, though rarely, takes a hook baited with a small piece of meat.
The stomachs of some taken in Pine Island Lake, under the ice, contained a
dark-coloured earth mixed with the slender fibrils of vegetable roots, and a few
soft insects or larve like white worms. Dr. Todd found fresh-water shells and
small fishes in the stomachs of the Lake Huron Attihawmeg; indeed, shelly
mollusca (Helix, Planorbis, Lymneus, Paludina, &c.) appear to be a favourite
food of several trout and coregoni, both in Europe and America. ‘The Attihawmeg
has some resemblance to the herring in the structure of its jaws and gill-covers,
and, like that fish, it dies speedily when taken out of the water. The usual
weight of the Attihawmeg is from two to three pounds, and, when very fat, it
attains to seven or eight pounds; but these large fish are confined to particular
localities. In certain lakes it reaches a much greater size, having been taken in
Lake Huron of the weight of thirteen pounds, and in Manito Lake, it is said, of
twenty pounds. The largest seen by Mr. Hutchins, in the vicinity of Hudson’s
Bay, weighed between four and five pounds, measured twenty inches in length, and
four in depth. One of seven pounds weight, caught in Lake Huron, was twenty-
seven inches long.
The Attihawmeg is taken in the winter time in gill-nets set under the ice. Each
net is fifty or sixty fathoms long, and of a depth proportionate to that of the water,
and in setting it for the first time a series of holes are made through the ice, at
such a distance apart, that a long stick can be readily passed in the water from one
to the other: a line, rather longer than the net to which it is fastened, being attached
to the stick, is carried along and brought out at the extreme hole. ‘The net being
198 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
buoyed up above by thin oblong pieces of fir, and loaded below with stones, is drawn
beneath the ice by means of the line, and firmly fixed at each end to stakes thrust
through the holes. After the first time the intermediate holes in the ice, being
useless, are allowed to freeze up, but the extreme ones are opened daily, and the
net examined by the fisherman, who draws it out at one hole, while his assistant
veers away the line at the other. A careful fisherman changes the net every second
or third day, for the purpose of drying and repairing it. Occasionally two or more
nets are attached to each other, and set in the same way as a single one. As the
ice in the fur countries varies from three to six feet in thickness, the labour of set-
ting a net is considerable, and when the cold is severe, even the re-opening of the
holes occupies much time. Most of the fish enter the net by night. They freeze
as they are taken from the water, and are thus preserved in a perfectly sound state
until spring ; but the newly-taken fish are superior in flavour to European palates.
‘The Copper Indians strike the fish through holes cut in the ice, using a very
ingenious fish-gig, constructed of rein-deer horns, on the same principle, but supe-
rior in its effect, to the “ stong”’ with which eels are commonly taken in Lincoln-
shire.
The Attihawmeg differs from the other known coregoni in the extraordinary
thickness of its stomach, which resembles the gizzard of a fowl. Baron Cuvier
having examined my Lake Huron specimens, returned them ticketed, “ Coregone
voisin de le Palée de Lac de Geneve.” The sub-genus Coregonus is characterised
in the Régne Animal as having a mouth like the Graylings, but less perfectly armed,
being often entirely destitute of teeth. The scales are large and the dorsal is not
so long as it is high anteriorly. The C. ovyrhinchus is distinguished from other
European species by a soft prominence on the tip of its snout, and the C. marenula
by the lower jaw projecting beyond the upper one, agreeing in that character with
the Salmo clupeoides of Pallas: the rest have the snout blunt as if truncated, like
that of the Attihawmeg and most of the American coregoni.
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen taken in Lake Huron.
Form.—Profile ovate, more or less gibbous before the dorsal fin, with a slightly-tapering
tail inclining a little upwards. The greatest depth of a well-grown Attihawmeg is between a
third and a fourth of its length, excluding the caudal, but when very fat the depth is greater *.
The body is compressed, the transverse diameter being considerably less than the vertical one.
* In an Attihawmeg of the ordinary size, taken in Pine Island Lake, the depth of the body was to the length of the fish,
exclusive of the caudal, as five to seventeen.
SALMONOIDE. 199
Head narrow below, with a moderately wide frontal bone, and forming one-fifth of the length,
excluding the caudal. The upper surface of the head is smooth and even, in the recent fish,
but in drying, the straight, lateral, tubular ridges become visible, traversing a depression over
each orbit : the saggital crest is scarcely perceptible, even in the naked skull, and it is cut
short anteriorly by a groove which is widest at its termination between the nostrils. ‘The eyes
are large, and situated a little more than a diameter of the orbit from the tip of the snout, and
near thrice as far from the edge of the gill-plate. The infra-orbitar bones cover more than
two-thirds of the cheek: they are traversed by a tubular ridge with short lateral branches.
The nostrils are placed midway between the tip of the snout and the orbit. The snout is
blunt when seen in front, but its profile is more acute: it projects a little beyond the shut
mouth, but when the jaws are separated the intermaxillaries descend from it perpendicularly,
the tip of the lower jaw being then in the same line also. The mouth has a small orifice, and
when shut its angles are depressed. ‘The intermaxillaries are higher than they are long, or
they measure more vertically than they do transversely, so that the orifice of the mouth is
farther beneath the snout than in the succeeding species. ‘The /abials thin, broad and pyri-
form, are articulated by their narrow end to the palatine-bones, in contact with the ball and
socket joint of the intermaxillaries: the posterior piece, or appophysis, is as broad as the
anterior one and about two-thirds as long. The limb of the under jaw expands into a thin
plate, which glides under the anterior sub-orbital when the mouth closes.
TrEeTH.—The jaws and tongue are furnished with a few teeth, which are too minute to be
readily seen by the naked eye, and too slender to be very perceptible to the finger. The
palate and vomer are quite smooth.
GiLL-covers.—The preoperculum is sharply curved and rather broad, its width in the
middle equalling the height of the suboperculum. A tubular ridge runs along the anterior
edge of its upper limb, and separates on the lower one into four diverging branches. The
other bones of the gill-cover are thin and smooth. The operculum measures one-third more
vertically than it does horizontally ; while, on the contrary, the suboperculum is twice as long
as itis high. The interoperculum is triangular. The gill-membrane is rendered thick by the
quantity of muscle and a shining membrane which line its eight thin, flat, curved rays. The
branchial arches have each a single row of erect, subulate rakers, a quarter of an inch
long, and rough on their inner surfaces. The pharyngeal bones are inconspicuous and
toothless.
Scares rather smaller on the fore part of the belly and back than elsewhere: they are
irregularly orbicular on the sides, and about half an inch in diameter. They have a bright
pearly lustre, and are thin and very deciduous. The lateral line contains 80 scales, including
those on the base of the caudal, and there are 24 in a vertical line before the dorsal, of which
10 are above the lateral line, and as many between it and the upper ray of the ventrals. The
scales on the lateral line are somewhat smaller, and differ a little in form from the adjoining
rows. Lateral line slightly arched in its course along the body, but after passing the anus
running horizontally through the tail.
Cotovr, in the shade, bluish-grey on the back, lighter on the sides, and white on the belly,
200 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
giving place to a nacry and iridescent pearly lustre in a full light. Cheeks, opercula, and
irides thickly covered with nacre.
Fins.—Br. 8; D. 15—0; P. 16; V.11; A.15; C. 194.
The fifth and sixth rays of the dorsal are the longest, and the three first are closely applied
to the base of the fourth. The middle between the tip of the snout and base of the caudal
fin, is opposite to the ninth or tenth dorsal rays, and posterior to the attachment of the ven-
trals. The adipose fin is rather large, and is situated opposite to the termination of the anal :
it contains no rays whatever, and is not supported by interspinous bones: its base is clothed
with small scales. The ventrals contain eleven rather stout rays. The anal, shaped like
the dorsal, contains fifteen rays, of which the three first are applied to the base of the fourth,
and the last one is divided to its origin. The anal occupies a little more than half the space
between the anus and caudal. The caudal is forked and spreads widely. The scales ter-
minate upon it by the same outline as in the trouts, being three sides of a rectangle *.
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines, Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of snout to tips of caudal . 19 3 Length of lower jaw ¢ : 6 al 3
% Ss end of central rays . dus} 3 a attachment of dorsal : 0 2 3
5 7 anus z ° . eles 6 x its longest rays 2 7
5 y, ventrals : : : 8 3 a its last ditto 4 6 0 9
es ms dorsal d . 4 Cuts: 0 i adipose fin ; : . 5 Ww 9
3 edge of gill-cover Q 3 8 _ pectorals 2 9
5 3 nape c C oe 3h Fy ventrals . 7 : . 6% 10
5 mn orbit . ° 0 104 ’ attachment of anal 2 0
Ny 5 nostrils . C a0) 41 95 its longest ray . 2 4
, Of lateral line to end of scales on - its last ditto . 0 74
caudal ‘ c 6 seeds 9 rs lobes of caudal 3 8
ty intermaxillaries, vertically . SO 44 BS its central rays 1 3
5 labials 6 '° . C 0 ll Depth of caudal fork aga 0
INTESTINES
Described from a specimen taken in Pine Island Lake, in lat. 54° N., in the winter of 1819-20.
On opening the abdomen a multitude of ceca present themselves, involved in the folds of a
membrane which is a production of the peritonzeum, bearing a strong resemblance to the
omentum of quadrupeds, and, like it, most commonly loaded with fat: it descends about half
way down the belly, concealing the stomach and liver, and is closely connected with the former
viscus by numerous vessels. A narrow spleen is attached to its right border. The alimentary
canal descends from the gullet in form of a wide tube five inches long, having its lining dis-
posed in six longitudinal folds. An inch of the upper part of the lining has a red colour and
glandular structure, and may be considered as belonging to the esophagus. ‘The remainder of
the tube may be termed the upper stomach: it crosses the liver by a sudden turn, and bend-
ing upwards terminates in an oviform bag two inches and a half long, which may be denomi-
nated the proper stomach. It has, from the thickness of its substance, a strong resemblance to
* The engraver has not represented this happily in any of our plates of coregoni; but the form that is meant may be
seen by turning to plate 84, or any of the other trouts.
SALMONOIDE. 201
the gizzard of a fowl, and consists of a thin peritonzal coat; a thick firm semi-transparent
one, which, when boiled, separates into layers; a thinner, but firmer and almost cartilaginous
one; and, lastly, an inner membrane of a grey colour and spongy substance, differmg mate-
rially, in appearance, from the lining of the upper stomach: its folds are nearly obsolete.
The pylorus is in the fundus of the stomach, which touches the upper extremity of the abdo-
men. From this a slender intestine, with thin coats and a few internal longitudinal folds,
descends to the anus. It is encircled, at its commencement, by clustered ceca, which con-
tinue to be inserted, on one side, for two-thirds of its length. There are in all about one
hundred and fifty of them, an inch long, of a conical form, and filled with a yellowish mucus.
The lower part of the intestine is furnished internally with circular folds, or valvule conniventes,
but a small portion next the anus is smooth. The liver is small, obtusely triangular, and
without lobes; it lies anterior to the cesophagus, and posterior to the ceca and intestine. The
gall-duct, which has remarkably thick coats, terminates in the intestine about half an inch
below the pylorus. The air-bladder extends the whole length of the abdomen, and is con-
nected with the upper part of the stomach by a pretty wide tube.
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length of alimentary canal from gullet to Length of whole alimentary canal from gullet
lower stomach . C ; . q 0 toanus . a x i ‘ i 19 6
oF lower stomach 5 . 0 2 6 BS fish from snout to base of central
5 upper intestine with smooth lining 9 0 caudal rays 0 a : : - 16 0
a lower ditto with circular ruge 3 0
[76.] 2. Satmo (Coregonus) TULLIBEE. (Richardson.) The Tullibee.
Ottonneebees. CreEInpians. Tullibeee Fur Travers.
This fish is very generally diffused through the waters of the fur countries, but
nowhere is it taken in such numbers as the Attihawmeg. The fishermen know it
at once, but as I was a novice in ichthyological pursuits when the recent fish were
before me, I failed in detecting discriminating external characters, and my pre-
pared specimens having gone to decay, the deficiency cannot now be supplied. In
the appendix to the narrative of Sir John Franklin’s First Journey, I referred the
Tullibee doubtfully to the Coregonus Artedi of Le Sueur; but on re-considering
the description of that fish, it appears to be decidedly unlike the former in its
pointed snout and round scales. The Tullibee differs from the Attihawmeg in
having a much thinner stomach and a smaller number of ceca, yet its food and
general habits are the same with those of that fish. It is much inferior as an
2D
202 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
article of food, being generally lean and watery, though it is wholesome and desti-
tute of any disagreeable flavour.
DESCRIPTION *
Drawn up from an examination of recent male specimens in the winter of 1819-20 at Cumberland-House,
Pine Island Lake, lat. 54° N.
Cotour.—In the shade, the back is greenish-grey, the belly white, and the sides of an inter-
mediate hue; but when opposed to the light, the whole body is silvery, with much lustre. The
top of the head is covered with smooth bluish-grey skin. Scaes oblong, half an inch long,
and of nearly uniform size.
Form much compressed, the belly rounded, the back rather more acute. The profile is
broadly oblong, tapering suddenly at the anal; the head conical. Eyes large, and rather
more than their own diameter from the end of the snout. The orifice of the mouth is trans-
verse and rather small, and when the jaws are open the snout appears truncated. The inter-
mazillaries are small and cartilaginous ; the labials oblong, and when thrown forward by the
opening of the mouth their under ends project beyond the snout. The lower jaw is a little
longer than the upper one: its knobbed tip fits into a depression between the intermaxillaries.
The gill-membranes are plaited at their insertion into the isthmus. The cheeks are nearly
covered by the sub-orbitar bones.
TEETH not perceptible on the jaws, but there is a small plate of minute ones on the centre
of the tongue: there are also two rows of minute teeth on the inner sides of the cartilaginous
rakers. Each branchial arch is furnished with a single row of rakers, the central ones of the
upper arch, which are the longest, measuring half an inch.
Fins.— Br. 8; D. 14—0; P.16; V. 12; A. 8; C.
The first two rays of the dorsal are short. The caudal has a shallow fork.
IntestinEs.—The alimentary canal descends from the gullet for an inch and a half, it is
then bent upwards for another inch and is more dilated, but there is no extraordinary thicken-
ing of the coats as in the Attihawmeg : its thick lining is disposed in six longitudinal folds,
and forms a prominent ring at the pylorus, where it evidently terminates. Between the
pylorus and the upper end of the abdominal cavity there is a thin bag, having the same width
with the fundus of the stomach ; it is lined by a firm, somewhat glandular, membrane, per-
forated by the mouths of numerous ceca. The slender intestine runs straight downwards to
the anus from this dilated commencement: its under half, furnished with regular valvule con-
niventes, has a greater caliber than its upper half. There are in all about one hundred and
twenty caca, inserted into the dilated sac, and a short way down the slender tube of the intes-
tine. The gall-duct opens near the pylorus. The spleen is long and large. The melt has a
wood-brown colour.
* I have omitted such parts of my original notes as agree with the preceding account of the Attihawmeg and are more
generic than specific.
SALMONOIDEX. 203
Dimensions.
Inches. Inches.
Length from tip of snout to base of central caudal Length of alimentary canal. : a . 114
Tays . O : : . . : . 14 », from gullet to pylorus . ; : 24
- anus : 113 % pylorus to anus . : . 9 &
Greatest depth of body . C 45
[77.] 3. Saxmo (Coregonus) ARTEDI. (Le Sueur.) Le Sueur’s
Herring Salmon.
Coregonus Artedi. Le Sueur, Journ. Ac. Sc. Phil. i., p. 231.
This species having been taken in Lake Erie and the Niagara River, requires
to be noticed in this work. M. Le Sueur says that it is locally known by the name
of Herring-salmon, and is considered to be very delicate food. As it did not fall
under our notice, we shall transcribe the description given of it by its discoverer.
DESCRIPTION
Quoted from M. Le Sueur.
« Body sub-fusiform, a little elevated at the back; head small, having an osseous radiated
plate which is covered by the skin; snout pointed.”— In form this species approaches the
scombri, a section of it is oval. Head small and narrow; snout short, terminated by small
intermaxillaries ; maszillaries wide, sharp-edged as in the herring, edges entire; mandibles
carinate, producing inwardly a triangular pedunculate expansion ; very small conical teeth
inserted in the skin of the lips at the extremity of the jaws: these teeth were sufficiently mani-
fest in a small individual, but not visible in a larger one, a female, which came under my
observation. Rays in the osseous plate of the head tubular, and open at the exterior, some
tending backwards, and others towards the end of the snout. A faint carinate line divides the
top of the head in the dried specimen. Lateral line straight and near the middle; nostrils
double, close to the end of the snout and articulation of the maxillaries; scales round, ap-
proximated, easily falling off; the base of the tail is covered with them. Colour ash-blue at
the back, paler and silvery on the rest of the body, with yellow tints on the tail, head and
dorsal ; iris whitish, pupil black. Length ten to twelve inches.
« Fins.—Br.9; P. 16; D. 12—0; V. 12; A.13; C. —8.”
M. Le Sueur, in comparing our Attihawmeg, or his Coregonus albus, with C. Artedi, says
that it has a less fusiform body, and the back elevated from the nape to the dorsal. ‘“ The
C. albus,” he further states, “‘ has more depth of body, a greater elevation of back, and much
stronger proportions in its body, fins, and scales. The adipose fin, which is broad, appears to
consist of delicate rays, much pressed and in pairs.” A careful examination of the dried speci-
mens of our C’. albus from Lake Huron, exhibited no rays whatever, nor any interspinous
bones to support them, but the fin in drying splits in a fibrous manner.
2D 2
204 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[78.] 4. Satmo (CoREGONUS) QUADRILATERALIS. (Richardson.) The
Round-fish. |
Coregonus quadrilateralis, RicHarpson, Franklin's Journ., p. 714.
Katheh. Copper Inpians. Okeugnak. Esquimaux.
Puate 89, f. 1, A and B, one-half nat. size.
This Coregonus exists in the Polar Sea, off the mouths of the Coppermine and
Mackenzie, and in all the clear rivers and lakes north of the 62nd parallel of lati-
‘tude, being thus an inhabitant of both salt and fresh water, though we have no
information as to its quitting the one for the other at any stated period*. Our
Esquimaux interpreter, Augustus, informed us that his countrymen who frequent
the shores of the Welcome are well acquainted with it. Though a general inha-
bitant of the northern waters, it is not so plentiful as the Attihawmeg, nor so
gregarious, neither is it equally prized as an article of food. When in the fresh
waters it preys on larvee and soft insects. I have to regret that the stomachs of
those we took at sea were not examined, but it seems to obtain food there well
suited to its wants, as the individuals we caught in Bathurst’s Inlet, on the 6th of -
August, were larger, fatter, and brighter in colour, than those we obtained inland.
It spawns in September.
From the body of this species being less compressed than that of the Attihaw-
neg, our voyagers named it the Round-fish, and I have given it the specific appel-
lation of quadrilateralis, on account of a flattening of the back, belly, and sides
being superadded to its general sub-fusiform shape. Baron Cuvier made the
following observation on the specimen which I submitted to his inspection :—
“ Coregone voisine du Salmo mareena. Nous en avons une trés semblable du Lae
Ontario ; elles different du poisson des Lacs de Suisse parce qu elles ont le museau
un peu plus pointu.”
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen taken in Great Bear Lake, lat. 644° N.
ScateEs smaller than those of the Attihawmeg and very regularly disposed, the uncovered
portion of each having a rhomboidal form. A scale taken from the side measures four lines
transversely, and half a line less in the other direction : its outline presents five or six very slight
* A Scottish species of Coregonus which inhabits the Castle Loch of Lochmaben, and is locally known by the name
of Vendise, has been taken in the Solway Firth, but as the fisherman in whose net it was caught was totally unacquainted
with it, it had perhaps merely strayed accidentally to the sea.
i
i) l/s
susciosonei om
diiecss 0h
(( ee
snqTe | S zZ
sith ay ane Kika iN eae RY latat na
Se NOON PON Oe
KKK} (XX} IAW; CS, AS
OHNO AAA
, ) 4 KY VV YS WA KKKK KS KK KN 4 A ie
ee Na Saeataeninrentee”®
SALMONOIDE. 205
angular projections, and its surface is destitute of any radiating furrows, having only the usual
fine concentric striz. The scales on the anterior part of the back have short marginal ridges,
causing them to appear as if finely toothed. The Jateral line is straight, equidistant from the
dorsal and ventrals; the scales composing it are smaller than the adjoining ones and trun-
cated, the uncovered portion being nearly triangular ; they are ninety-six in number, including
six very small ones on the caudal. A vertical line before the dorsal contains twenty-three or
twenty-four scales, of which nine are above the lateral line and eight between it and the ven-
trals. A linear inch on the sides contains six scales or six and a half.
Cotour of the back and sides intermediate between honey-yellow and wood-brown, with a
narrow blackish-grey border to each scale: the tints are paler on the sides, and the belly is
pearly-white. The scales are bright. The cheeks, gill-covers, and irides have a yellow colour
with metallic lustre, and the fins are also mostly yellowish.
Form elegant. Profile lanceolate tapering evenly into the tail: the belly rather less curved
than the back, which is moderately arched. The body is four-sided with the angles rounded off:
the depth one-fifth of the total length, excluding the caudal, and the thickness two-thirds of the
depth. Head small, being only one-sixth of the length from the tip of the snout to the end
of the scales on the caudal : it is of considerable breadth at the nape, and becomes one-fourth
narrower between the anterior edges of the orbits, where it rounds off suddenly into a thin
snout, which droops in profile. In the dried specimen there is a short sagittal crest between
the orbits, and also lateral tubular ridges as in the Attihawmeg, but the former does not end
ina furrow. ‘The orbit is exactly its own diameter from the end of the snout, and two dia-
meters and a half from the edge of the gill-cover. The nostrils are nearer to the orbit than
to the tip of the snout. The mouth is remarkably small, and its orifice is quadrangular, the
end of the lower jaw being truncated to the same width with the horizontal edge of the small
intermaxillaries. The labials are very small, particularly their appophysis; their tips tall
short of the orbit. The under jaw, even when depressed to the utmost, does not reach so far
forward as the tip of the snout. The suboperculum is widest anteriorly, and the operculum is
heart-shaped. No TEETH whatever can be perceived, even with a lens, in the dried specimen:
the branchial rakers are small and soft.
Bang Bre (ae). Lo Oe oy aU As TS Cn 197,
The dorsal is oe ieee than in the eatannen the distance from the end of the
snout to its first ray, when carried backwards, scarcely reaching the adipose fin, while in the
latter species it passes it. The centre between the tip of the snout and end of the scales on
the caudal is under the penultimate dorsal ray. The adipose is partly posterior to the anal.
The caudal is forked.
InTEstINEs.—Stomach like that of the Tullibee, the pylorus very narrow. Ceca eighty-
seven, crowded under the pylorus where they surround the gut, and also occupying one-third
of its length in three or four rows. The lower third of the intestine is furnished with valuule
conniventes, half an inch of it at the anus being smooth. Feces black.
* This seems to be the prevalent number of gill-rays, but some of the individuals taken in the Arctic Sea had eight.
206 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Dimenstons.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines,
Length from tip of snout to tipof caudal . 18 9 Length of attachment of dorsal 5 5 Y 1
6) 3 end of central rays . b 18 0 5) its longest rays . 5 . 2 1
. 1m end ofscales_ . ‘ tls 0 % its lastray . . . 0 8
, 9 anus . : 7 : 12 9 0 pectorals . . 2 2
x én ventrals . . : 8 2 rf ventrals . ‘ 1 10
By f dorsal . ; : c 7 0 5) attachment of anal 1 3
5 » edge of gill-cover 2 9x 3 its longest rays . . 7 7
“ D nape I 11 if lobes of caudal 2 6
[5 orbit 3 5 Ha 7 its central rays beyond the pales 0 1]
* nostrils . 5 . 0 5 Depth of caudal fork 0 8
> of Hiaasen vertically 0 24 Breadth of snout between the diticulations of
~ labials 0 Z the labials 0 2
¥ lower jaw ; 0 10 J nape . é 6 1 3
m lateral line from Ei opening es Depth of body . . ¢ . 3 6
end of scales . : 3 : 14 3
[79. ] 5. Satmo (Coregonus) Lasraporicus. (Richardson.)
Musquaw River Coregonus.
Mr. Cumming did me the favour of preparing a specimen of this Coregonus,
which inhabits Musquaw River, that falls into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, near the
Mingan Islands. The colours and exact form of the body cannot be determined
from the dried specimen, but in the shape of the scales and opercular pieces it
resembles the Attihawmeg, though its labials, and consequently the orifice of its
mouth, are much smaller.
DESCRIPTION.
Form.—Body apparently much like that of the Round-fish: its depth is one-fifth of the
length, excluding the caudal. Head small, constituting only a sixth part of the distance be-
tween the tip of the snout and end of the scales on the caudal. The orbit is exactly twice as
far from the edge of the gill-cover as from the tip of the snout. Cranial ridges nearly as in
the Round-fish. The labials are a little longer than in that fish, and their posterior pieces are
of a different shape, being ovate, whereas they are acutely elliptical in the other. The
under jaw measures a very little more than one-half the length of the upper surface of the head,
and when the mouth is distended its tip is exactly even with the end of the snout. Jaws and
palate toothless: four longitudinal rows of teeth on the tongue. |
ScaALEs orbicular, thin, flexible, and deciduous, seventy-eight on the lateral line, correspond-
ing with an equal number of rows on the back and belly. The middle, between the tip of the
snout and end of the scales, is at the thirty-second scale of the lateral line, and opposite to the
third ventral ray, or tenth dorsal one. A linear inch, measured on the sides, includes seven
scales. There are eight scales between the dorsal and lateral line, and as many between the
latter and the ventrals.
pasts
A
1. Coregonu
Fig.1.B
i
i]
7
SALMONOIDEZ. 207
Fins.—Br. 8—9; D. 15—0; P.15; V.12—11; A.15; C. 198.
The three anterior rays of the dorsal are short, as are also the two first anal ones. The
first ray of the ventral is opposite to the space between the eighth and ninth dorsal ray. The
adipose corresponds with the end of the anal, and the attachment of the latter equals the space
between its last ray and the outermost of the nineteen longer caudal rays.
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of snout to tip of caudal . 14 0 Length of lower jaw ¢ . a 5 tv 8}
3 9 central rays . : o 7 8 0 6 attachment of dorsal 1 5
a5 0 end of scales . : o Ue) 4 oF its longest ray 6 b q Ul 74
i 93 anus . : 9 3 es pectorals 1 4
on ventrals . 5 ll ep ventrals . 5 6 : a fl 5
aS on dorsal . 6 : 5 6 ess attachment of anal 6 5 1 33
> oa edge of gill-cover 2 0 5 its longest ray 1 7%
a 3 nape .- . 1 5 6) lobes of caudal 2 3
sh 5 centre of pupil 0 83 5 its longest rays 2 0
3 Bs edge of orbit . . . 0 6 es central rays . ° . 0. 8
» oflateralline . 7 - 10 8 Depth of caudal fork 9 ‘ 0 . 0 10
fy intermaxillaries, vertically ‘ 0 3 H body ig 0 . 2 5
” labials . ‘ ‘ 0 5 Spread of caudal. : : : o (4 6
[80.] 6. Satmo (Corzeonus) Lucipus. (Richardson.) Bear Lake
Herring-Salmon.
Prare 90, f. 1, A and B, one-half nat. size.
Baron Cuvier’s remark on our specimen of this fish was, “ Coregone, encore plus
semblable au Salmo mareena que /e Round-fish : Mais les ecailles du Salmo marena
sont plus grandes que celles de le Herring-Salmon.” We have not had an oppor-
tunity of comparing the American species with the marena, but the ducidus and
quadrilateralis differ much from each other in the form of the body, as well as in .
other particulars, such as the size and shape of the scales, the breadth and com-
parative length of the snout, and the size of the labials and aperture of the mouth.
The €. ductdus has a compressed body, like a species which we have received from
Lake Leman under the name of La fera, and also like the Vendace, or Vendise *,
from Lochmaben in Scotland, but the scales of these two are smaller ; the Fera has
larger intermaxillaries like the Attihawmeg, and the Vendace has an acute under
jaw, which forms the extreme point of the head when the mouth is closed. None
* Piscis in lacu Mabano, Vandesius. Sieeaup., Scot. Illustr., lib, 3, p. 26. Tradition says that King Robert Bruce
introduced this fish into the Castle Loch from France.
208 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
of the American coregoni, described in this work, have the snout so decidedly pos-
terior to the tip of the under jaw as the Lochmaben fish, the nearest approach to it
being the Lake Huron Herring-Salmon, to be afterwards described.
The Bear Lake Herring-Salmon was seen by us nowhere but in the great sheet
of water whence it derives its trivial name. That lake extends from the 65th to
the 67th parallel of latitude, and is remarkably clear and deep. Its surplus waters
are carried off by a large stream which falls into the muddy current of the Mac-
kenzie, and there are no rapids, between it and the sea, that fish cannot surmount,
yet none of the anadromous salmon of the Arctic Sea have been known to enter
the lake ; the Salmo Mackenzii confining its migrations in fresh water to the Great
Slave Lake, and the turbid branches of the Mackenzie River. The Namaycush,
Masamécoos, Attihawmeg of large size and very fine quality, Round-fish, and Back’s
grayling, are taken in Great Bear Lake, but none of them so abundantly as the
C. lucidus, of which the nets yielded us fifty thousand in the year 1825-6 *. The
lake begins to freeze in October, and in the course of November most of its
narrower arms are covered with ice, but, according to Indian report, its centre
is not closed for the season before the beginning of January, and during the whole
winter a small piece of water continues open at the point from whence the Bear
Lake River issues. The ice begins to break up in shallow bays towards the end
of May, and is entirely gone by the end of June. In September the nets were set
near Fort Franklin, at the influx of a river about four miles from the outlet of the
lake, and their daily produce was between three and four hundred Herring-Salmon.
Though the fish continued to be equally plentiful at that spot during October, the
fishery was discontinued on account of the floating ice, which did not become firm
enough for the nets to be set with safety under it before the middle of November ;
and in the beginning of December the Herring-Salmon, resorting in numerous
shoals to the outlet of the lake, were of course followed thither by the fishermen.
At this spot, the water was three or four fathoms deep, but the fish could be easily
seen through the clear ice, which enabled the Indians to spear a few, though more
fell a prey to the otters. In January the fishery was not only unproductive, but
several of our party suffered severely from the bad quality of the fish, whose intes-
tines contained at this time a matter so caustic as to blister the hands of those
whose duty it was to clean them. From the end of February the fish daily im-
proved in quantity and quality, until the rivers opened in May, when the fisheries
were again removed to the mouths of several small streams which fall into the lake.
* In eighteen months we obtained about three thousand five hundred trout, none weighing less than two pounds, and
some exceeding thirty.
SALMONOIDEA. 209
Attihawmeg and Namaycush differ from the Herring-Salmon in resorting to the
greatest depths of the lake in the winter, and it may be here observed, that fish can
receive a free supply of fresh air during that season, even in the centre of the most
extended lake, through the wide rents caused by contraction of the ice at low tem-
peratures. Warmer weather causes the ice to expand again, and great blocks of it
are then forced up through the crevices, so as to form walls sometimes twenty feet
in height. The memoranda of various particulars respecting the habits and ana-
tomical structure of the Herring-Salmon, that I made during our residence on
Great Bear Lake, were lost in the struggle that we had subsequently with the
Esquimaux, and at this distance of time I cannot supply the loss from memory.
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen taken in Great Bear Lake.
For in profile closely resembling the Round-fish, but the body is much more compressed,
and the head larger, being one-fifth of the length between the tip of the snout and end of the
scales on the caudal, and nearly equal to the greatest depth of the body. Inthe dried speci-
men, the breadth of the nape equals the distance between the supra-orbital plate of the frontal
bone and the articulation of the lower jaw, and the width between the upper ends of the
labials is twice as great as in the Round-fish. The sagittal ridge rises into an acute crest
from the nape to the nostrils, and the tubular ridges on the frontal bone and anterior sub-
orbitars, are more conspicuous than in any of the preceding species. The orbit is situated the
length of its diameter from the end of the snout, and thrice as far from the edge of the gill-
cover. The orifice of the mouth is large in comparison with that of the other coregoni, equal-
ling the orbit in diameter: when the jaws are extended, the intermaxillaries are brought into
a line with the forehead, instead of dropping vertically as in the Round-fish. The labials are
large, and have a widely oblong form, carrying their breadth close to both extremities ; their
tips, when the mouth is shut, reach as far back as the centre of the orbit ; the anterior piece
is traversed by an obtuse keel, and the posterior one is only half as long, and less than half
as wide as the anterior one. There are no teeth. Gill-covers. ‘The preoperculum is broader
than usual, particularly its upper limb: there are four conspicuous tubular rays on its lower
limb. The interoperculum is large, being bigger than that of the Attthawmeg. The posterior
margin of the gill-cover is uneven or slightly lobed.
Fins.—Br. 8—8; D. 14—0; P.19; V.11; 4.14; C. 198.
The eighth ray of the dorsal, the first of the ventrals, and the thirty-third scale of the
lateral line, are situated midway between the tip of the snout and end of the scales on the
caudal. The ventral appendages are slender and unusually long. ‘The adipose is about its
own breadth posterior to the anal, which is smaller than in the Attihawmeg. The caudal is
deeply forked.
ScaLes transversely oval, considerably larger than those of the Round-fish, but smaller
than those of the Attihawmeg; one from the side measures five lines vertically, and four
2E
210 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
longitudinally, the uncovered edge is a segment of a large circle, the base is rather angled,
or widely three-lobed. There are eighty-eight scales on the lateral line; ten rows above that
line at the dorsal, eight between it and the ventral, and three or four from thence to the mesial
line of the belly. The scales on the sides are larger than those of the back ; a linear inch
includes six of them. The lateral line is straight and equidistant from the dorsal and ventrals.
Cotour.—The scales have much pearly and iridescent lustre. In the dried specimen
the back is lighter than that of the other coregoni, and the sides of the head yield strong
greenish and golden reflections *
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of lower jaw to tips of caudal 18 d Length of lower jaw . . : a fl 5
a 7 snout + to ditto a Als) 0 . lateral line . , : LS QL
Pa PS end of central rays 17 0 x attachment of dorsal 1 74
x 7 end of scales 16 0 py its longest rays 1 94
" 33 anus : 12 0 s its last ray 0 93
3} BS ventrals . C 0 eitilate) 1} x pectorals 2 24
is i dorsal . : F c 7 43 a ventrals . é 3 03
x p edge of gill-cover 3 1 a their appendages . 0 11
95 ip nape 1 11 of attachment of anal . ] 5
Se 4; orbit 0 + on its longest ray 1 4
5) op nostrils . 0 3} a its shortest ray 0 6
», Of intermaxillaries, Newiically 0 24 yy lobes of caudal & 4
Fe labials 4 ° 0 1023 central rays of ditto . 0 8
9 space between pyuaainGend of ditto 0 6 Depth of caudal fork 1 <3
[8l.] 7. Saztmo (CorEGONUS) HARENGUS. (Richardson.) Lake
Huron Herring-Salmon.
Puate 90, f. 2, 4 and B, one-half nat. size.
This fish is plentiful at Penetanguishene on Lake Huron, but I am unable to
determine whether it be the same with the C. Artedi of Le Sueur, which we have
already noticed as an inhabitant of Lake Erie. Baron Cuvier’s remark upon our
specimen was, “ Hspéce nouvelle voisine des Coregones.” It resembles C. luctdus
very nearly, its larger head, smaller scales, and a slight difference in the position of
its ventrals being the principal distinctive characters I have been able to detect in
the dried specimens. Having lost my notes of the dissections which I made of
C. lucidus, and having examined the recent specimens of C. harengus only cur-
* My notes of the appearance of the recent fish were lost, as I have stated above.
7 The articulations of the labials and intermaxillaries are considered as the end of the snout, not the edges of the
latter, which, when the mouth is open, are extended on a line with the upper surface of the snout.
SALMONOIDEA. 211
sorily, I can say nothing respecting any differences that may exist in their viscera.
An argument against the identity of the species may be adduced from their habi-
tats being upwards of twenty degrees of latitude apart.
The Lake Huron Herring-Salmon is gregarious like the Bear Lake one, and
frequents sandy bays during the summer months. It spawns in April and May,
and at that time is occasionally seen in rivers. According to Mr. Todd’s obser-
vations it is “ a timid fish, appears to be in constant rapid motion, and associates
in shoals in pursuit of the fry of the small fishes on which it feeds.” As an article
of diet it is well tasted and wholesome, though much less rich and agreeable than
the Attihawmeg.
DESCRIPTION
Drawn up from notes made at Penetanguishene, aided by a re-examination of the dried specimens.
Cotour, in the recent. fish, olive-green on the back, silvery on the sides and belly, and
blackish-green on the top of the head: the gill-covers, cheeks, and irides are whitish and
nacry.
Sca.es of the same form with those C. lucidus, but only of two-thirds the size: on the
sides their transverse diameter is four lines, their longitudinal one rather more than three,
and when in situ, eight are included within a linear inch. There are eighty-four on the
lateral line *, and twenty-two in a vertical row under the dorsal, of which nine are above the
lateral line, and eight between it and the ventrals. ‘The lateral line is straight.
Form.—Body compressed, back rounded, belly slightly flattened, the greatest thickness,
however, being at the lateral line, which is rather nearer to the back than to the belly: the
height of the body, at the dorsal, is double its thickness. Profile like that of C. lucidus,
the head being, however, more acute}. The snout is obtuse, when seen in front or from
above, and the vertex is smooth and rounded in the recent fish: in the dried specimen the
radiated tubular lines near the nape, the sagittal ridge and other eminences, appear as in
C. lucidus, but not so prominently. The length of the head is more than one-fourth of the
distance between the tip of the snout and end of the scales on the caudal, and somewhat less
than one-fifth of the total length, including the lobes of the caudal. In the position of the
eye, and the forms of the jaws and opercular bones, this species scarcely differs from C. lucidus.
When the mouth is fully open its orifice measures seven lines vertically, and five and a half
transversely: the under jaw, which is narrow but not acute, then projects about four lines
beyond the articulations of the labials.
TEETH, none on the jaws, vomer, or palate, but three rows of very slender ones on the
tongue may be perceived by the aid of a lens. Makers stiff, subulate, and rough on the mar-
gins, the middle ones of the first arch, which are the largest, measuring five lines.
* One specimen had only seventy-seven scales on the lateral line, but the same as the above in a vertical row.
+ The figure, which was taken from a dried specimen, presents a less elegant profile than that of the recent fish.
25 2
212 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Fins.—Br. 9—9; D. 12 or 13—0; P. 16; V.12; A. 13; C. 198.
The ventrals originate under the sixth or seventh dorsal ray, but the structure and form of
all the fins are nearly as in C. lucidus. The adipose is not supported by interspinous bones,
but it exhibits in the dried specimen a very fine, apparently, fibrous structure, which entirely
disappears when the fin is moistened. In one specimen the centre between the tip of the snout
and end of scales on the caudal, corresponds with the first ray of the ventrals and thirtieth
scale of the lateral line, in another it is a little posterior to the first ventral ray, being at the
thirty-third scale of the lateral line: in the last specimen the lateral line has seven scales
more than the other.
Dimensions
Of two dried specimens.
No. 1. No. 2.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of lower jaw to tip of caudal - 13 10 12 7
” 5 snout toditto . 5 ‘ 13 5} 12 32
9 a end of central rays . 12 3 i] 7
¥ a end of scales ; 11 9 11 0
9 Aa anus 4 6 4 8 6 8 0
5) * ventrals 5 . 5 103 5 7
of 99 dorsal, 0 oe @ 43 5 2
aS a edge of gill-cover . 2 7 2 5
~ 1 nape : . Shia 7h } 6¢
5 ap orbit . A : 0 7 0 63
Ss i) nostrils. 5 aw) 3 0 3
»» of intermaxillaries, vertically 4 : 0 24 0 2
3 labials . : : é . it (1) 8 0 “8
% lower jaw. . . . 1 23 1 12
a lateral line ° . ¢ ee 3 8 9
5 attachment of dorsal 9 . 5 1 22 1 1
eS its longest rays . 6 - . ‘ ] 7 1 5
» its lastray . : : . 0 ¢ 0 64
¥ adipose fin . . : : ou fA 6 0 44
x pectorals A ° . 1 83 1 74
v ventrals . A ° . ] 6 1 6
” ventral appendages . . . 0 7 0 6
S attachment of anal. ° é Fy, P| 2 1 1
5 its longest rays A : ° 1 0 1 0
os its last ray : . . 0 43 0 4}
5 lobes of caudal ‘ ° és a 2 8 2 4
om its central rays, beyond the scales 0 8h 0 6
Depth of caudal fork ; & . 1 J 1 1
I subjoin the dimensions of two European Coregoni alluded to in the preceding
pages, that they may be compared with the American species.
SALMONOIDEZ. 213
La Fera. The Vendace.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of snout to tip of caudal 0 0 8 2
” ” end of central rays . 0 0 7 6
BS 33 end of scales bee, ~ 8 6 11
op 5 posterior edge of adipose fin 8 7 5 10
% ' anus . . ° 7 4 5 1
dy tp ventrals d 9 3 6
op p dorsal 4 0 3 2}
» i gill-cover . . 2 14 1 62
55 a nape 6 5 a ] 5k 1 04
5 % centre of pupil . 0 8} 0 6}
” rp edge of orbit . . 0 6 0 34
s» Of axisoforbit . 4 ; 0 6 0 64
p intermaxillaries, vertically 0 34 0 1}
5 labials . 0 7 0 54
& under jaw. 5 0 10 0 72
S attachment of dorsal . } 4 0 83
. its longest rays 9 2 0 1 6
By caudal lobes. . 0 0 1 9
$ central caudal rays . 0 0 0 5
The Coregonus fera (Jurine) resembles our Attihawmeg, or C. albus, in the shape of the
head, cranial ridges and depressions, and opercular bones, but its body is much more com-
pressed, having more nearly the form of our Herring-Salmon. The under jaw, when depressed,
reaches beyond the snout. There are no visible teeth on the labials or roof of the mouth,
some minute ones exist on the intermaxillaries, and the conical tongue is covered with teeth,
which, though very slender, can be readily seen. There are about seventy scales on the
lateral line. The ventrals are under the eighth or ninth dorsal rays, and their appendages are
short and three-edged. The stomach of my specimen contained a quantity of sand and the
remains of two fish, one a percoid fish, the other apparently a coregonus, with scales as large
as those of the fera itself. The following are the lengths of the parts of the alimentary canal.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Distance between gullet and bend of stomach 3 0 Distance between last cecum and valvula@
Length of thick part of stomach . 6 a Il 2 conniventes . ; athe oe : » “2 2
Distance between pylorus and last cecum . 2 3 Length of gut occupied by ditto . . 2 2
35 last cecum and anus 7 4 7 os) smooth gut at anus 0 3
Length of whole canal 5 . : 11 0 Length of gut below ceca 4 vf
The Vendace of Lochmaben (Coregonus vandesius) has a much larger eye than the Fera.
Its lower jaw projects beyond the upper one, even when the mouth is shut. There are
seventy-three scales on the lateral line. A male taken in the Solway Firth, with the melt
about one-third of the full size, had some small pieces of the stems of grass and a few grains
of quartzose sand in its stomach, apparently fragments of the case of the cod-bait. Mr. Yar-
rell has found shells in the stomachs of individuals taken in the Castle Loch, while Dr. Knox
ascertained that those he examined had been feeding upon minute malacostraca.
214 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
In the paucity of our information respecting the fish of New Caledonia, the fol-
lowing notices, collected from the Journal of Mr. D. W. Harmon, a partner of the
North West Company, are valuable. This gentleman resided for several years at
a fur-post on Stuart’s Lake, which lies in the 55th parallel of latitude, and 125th
degree of longitude, and which discharges its waters by a stream, named also
Stuart, into Frazer’s River, that falls into the Strait of Juan da Fuca. As his
remarks upon fish relate chiefly to the Salmon tribe, this appears to be the most
appropriate place for their insertion.
“1811. May 11. Sruart’s Lake. The ice in the lake broke up this after-
noon. 22. We now take trout in the lake, with set lines and hooks, in consider-
able numbers, but they are not of a good kind. It is perhaps a little remarkable,
that pike or pickarel have never been found in any of the lakes and rivers on the
west side of the Rocky Mountains.
“« August 2. Itis impossible at this season to take fish out of this lake or river.
Unless the salmon from the sea soon make their appearance our condition will be
deplorable. 10. Sent all our people to a small lake about twelve miles off, out of
which the natives take small fish, much resembling salmon in shape and flavour,
but not more than six inches long. They are said to be very palatable. 22. One
of the natives has caught a salmon, which is joyful intelligence to us all, for we
hope and expect in a few days to have abundance. ‘These fish visit, to a greater
or less extent, all the rivers in this region, and form the principal dependence of
the inhabitants as the means of subsistence. The natives always make a feast to
express their joy at the arrival of the salmon. The person who sees the first one
in the river exclaims, T'-le naslay ! td-loe naslay ! Salmon have arrived ! salmon
have arrived !—The exclamation is caught up with joy, and repeated with animation
by every body in the village.
‘< September 2. We have now the Common salmon in abundance. They weigh
from five to seven pounds, There are also a few of a larger kind, which will
weigh sixty or seventy pounds. Both of them are very good when just taken out
of the water. But when dried, as they are by the Indians here by the heat of the
sun, or in the smoke of a fire, they are not very palatable. When salted they are
excellent. As soon as the salmon come into Stuart's Lake they go in search of
the rivers and brooks that fall into it, and these streams they ascend so far as there
is water to enable them to swim; and when they can proceed no farther up, they
remain there and die. None were ever seen to descend these streams. ‘They are
found dead in such numbers, in some places, as to infect the atmosphere with a
terrible stench, for a considerable distance round. But even when they are in a
SALMONOIDE. Ze
putrid state the natives frequently gather them up and eat them, apparently with
the same relish as if they were fresh.
“ October 21. We have now in our store twenty-five thousand salmon. Four
in a day are allowed to each man. I have sent some of our people to take white
fish (Attihawmeg).
«“ November 16. Our fishermen have returned to the fort, and inform me that
they have taken seven thousand white fish. They weigh from three to four pounds,
and were taken in nine nets of sixty fathoms each. 17. The lake froze over in
the night.
“1812. January 30. I have returned from visiting five villages of the Nateo-
tains, built on a lake of that name, which gives origin to a river that falls into
Gardner’s Inlet. They contain about two thousand inhabitants, who subsist. prin-
cipally on salmon and other small fish, and are all well made and robust. The
salmon of Lake Nateotain -have small scales, while those of Stuart’s Lake have
none.
“« May 23. Stuart’s Lake. This morning the natives caught a sturgeon that
would weigh about two hundred and fifty pounds. We frequently see much larger
ones, which we cannot take for want of nets sufficiently strong to hold them.
“ August 15. Salmon begin to come up the river. Few salmon came up
Stuart’s River this fall, but we procured a sufficient quantity at Frazer’s Lake and
Stillas. These lakes discharge their waters into Frazer’s River, which is about
fifty rods wide, and has a pretty strong current. The natives pass the greater part
of the summer on a chain of small lakes, where they procure excellent white fish,
trout, and carp; but towards the latter part of August they return to the banks of
the river, in order to take and dry salmon for their subsistence during the succeed-
ing winter.
“1813. August 12. Salmon have arrived.
“1814. August 5. Salmon begin to come up the river. ‘They are generally
taken in considerable numbers until the latter part of September. For a month
they come up in multitudes, and we can take any number we please.
“ September 20. We have had but few salmon this year. It is only every
second season that they are numerous, the reason of which I am unable to assign.
“1815. August 13. FRrazer’s Lake. Salmon begin to come up the river,
which lights up joy in the countenances both of ourselves and of the natives, for
we had all become nearly destitute of provisions of any kind.
“1816. September 9. Salmon begin to come up this river.
“1817. August 6. Stuart’s Lake. Salmon arrived. Inthe month of June
216 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
we took out of this lake twenty-one sturgeon, that were from eight to twelve feet
in length. One of them measured twelve feet two inches from its extreme points, j
four feet eleven inches round the middle, and would weigh from five hundred and
fifty to six hundred pounds. All the sturgeon that we have caught, on this side of
the mountain, are far superior in flavour to any I ever saw in any other part of the
world.
““The Carrier Indians reside a part of the year in villages, built at convenient
places for taking and drying salmon, as they come up the rivers. These fish they
take in abundance with little labour; and they constitute their principal food
during the whole year. They are not very unpalatable when eaten alone, and with
vegetables they are very pleasant food. ‘Towards the middle of April, and some-
times sooner, the natives leave their villages, to go and pass about two months at
the small lakes, from which, at that season, they take white fish, trout, carp, &c.,
in considerable numbers. But when these begin to fail, they return to their vil-
lages and subsist on the small fish which they dried at the lakes, or on salmon,
should they have been so provident as to have kept any until that late season ; or
they eat herbs, the inner bark or sap of the cypress tree (pinus Banksiana), ber-
ries, &c. At this season few fish of any kind are to be taken out of the lakes or
rivers of New Caledonia. In this manner the natives barely subsist, until about
the middle of August, when salmon again begin to make their appearance in all
the rivers of any considerable magnitude ; and they have them at most of their
villages in plenty until the latter end of September, or the beginning of October.
For about a month they come up in crowds, and the noses of some of them are
either worn or rotted off, and the eyes of others have perished in their heads; yet
in this maimed condition they are surprisingly alert in coming up rapids. These
maimed fishes are generally at the head of large bands, on account of which the
natives call them mee-oo-tees, or chiefs. The Indians say that they have suffered
these disasters by falling back among the stones when coming up difficult places
in the rapids which they pass. The Carriers take salmon in the following manner.
All the Indians of the village assist in making a dam across the river, in which
they occasionally leave places to insert their baskets or nets of wicker-work. These
baskets are generally from fifteen to eighteen feet in length, and from twelve to.
fifteen feet in circumference. The end at which the salmon enter is made with
twigs in the form of the entrance of a wire mouse-trap. When four or five hun-
dred salmon have entered this basket, they either take it to the shore to empty out
the fish, or they take them out at a door in the top, and transport them to the shore
in their large wooden canoes, which are convenient for this purpose. When the
SALMONOIDE. Wa
salmon are thrown upon the beach, the women take out their entrails and hang
them by the tails on poles in the open air. After they have remained in this situa-
tion a day or two, they take them down and cut them thinner, and then leave them
to hang for about a month in the open air, when they will have become entirely
dry. They are then put into store-houses, which are built on four posts, about ten
feet from the ground, to prevent animals from destroying them, and, provided they
are preserved dry, they will remain good for several years."-—Harmon’s Travels
in North America. 1820.
Captain Dixon, who visited the North-west coast of America in the years 1786
and 1787, on a trading expedition, in company with Captain Portlock, mentions
that they took great numbers of fine salmon with the seine in Cook’s River, or
Inlet (lat. 60°), in the month of July, and that in the end of June, in the following
season, they saw large quantities hung up to dry by the natives of Norfolk Sound,
a harbour formed by the Island of Sitka, where the Russian Fur Company’s esta-
blishment of New Archangel has been since erected. Eschscholtz speaks of only
one sort of salmon as frequenting that Sound, and remarks that it is well-flavoured,
but Captain Dixon thought it inferior to the kind which he obtained in Cook’s
River.
After the preceding pages had gone to the press, I received a letter from Dr.
Gairdner, of Fort Vancouver, on the Columbia River, of which the following is an
extract. ‘ My duties at Vancouver prevent me from collecting many Columbia
fish, as I have no leisure for journeys through the country. Such, however, as I
happen to have by me, I now send you with great pleasure, for your work on North
American Zoology ; they are entirely fresh-water species, my travels not having as
yet extended to the coast. I subjoin a short description of each, which I made
from the recent specimens, the characters, particularly those dependent on colour
and dimensions, being liable to alteration by the spirits. The early dispatch of
the vessel leaves me no time for transcribing the anatomical details.” Dr. Gaird-
ner had used the precaution of wrapping the specimens in tow previous to putting
them in spirits, and of soldering them up in a tin case, which was protected by a
cask, yet all this care, I regret to say, did not insure them against the accidents of
a long voyage. The tin case received some injury, and became so leaky as to suffer
2F
218 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
much of the spirit to run out, and the consequence was, that six specimens of salmon
were incorporated into one mass by the continued motion of the vessel. The other
fish, being of a smaller size, less oily, and perhaps more indurated by longer immer-
sion in spirits, arrived in better condition. By picking the bones of the salmon out
of the putrid mass, I have been able to make a few additions to Dr. Gairdner’s de-
scriptions quoted below. In all the specimens the vertebrae are more numerous than
in the European species. It is to be observed, that the two or three last vertebrae of
the tail diminish rapidly in size and turn up, the square form of the termination of
the vertebral column in the Salmonoidee being produced by the dilatation of the
interspinous bones attached to the under side of the curved point of the spine; while
the corresponding upper interspinous bones are slender, awl-shaped, crowded, and
irregular. The reader will find notices of the salmon of the North-west coast by
referring back to pages 158 and 162, as well as in the passages quoted above from
Harmon’s Travels; and to complete the history of the fish of the Columbia,
as far as known, I will add the mode of stacking the salmon, described in
Lewis and Clarke’s Journal. ‘ Near our camp are five large huts of Indians
engaged in drying fish, and preparing it for the market. The manner of doing
this is by first opening the fish and exposing it to the sun on their scaffolds. When
sufficiently dried, it is pounded fine between two stones, and is then placed in
a basket about two feet long and one in diameter, neatly made of grass and rushes,
and lined with the skin of a salmon stretched and dried for the purpose. Here
they are pressed down as hard as possible, and the top covered with skins of fish,
which are secured by cords through the holes of the basket. The baskets are then
placed in some dry situation, the corded part upwards, seven being usually placed
as close as they can be put together, and five on the top of them. The whole is
then wrapped up in mats, and made fast by cords, over which mats are again
thrown. Twelve of these baskets, each of which contains from ninety to a hun-
dred pounds, form a stack, which is left exposed till it is sent to market; the fish
thus preserved is kept sound and sweet for several years, and great quantities of it,
they inform us, are sent to the Indians who live below the falls, whence it finds its
way to the whites who visit the mouth of the Columbia. We observe, both near
the lodges and on the rocks of the river, great numbers of stacks of these pounded
fish.” (Lewis and Clarke, ii., p. 275.) “ The salmon (S. quinnat) is almost the
only fish caught in great abundance above the falls; but below that place we ob-
serve the salmon-trout, and the heads of a species of trout smaller than the salmon-
trout, which is in great quantities, and which they are now burying to be used as
their winter food. A hole of any size being dug, the sides and bottom are lined
SALMONOIDEZ. 219
with straw, over which skins are placed; on these the fish, after being well dried,
are laid, covered with other skins, and the hole closed with a layer of earth twelve
or fifteen inches deep.’ (Idem, p. 278.) It is very probable that the same species
of salmon may frequent the North-west coast and Kamtschatka, but Steller’s de-
scriptions, as quoted by Pennant, are not sufficiently detailed to enable us to iden-
tify them.
[ 82. ] 11. Satmo quinnaT. —— The Quinnat.
Sus-cenus, Salmo. Cuvuvisrr.
“This is the species which ascends the Columbia earliest in the season, com-
mencing its run in the month of May in enormous shoals, clearing the greater
Dalles, cascades and rapids innumerable, and making its way to the sources of the
river, where, at the close of the season, it is found dead on the beach in great num-
bers. The muscular power of this fish is truly astonishing, even in a class of the
animal kingdom remarkable for vigorous movements, for it may be seen ascending
channels at the Kettle Falls so rapid, that when a stone as big as a man’s head is
dropped into them, it is shot downwards with the swiftness of an arrow*. Indivi-
duals of this species have often been seen with their noses fairly worn down to the
bone, and in the last stage of emaciation, yet still striving, to the last gasp, to ascend
the stream. The selection of particular streams for spawning is a remarkable fea-
ture in the history of the fish. It ascends the Walamet, Snake, and Kootanie
rivers, &c., and passes by the Kawalitch, Okanagan, Dease’s river and others,
seeming to prefer a rapid stream interrupted by falls, to one of a quieter character,
though other circumstances must regulate its choice, as some of the rivers which it
refuses to enter have an extremely rapid current. It is this salmon which forms
the main subsistence of the numerous hordes of Indians who live upon the banks
of the Columbia, and it is known by the name of quinnat, for one hundred and fifty
miles from the mouth of the river. It attains a large size, weighing often from
thirty to forty pounds.” —G. [The quinnat is evidently the ‘‘ Common salmon”
of Lewis and Clarke, whose description of it we have quoted in page 162. These
travellers mention the first arrival of the salmon at the Skilloot village, below the
site of Fort Vancouver, as having occurred on the 18th of April, in the year 1806.
—R.]
* In the map published by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, the descent at the Kettle Falls is stated
at twenty-one feet; but Lewis and Clarke were of opinion that in high floods the water below the falls rises nearly to a
level with that above them.—R.
2F2
220 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
« CoLour.—General tint of the back bluish-grey, changing, after a few hours removal from
the water, into mountain-green: sides ash-grey with silvery lustre: belly white: back above
the lateral line studded with irregular rhomboidal or star-like black spots, some of them oc-
eellated. Dorsal fin and gill-covers slightly reddish : tips of the anal and pectorals blackish-
grey: the dorsal and caudal thickly studded with round and rhomboidal spots, back of the
head sparingly marked with the same. Whole body below the lateral line, with the under
fins, destitute of spots. Lower jaw and tongue blackish-grey ; roof of the mouth tinged here
and there with the same. Scares large. TrETH disappearing on the mesial line of the upper
jaw, one row on each palate bone, a few small teeth on the forepart of the vomer, and two
rows on the tongue. Form.—Greatest convexity of the back at the origin of the dorsal ; end
of the caudal semilunar; adipose opposite to the posterior end of the anal; dorsal of greater
height than length. Fins.—Br. 17; P. 16; V.10; A. 16; D. 14—0; C.198.
** DIMENSIONS.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Extreme length . . c : . 30 0 Length of pectorals 3 7
Greatest height of body . 5 7 0 a ventrals . 0 é 3 0
» circumference of body . - 18 0 Height of dorsal . . . : a 0
Circumference of tail at origin of caudal 6 0 Length of ditto : 3 22
Breadth between the eyes . . 2 8 Height of adipose . : . 1 42
Length from tip of snout to nostrils . i 6 ae anal . 2 22
$5 eyes . . . 2 3k Length of ditto 3 43
As angle of preopercule . 5 24 Height of caudal 7 82
op angle of opercule 6 6 Length of its margins . . 5 92
By nape 5 3 92 5 centre . : ; “e 1 9E
» pectorals . . 7 7 Distance of pectorals from ridge of the
9 dorsal. ° - 13 0 back : . 6 . g . 42”
A ventrals : 6 16 0
anal : ° 5 74)! 0 Garrpner, in Lit.
FS adipose . . 23 0
[The specimen of this salmon, though it is very soft and has lost its scales, still retains its
form, so that Iam able to add the following particulars to Dr. Gairdner’s description ——
General form much like that of a Salmon-trout (p. 140, No. 2). The head is exactly one-
fourth of the length, from the tip of the snout to the end of the scales on the caudal. The
snout is cartilaginous as in S. salar, and the length of the lower jaw rather exceeds that of the
upper surface of the head. ‘The edge of the gill-plate is an arc of a circle as in that species,
but the suboperculum is still more sloped off, having much the form of that of S. Scoulert
(pl. 93). There are sixteen gill-rays on the right side, and seventeen on the left. The
largest teeth are those of the under jaw, of which there are eleven in each limb, placed at
regular distances, with some small ones in the intervals attached to the soft parts only. The
labial and intermaxillary teeth are similar to these, and but little inferior in size. The
lingual-teeth, considerably smaller than those in the jaw, are placed in two parallel rows, five in
each. The palatine-teeth are a little shorter than the lingual ones, and those on the vomer
are the smallest of all, scarcely protruding through the soft parts in the recent specimen: there
are nine of them-—two in front, the others in a single series, running upwards of half an inch
SALMONOIDE. 22)
backwards, or about two-thirds as far back as the palatine-teeth. The gullet is armed with
small teeth above and below. The jaw-teeth are as big as those of the Salmon-trout, pl. 92,
f. 1. There are sixty-six vertebrae in the spine. The pyloric ceca are very numerous, there
being about one hundred and fifty-five of them, and their insertions surround the intestine
from the pylorus until it makes a bend downwards, below which they continue to be inserted
for a short way on one side of the gut only.
Inches. Lines. Inches, Lines.
Length from end of snout to tip of caudal 15 6 Length of alimentary canal. ° cee 03) 10
0 H end of its centralrays. . 14 5 » from gullet to bend of stomach 4 0
3 H end of scales. 0 13 5 on bend to pylorus . oa 1
5 Of lateralline . 0 q . 10 10 7 pylorus to lastcecum 3 6
intermaxillaries . 9 ° 0 8 y> Of remainder of gut 6 | 3
C6 labials . , . ° 1 3h
Fs lower jaw ; : é ieee 13 R. |
[83.] 12. Satmo GarrpneErRiI. (Richardson.) Gairdner’s Salmon.
Queachts. Narives of the Banks of the Cotumsta *.
[The specific name which I have given to this salmon is intended as a tribute to
the merits of a young though able naturalist, from whom science may expect many
important acquisitions, and especially in the history of the Zoology of the North-
west coast of America, should his engagements with the Hudson’s Bay Company
permit him to cultivate that hitherto neglected field of observation.—R. |
“ This species ascends the river in the month of June, in much smaller numbers
than the quinnat, in whose company it is taken. Its average weight is between six
and seven pounds.
« Cotour.—Back of head and body bluish-grey ; sides ash-grey. Belly white. The only
traces of variegated marking are a few faint spots at the root of the caudal. Form.— Profile
of dorsal line nearly straight, tail terminating in a slightly semilunar outline. Ventrals cor-
respond to commencement of dorsal and adipose to end of anal. TrrtuH.—Jaws fully armed
with strong hooked teeth, except a small space in centre of upper jaw. Vomer armed with
a double row for two-thirds of its anterior portion. Palate-bones also armed with strong
teeth. Fins.—Br. 11—12; P.13; V.11; A. 12.
* From an accidental transposition of the labels, the right application of the Indian names to this fish and Sadmo
paucidens is somewhat doubtful.
222 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
« DIMENSIONS.
Inches, Lines. Inches. Lines.
Extreme length . . : . . 3i 0 Length from end of snout to anal. - 21 0
Greatest height of body . : . 5 9 % Hi adipose* . 21 0
Circumference of ditto . c . - +14 0 » Of pectorals . . ° ° 3 42
Breadth between the eyes. . . 2 0 op ventrals 5 : . 3 0
Rs SF) nostrils 1 21 3 attachment of dorsal 3 3 0
Length from end of snout to nostrils 1 2: Height of dorsal . 0 ° . 0 42
Aj iS eyes ° ome 94 3 adipose : ° 1 24
4 : angle ofopercule 5 % Length of caudal . 2 6 . e's, HE Sz
s 43 pectorals 6 2 Its greatest breadth 3 . 4 0
a A dorsal . nif eld 0 Length of attachment of anal . 5° 42”
5 53 ventrals ; 12 3h GarrRDNER, in Zit,
[In this species the gill-cover resembles that of S. salar still more strongly than that of the
quinnat does, the shape of the suboperculum in particular being precisely the same with that
of salar. The teeth stand in bony sockets like those of the quinnat, but are scarcely so long.
Those of the lower jaw and intermaxillaries are a little smaller than the lingual ones, and
somewhat larger than the palatine or labial ones. The tongue contains six teeth on each side,
the rows not parallel as in the quinnat, but diverging a little posteriorly. The pharyngeals
are armed with small sharp teeth. The numbers of the teeth, excluding the small ones which
fall off with the gums, are as follow: Intermax. 4—4 ; labials 21—21 ; lower jaw 11—11;
palate-bones 12—12; vomer lost; tongue 6—6. When the soft parts are entirely removed,
the projecting under edge of the articular piece of the lower jaw is acutely serrated, in which
respect this species differs from all the others received from Dr. Gairdner. There are sixty-
four vertebrae in the spine.—R.]
[84.] 18. Saztmo paucipENs. (Richardson.) Weak-toothed Salmon.
Quannich. Narives of the Banks of the CoLumsia.
«This salmon ascends the Columbia at the same time with the S. Gairdnerii,
and in equal numbers. It is taken in company with that species and the quinnat,
and has an average weight of three or four pounds.
“ Cotour.—Back of head and body bluish-grey ; sides ash-grey with a reddish tinge ;
belly white. No trace of spots on the body or fins. Form.—Commissure of the mouth
very oblique approaching to vertical, dorsal profile quite straight, tail forked. Ventrals cor-
responding to middle of the dorsal and adipose to posterior extremity of the anal. TEETH
sparingly scattered and feeble on the jaws, only a few short weak ones on the anterior extremity
of the vomer, and on the palate-bones. Fins.—Br. 13; P.17; V.12; A.17; D. 12—0.
* Dr. Gairdner must have accidentally put down wrong figures here in transcribing his notes, as the adipose is not oppo-
site to the commencement of the anal, but to its end.—R.
SALMONOIDE. 223
“ DimEwnsIons.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Extreme length . . : - 23 0 Length from end of snout to adipose - 18 0
Greatest height 5 ¢ . 4 6 », of pectorals : 2 Z
Circumference of body . ° . ay ul 0 5 ventrals . 0 . 2 24
Breadth between nostrils. - . 1 0 ” attachment of anal 2 24
$6 eyes : 1 83 Height of ditto . 6 2 é ay ul 84
Length from end of snout to nostrils 0 82 Length of attachment of dorsal. . 2 1
3 % eyes . ov 34 Height of adipose . 6 ° 0 94
» ” angle ofopercule 4 6 Extreme length of caudal 3 102
» oF pectorals 5 33 Its greatest breadth 4 22”
a - dorsal 10 0
» ” ventrals 12 0 GAIRDNER, i Lit.
[From the labels having dropped off, I cannot refer the fragments of any of the specimens
to this species with certainty, but I am inclined to think that a spine, containing sixty-six ver-
tebrze, belongs to it, and if so, the gill-cover is extremely like that of S. Scoulert (pl. 93), and
the bones of the head have the same fibrous structure which we have noticed in the descrip-
tion of that species. None of the teeth have been preserved, but those of the lower jaw appear
to have been fixed in cartilaginous sockets, which have separated from the bone, leaving a
rough surface. ‘The palate and upper jaw-bones are lost. The union of the branchial arches
at the root of the tongue is longer and narrower than in the preceding two species, and the
gill-openings consequently are more ample. Either this species or the S. Scouleri, or perhaps
both, are named “ Red-char” by Lewis and Clarke. See p. 162.—R.]
[ 62. ] 2. Satmo Scovuteri. (Richardson.) The Ekewan.
Salmo Scouleri, p. 158. Prare 93.
“ The Ekewan, which averages thirty pounds in weight, ascends the Columbia
towards the end of August and in the month of September. Its flesh is paler and
of inferior quality to the four preceding kinds.” [From Dr. Gairdner’s descrip-
tion of this species I have little doubt of its being the same with the S. Scou/eri of
Observatory Inlet (p. 158), and I should without hesitation have referred to it the
spinal column and opercular bones noticed at the close of the account of the
preceding species, had not Dr. Gairdner mentioned that no specimen of the Ekewan
was sent, as he had not obtained one small enough to be put in spirits.—R. ]
« CoLour.—Body above mesial line smoke-grey, passing on head and tail into bluish-grey :
a slight reddish tinge at the root of the dorsal and between it and the adipose. Fins bluish-
grey, and all tinged with red except the caudal, which, with the back, is studded with irregular
semilunar and stellated blackish-brown spots. A large vermilion-red patch in the concavity
Q24 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
of the vertex, and another on the preopercule. Body below the mesial line greyish-white with
a reddish tinge. Form.—A remarkable flattening over extremity of snout, behind which a
slight concavity to occiput, where the body rises suddenly into a hump, and continues rising
as far as the first dorsal, this elevated portion being accuminated into a ridge. A notch behind
the point of the snout gives an arched outline to the commissure of the mouth. Lower jaw
also arched upwards, so that the two jaws do not approach each other when the mouth is
closed, except at the two extremities. TrErtTH.—Jaws fully armed with strong hooked teeth,
except a small space in the mesial line of the upper jaw. Teeth moveable, from being im-
bedded in soft cartilaginous sockets. Two rows of strong lingual teeth, a single row on each
palate-bone, and a few rudimentary ones can be felt in a single row on the anterior extremity
of the vomer. Teeth on the pharyngeal bones. Rays.—Br.16; P.16; V.9; A. 16;
D. 12—0.
&¢ DIMENSIONS.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Extreme length . 5 é ¢ . 34 0 Length from end of snout to adipose. 27 0
Greatest height of body : $ 4 9 0 » of pectorals ; : ; on 6 0
Circumference of body . e - opal 0 es ventrals . é : 0 4 0
“1 tail at root of caudal . 7 6 » attachment of anal . 4 24
Breadth between eyes . . 2 3 6 Height of anal . : : 3 0
Length from end of snout to eyes. a) eS) 93 Length of attachment of dorsal 4 9
5 . angle of opercule 8 6 Height of ditto . 0 . 4 2
if 3 pectorals 9 24 Hh adipose. 3 : C 2 0
"5 i) dorsal , 16 0 Length of caudal . 9 3 ° Ana A 0
ss eH ventrals Ls 0 Breadth of caudal 8 0
. op anal ; 21 0
«« This description applies to a female—the male differs in the upper jaw being elongated
into a proboscis, which projects beyond the lower jaw when the mouth is closed : it is formed
of a moveable cartilaginous mass articulated to the extremity of the nasal bones, and is fur-
nished with teeth as well as the rest of the jaw. The lower, jaw is narrower and entirely
received within the concavity of the upper one when the mouth is shut.’’-—GarRDNER, in lié.
[85.] 14. Saxmo tsuppitcH. —— The Tsuppitch.
Tsuppitch. Narives of the Banks of the Cotumsia.
“The Tsuppitch ascends the Columbia at the same time with the Ekewan. I
counted 1644 ova in the ovary of a female.
« Cotour.—Back of body and head studded with oval and circular spots: sides and fins,
including the caudal, destitute of spots: back mesially bluish-grey passing on the back of the
head into blackish-grey, and on the sides into yellowish-grey, with a greenish tinge and silvery-
white. General colour of the fins ash-grey. TEETH.—Jaws fully armed with minute sharp
teeth, a single row on each palate-bone, a very few on the anterior end of the vomer in a single
SALMONOIDE. 225
series, and a double row on the tongue.
a pointed snout.
Form.—Head small, exactly conical, terminating in
Commissure of mouth very slightly oblique. Convexity of dorsal profile
rising gradually to origin of first dorsal, and declining from thence to the tail. Caudal forked.
Rays.—Br. 13; P.13; V.10; A.13; D. 12—0.
66 DIMENSIONS.
Inches, Lines,
Extremelength . . . . - 21 0
Inches. Lines,
Length from end of snout to adipose - 18 0
Greatest height of body . . . 4 92 », Ofpectorals . ° . ° 2 83
3) circumference of body 6 5g 0 op ventrals , 5 6 5 3 z
Breadth between the eyes . 3 : 1 93 D attachment of dorsal . 6 2 24
Length from end of snout to eye 6 si yea 2 Height of dorsal . . ° ee 12
of angle of opercule 4 83 ” adipose. . . . 0 102
7 op nape . ' 3 0 Length of attachment of anal . 0 6
£ 3 pectorals a) 0 Height of anal . . cC . 1 93
x 5) dorsal 9 11 0 Length of caudal . . : a A 3 6
a ff ventrals a2 0 Greatest breadth of ditto . O : 6 Zick
ad 58 anal . ; 16 0 GaAIRDNER, 27 Mit.
[A spine containing sixty-four vertebrz, and an under jaw with ten curved teeth in each limb,
are all the bones that I can with any appearance of correctness refer to this species. The
teeth are of equal size with those of S. Gairdneri, or perhaps rather larger, and are attached
to the jaw-bone through the medium of cartilage.—R. ]
[86. ] 15. Sautmo Crarxil.
(Richardson.) Clarke's Salmon.
[ Dr. Gairdner does not mention the Indian name of this trout, which was caught
in the Katpootl, a small tributary of the Columbia, on its right bank. I have
therefore named it as a tribute to the memory of Captain Clarke, who notices it in
the narrative prepared by him of the proceedings of the Expedition to the Pacific,
of which he and Captain Lewis had a joint command, as a dark variety of Salmon-
trout (see p. 163). In colour this species resembles the Mykiss of Kamtschatka,
and there is no very material discrepancy in the number of rays in the fins. Vide
Arct. Zool., Intr., p. exxvii—R.]
«* CoLour.—Back generally brownish purple-red, passing on the sides into ash-grey, and
into reddish-white on the belly. Large patches of dark purplish-red on the back. Dorsals
and base of the caudal ash-grey, end of caudal pansy-purple.
studded with small semilunar spots.
Back, dorsal, and caudal
A large patch of arterial-red on the opercule and mar-
Pectorals, ventrals, and anal greyish-white, tinged with rose-red.
TreeTH.—Both jaws armed with strong hooked teeth, a single row on each palate-bone, a
double row on the anterior half of the vomer and on the tongue. Dorsal profile nearly straight.
Ventrals opposite to the middle of the first dorsal. Fissure of mouth oblique.
Fins.—Br. 11; P.12; V.8; A.13; D. 11—0.
gin of the preopercule.
Extremity of
caudal nearly even.
26
wo
(WS)
ep)
NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
‘* DImeEnsIoNns.
Inches. Lines, Inches. Lines.
Extreme length . . : . (214 0 Length from end of snout to anal . 10 0
Greatest height of body =. . . 2 102 $ 6 adipose - » 10 13
99 thickness ° 5 . ae Ht 6 5, ofventrals . , 0 5 1 6
Length from end of snout to eye ‘ 1 1k hs attachment of dorsal . a Ul 42
en s angle of opercule 3 22 5 cf anal. 5 1 33
9) Ks pectorals A) 92 x caudal . . . c : ae 0
9 ” dorsal 6 42 Greatest breadth of ditto . . : 2 102”
bs Fy ventrals . 7 6 Gatrpn_eR, in Mit.
[There appear to have been two specimens of this species sent to me by Dr. Gairdner. In
both the spinal column contains sixty-two vertebrae, The teeth, which are closely set, rather
long, slender and acute, and, in the older specimen, considerably curved, are in number as fol-
lows: Intermaz. lost ; labials 23—30; palate-bones 15—17 ; vomer 13, two in front and the
others in a single flexuose series, as long as the dental surface of the palate-bones; lower jaw
13—13; tongue 6—6, in two almost parallel rows. The lingual teeth are the largest and most
curved, those of the lower jaw are next in size, then follow the vomerine, palatine, and labial
teeth, which are equal to each other. The pharyngeal teeth are also proportionally long, and
there is an oblong plate, rough with very minute ones, on the isthmus which unites the lower
ends of the branchial arches. ‘This space is quite smooth in S. salar, in several, if not in all
the English trouts, and in S. quinnat, Gairdneri, and in the imperfect specimen which I have
referred to S. Scouleri. In the latter the surface of the arches is also quite smooth, but in the
quinnat and Gairdneri minute rough points become visible with a good eye-glass. In all the
trouts the compressed rakers have their thin inner edges more or less strongly toothed. In
one of the specimens of S. Clarkii the spinal column is nine inches long, in the other six.—R.]
[87.] 2. Satmo (Matziotus?) Paciricus. (Richardson.) North-west
Capelin.
Sus-cenus, Mallotus. Cuvirr ?
‘The Indian name of this fish is Oulachan. It comes annually in immense
shoals into the Columbia about the 23rd of February, but ascends no higher than
the Katpootl, a tributary which joins it about sixty miles from its mouth. It
keeps close to the bottom of the stream in the day, and is caught only in the night.
The instrument used in its capture by the natives is a long stick armed with
sharp points, which is plunged into the midst of the shoal, and several are generally
transfixed by each stroke. It is the favourite food of the sturgeon, which enters
the river at the same time, and never has a better flavour than when it preys on
this fish. The Oulachan spawns in the different small streams which fall into the
SALMONOIDEA. 227
lower part of the Columbia. It is much prized as an article of food by the natives,
and arrives opportunely in the interval between the expenditure of their winter
stock of dry salmon and the first appearance of the quénnat in May.” [This fish
is noticed by Lewis and Clarke in the following terms. ‘The anchovy, which
the natives call o/then, is so delicate a fish that it soon becomes tainted, unless
pickled or smoked: the natives run a small stick through the gills, and hang it to
dry in the smoke of their lodges, or kindle small fires under it: it needs no pre-
vious preparation of gutting, and will be cured in twenty-four hours: the natives
do not appear to be very scrupulous about eating it when a little foetid.”—R. ]
“« Cotour generally silvery-white, passing on the back into a blackish tinge. Large irregu-
lar, but generally oval spots of yellowish-white and blackish-grey on the back. A_ bluish-
black spot over each orbit. Margins of lips black. Back of head greyish-white. Minute
black dots on the silvery basis of the cheeks. Form.—Head small and pointed. Large sub-
orbital covering the greater part of the cheek. Opercule terminating in a thin rounded angle.
Mouth opening obliquely upwards, its fissure extending as far back as the anterior margin of the
orbit. Lower jaw projecting beyond the upper one, and terminating in a rounded knob turned
slightly upwards. Margins of upper jaw entirely formed by the intermaxillaries, on which
there are a few minute setz in place of teeth. Lower jaw, vomer and palatines devoid of teeth.
Tongue rough, and pharyngeals armed with teeth. Fins.—Br.8; P.11; V.8; D. 11—0;
A. 20. Adipose fin thin and containing little fat. Lateral line straight and continuous.
« DIMENSIONS.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Extreme length 3 7 6 Length from snout to anus . . : 4 42
Breadth between the eyes 0 42 p eae: adipose . 5 72
Height of body 5 3 1 22 Distance between back and pectorals 0 93
Length from snout to orbit . 0 42 belly and ditto 6 5 6 34
i 5s nape. 9 0 93 Length of pectorals 5 > 6 0 102
3 re angle of opercule . 1 2 is ventrals : 0 102
ES o¢ pectorals 1 6 op attachment of dorsal 0 7x
4 es ventrals 3 4 Height of dorsal . : : 0 8L
9 3 dorsal 3 Length of attachment of anal 1 Nal?
GAIRDNER, 77 it.
[Five specimens were sent to me by Dr. Gairdner, but they were unfortunately all so much
injured that I can add very few particulars to that gentleman’s brief description. In the
general form, the appearance of the scales, the black specks on the head and body, the
form of the anal and its attachment to a compressed projecting edge of the tail, the structure
of the lower jaw and gill-covers, and in the shape of the head as far as it could be ascertained,
this fish closely resembles the capelin (p. 187). On the other hand the ascent of the species
into fresh water to spawn, and perhaps its dentition, ally it to the smelt (p.185). Head as
in the capelin, forming one-fifth of the length between the tip of the snout and end of the central
caudal rays. Caudal forked. Dorsal commencing a very little anterior to the middle between
the tip of the snout and end of scales on the caudal, agreeing, in this respect, more nearly with the
2G 2
228 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
smelt than with the capelin, in which the dorsal is farther back, its first ray being equidistant
from the end of the snout and the extremity of the central caudal ray. Anal of one specimen
containing twenty-one rays. Gill-covers thin, papery, and flexible, lined with nacre. In drying,
the surfaces of the opercular-bones are marked with wrinkles parallel to their sides, as may be
observed in the smelt and capelin, but not so conspicuously. These wrinkles are most evident
on the square operculum. As the thin lining of the mouth and lips is mostly abraded, from
the putrescency of the specimens, the dentition can be only imperfectly ascertained from them.
In four specimens no teeth whatever can be discovered; but in a fifth, a female full of mature
roe, the lower jaw is armed with a single series of very slender, curved teeth, rather more dis-
tant, and a little longer than those of the capelin. There is also a solitary tooth remaining on
the vomer of the same specimen, occupying the place of the exterior vomerine tooth in the
smelt, and nearly as large. ‘Tongue conical as in the smelt, and not presenting an oval flat
surface surrounded with teeth like the capelin. In all the specimens the upper jaw was so
much injured that its structure could not be ascertained, but it is probable that the intermaxil-
laries, being small as in the capelin, were not distinguished from the labials by Dr. Gairdner,
in his examination of the recent fish. The rakers of the branchie are long and slender as in
the smelts and capelin. The stomach resembles that of the capelin: the descending portion
ends in a pointed sac, and a short branch which it gives off in the middle terminates in the
pylorus. The intestine makes a bend, or rather twist, downwards at the pylorus, and runs
straight to the anus, its calibre gradually becoming less as it approaches the latter. There
are nine ceca, three of them rather shorter than the others close to the pylorus, the other six,
inserted in a single series down one side of the intestine, are each half an inch long. In three
specimens there are sixty-eight vertebra in the spine, and in two sixty-nine. A male specimen,
with the melt half grown, showed no traces of villi, or altered scales, on the lateral-line,
though the skin was apparently entire in that place. Male capelins, destitute of the ridges
of elongated scales, are occasionally taken in Greenland. (See p. 187.)
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from gullet to tip of descending part Length from pylorus to lasteecum . » 0 6
of stomach 5 A 5 ' cert 5 » Ofrestofgut . b J ° 2 6
», Of pyloric branch A 4 . 0 3 R.]
CLUPEOIDE. 229
CLUPEOIDE.
THE members of this family may be at once recognised by their having jaws
similar in structure to those of the trouts, but no adipose fin. Their bodies are
always very scaly. The greater number possess an air-bladder and numerous
czca. Only some species ascend rivers. The following are indicated in the
Régne Animal as frequenting the shores of the United States. dlosa vernalis
(Spring-herring, or Alewife, Mircu.), 4. estivalis (Summer-herring, Mitcu.),
A, menhaden (Bony-fish, Hard-heads, or Marsh-bankers, Mircn.), 4. matowaka
(Long Island-herring, Mitcu.), Chatoéssus oglina (Megalops oglina, Le Surur),
Ch. Cepediana (Megalops Cepediana, Le SurEur), HKlops Carolina, Butirinus
vulpes (CatrEsBy, t. 1, f. 2), Hyodon clodalis, H. tergisus (LE Sueur), Amia
calva, Lepisosteus rostratus (sox osseus, Linn.), and L. spatula. Dr. Mitchill
mentions in addition to these Clupea halec, pusilla, parvula, indigena, vittata, ceru-
lea, alosa, mediocris, and sadina, the last being an Hngraulis, and the two which
precede it Shads. Dr. Smith gives Clupea minima in his list of Massachusetts
fish, and M. Rafinesque’s uncertain genera of Pomolobus, Dorosoma, and Notemi-
gonus, are founded on Ohio fish, which Cuvier thinks are more or less nearly allied
to the dhse. The Engraulis encrasicholus has a place in the Fauna Grenlandica
of Fabricius, from having been found in the stomachs of seals killed in Davis’
Straits far from the shore. All the specimens he saw were much mutilated, and
the species therefore must be doubtful.
[88. ] ]. CLupEA HARENGUS. (Linn.) The Common herring.
Famiy, Clupeoider. Genus, Clupea. Lrvn. Sub-genus, Clupea. Cuvier.
Clupea harengus. Fasricius, Faun. Grenl. p. 182, Ricw., Fr. Journ., p. 716.
Kapiselik, GrEENLANDERS.
In the herrings a small portion only of the upper jaw consists of the short,
narrow intermaxillaries, its sides, which are alone protractile, being formed by the
comparatively long labials; the acute rim of the belly has the scales arranged like
the teeth of a saw. The labials are moreover divisible into three pieces, the gill-
230 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
openings wide, the branchial rakers long, slender, and closely set, the stomach
forms an elongated sac, the caeca are numerous, the air-bladder is long and pointed,
and the ribs are more numerous and slender than in other fish. The True
herrings, constituting the sub-genus eluwpea of Cuvier, have their labials curved
anteriorly, and divisible longitudinally, into several pieces, the orifice of the mouth
of a middle size, and no notch in the upper lip. 7 |
Pennant describes the Common herring as so abundant on the coast of Carolina,
that the inhabitants fling it ashore by shovels-full, but he at the same time expresses
a doubt whether it be of the same species with the European fish of the same name ;
and it is indeed evident that this is not the case, for he says that it leaves the salt
water in March, and runs up the rivers and shallow streams in such numbers that
the passengers trample many under foot in crossing the fords. It is not the habit
of the Common herring to enter fresh waters, but several species of shad are known
to ascend the American rivers. The clipea harengus is, however, included by
Schoepf and Dr. J. V. C. Smith in their respective lists of the fish of New York
and Massachusetts ; and popular writers on the British American colonies have
mentioned, without hesitation, its existence in the seas of Newfoundland and Nova
Scotia; yet it is not noticed by Dr. Mitchill. Fabricius says it is rare on the
Greenland coast and in Davis’ Straits, and that it is but of a small size in those
seas, its length not exceeding five inches and a half. The herring of the Kamt-
schatka seas, mentioned in the description of that country, is, if we may judge from
its habitually entering rivers, most probably a shad* ; but Mr. Collie observed a
clupea, which he referred to harengus, pretty abundant in Awatska Bay ; it was
of a small size, and had a ventricose belly.
The migrations of the Common herring have been greatly celebrated by ichthy-
ological writers, and the reader will find in Pennant’s British Zoology a very cir-
cumstantial and highly interesting detail of its hybernation within the arctic circle,
and of its issuing thence in the spring in a mighty army f, composed of countless
multitudes, the vanguard appearing off the Shetland Islands in April and May, and
the main body following in June, when it separates into two wings; one proceeding
* «¢ The herring, both the common and the variety, found in the Gulf of Bothnia, called membras, and by the Swedes
stréeming, visit these coasts in shoals, perhaps equal to those of Europe. There are two seasons, the first about the end
of May, the second in October. The first species are remarkably fine and large ; they ascend rivers, and enter the lakes:
the autumnal migrants are closed up in them by the shifting of the sand at the mouths of the entrance, and remain con-
fined the whole winter. The natives catch them in summer in nets; and in winter in most amazing numbers, by break-
ing holes in the ice, into which they drop their nets, then cover the opening with mats, and leave a small hole for one of
their companions to peep through and observe the coming of the fish, when they draw up their booty, and string part on
packthread for drying ; and from the remainder they press an oil white as the butter of Finland.’—Penn., dret. Zool.
Intr., p. exxvi,
+ From Pennant we learn the name of the herring is derived from the German word Heer, signifying an army.
CLUPEOIDE. 25)
to the westward, supplies the Hebrides, and moving onwards to the north of Ireland
divides into two columns, which take different sides of the island; the other wing,
seeking the eastern coasts of Britain, and filling every bay and creek in its progress,
passes through the English channel, and, like the western phalanx, disappears
in the expanse of the Atlantic. The whole of this account is now supposed to be
imaginary by naturalists, who assert that the herring fattens in the depths of the
ocean, and approaches the shore in shoals merely for the purpose of depositing its
spawn. Cuvier, however, says “ this celebrated fish quits the northern seas every
year in summer, and descends upon the western shores of France in the autumn in
numberless legions, or rather in dense shoals of incalculable extent, which spawn
by the way, and arrive, greatly attenuated, at the mouth of the channel in the
middle of winter. The fattest are those which are taken farthest to the north ;
when they reach the coast of Lower Normandy they are empty, and their flesh is
dry and disagreeable.” The herring is unknown in the Mediterranean.
On Sir John Franklin’s first expedition we took several individuals of a clupea
in Bathurst’s Inlet, on the Sth of August, 1821, which I supposed to be the Common
herring. In the absence of specimens | can only subjoin the description which
was drawn up on the spot, although it is too general to serve the purpose of iden-
tifying the species. In the European herring the teeth on the intermaxillaries and
lower jaw are sufficiently conspicuous, but none were perceptible on these bones in
the Bathurst Inlet fish, whose characters, as far as noted, agree in all other respects
with those of clupea harengus.
DESCRIPTION
Of a recent herring taken in Bathurst’s Inlet, August 5, 1821.
Form.— Head conical in profile, its not very acute apex being formed by the tip of the
under jaw, which extends about two lines beyond the upper one. yes large, and situated
laterally at an equal distance from the nape and tip of the snout. Nostrils a small elliptical
opening on each side, lying transversely on the upper surface of the nose, and not visible when
the fish is viewed in profile. Gull-covers and sub-orbitar bones covered with nacre. The
intermazillaries form about one-fourth of the margin of the upper jaw: the labials are broad,
and their anterior edge is elliptically curved and minutely serrated or toothed; a process
runs behind the narrow limb of the intermaxillary to be articulated to the snout, and there
are two other pieces or processes imbedded in the fine membrane that forms the anterior por-
tion of the parietes of the mouth: when the mouth is shut, the labials lie upon the broad
limbs of the lower jaw, which are composed of plates having the thinness and nacry appear-
ance of the sub-orbitar bones. ‘The narrow, membranous lower lip, which folds over the edge
of the lower jaw, is stretched out by the opening of the mouth. The edge of the labials is
932 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
finely toothed, and a cluster of minute ¢eefh exists on the vomer, but none can be perceived
on the intermaxillaries or lower jaw. The gill-membrane, thick and nacry, contains eight rays,
of which the posterior ones are flat, and the penultimate one ends in a transparent obtuse
point.
Fins.— Br. 8; P. 16; D.19; V.8; A. 16.
The dorsal commences rather posterior to the middle of the fish, excluding the caudal: its
two anterior rays are short, and closely applied to the base of the third, the others are forked.
The ventrals are small and opposite to the middle of the dorsal. The anal is half an inch
high anteriorly, and gradually lowers to half that height: its attachment is almost twice as
long as the space betwixt it and the caudal. ‘The latter fin is large, cuneiform, and deeply
forked.
Cotour.—The back, when moved in the light, yields various beautiful reflections of green
and gold; the belly and sides are white, with pearly lustre and violet reflections, and the sides
of the head are deeply tinged with gold-yellow. Scatxs readily deciduous, large, thin, and
orbicular, possessing much nacry lustre *.
INTESTINES (but cursorily examined ).—Stomach forked, the blind side rather longer than
the other. A considerable number (between fourteen and twenty?) of long, slender ceca
surround the pylorus +. Air-bladder thickly covered with nacre. Roe slightly developed.
Dimensions.
Inches, Inches.
Total length . : . : ° . - 15 Length of attachment of anal. ° . . i
Length of the pectorals . . 2 . : 13 ” its longest rays . . . ° 02
om attachment of dorsal . " 4 15 7 its last ditto 6 6 “ ° - OF
af its longest rays . A 5 e 1} 3 space between it andcaudal . 6 i
[89.] 1. Hropon curysopsis. (Richardson.) The Naccaysh.
Famity, Clupeoider. Cuvier. Genus, Hiodon. Lz Suzur.
‘Hiodon clodalis. Ricuarpson, Frank. Journ., p. 716, excl. syn.
Oweepeetcheesees. Crezs. Gold-eye, Fur Travers. Naccaysh. Voyaceurs.
This singular and beautiful little fish inhabits the lakes which communicate with
the Saskatchewan, in the 53rd and 54th parallels of latitude, but does not approach
nearer to Hudson’s Bay than Lake Winipeg. In my account of the fish obtained
ou Sir John Franklin’s first expedition, I considered this species to be the same
* Few of the distinctive characters of the Common herring, enumerated in the Regne Animal, are comprehended in the
above description :—They are “ La caréne du ventre peu marquée, le subopercule coupé en rond ; des veines sur le sous-orbi-
taire, le préopercule et le haut de fopercule. Ses ventrales naissent sous le milieu de la dorsale, la longueur de sa téte est cing
fois dans sa longeur totale, et en portant en arriére le distance de son museau & sa premiere dorsale, on atteint le milieu de la
caudale. Son anale a seize rayons.’ P. 318.
+ Artedi says the ceca are sixteen or seventeen in number.
CLUPEOIDE. 233
with the Hiodon clodalis of the Ohio, described by M. Le Sueur; but a more care-
ful consideration of his figure and description has induced me to give a distinct
specific name to the northern fish *.
The Naccaysh is taken during the summer months only, and in small numbers,
in the gill-nets set for other fish. It bites eagerly at an artificial fly or worm, but
angling is seldom practised in the fur countries. Its flesh is white, resembling
that of the perch in flavour, and excelling it in richness. The want of an adipose
fin separates the Naccaysh from the Salmonoidee, with which it seems, in some
respects, to have a greater affinity than with the Clupeoidee: it differs from both
in having only one cecum.
DESCRIPTION
Of the recent fish taken at Cumberland House, lat. 54°,N., May, 1820.
Form.—Profile sub-oval, the belly more curved than the back; tail much narrower than
the body, its under margin joining the curve of the belly by a considerable slope which is
occupied by the anal fin. Body greatly compressed ; thickest above the lateral line, and thin-
ning gradually into the very acute even edge of the belly: the back thins off more suddenly,
but its ridge is less sharp than the rim of the belly. The head likewise is much compressed
and has a conical profile, the snout forming an obtuse apex. The vertex is covered with
smooth skin, and there is a large scale on each side of the nape. The large eye approaches
very close to the margin of the mouth. The nostrils are placed above the level of the eye in
the triangular space between the orbit and tip of the snout: the membranous border of the
anterior opening forms a lid to the posterior one. The whole cheek is covered by the nearly
circular plate of the infra-orbitar bones. Gill-openings large; gill-plate edged by a narrow,
somewhat cartilaginous border. The mouth has a wide orifice which descends obliquely as it
* The following is M. Le Sueur’s character of the genus :—
“Cuar. Body as in the genus Clupea, but without the carinated abdomen, Tongue supplied by the os hyoides, which
is furnished with strong teeth. One dorsal fin. yes very large.”—‘* Body compressed as in the herrings, but without
abdominal serratures. Head narrow; snout very short, obtuse, without scales; posterior sub-orbits covering the cheeks,
anterior ones concealing the maxillaries; preoperculum large, triangular, curving under the throat, its posterior angle
rounded, covering almost the whole of the suboperculum ; the interoperculum very small, squamiform ; operculum large,
rounded, having a notch in its upper part. Hyes very large, situated near the end of the snout, and nearly occupying the
space between the summit of the head and the angle of the mouth; they are furnished with a gelatinous, nictitating mem-
brane, which extends on a part of the operculum. Nosérids double, placed at the end of the snout, above and near the
intermaxillaries. Mouth of a middling size, jaws sub-equal; intermaxillaries short, articulated with the maxillaries, both
very narrow. Teeth conic, equal, close set, in a single row on the maxillaries and intermaxillaries ; stronger and in several
rows on the lower jaw; very fine on the palate; the vomer equally furnished with several ranges of very strong ones on its
whole length. Tongue supplied by the os hyozdes, which is armed with two principal rows of very strong, bent, conic teeth,
between which there are several rows of very small teeth. Branchiostegous rays short, superior ones enlarged at their
extremities, of the number of eight or nine; branchial arch furnished on each side, anteriorly with denticulations (rakers)
which interlock one with the other. Air-b/adder long, compressed; two small globular air-vessels placed each in a cavity
under and on each side of the cavity of the cranium: these appear to enable the fish to rise with facility to the surface of
the water to take its prey. It was not ascertained whether they communicated with the bladder or not. Fins: a single
dorsal, placed opposite to the commencement of the anal ; pectoral placed low, near the opercula: ventrals midway between
the pectorals and anal. Sca/es large, pellucid at the edges, easily deciduous.” Lr Sueur, é. c.
Qu
234 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
runs backwards. The intermazillaries and labials form nearly equal portions of the upper
jaw: the former are almost immoveable, but the ends of the latter are thrust forward a little
as the mouth opens. Lower jaw strong.
TEETH conical, in a single row on the intermaxillaries and labials, those on the former
being considerably the largest : there are two rows having their points inclined backwards on
the lower jaw, with an intervening narrow bony surface covered with minute teeth. The
vomer projects from the roof of the mouth and is armed like the lower jaw. ‘The palate-bones
are rough with minute teeth. The tongue is furnished on its margins with hooked teeth
which are the largest of all, and its centre is occupied by a crowd of small curved ones (“ dents
en carde’’). Club-shaped cartilaginous rakers, rough with teeth, stand in double rows on
the anterior edges of the branchial arches; and at the union of the arches, both above and
below, there are thin plates covered with small teeth. The thick gill-membranes contain nine
small cylindrical rays: the left membrane overlaps the right one at their insertion into the
isthmus.
Fins.—Br. 9; P.12; V.7; A. 34; D.11; C.
The first ray of the pectorals is considerably stronger than the others. The ventrals, situated
half way between the pectorals and anus, are small and contain seven rays, which support a
delicate membrane. The anal, occupying the whole of the upper slope behind the anus, con-
tains thirty-four rays, which become successively shorter as they are more posterior: the edge
of the fin is slightly waved. The small dorsal, opposed to the anal, contains eleven rays.
The caudal is crescentic, its lower lobe being rather the largest.
Scatés irregularly orbicular and large, being about half an inch in diameter; when im situ
they have a bluish-grey colour at the base with bright silvery tips. The irides and sides of
the head are tinged with honey-yellow. ‘The lateral line is straight till it passes the dorsal
fin, when it is slightly deflected.
IntEestinEs.—The esophagus is distinguished by its more delicate and whiter internal folds
from the stomach, which is a long tube that makes a curve at its fundus, and has its lining
disposed in nine or ten longitudinal folds of a reddish colour: its pyloric orifice is much con-
tracted. Immediately below the pylorus the intestinal canal dilates considerably, after which
it forms a tube of equal diameter throughout, and nine inches long, without any distinct
rectum : its lining is villous and destitute of valvule conniventes. An obtuse cecum, three-
quarters of an inch long, opens into one side of the dilated intestine next the pylorus, and the
gall-duct into the other side. The thin feces of the lower intestine have a honey-yellow
colour. The alimentary canal makes one convolution in its course from the cesophagus to the
anus. ‘The oblong liver lies mostly on the right side, there being merely a small lobe on the
left: it has a reddish-orange colour. ‘There are two small spleens. The air-bladder is
capacious and communicates with the cesophagus. The kidneys are bluish-grey, thickly
studded with dark brown specks. ‘The lining of the abdomen is of a pearly hue, and the roe
pure white.
CLUPEOIDE. 235
DIMENSIONS.
Inches
Length, exclusive of the caudal fin 7 ! 5 a _ Jia!
5, from tipofthesnout to anus. c : : : )
Greatest depth of the body 4 p 5 : 9 . 4
OssERVATION.—The hiodon clodalis, obtained by M. Le Sueur at Pittsburgh, on the Ohio,
differs from the preceding, according to his description and figure, in the snout being mani-
festly shorter than the lower jaw, in the smaller depth of the body and less-arched belly, in
the lateral line being slightly curved before the dorsal, and not deflected posteriorly, and in
the number of the rays of the fins, which are as follow: P.13; V.7; 4.30; D.15. M.
Le Sueur thinks it possible that the hiodon clodalis may be the same species with the ftergisus
described below, the notched fin being merely a sexual difference. My description of the
naccaysh was drawn up at Cumberland House before I had seen M. Le Sueur’s account of
the genus, and I have had no opportunity since of examining specimens from the United
States, otherwise I might have been able to point out the distinctive characters more clearly.
[90.] 2. Hropon tereisus. (Le Sueur.) Notch-finned Hiodon.
Hiodon tergisus. Lz Suzur, Journ. Ac. Sc. Phil., i.,p. 366. An. 1817.
Fresh-water herring. Uwnirep Srares, apud vulgos.
This species was found by M. Le Sueur at Buffalo, on Lake Erie, and by Mr.
T. Say at Pittsburgh, on the Ohio. M. Le Sueur gives the following description
of it :-—
« Spec. Cuar. Anal fin large and rounded on its anterior part, very narrow on its pos-
terior part, notched in the middle.”—* Cotour of the gill-covers golden, eyes brown and
golden, back bluish, sides silvery, and fins yellow with metallic reflections on the rays.
« Form.—Body lengthened, elevated; back almost straight and parallel to the abdomen; tail
narrow. Lateral line slight, arched towards the back. Dorsal subquadrangular, elevated on
its anterior part, the three first rays simple, the last double, the intermediate ones divided.
Pectorals falciform, pointed, placed horizontally in a longitudinal depression. Ventrals large,
somewhat rounded at their points, and furnished with a squamiform appendage at their base.
Anal long, with pretty strong divided rays, the last one double, the three first simple. Caudal
forked, lobes pointed, equal. Rays.—Br.9; P.13; V.7; A. 32; D.15; C. 18}. Length
thirteen inches.’”’—LeE SveEor, /. c.
2H 2
236 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[85.] 1. AMIA OCELLICAUDA. (Richardson.) Marsh-fish.
Poisson de marais. CANADIANS.
' The genus Amia stands next in the Régne Animal to Hrythrinus, which it is
said to resemble in the jaws and teeth, the hard osseous plates that cover the head,
the large scales, and flat gill-rays*, which are, however, twelve in number.
Between the limbs of the lower jaw there is a kind of osseous shield, which exists
also, though but in a rudimentary form, in megalops and elops. Behind the conical
teeth there are others like small paving stones, and the dorsal, which commences
between the pectorals and ventrals, extends nearly to the caudal: the anal, on the
contrary, is short. The nostrils have each a little tubular appendage. The
stomach is capacious and fleshy, the gut wide and strong, without caeca, and, what
is remarkable, the air-bladder is cellular like the lung of a reptile. Only one
species, the amia calva, has been hitherto described ; it feeds upon craw-fish, and
inhabits the rivers of Carolina, probably not ranging far north, as it does not
occur in the published lists of the New York or Massachusetts fish.
Mr. Todd sent me a notice of a Lake Huron fish, named locally Poisson de
marais, It is speared by the Indians in the rushy shallows which it frequents, but
is seldom eaten by the settlers. A specimen which Mr. Todd prepared, being
unfortunately destroyed by vermin, never reached me, but his short description
corresponds with the characters of the genus Amia, though the gill-rays are fewer
than in the Carolina species.
«« Poisson de marais—Order, ABDOMINALES.”— Back and sides dark, belly and fins dark
green. Head short, flattened at top and on the sides; eyes small ; jaws even; mouth capa-
cious ; tongue obtuse. Two short cirrhz on the upper lip, the lower lip notched. One row of
sharp longer teeth on the margin of the jaws, more interiorly shorter clustered ones; two
patches of teeth on the upper part of the gullet. Pectorals near the throat. Ventrals about
the middle of the fish. One anal. One dorsal extending from four inches behind the neck
to the tail, which is oblong and round, with an irregular round spot of the size of a shilling,
bordered with scarlet at the base of the seven upper caudal rays. Scales large, semicircular ,
and membranaceous exteriorly ; square where inserted into the skin. The intestines make
three longitudinal turns in the abdomen. Rays.—Br.8; P.17; V.7; 4.9; D.48; C. 22.”
Topp, in lit.
* “The Erythrini, like the rest of the C/upeoidee, have small intermaxillaries, the greater part of the sides of the upper
jaw being formed by the labials; a row of conical teeth occupies the margin of the jaws, and anteriorly there are some
large ones mixed with the others. Each palate-bone is furnished with two plates of teeth like velvet-pile ; and there are
five broad gill-rays.”’—Régne Animal, \
CLUPEOIDEZ. 237
[86. ] 1. Lepisostrus Huronensis. Northern Mailed-fish.
Famity, Clupeoidee. Genus, Lepisosteus. Lactrepe, Cuvier.
In this genus the intermaxillaries, labials, and palate-bones, united to the vomer
and ethmoid, form a long snout, the under jaw is equally long, and the whole
interior surfaces of both are rough like a file with minute teeth, their margins being
armed with long pointed ones. The gill-covers are joined on the throat by a
common membrane, which is supported on each side by three rays. The body is
invested with scales of a stony hardness; the dorsal and anal are opposite to each
other and far back. The two exterior rays of the caudal, and the anterior ones of
the other fins, are furnished with scales whose projecting edges produce serratures.
The stomach is continuous with a slender intestine which makes two folds and
has many pyloric ceca. The air-bladder, which is cellular as in Amia, extends
the whole length of the abdomen. The Lepisostet acquire a large size, and
their flesh forms an agreeable article of diet. ‘They abound in the rivers and lakes
of the warmer parts of America.—Régne Animal.
The Northern Mailed-fish inhabits Lake Huron, where it is speared by the
natives in the marshy inlets during the summer season. It also exists in Lake
Ontario, from whence a specimen, now in the York Museum, was brought by
Captain C. Dalton. La Hontan mentions it in the following terms: “ Le Poisson
armé est de trots pieds et demi de longueur ou environ ; il a des écailles si fortes et
st dures quwil est impossible qu aucun autre poisson puisse loffenser ; ses ennemis
sont les Truites et les Brochets, mats il sait trés-bien se défendre contre leur
attaque par le moyen de son bec pointu qui a un pied de longueur *, et qui est aussi
dur que sa peau. Il est delicat, et sa chair est aussi ferme que blanche.’ The
satety of this fish depends more on its defensive than on its offensive armour, for,
notwithstanding the power ascribed to its beak by La Hontan, its jaws are too
feeble to enable it to assail a large trout or pike with advantage. The general
resemblance of its bill to the muzzle of a gavial is very striking, and it is probable
that, like that animal, it retains its prey in its jaws till life is extinguished. The
under jaw being, however, articulated before the orbit, where there is no space for
a strong muscular apparatus, it cannot, like the crocodiles, whose under jaw is pro-
o An individual three feet and a half long would have the head and bill together a foot long, if proportional to our
specimen.
238 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
longed behind the cranium, master animals capable of making strong efforts to
escape. A specimen of the Northern Mailed-fish, which was prepared for me by
Mr. Todd, at Penetanguishene, having been sent to Cuvier, was returned with the
following remark, “ Hsow osseus, Linn. Lepisosteus rostratus, Nos. ;” but M.
Agassiz, who has studied this genus of fishes with great diligence, in connexion
with the closely-allied fossil tribes, is of opinion that the Lake Huron Lepisosteus
is a distinct species from the more southern one described by Linneeus, and Mr.
Gray has kindly supplied me with a note of the specific peculiarities which he drew
up at M. Agassiz’s request.
DESCRIPTION
Of a dried specimen from Penetanguishene, on Lake Huron.
Form.—Body elongated, roundish, fusiform, slightly flattened on the back, belly, and sides ;
deepest at the ventrals, where its vertical diameter exceeds its thickness by about a ninth
part. In profile the back is slightly arched. Head four-sided, its breadth greater by one-
third than the height of the gill-covers: it is even and flat above and on the sides, which
taper gradually into a narrow beak, more than twice the length of the rest of the head. The
whole surface of the head and bill is bony, finely furrowed and granulated, except the gill-
membrane, and its prolongation forwards between the limbs of the lower jaw: the sutures of
the bones are very evident. Orbits circular, situated close to the articulation of the lower
jaw, and thrice their own diameter from the edge of the gill-plates. Nostrils close to the end
of the bill, the posterior orifices on the dorsal aspect, the anterior ones lateral. Cheeks
altogether behind the orbit, covered by about twenty polygonal plates, resembling the rest of
the surface of the head, and concealing the preoperculum and infra-orbitar bones. Edge of
the gill-cover semi-oval: suboperculum and operculum nearly of equal size: interoperculum
larger than either and nearly as broad. Bill flat, or very slightly rounded on its upper sur-
face, which is formed by the ethmoid bone bordered on each side by the long narrow Jabzals,
the blunt tip being composed of the small intermazillaries that are attached to the end of
these bones. The under jaw equals the labials in length, and its rounded tip shuts in behind
the intermaxillaries, so that even the nostrils project beyond the mouth: the posterior limbs
of the lower jaw expand vertically, rising nearly as high as the upper margin of the orbit.
Tongue long and narrow, regularly wrinkled transversely with a median line in the dried spe-
cimen.
TrEETH.—There are two contiguous rows of straight, subulate, very acute teeth on the
labials, intermaxillaries, and under jaw: those composing the outer row being unequal in size,
though small and densely crowded ; the interior ones are distant and all about two lines long.
The vomer, palate-bones, and inner surface of the lower jaw are covered by multitudes of
very minute teeth, which are bounded on each side by an even row a little taller than the
others.
Scates.—The body is covered with strong thick scales, which look as if composed of enamel,
but are not quite so hard, as they yield slightly to the knife. They are thickened in the
CLUPEOIDE. 239
middle, and have a nearly rhomboidal outline, with two processes at the base which are con-
cealed by the overlying scale. The median line of the back is marked by a row of rather
broader scales, having a semicircular or heart-shaped edge. From this line the rows of scales
descend obliquely down the sides in curves, resembling a reversed italic \. A very narrow
depression of the upper edge of each scale, including the two processes mentioned above, is
the whole of its surface that is covered by the superior scale when in situ; near the tail the
uncovered portion of a scale is a very acute rhomboid, but towards the head its outline is more
nearly rectangular, with one slightly convex edge. The surfaces of the scales covering the
forepart of the back are coarsely grooved in a radiated manner. The scales on the sides are
five lines long by three and a half wide, and a linear inch measured along the oblique rows
includes four of them; but when measured along the lateral line, or in the axis of the back, it
extends to three and a quarter: there are sixty-five on the lateral line. The termination of
the scales on the caudal forms an oblique curved line like the letter /; which crosses the
direction of the rows at a right angle, the scales extending farthest back on the uppermost
part of the fin. The exterior rays of the caudal, and the first rays of the other fins, are armed
with a double row of tiled, tapering scales, ending in short spinous points which, being very
acute and brittle, are capable of producing dangerous wounds. All the rays of the fins are
likewise studded with minute bristles. Lateral line nearly straight, marked by a clear line
traversing the axis of each scale with a pore in the centre.
Fins.—Br. 3—3; D.7; P.15; V.6; A. 8; C.138.
The dorsal commences opposite to the two last rays of the anal, and is rather smaller than
that fin. The ventrals are attached exactly in the middle between the extremities of the bill
and caudal. The latter is rounded at the end, and its rays are twice or thrice divided down to
their middles.
Cotour of the head a light green ; of the fins yellowish with roundish black spots half an
inch in diameter. There are also some black spots on the posterior part of the body and tail.
The scales have the light, bluish, semitransparent hue of enamel. The mucus or epidermis,
which has dried on their margins, gives many of them the appearance of being serrated.
Dimensions,
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from end of billto tip of caudal. 28 0 Length of attachment of anal . 1 34
4p a end of scales on lateral line 25 0 » its longest rays j 2 3h
iS +p dorsal : : 4 - 21 3 y caudal (middle rays) . 3 0
* ” anus . : . a 24) 0 ” ditto upper rays from scales 1 9
Sl) os a) veutrals):c.. . : - 13 8 ” ditto lower rays. : 2 9
9 ” edge of gill-plate . 5 7 8 Depth of body . . . wine 3
om » nape . 7 0 » headatthe nape . * 1 4
9 c orbit . . 5 . 5 3h Width of middle of body . 5 2 0
») Of intermaxillaries . 0 22 5 occiput . ° ° : 1 2
be labials > 4 6 > head between surfaces of the oper-
” lower jaw : ° . 5 2 cula . 5 . : : : ged 6
4 pectorals . A . ° 2 0 », betweenthe orbits . . 1 0
3 ventrals . : e 5 oe 3 » of bill at extremities of labials 0 42
Hp attachment of dorsal 1 23
9 its longest rays : . - 2 3
240 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
The following is Mr. Gray’s notice of the species :—
«« Lepisostreus Huronensis. Jaws elongate, slender, with a series of close, small, acute
teeth on the outer edge, and a row of rather distant, larger, elongated, conical, acute teeth,
Just within their edge, and within them there is a narrow band of very short, small, velvet-like
teeth, which is contracted to a single series in front. Middle of the palate minutely granular
behind, with smaller velvet-like teeth in front. Head and operculum granular. Body pale
yellowish (under the epidermis white), with some large black spots on the tail and caudal fin.
Scales rhombic, smooth, with a sub-central, longitudinal convexity, which is sometimes pro-
duced into a very slight descending process at the hinder part of the lower edge, the margins
entire, the lower edge arched. The vertebral series rather larger, generally sub-cordate, with
a slight central groove and a posterior notch. Lateral line rather indistinct. The first ray of
all the fins and sides of the tail furnished with a series of elongated, sub-cylindrical scales,
their acute, spine-like tips rather recurved.’’—*“ This species is allied to Lepisosteus osseus,
Buocu, t. 390, and to a new species which M. Agassiz has lately described from two spe-
cimens in the collection of the British Museum, under the name of Lepisosteus gracilis (Proc.
Zool. Soc., 1834), in the form of the beak, and is intermediate between them in the slender-
ness and comparative length of that part, as the following measurements will show.
L. osseus. L. Huron. L, gracilis.
Inches. Inches, Inches.
“‘ Length of the whole fish 5 : : - 35$ 28 11
‘ upper jaw ° 5 : . 63 43 24
3h head : 3 0 9 ony el 7} 33
i lower jaw . ¢ : : 7 5 Fd
» from tip of nose to front of ventrals 6 - 183 132 5¢
ty As anal . ; 27 202 82
5 a dorsal fe . 284 21i +
«« Lepisosteus Huronensis differs from the other two in the scales being quite smooth ; while
in L. osseus the scales of the front of the body are slightly radiately grooved, and their edges
are crenulated; and in L. gracilis the disk of the scales is rather granulated, their margin
smooth and entire. It also differs from both these, and from all the other known species of
the genus, in being spotted. The three long-nosed species are easily distinguished from each
other by their dentition, for ZL. gracilis has a series of long, rather distant teeth on the roof of
the mouth, on each side, within the two thin velvet-like bands. LZ. osseus, on the contrary,
has no such rows in that place, but the whole hinder part of the roof of the mouth is covered
with rather large, short, conical teeth behind the two marginal velvet-like bands.” J. E.
Gray, in lit.
GADOIDEZ. 241
MALACOPTERYGIJ SUB-BRACHIATI.
GADOIDE.
Tue third order of fish in Cuvier’s arrangement is named Jugular, from the for-
ward position of the ventrals under the pectorals, and comprehends all the soft-
finned fish which have the pelvis attached directly to the humeral bones. It
includes the Linnean genera gadus, pleuronectes, cyclopterus, and echeneis, which
are raised to the rank of families in the Régne Animal._—The Gadoidee are most
abundant in the northern seas, some species being plentiful in the highest latitudes
to which navigators have penetrated, but few, comparatively, are known to exist
within or near the tropics. Most of the family are agreeable articles of food, and
their capture finds employment for myriads of fishermen, and investment for a very
large capital. A large portion of the Gadoidee@ are mentioned by authors as
common to both sides of the North Atlantic, and even to the Icy Sea and sea of
Kamtschatka ; but there is much reason to believe that the specific identity of fish
of this family, inhabiting distant localities, has been very often inferred from a
recollection of the general resemblance of the type, rather than from an actual
comparison of the specimens. The lists furnished by Fabricius and the ichthy-
ologists of the United States seem particularly to require revision. The following
have been mentioned as frequenting the coast of the latter country, but I think it
probable that several of them are different from the European species whose names
they now bear. Morruu#®.—Gadus morrhua, Bank cod, PENN., Mircui.e;
G. callarias, Dorse, common cod of New York, Mitcuityi; G. rupestris, Rock-
cod, SmituH (G. callarias, var. Mircu.); G. arenosus, Shoal-cod, Smiru; (G.
eallarias, var. Mitcu.); G.tomcod, ScHorpr (G. tomeodus, MitcHiLt); G. @gle-
finus, Penn., Mitcu.; G. fasciatus, Frost-fish, Penn. (G. Jfuscus, SMITH, G.
tomcodus, pruinosus, MitcuiLL); G. blennoides, Blennoid cod, Mitcu. MeEr-
LANGI.—Merlangus vulgaris, Whiting, Smitn; Gadus albidus, New York
Whiting, Mircuitt; Gadus purpureus, New York Pollack, Mircuitt ; Merlan-
gus pollachius, Pollock, Smita. Mertuccri.— Gadus merluccius, Hake, MirTcu.,
Smita. Lotaz—Gadus maculosus vel maculosa, Le Surur; G. compressus
vel Molva Huntia, Le Suzur. Brosmu.—Brosmius vulgaris, Cusk, SmrtH.
21
249 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Puycipes.—Gadus tenuis, Slender cod, Mircu.; G. punctatus, Spotted cod,
Mircu.; Blennius chuss, Scuorrr, Encheliopus Americanus, Scun., Gadus
longipes, Mitcu.; Raniceps blennoides, Garter fish, SMITH.
Tilesius mentions gadus macrocephalus, gracilis, morrhua, and luscus, as in-
habitants of the seas of Kamtschatka, but the members of this family that frequent
the north-west coast of America are almost totally unknown. Dixon informs us
that he took hake in Norfolk Sound, which proves nothing more than that the fish
which he so calls resembles a merluccius.
[osm cte Gapus MoRRHUA. (Auct.) Common Cod-jish.
Faminy, Gadoidee. Cuv. Genus, Gadus. Linn. Sub-genus, Morrhua. Cov.
Morrhua vulgaris (maxima asellorum species). Berton, p.121. An. 1551.
Gadus dorso tripterygio, ore cirrato, cauda equali fere cum radio primo spinoso. ARTeEpr.
Gadus morrhua. Fasric., Fauna Greenl., p. 146, No. 102. Mitch., Fish of New York,
1, p. 367, No.1. Smiru, An. of Massach., p.16. An. 1835. Ross, Captain J. C.,
App. p. Xlviili. An. 1835.
Common God. Pernn., drct. Zool., ii., p.114, Seppl., No. 87.
Saraudlirksoak, or Ekalluarksoak. Gremntanpers. Keeling. Scors.
The sub-genus Morrhua is characterised by the presence of three dorsals, two
anals, and a barbel at the extremity of the lower jaw. It contains many species.
The Common cod-fish is probably an inhabitant of all the northern seas, down to
the 41st parallel. It abounds in the North Atlantic, where it frequents sand-
banks lying from twenty to eighty fathoms under water. Pennant is of opinion
that its proper range is between the 66th and 50th parallels of latitude, those
caught north and south of these degrees being either few in quantity or bad in
quality. ‘“ The great rendezvous,” says he, “ of the cod-fish is on the banks which
lie off the coasts of Newfoundland, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and New England ;
few are taken north of Iceland, but on the south and west coast they abound, and
they again swarm off Norway, in the Baltic, and off the Orkneys and Hebrides.”
It does not exist in the Mediterranean. Dr. Mitchill states the callarias to be the
Common cod of New York, while the morrhua, or “ Bank cod” as he calls it, is
brought to the market of that city from Nantucket, and the coast beyond, between
November and April only, the summer temperature of the United States’ waters
being, in his opinion, sufficient to kill it. Cod-fish, of excellent quality, are found
in the estuary of the St. Lawrence, pretty high up. Fabricius says that the mor-
rhua is less common on the Greenland coast than the callarias ; but Captain James
GADOIDEA, 243
C. Ross informs us, that on the west coast of Greenland, in latitude 664° N., a
number of very fine cod-fish were caught by the crew of the Victory, on a bank
consisting of small stones, coarse sand, and broken shells, with from eighteen to
thirty fathoms of water over it. He adds that there are several other banks of
considerable extent on that coast, some of them in the vicinity of the Danish colo-
nies, where the cod-fish assemble in astonishing numbers. This fish is also found
on the American side of the Greenland seas, for Davis observed many in possession
of the Esquimaux who inhabit the land between Cape Raleigh and Cumberland
Strait, and the following passage occurs in the narrative of his third voyage, when
embarking in the Moonshine of thirty-five tons, he ran to the southward from lati-
tude 67°, across the entrance of Hudson’s Strait, to 57° on the Labrador coast.
“ Coasting the shore towards the south, we saw an incredible number of birds:
having divers fishermen aboord our barke, they all concluded that there was a great
skull of fish: we being unprovided of fishing furniture, with a long spike nayle
made a hooke and fastened the same to one of our sounding lines: before the baite
was changed we took more than fortie great cods, the fish swimming so abundantly
thicke about our barke as is incredible to bee reported, of which, with a small por-
tion of salt that we had, we preserved some thirtie couple, or thereaboutes, and so
returned for England.” (Hakluyt, iii., p. 120.)
Small cod-fish, resembling the rock-cod of the British coast, were purchased by
Captain James C. Ross from a party of Esquimaux, who were fishing for them
through holes in the ice on the west side of the peninsula of Boothia, and he was
told that in the autumn full-sized ones were taken farther to the westward *. The
Common cod, or a variety of it, is mentioned by Tilesius as inhabiting the sea of
Ochotsk, but I have met with no account of its having been detected on the Ame-
rican side of the Pacific. The food of the cod-fish is very various, consisting of all
kinds of fish that inhabit the banks it resorts to, mollusce, both soft and shelly,
crustaceee, and marine insects. The baits most generally used on the banks of
Newfoundland are capelin and cuttle-fish. At certain seasons the stomachs of the
cod brought to the London market are filled with young muscles. For an account
of the important fisheries which have been established for the capture of the cod, the
reader may consult Du Hamel, Pennant, or the several Encyclopedias which are
daily issuing from the press. The cod-fish evidently derives its English name
from its softness, flaccidity, and shape, the word cod (Saxon covve) still being in
common use in Scotland to signify a bag or pillow.
* This fish was termed by the Esquimaux owuk.
244 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Not having access to any variety of specimens of American cod-fish, | shall not
attempt to give a detailed description of the species. A specimen brought from
Newfoundland by Mr. Audubon, to whom it was given by the fishermen as an
uncommon kind or variety, does not appear to differ from the small brown cod
which is taken on rocky parts of the British coast.
Its length is sixteen inches, the head forming one-third part, and the central rays of the
square caudal fin measuring an inch and a quarter. The lateral line is arched anteriorly,
descending at the second dorsal, and then running straight to the tail, keeping rather nearer
to the anal than to the dorsal in its course. ‘The teeth of the upper jaw and vomer are acute,
of various lengths, and crowded into bands: on the lower jaw they stand almost in a single
series.
Fins.—Br. 7—7; P.18; V.6; D.15—19—17; A.19—17; C.——. Nevwf. sp.
7—7; TSG. 142 90-17): 19—20; 38 to 40. Dav. St. sp.
The number of rays of the Davis’ Straits’ fish are quoted from Captain James C. Ross, who
says that the average weight of fifteen individuals was sixteen pounds, and their length thirty-
six inches and a half, of which the head formed one-fourth part, and the caudal fin one-
seventh. Though the number of rays was various in different specimens, the second dorsal
always contained more than either the first or third. The alimentary canal rather exceeded
the body in length, and the pyloric ceca amounted to two hundred and fifty.
[94. } 2. Gapus caLLaRias. (Linn.) The Dorse.
Gadus callarias. Fasricius, Fauna Greenl., p. 144.
Cadus callarias. Ross. App., p. 1.
Saraudleek. GreEnLAnvers. Eeleetok. Hsgeuimaux of Boothia.
The Dorse is mentioned by Fabricius as common on the Greenland coast, and
Captain James C. Ross observed it in the inlet to the west of the peninsula of
Boothia, where it is taken abundantly, though in very poor condition, by the Esqui-
maux, who fish for it from the middle of May till near the end of June, through
holes cut in the ice. It is plentiful in the White Sea and along the whole
northern coast of Europe, particularly in the Baltic. Fabricius states that on the
Greenland coast it feeds upon small fishes, crustaceze, and mollusce, and that it is
most frequently observed at some distance from the bottom, with its tail directed
obliquely downwards. A smaller variety, differing from the larger one in the num-
ber of rays of the fins, is taken in some places only, in the winter time, under the
ice. The callarias of Dr. Mitchill is probably a distinct species.
GADOIDE. : 245
Those that Captain James Ross saw on the coast of Boothia seldom exceeded fourteen
inches in length, though a few were obtained of greater size. They were provided with forty-
two pyloric ceca, and the average number of rays in their fins were as follows.
Fins.—Br. 7; P.19; V.6; D. 12—19—23; A. 22—22; C. 40 to 44. Ross.
7; 20; 6; 14—19—19; 21—19; 40. Faun.Gren., lar.var.
(be 19; 6; 13—24—18 ; 22—18 : 44. Ditto, small ditto.
. Dimensions
Of a specimen taken on the coast of Boothia.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length irom tip of snout to end of caudal 17 3h Length of central caudal rays . ome 24
5 ay anus ° 5 at) 74 bn barbel on lower jaw 3 7 0 8
5 rr edge of gill-cover . 4 6 i) longer ceca. 9 eal 6
Captain J.C. Ross.
[95.] Gapus Fasricu. The Meesarkornak.
Gadus eglefinus. Fasricrus, Faun. Grenl., p. 142. No. 100.
Meesarkornak, eekallooik. GREENLANDERS.
Fabricius considers this fish to be the Gadus eglefinus of authors, the haddock
or haddy so abundant in the Scottish firths. The haddock is vulgarly supposed to
have been the fish out of whose mouth St. Peter took the tribute-money, the black
marks at the pectorals being considered to be the impressions left by the saint's
finger and thumb, which the species has retained ever since. The same honour-
able origin is commonly ascribed to the black lateral spot on the body of the Dory,
but superstition has entirely overlooked the fact, that neither that fish nor the had-
dock exist in the sea of Gennesaret, whose waters are perfectly fresh. As Fabricius
seems to have identified the Meesarkornak with the haddock, solely from its agree-
ment with Artedi’s very brief notice of the latter, and as it does not possess the
distinguishing marks at the pectorals, I have ventured to name it as a distinct
species, considering the addition of another synonym, even should it prove to be
unnecessary, as less injurious to the interests of science, than the error of ascribing
to a fish too wide a geographical range, or habits which do not belong to it. ‘The
Meesarkornak frequents the northern bays of Greenland pretty abundantly in the
winter season, spawns on the littoral sea-weeds in February, and of course under
the ice, and is of so curious a disposition that it is readily attracted to the surface
by agitating the water, especially in the evening. Sometimes it leaps upon the ice,
when it becomes the prey of the Arctic fox, which lies in wait for such a chance,
246 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
and is even said to know how to bring about this desired event, by stirring the
water with bis foot through a crevice. The Greenlanders take it in a similar way
with their hands, having learnt the art, according to Fabricius, from the fox.
The species attains the length of fourteen inches. The colour of the back is soiled or livid
white, the sides are minutely spotted with black, and the under parts are pure white. There
is a short barbel under the chin.
Fins.— Br. 6; D. 13—15—23; P.19; V.6; A. 17—20; C. 32. Fauna Grenl.
[ 96. ] 4. Gapus ocac. —— The Ogak.
Gadus barbatus. Faxricius, Faun. Greni., p. 146.
Ogak, or Owak. (The young ogarak, or owarak, p/. ogarket, or owarket.) GRrEENLANDERS.
This is a larger species than the Vhiting-pout of the English seas, to which
Fabricius refers it, and it wants the black spot at the base of the pectorals: a new
specific appellation is therefore as much required as in the case of the preceding
species. As the Esquimaux of the peninsula of Boothia call the rock-codling (p.
324), which they take near Cape Isabella, by the same name which the Green-
landers apply to this, viz., owak, or owuk, it is probable that they nearly resemble
each other, if they are not specifically the same.
The ogak is described by Fabricius as rarely exceeding eighteen inches in length and five
in depth, and as corresponding with the description given by Artedi (sp. 65), except in want-
ing the dark spots at the base of the pectorals. It lives among sea-weeds in deep, shady
places, in company with the Cottus Grenlandicus, where it feeds upon capelin, blennies,
jaunces, and other small fish, as well as upon crustaceeer. It spawns among the sea-weeds in
February: or March, while the ice is as yet entire, and in June multitudes of its young, no
bigger than sticklebacks, may be seen along the shore. In its habits this fish resembles the
gadus callarias, but it keeps nearer the bottom, and the male and female are said to consort
with each other under the same stone.
Fins.— Br. 7; D. 15—19—16; P.18; V.6; A.22—17; C.32*. Faun. Gr., p. 147.
* The following rays are attributed to the gadus barbatus by Artedi. Fins.—Br.7 or 8; D.13—24—20 or 21; P.19;
V.6; A. 31—21.
GADOIDEA. QA4T
mS ie 1. Gapus (MERLANGUS) CARBONARIUS. Coal-fish.
Famity, Gadoidee. Cuv. Genus,Gadus. Linn. Sub-genus, Merlangus. Cuv.
Merlangus carbonarius (Coa/-fish). Sapinn, App. Parry’s First Voy., p. ccxi.
The merlangi, or coal-fish, differ from the true cod in having no barbels ; they
derive their English name from the dusky pigment which tinges their skin, and
which, when they are handled, soils the fingers like moist coal. Specimens of the
Common coal-fish, from four to five inches long, were taken in a trawl-net on the
west coast of Davis’ Strait, on Sir Edward Parry’s first voyage. This fish, when full
grown, bears a considerable resemblance to the salmon in the size of its scales and
elegant form, notwithstanding its dark hue. It swims near the surface, and ocea-
sionally takes a mackerel-hook towed along in a smart breeze. The young resort
to the rocky bays of the Orkneys and Hebrides in immense numbers, where, accord-
ing to the period of their growth, they are known by the names of cuddy, sithe, seth,
and s¢llock. They rise eagerly at an artificial fly of the rudest construction, and
are secured with so much facility, and in such numbers, that an amateur angler
would think lightly of the sport, even were he to overcome his disgust at the dirty
colour and disagreeable smell his hands acquire in taking the fish from the hook.
They yield, however, a plentiful harvest to the northern fisherman, who thus obtains
both food, and oil for his lamp, with little exertion. On the Yorkshire coast the
young are called parrs, and when a year old billets. They are said not to attain
their full size until they are four years of age. The species is reported to exist
sparingly in the Mediterranean.
The merlangus vulgaris, or Whiting, is enumerated in the list of the Massa-
chusetts fish by Dr. J. V. C. Smith, and the same, or a very similar one, of the
New York seas, is named gadus albidus, by Dr. Mitchill. La Hontan also says
that whitings, like those of Europe, exist in the estuary of the St. Lawrence.
[98.] 2. Gapus (MERLANGUs) POLARIS. (Sabine.) Polar Coal-fish.
Merlangus polaris. Sawing, Parry's First Voy.; Ross, App. Parry’s Third Voy., p. 110.
Ibe, Parry’s Polar Voy.,p.199. Ine, Sir John Ross’s Second Voy., App. p- li.
This small species was taken on Sir Edward Parry’s first voyage of discovery
whilst swimming among the surface ice of Baffin’s Bay ; multitudes were gathered
248 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
on his second voyage, from the rocky pools of the Duke of York’s Bay, in South-
ampton Island, where they had been left by the falling tide; it was again found
equally plentiful, on his third expedition, in Prince Regent’s Inlet; and on Sir
John Ross’s recent voyage great numbers were collected from crevices in the ice
that covered Batty Bay, in July, 1833, and several were obtained, even in the
winter time, in Felix Harbour. The merlangus polaris is also an inhabitant of the
Spitzbergen Sea, having been found on Sir Edward Parry’s polar voyage, as far
north as latitude 823° N., in plenty, in small bays where streams of fresh water run
into the sea. Itis highly probable that this is the same fish with the gadus virens
of Fabricius, or the ordleet, as he supposes, of the Greenlanders, which is said to
swim near the surface, and to be an agreeable article of food. The Polar coal-fish
forms the principal nourishment of the numerous sea-fowl which migrate to the
Arctic regions in summer, its habit of frequenting the top of the water rendering
it an easy prey. The deluga drives it upon the ice in shoals. In the summer it is
much infested by a /ernea, which attaches itself to the gills.
Captain Sabine describes it as being between five and six inches in length, and as being
very nearly allied to the gadus virens, from which it may be distinguished by the third dorsal
being larger than the two anterior ones, whereas, in virens, the middle one is the largest: the
lower jaw rather exceeds the upper one; the tail is slightly forked. Captain James Ross
says that there is a considerable variation in the number of rays in the fins, the average of a
great many differing slightly from Captain Sabine’s enumeration. Its length, he says, seldom
exceeds ten inches.
Fins. —P. 18; V.6; D. 14—16—19; A. 17—22; C. 42. SaBINE.
LSi 96 4G; 13—15—20 ; 17—21; 42to48. Ross.
[99.] 1. Gapus (Lora) MacuLosus. (Cuvier.) The Methy.
Famiry, Gadoidee. Cuv. Genus, Gadus. Linn. Sub-genus, Lota. Cuv.
Gadus lota. Purnn., Arct. Zool., Intr., p. cxei. Ricu., Fr. Journ., p. 724.
Gadus maculosus. Lx Sueur, Journ. Ac. Sc. Phil.,1., p. 83. An, 1817.
Lota maculosa. Cuv., Rég. An., ii. p. 334. 1829. x
Molva maculosa. Cuv., iz ht. An. 1828.
Methy. Crees. Laloche. Voyaczurs. Dog-fish. Eel-pout. Untrep Srarzs.
The Jota, or lings, have two dorsals, one anal, and more or less numerous bar-
bels. Some species are inhabitants of fresh water. The Common ling, or gadus
molva of Linnzus, is supposed by Fabricius to be a Greenland fish, named by the
natives eevirksoak, but he had not an opportunity of examining a specimen. The
GADOIDE. 249
Methy exists in every river and lake from Canada to the northern extremity of the
continent. It is extremely voracious, and preys on all kinds of fish, which it takes
chiefly or solely in the night. I opened several taken in Pine Island Lake, in the
month of March, which were filled with cray-fish to such a degree, that the form
of their bodies was quite distorted, the soft integuments of their bellies admitting
of great dilatation. It spawns in February, and, consequently, at a period when
the water is thickly covered with ice everywhere north of the great lakes of the
St. Lawrence. Its roe consists of very small eggs, which are so numerous that
Mr. Hutchins is reported, by Pennant, to have counted 671,248 in a single fish.
When well bruised and mixed with a little flour, the roe can be baked into very
good biscuits, which are used in the fur countries as tea-bread. ‘The liver is also
considered to be a delicacy, but the flesh is eaten only in times of great scarcity,
being watery and tasteless, though in the few trials we were obliged to make of its
qualities, it did not appear to be unwholesome. Dogs, accustomed to feed on the
offal of every other kind of fish which exists in those countries, will not eat any
part of this, even when pressed by hunger. Its European representative, on the
contrary, the Burbot, is considered to be a delicate-flavoured fish.
At Fort Good Hope, on the lower part of the Mackenzie, I observed a fish of
this genus, which differed from the ordinary state of the Methy in having much
brighter and more. varied colours, forming reticulations ; but we were on the eve
of embarkation, the pressure of other avocations prevented me from recording its
characters, or even preparing a specimen,—and, returning by another route, I had
no opportunity of seeing it again.
DESCRIPTION
Of a recent specimen killed in Pine Island Lake, March 31, 1820.
Form.—Profile oblong, tapering gradually into the lanceolate, acute extremity of the tail,
which reaches nearly to the centre of the obovate caudal fin. The body, unless when dis-
tended with roe, or with its prey, is compressed, its greatest circumference being just behind
the pectorals, and nearly equalling one-half its length: the depth of the body there is about
one-sixth of the length. Hap broad, depressed, the jaws of equal length and very obtuse :
its length is contained rather less than six times in the total length, or rather more than five
times when the caudal fin is excluded. Eyes small, with a lateral aspect, but from the flat-
ness of the forehead appearing partly on the upper surface. The centre of the oval orbit is two
lengths of its axis from the tip of the snout, and somewhat short of four lengths from the pos-
terior edge of the gill-cover—there being five lengths and a half in the total length of the head.
Nostrils anterior to the orbit, the apertures small, and the foremost furnished with a long, loose,
skinny lid. The upper lip, attached to the intermaxillaries, fits into a fold of the integuments
of the snout. The infermazillaries are attached to the snout by cartilages which admit of a
2k
250 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
rotatory motion but no protrusion: their lower ends are with the labials which lie in the angle
of the mouth, thrust out a little by the extension of the jaws. The labials are about half as
long as the intermaxillaries, their posterior extremities pass a little beyond the centre of the
orbit. The lower jaw is strong, and there is a small cirrhus attached to the tip of the chin.
TreetH.—The intermaxillaries and lower jaw are armed with slender, hooked teeth, in even,
card-like, rather broad belts. A still broader belt covers the knob of the vomer and anterior
ends of the palate-bones. There are teeth of the same kind on the pharyngeal bones, and on
a double row of tuberculous rakers on each branchial arch. The tongue is obtuse, fleshy, and
smooth. GLL-covers rounded and edged with soft membrane ; the branchial aperture is
large, and its membrane, containing seven curved rays, is continuous with its fellow, forming
a flap which is loose behind : the rays are semi-cylindrical, being flat exteriorly.
Sca.es small, roundish, and so deeply imbedded in a gelatinous epidermis as to be scarcely
perceptible in the recent fish. When examined with a lens, the concentric circles indicating
their growth are perceived to be very regular, but no radiating furrows can be seen. The
epidermis is covered with minute dark specks, most conspicuous though less crowded on the
lighter-coloured sides and belly. In the dried specimen scales are perceptible, either scat-
tered or crowded, on every part of the head, body, and fins, except the muzzle, lips, edges of
the orbits, and labials: on the forepart of the body the scales are nearly their own breadth
apart, but posteriorly they are more close, and on the tail they are in contact or even tiled:
they are also crowded on the cheeks, gill-covers, and caudal fin; but very small and widely
scattered on the dorsal and anal fins, and scarcely perceptible on the gill-membrane. As the
scales dry they become depressed in the centre, or saucer-shaped. Lateral line marked by a
continuous, slender furrow, lined or bordered with minute scales: it is nearer to the back than
to the belly, and is slightly arched till it passes the first third of the anal fin, after which it
takes a straight course and is no longer discernible, when it comes within three inches of the
extremity of the tail. ‘The anus is exactly midway between the snout and tip of the tail (ex-
cluding the fin).
Fins.—Br.7*; P. 16; V.6; D. 12—74; A. 71; C. 50.
The pectorals are unequally obovate and contain sixteen rays. The ventrals or jugulars,
situated anteriorly to the pectorals, are soft, slender, and tapering to a point: the first of their
six rays is the strongest. The first dorsal contains six rays, the first of which is short, and
the last one very slender. The distance from the snout to the anus being divided into four
parts, the first dorsal occupies rather more than the anterior half of the fourth part. The
second dorsal, commencing about a quarter of an inch from the first, contains seventy-four
rays, the three or four first ones gradually increase in length, the margin of the rest of the fin
is even, and it is rounded off at its termination. The fin in general is nearly half an inch
lower than the first dorsal. The anal fin, commencing opposite to the ninth ray of the second
dorsal, and close to the anus, is of equal height throughout, except the two or three first rays,
which are short: it is rounded off at its termination like the second dorsal. The rays of the
* Foster could find only six gill-rays in his specimen from Hudson’s Bay.
GADOIDE. 251
dorsals and anal are, as in all fish, double, but they are most visibly so at their bases, their
summits spreading very slightly. The caudal fin is obovate, its extremity being nearly semi-
circular. It takes its origin in contact with the second dorsal and anal, but its form renders
it sufficiently distinct: it contains fifty rays, the four central ones attached to the end of the
vertebral column, the others to slender distinct interspinous bones, nine of the rays of the base
above and below gradually increase in length, the other thirty-two are nearly equal to each
other, but originating on the lanceolate tail give the peculiar form to the fin.
Cotour.—Head and back dull chestnut brown tending to yellowish-brown, the back mar-
bled with lighter spots: belly orange-white, becoming grey towards the sides by the aspersion
of dark brown specks. Ventrals white.
INTESTINES.
The wide esophagus is lined by a white membrane having longitudinal folds: the stomach
is distinguished from it by still greater width, a stronger muscular coat, and by the red-
dish colour of its lining, which also presents more numerous and somewhat convoluted folds.
The very small pylorus is so situated as to leave one half of the stomach in form of a
cul de sac. An inch from the stomach the ceca, about sixty in number, encircle the intes-
tine, uniting into ten large trunks whose orifices are close to each other: they are filled with
thin feculent matter. The intestine gradually diminishes in calibre, and its coats become
weaker towards the anus; next which, however, there is a more muscular portion with an
approach to a valvular apparatus at its origin, formed by a contraction of the muscular coat,
and a corresponding projection of the lining of the canal. The whole alimentary canal makes
two conyolutions, and its length to that of the fish, excluding the caudal fin, is as thirty-eight
to twenty-two. The liver has a cream-yellow colour tinged with flesh-red: its -ransverse
diameter is the greatest, and it has a small central triangular flap or lobe; it was observed,
however, that the size and form of the liver varied considerably in different individuals. The
gall-duct terminates in the intestine below the openings of the ceca; there is a dilatation in
it equal in size to the gall-bladder itself. The spleen is situated near the rectum. The air-
bladder has two short horns at its upper end, and its lining is encrusted by a number of stel-
liform fatty substances. The firm cordiform kidneys are lodged in a sac between the spine
and lower end of the air-bladder. The urinary bladder is strong and muscular.
Dimensions.
Inches, Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from end of snout toend of caudalfin 21 9 Length of attachment of Ist dorsal . al 5
rr ; tip of tail “ . . 20 4 ; on 2nd ditto 9 6
a Bs end of dorsal-and anal fins 18 10 ., a anal. 8 6
* re anus . ¢ c 5 10 3 BS rays of 2nd dorsal, about 1 1
op 3 commencement of Ist dorsal 7 10 5} > anal . g 5 O 11
3 9 edge of gill-cover . - 3 10 yy central rays of caudal . 1 7
re of nape . 2 54 5, . from bases of caudal to its end 3 2
» Of intermaxillaries é : 1 24 Greatest girth of body : 0 . 10 4
” Jabials 5 : o 0 8 Length of aliment. canal from gullet toanus 35 1
7 lower jaw c . . 6 2 0 » from gullet to pylorus 9 . 4 0
B pectoral fin 2 3 ae pylorus to rectum. . 29 1
By ventrals ¢ . Z a 4 » ofrectum 5 - . 6 0
ye
202 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[100.] 1. Gapus (Brosmius) FLAVESCENS. (Le Sueur.) Yellow tusk.
Famiry, Gadoidex. Cuv. Genus, Gadus. Linn. Sub-genus, Brosmius. Cuv.
Le Brosme jaune (Brosmerus flavescens). Le Suzur, Mém. du Mus., v. p. 158.
An. 1817. Pl. 16, f. 2.
Tusk, or Cusk. Newrounpianp FIisHERMEN.
The brosmii, or tusks, have only a single long dorsal—Fabricius refers the
neyorpalloogak of the Greenlanders to this sub-genus, but as he did not see the
fish himself, and gives no description of it, we have no means of judging how far
it agrees with the Yellow tusk, which inhabits the banks of Newfoundland spar-
ingly. M. Le Sueur, who is our sole authority for the latter as a distinct species,
does not say whether or not it is the same with the cusk of the Massachusetts
coast, which Dr. J. V. C. Smith refers to the brosmius vulgaris. In the Yellow
tusk the lower jaw is longer than the upper one, but in the Common tusk the upper
jaw is the longest. The following is M. Le Sueur’s description of the Newfound-
land species.
Cotour, generally, an agreeable yellow, the dorsal, pectoral, and anal, edged with black
and white. The very thick skin is furnished with small, round, crowded scales, very irre-
gularly placed. The lateral line is arched above the pectorals. Form.—The body is long,
broadest next the head, and compressed towards the tail. The head broad and flat, the
snout obtuse and rounded. ‘The eye large and oblique, the lower jaw has two barbels. The
orifice of the mouth is wide. The teeth on the jaws and palate are sharp, with the points
turned backwards, and are crowded into many rows. The pharyngeal bones, above and
below, are toothed, and the branchial arches are armed on the sides with little tubercles
studded with strong conical curved teeth. Fins.—Br.7; P.25; V.6. The dorsal and
anal are very long, and their rays consequently numerous, as is the case also with the caudal,
which is of a large size. The length of the specimen was two feet. Le Surur, l. c.
Fabricius mentions one other species of gadus as an inhabitant of the Green-
land seas, the akooleedkeetsok, which he supposes to be the merluccius, or hake,
but this reference must be very uncertain, as his knowledge of the fish was derived
solely from the reports of the natives.
GADOIDE, 253
[101.] 1. Gapus (Puycis) punctatus (Mitch.) Spotted Phycis.
Famity, Gadoidee. Cuv. Genus, Gadus. Linn. Sub-genus, Phycis. Arrsp1.
Spotted cod (Gadus punctatus), MurcHitt, i., p. 372.
The sub-genus phycis is characterised by the ventrals containing only a single
ray, which is often forked. The head is large, there is a barbel attached to the
chin, and there are two dorsals, the second of which is long. The Spotted phycis
is figured and described by Dr. Mitchill as one of the New York fish, though he
says it is the rarest of this family in that quarter. Our wood-cut is from a sketch
made by Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton Smith, of a specimen which was captured
off Halifax, Nova Scotia.
« Length ten inches. Colour of the back and sides pale brown or whitish, with lines
between the scales; of the neck and belly dull white with suffusions of cream colour. First
dorsal marked above with a black spot surmounted by the white tips of the rays. Anal
brownish edged with black. Lateral line distinct and peculiar, consisting of a narrow black
mark, alternating at spaces of half an inch apart, with white dashes about one-eighth of an
inch long. In some individuals there is an imperfect whitish straight fillet under the lateral
line. The chin has one small cirrhus. Ventrals two cleft, the second ray two inches long.
Rays.—P. 13; V.1; D. 9—47; A.47; C. 23.” Murcurtt, l. c.
254 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
[102.] 1. Macrourus ruprstris. (Bloch.) Rock Grenadier.
Faminy, Gaporpets a¥Finis. Cuv. Gernus, Macrourus. Brocu.
Coryphena rupestris, Fasricius, Fauna Grenl., p.154. No. 111.
Macrourus rupestris, Scun., Bloch, p. 103, t. 26.
‘* Lepidoleprus celorhynchus. Risso, pl. vii., f. 22.”
Ingmingoak, GREENLANDERS.
This fish exists in the bays of ‘south Greenland, the European Atlantic, and
Mediterranean. It inhabits great depths of water, and is fished for with a long
line. When drawn to the surface its body is distended with air, and it emits a
grunting sound like the gurnard. Its flesh is prized by the Greenlanders.
DESCRIPTION
Compiled from Fabricius, Schneider, and Cuvier.
Form.—Body oblong, thick anteriorly, slender posteriorly. Head large, depressed with a
flat immoveable snout, formed by the union of the sub-orbitar and nasal bones, projecting over
the mouth. Eyes large and prominent. Gill-openings wide. Mouth ample. Jaws move-
able as usual, and armed with very fine short teeth in five rows. Tongue and palate smooth.
Scales silvery, hard, and armed on the head and forepart of the body with several longitudinal
serrated ridges, on the posterior parts with only one ridge: the gill-membranes and fins are
alone free of scales. Lateral line straight and near the back. -dnus in the anterior third part
of the fish. Fins pointed. The second dorsal and anal, both very long, unite to form the
accuminated caudal: first dorsal short and high. A difference in the number of the second
dorsal and anal rays, as given by Fabricius and Schneider, has evidently originated in the
latter enumerating among the rays of these two fins those of the caudal.
Fins.—Br.6; P 18; V.8; D. 11—112; A.112; C.—. Fasricius.
ie To"; 7; 86 /TI—124; 48"; 272. SCHNEIDER.
PLATESSOIDE. 255
PLATESSOIDEZ.—FLAT FISH.
TuE fish of this family were included by Linneus in a single large genus, which
was named pleuronectes by Artedi, to denote their peculiar habit of swimming on
one side. They have, in fact, a character of which there is no example in any
other family of vertebrated animals, that of both eyes being on the same side of the
head, which is the uppermost when the fish swims, and is more or less deeply
coloured, while the other side is always whitish. The orifice of the mouth is
oblique, with unequal sides, and the greatly compressed body partakes more or less
of the want of symmetry observable in the head ; the pectorals are seldom uniform,
the dorsal occupies the whole length of the back, the anal fringes the under edge
of the body, and the ventrals, which are often joined to one another, appear like an
anterior continuation of it. There are six gill-rays. The abdominal cavity, which
is small, is prolonged into the substance of the tail to give room for the lodgment
of the viscera, the anus being far forward. The cranium is composed of the ordi-
nary number of bones, though their forms are curious, owing to both the orbits
being on one side. ‘There is no air-bladder, and these fish seldom leave the bot-
tom. The latter circumstance may account for the fish of this family being found
in all climates, the temperature of the bottom of the ocean being comparatively
equable. The Flat fish yield a wholesome and agreeable article of diet to the in-
habitants of every coast. The following are reported to inhabit the seas of the
United States; but as many of them have been very imperfectly described, it is not
certain whether they are all proper species, or even rightly referred to the sub-
genera. PLATESSH.—Pleuronectes dentatus, Summer flounder. Linn., SCHOEPF,
MircnitL; Pleur. Americanus, Scun. (Rhode Island flounder, ScHoeEpr) ;
Pleur. melanogaster, Black-bellied flounder, Mircuiti; Pleur. oblongus, Spotted
flounder, MitcuiLtt. Hippocioss1—Pleur. hippoglossus, Halibut, ScHoEpr,
Penn., Mitcu., SmMirnH. Ruomsi.—Pleur. argus vel lineatus, Buocu, CATESBY ;
Rhombus maximus, Turbot, SmitH. SoLe#.—Sole, Pleur. solen, PENN. (Solea
vulgaris, SmMitH). Acuriri.—Pleur. lineatus, Linn. (Pleur. mollis, New York
sole, Mircu.); Pleur. plagiusa, GARDEN, LINN.
It is highly probable that many of the above extend their range to the British
American coasts. La Hontan mentions “ plies et turbots comme en Kurope,” as
frequenting the embouchure of the St. Lawrence, and Pennant enumerates the
250 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Common flounder, halibut, plaice, and sole, as inhabitants of the American seas
generally. The halibut and two others exist on the Greenland coast, and two
species have been observed on the arctic coast of America. Four were noticed by
Mr. Collie in the bay of Awatska, “ one, allied to the plewronectes platessa of Lin-
nus, having a spinous line extending from the posterior part of the eyes to the
hinder and upper part of the operculum, the remainder of the head being smooth ;
another, noted as a variety of the last, but having the head covered with roughly
projecting tubercles; the third, the pleuronectes stellatus of Pallas, and the fourth,
supposed to be the pleuronectes hippoglossus.(?) Eschscholtz, speaking of the
natural productions of Norfolk Sound, on the north-west coast of America, says
that there is no great variety of fish, but the individuals are numerous. In his
short list he includes a pleuronectes several feet long, probably the halibut, which
is found abundantly in the same neighbourhood. ‘ While we lay here,” says
the author of that voyage, “ the natives supplied us very plentifully with halibut,
which we bought of them for beads and small toys. The place where these halibut
were caught is in the offing round the point of land. Our whale-boat was one day
sent to this place with seven hands on a fishing party, but their success was greatly
inferior to that of two Indians, who were fishing at the same time, which is rather
extraordinary, if we consider the apparent inferiority of their tackle to ours. Their
hook is a large simple piece of wood, the shank at least half an inch in diameter ;
that part which turns up, and which forms an acute angle, is considerably smaller,
and brought gradually to a point: a flat piece of wood, about six inches long, and
near two inches wide, is neatly lashed to the shank, on the back of which is rudely
carved the representation of a human face. ‘They bait their hook with a kind of
fish called by the sailors squid (cuttle-fish), and having sunk it to the bottom,
they fix a bladder to the end of the line as a buoy, and should that not watch suf-
ficiently, they add another. ‘Their lines are very strong, being made of the sinews
or intestines of animals. One man is suflicient to look after five or six of these
buoys; when he perceives a fish bite, he is in no great hurry to haul up his line,
but gives him time to be well hooked ; and when he has hauled the fish up to the
surface of the water, he knocks him on the head with a short club, provided for
the purpose, and afterwards stows away his prize at his leisure: this is done to
prevent the halibut, which sometimes are very large, from damaging, or perhaps
upsetting, his canoe in their dying struggles. Thus were we fairly beat at our
own weapons; and the natives constantly bringing us plenty of fish, our boat was
never sent on this business afterwards.” Dixon also observed another flat-fish
which is frequently mentioned in the account of the voyage under the name of
PLATESSOIDEA. PLM
sand-dab. ‘Our hooks and lines were generally overboard, but the only kind of
fish we caught was a sort greatly resembling a flounder, and called by the sailors
sand-dabs.” Lewis and Clark say that a flounder, the same with the Atlantic
species, is well known at the mouth of the Columbia River, where it is often left
on the beach by the recess of the tide. The Indians eat it and think it very fine.
Mr. Collie saw a rhombus on the coast of California.
[ 103. ] 1. PLEURONECTES (PLATESSA) STELLATUS. (Pallas.)
Stellated flounder.
Faminy, Platessoidex (Potssons plats). Cuv. Genus, Pleuronectes. Linn. Sub-genus, Platessa. Cuv.
Pleuronectes stellatus. Paunas, Nov. Act. Petrop.,i. p. 347. An. 1783. Tuivesius, Ub. crt.,
i, t. ix., f. 1, p.387. An. 1787.
Cambala. Russians, Tanticu. Kuriians.
In the sub-genus platessa, or the flounders, there is a row of obtuse cutting
teeth on each jaw, and most frequently some teeth en pavés on the pharyngeal
bones ; the dorsal does not extend farther forward than the upper eye, and, like
the anal, it leaves a naked space between its termination and the caudal. The
flounders have a rhomboidal form, and in most the eyes are on the right side.
They have two or three small ceca. On Sir John Franklin’s first expedition we
caught a flounder at the mouth of the Coppermine, and of several other rivers that
fall into the Arctic Sea. As the subjoined brief description, which was the only
memorial I could preserve of it, agrees pretty well with the published accounts
and figures of the plewronectes stellatus of Pallas, I have considered it to be that
species. If this opinion be correct, the stellated flounder is most probably an
inhabitant of the Kamtschatdale seas, and of the whole north coast of America.
It is plentiful on the Kamtschatdale coast, near the mouths of rivers, and in shel-
tered bays, where it is most readily taken in May and June. In winter it is said
to bury itself in the sand. It varies in size from ten to fourteen inches. Tilesius
says that it is distinguished from all other species by the black stripes on the fins,
and the forms of its tubercles or scales.
DESCRIPTION
Of a recent specimen, taken July 16, 1821, off the Coppermine River, lat. 673° N.
Form.—Profile of the body broadly elliptical, terminated by a strap-shaped tail and a
caudal fin scolloped between the rays. Eyes on the left side, moderately large. Nostrils
21
258 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
close to the upper lip, so as to be closed by the retraction of the jaws. The upper margin of
the mouth is formed entirely by the intermaxillaries, the labials lying in a membrane behind
them, and acting as a lever in aid of their protrusion. Under jaw longer than the upper one.
Teeth small, chisel-shaped, forming an even row on the intermaxillaries and lower jaw.
Tongue conical, blunt, and smooth. Palate also smooth. Five gill-rays, the interior one,
which is the smallest, being united to its fellow in the opposite membrane. The dorsal com-
mences above the centre of the orbit, and ends at the strap-shaped tail: it is highest in the
middle, thus having the form of an obtuse-angled triangle. The anal begins half an inch
behind the anus, and is similar in shape to the dorsal, with which its termination corresponds:
the two fins conjointly give a rhomboidal outline to the fish: their rays are simple but articu-
lated, and the membrane is scolloped between them: the central rays of both fins are two
inches long. ‘There is a small spine at the beginning of the anal pointing forwards. The
ventrals, situated under the pectorals, contain six rays. Scales.—Skin of both sides of the body
studded with stellated, bony tubercles *. CoLour of the upper side liver-brown without spots,
of the under surface white tinged with red towards the tail: the fins are reddish with broad
vertical black stripes. LENGTH one foot.
[104.] 2. PLEuRoNEcTES (RHoMBUS) GLACIALIS. (Pallas?) dretic
Turbot.
Genus, Pleuronectes. Linn. Swb-genus, Rhombus. Cuv.
Pleuronectes glacialis, Pauias, Reise durch versch. Prov. des Rusch, 1772-73, p. 706 + ?
This fish was taken in Bathurst’s Inlet, under similar circumstances with the
preceding. No specimens were brought home, and the description is too brief and
general to serve to identify the species completely. Unless Pallas has overlooked
the nearly hidden anal spine, ours is a different species from his.
* Pallas describes these tubercles as follows:—“ Tubercula omnia centro glabrata, hinc radiatim muricata, extimo spinulis
longioribus subradiantia.” ‘Tilesius calls them “ tubercuda stellata,” “ aculeato-stellata,” or “ stellule aculeate ;” and Mr.
Collie, who observed the species in Awatska Bay, says that they are subpentagonal, set round with small blunt teeth. The
stomachs of the individuals he opened contained small fishes. The rays of the fins are counted as follows by the two
former authors.
Raxs.—Br. 3; D. 56; 4.37; P.12; ¥.6; C.18. Pallas.
6; O25 4 Ol 8; 6; 16. Tilesius.
+ Pallas’s short description of his P. glacialis is as follows:—*‘ Dodrantalis, facie Flesi. Oculi a latere dextro fusco,
subaspero ; Latus album leve. Spine nullew, nec ad pinnas, neque in linea laterali, Tractus capitis, pone oculos promi-
nulus, scaber, sed non in tubercula divisus. Radii medii pinne dorsi anique a latere fusco quasi spinulis minutissimis
hispidati. Radii p. dorsi 56, ani 39. Frequens in oris arenosis Oceani glacialis.”
PLATESSOIDEA. 259
DESCRIPTION
Of a recent specimen, taken in Bathurst Inlet, lat. 67° 40’ N., 5th August, 1821.
Form.—Profile somewhat ovate, the snout rather acute, and the tail linear or strap-shaped
for half an inch. Heav.—Fyes moderately large, on the right side, near the snout. ostrils
between the eyes. Mouth small, its margin formed by obtuse lips; when closed the small,
callous, obtuse tip of the lower jaw projects upwards. Teeth fine, brush-like, in an even band
on both mandibles. Fins.—Dorsal and anal bordering the body to the height or depth of an
inch, becoming narrower before and behind. There is a spine almost concealed by the skin at
the commencement of the anal. The ventrals are under the pectorals; both are small.
Caudal cuneiform, entire. ScaLxs small, those on the back rough-edged, those on the white
sides smooth. Lateral line straight. Cotour.—A mixture of yellowish-grey and dull, green-
ish-grey, somewhat clouded but without defined spots. Belly bluish-white. Caudal fin
irregularly spotted with red. Jrides wood-brown.
22
260 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
DISCOBOLI.
THE union of the ventrals into a disk with which the fish can adhere, as by a
sucker, to stones and other substances, is a distinguishing character of this family.
The species, few in number, are arranged in two genera—Lepadogaster, mostly
European, and not hitherto detected in America; and Cyclopterus, distributed
throughout the northern parts of the Atlantic and Pacific. The following have been
enumerated among the fish of the United States. Cyclopterus lumpus, PENN.,
SmityH (C. cwruleus, MITcHILL); C. minutus, Smita.—C. ventricosus, PALL.,
and C. gelatinosus, IpEM, inhabit the sea between Kamtschatka and America.
[ 105. ] 1. CycLoprerus Lumpus. (Linn.) The Lump.
Famiy, Discoboli. Cuv. Genus, Cyclopterus. Linn. Sub-genus, Lumpus. Cov.
Cyclopterus lumpus. Fanr., Faun. Grenl., p. 131.
Common lump. Pewnn., Arct. Zool., Suppl., p.110. No. 13.
Blue lump fish (Cyclopterus coeruleus). Murcuixt, i., p. 480, pl. IL, f. 7.
Nepeesa, Angusedlok, ma/e, Arnardlok, female, GREENLANDERS.
The genus Cyclopterus possesses a well-marked character in the form of the
ventrals, whose rays surround the pelvis, and are united by a membrane into a
single concave oval disk, or sucker. The mouth is wide, and the jaws and pharyn-
geals are armed with bands of small pointed teeth; the gill-covers are small, and
the gill-openings are closed below by their membrane, in which there are six rays.
The very large pectorals unite with each other almost under the throat so as to
embrace the disk of the ventrals. The skeleton acquires little bony hardness, but
the viscous skin, destitute of scales, is sprinkled with small hard tubercles. The
stomach is pretty large, the caeca numerous, the intestine long, and the air-bladder
of a moderate size. ‘There are two sub-genera, Lumpus and Liparis, which are
distinguished from each other by the form of the body and the presence of one or
two dorsals. In the dumps there is a very low first dorsal supported by simple
rays, and a second one with branched rays opposed to the anal ; the body is thick.
The Common lump appears to be an inhabitant of both sides of the North Atlantic,
in all the temperate latitudes, and up to the Arctic circle ; but it seems to be most
DISCOBOLI. 261
abundant about the 60th parallel, being very plentiful among the Orkney islands,
and on the Greenland coast. Dr. Mitchill describes the lump of the New York
coast as a distinct species, under the name of Cyclopterus ewruleus, but his figure
is a tolerable representation of the Common lump, and no part of his description
disagrees with this species,—the colours of his specimen being very similar to those
of the “ pavonian sucker” of Beaumaris Bay, described by the Reverend Hugh
Davies, which differs from the common state of the lump merely in the brilliancy
of its tints. Indeed this fish varies greatly in hue according to its age and sex, the
male being generally more coloured. Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton Smith ob-
tained a lump resembling Mitchill’s, in the Baie des Chaleurs of the Gulf of St.
Lawrence. Fabricius describes the lump as approaching the rocky bays on the
Greenland coast, in the months of April and May, for the purpose of spawning.
The female precedes and deposits her roe among the larger algze, and in fissures
of the rocks; the male shortly follows and fructifies the eggs, adhering so closely to
the mass of roe, that the impression is left upon the hollow surface of the shield
formed by the ventrals; after which he keeps watch over the sacred deposit, and
guards it from every foe with the utmost courage. If driven from the spot by man,
he does not go far, but is continually looking back, and in a short time returns.
Even the well-armed wolf-fish hazards his life if he approaches the lump’s nest ;
for this creature, notwithstanding the smallness of its teeth, is (as we have already
mentioned, p. 95, on the authority of Fabricius) capable of attaching itself to its
adversary’s neck, and inflicting thereon a mortal wound. Lacépéde denies the
truth of the whole of this story, attributing its origin to the vivid imagination of
some one who having occasionally seen two of these fish sticking to the same
stone in the vicinity of a deposit of spawn, inferred that the cold and sluggish lump
is animated by ardent feelings of constant love, conjugal tenderness and fidelity,
and a devoted attachment to its offspring. But, notwithstanding the eloquence
which this writer has employed to discredit the vulgar opinion of the lump’s care
for its progeny, it is not perhaps altogether devoid of truth, and it can be supported,
if not by direct testimony, at least by analogous facts. The gouramy (osphromenus
olfax), one of the anabasidea, which attains the size of a turbot, is said to dig a pit
in the sand wherein it deposits its roe: we have quoted, in page 96, Olivi’s account
of the male Venetian goby building a nuptial chamber for the reception of the
spawn which he impregnates, as it is deposited there by various females that come
in succession into his harem: the hassars of Essequibo, belonging to the genera
Doras and Callichthys of the siluroid family, not only construct a nest of leaves or
grass to contain their roe, but the male and female (for they pair) watch and de-
262 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
fend it till the young come forth * : the protection which some of the cartilaginous
fishes are reported to afford to their young, by receiving them into their mouths, is
not less remarkable: in short, when we consider the instinct with which various
reptiles and insects are endowed for the preservation of their eggs, there does not
appear to be anything surprising in the fact, that some tribes of fish have been
formed with similar desires and powers.
‘The food of the lump consists chiefly of soft mollusc@, particularly small ptero-
podes and acalepha, as cho, medusa, and berée, which abound in the northern
seas. ‘The Greenlanders eat its flesh, either cooked or dried, and its skin raw,
throwing away only the tubercles, being in this respect less nice than the seals
of the Pentland firth, which devour a great many lumps but reject the skins. If
the authority of Sir Walter Scott is to pass current in gastronomy, the lump, or
cock-paidle as it is named in Scotland, is a fish of good quality, for he makes Mr.
Oldbuck give the same price for one that he does for the bannock-fluke, or turbot.
The epithet of cock-paidle seems to have originated in the resemblance of the first
_ dorsal, which is enveloped, like the rest of the fish, in a thick, tuberculated skin, to
the comb of a domestic cock. Sibbald mentions another “ gibbosus piscis,” as
known in Scotland by the name of “ hush-paidle,” or “ bagaty.” Not having
access to an American specimen of the lump, I shall omit the description.
Fins.—Br. 4; D. O—11; P.20; V.6; A.11; C.12. Fasrictus, 1. c.
6; —Il1; WER 6; ll; 93. Scottish specimen.
[106.] 2. Cyctoprerus minutus. (Pallas.) Diminutive lump.
Cyclopterus minutus. Patt, Spice. Zool., vii., p. 14, pl. 3, figs. 7—9.
Fazr., Faun. Greend., p.135. Ross, App., p. xlvi.
Nepeesardlooarksook. GREENLANDERS.
Captain J. C. Ross says “ Pallas’s description of this extraordinary and beau-
tiful little fish is most perfect. It is found in many parts of the Atlantic Ocean ;
Fabricius observed it in the southern parts of Greenland, and great numbers were
taken by us from among the extensive floating patches of sea-weed that are met
with off that coast ; but it has never been seen at any great distance to the north-
* This is not the only analogy that these fishes present to the anabasidee. Like the latter they travel over land in quest
of water when the pools which they inhabit dry up, and, according to Indian information, they also possess the power of
carrying an internal supply of water, but we are not informed whether the reservoir be situated over the gills, as in the
anabasidee, or elsewhere.
DISCOBOLI. 263
ward of the Arctic circle. It rarely much exceeds an inch in length, and is there-
fore not used by the natives of Greenland as food, but constitutes the chief means
of subsistence to the several species of gulls which are seen hovering over those
banks of sea-weed in astonishing numbers.” Ross, /. e.
[ 107. ] 3. CyYCLOPTERUS spINosuS. (Fabricius.) Spiny lump.
Cyclopterus spinosus. Fasr., Faun. Grenl., p. 134.
Nepeesardlook. GREENLANDERS.
Fabricius saw but a single individual of this species, which he obtained in the
southern part of Greenland. It is not eaten by the natives.
The tubercles of the skin are not ranged in rows as in the lump, their bases are
rough, and they rise into a longish spine in the centre, the largest being upon the
upper parts, while the belly is smooth. The first dorsal is not so high, nor so
thick, as in the lump, and its edge is not armed with tubercles, but its soft rays
are evident enough. The hue of the fish is blackish, the belly whitish, and the
twelve first rays of the pectorals quite white. Fins.—Br.6; D.6—11; P. 23;
V.6; A.10; C.10.—Fauna Grenl.
[108.] 4. CycLoprerus veNTRIcosus. (Pallas.) Bellying lump.
Cyclopterus ventricosus. Pawt., Spicileg., II., 1, 2, 3.
Lepadogaster ventricosus. Scunerp., Bloch, p. 3.
This species being an inhabitant of the straits which separate Kamtschatka from
America, and therefore belonging equally to both continents, ought to be enumerated
in a list of American fish.
[109.] 1. CycLoprerus (Liparis) communis. (Artedi.) Unctuous sucker.
Fairy, Discoboli. Cuv. Genus, Cyclopterus. Linn. Sub-genus, Liraris, ARTEDI.
Cyclopterus liparis. Faxr., Faun. Grenl., p.135. Ross, App. Parry’s Polar Voyage, p. 199.
Liparis communis. Sapine, App. Parry’s First Voyage, p. ecxii. ; Ross, App., p. xlvil.
Abapokeetsok. GrezNtanprers. Sea-snail. Yorxsuire FisHERMEN.
The Unetuous sucker is said to inhabit all the northern seas. It abounds on
264 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
the Greenland coast, and was taken on the west side of Davis’ Strait, in the 70th
parallel of latitude, on Sir Edward Parry’s first expedition, and more recently near
Felix Harbour, in Regent’s Inlet, by Captain James C. Ross. The same officer
observed it on the north side of Spitzbergen in 803° of latitude. Fabricius says it
feeds upon young fish, small crustacez, and marine confervee. It is not eaten by
the Greenlanders. The fish of this sub-genus have only one dorsal, which is, like
the anal, pretty long: the body is smooth, elongated, and compressed towards the
tail. I have had no opportunity of comparing American specimens of the unc-
tuous sucker with the European fish, but Captain Sabine says that those taken in
Davis’ Strait differ in no respect from the unctuous suckers of the English coast.
Captain James C. Ross states that the average length of those that came under
his observation, in his various voyages, was about three inches.
Fabricius notices a iiparis of a larger size, which is known to the Greenlanders
by the name of amersulak. Though this kind attains the length of a foot, and
agrees, he informs us, in many particulars with the cyclopterus gelatinosus of
Pallas, he does not think that it is a distinct species from the preceding one.
The following notice of a fish of this family, which inhabits Behring’s Strait, is
from the Appendix to Captain Beechey’s Voyage. “ Off St. Lawrence Island
was caught in a dredge, a fish apparently allied to the genus Liparis. It had the
ventral fins placed before the pectorals, but united and continuous with them; a
flat, raised, and rough tubercle, of nearly the diameter of an English sixpence, was
seated forwards between the pectorals, its anterior part reaching as far as the ven-
trals: its ceca were pretty numerous (CoLuiz). The roughness of this tubercle
renders it difficult to refer the fish to any known species, but it is probably nearly
related to the cyclopterus gelatinosus, Pallas, a iiparis which is known to inhabit
the seas in which this was obtained. The existence of c@ca removes it from
Lepadogaster of Gouan.” Bennett, App., p. 50.
ECHENEIDE. 265
ECHENEIDEL.
Tue members of this family, which contains only one genus, may be at once recog-
nised by a fiat disk on the top of the head with which they attach themselves to
sharks, ships’ bottoms, &c.: it is composed of transverse moveable cartilaginous
plates, toothed or spinous on their posterior edges, and divided into two series by a
mesial longitudinal line. The echeneide@ have an elongated body clothed with
small scales ; a single, soft dorsal opposite the anal ; the head altogether flat above ;
the eyes lateral; the mouth horizontal and rounded; the lower jaw projecting
beyond the upper one, and armed, like the intermaxillaries, with small teeth in
card-like plates ; a very uniform row of slender teeth, resembling eye-lashes, on the
edge of the labials, which form the border of the upper jaw ; the vomer furnished
anteriorly with a cardiform stripe of teeth, and its whole dilated surface as well as
the tongue rough. ‘They have eight gill-rays, the stomach forms a wide, blind sac,
the czca are six or eight, the gut is wide and short, and they want the air-bladder.
The echeneide@ are very disagreeable-looking fish, the flatness of the top of the
head giving them the appearance of swimming belly upwards: they fasten them-
selves upon the shark apparently for the purpose of being conveyed at ease through
the ocean, and of being ready to consume any small fragments that drop from the
monster’s jaws when he takes his prey. Great numbers attach themselves to ships’
bottoms in the tropical seas, particularly on the coast of Africa, and when the cook
throws the washings of his coppers overboard, they dart off to feed upon the grease
and boiled pease with which the water is soiled, returning again in a short time to
the ship, swimming with a wriggling motion like an eel, and with considerable
velocity, so as to overtake with ease a vessel going before a brisk gale. They are
"wary in taking a bait, but may be occasionally allured by a pellet of fat, or a little
piece of greasy dough, covering a very small hook. ‘The echeneide@ inhabit both
the Atlantic and Pacific, being numerous only within the tropics; their northern
limit, in the former sea, appears to be about the 48th parallel. A well-known
Mediterranean species, which exists also in the ocean, was fabled by the ancients
to possess the power of arresting a ship in its course, whence its name of evevyic,
and echeneis among the Greek and Roman authors, and of remora by more modern
writers. The same species, and another of a larger size named naucrates, are
included by Drs. Mitchill and Smith in their respective lists of the fish of New
2M
266 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
York and Massachusetts, but their identity with those known to European natural-
ists by the same names is questionable. Dr. Mitchill enumerates twenty-four plates
in the disk of his Big oceanic sucker (echeneis naucrates), while the naucrates of
Cuvier has only twenty-two; and Dr. Smith’s figure of the echeneis of Boston,
which he refers to remora, represents a much more slender fish than the Mediter-
ranean one of that name, the number of the plates of the disk being, however,
eighteen in both. Heheneis lineata of Schneider has only ten plates in the disk,
and HE. osteocheir of Cuvier has the pectoral rays compressed, bony, and terminated
by a slightly crenated little plate.
[110.] 1. Ecneneris Naucrates. (Auct.) Ship-master echeneis.
Famity, Echeneidew. Genus, Echeneis. ARrTeEpI.
A specimen of an echeneis in the Zoological Museum, obtained by Mr. Audubon
on the banks of Newfoundland, has twenty-two pairs of nearly transverse plates in
its disk, agreeing in this and other respects with the accounts of the echeneis
naucrates, to be found in ichthyological works, but I have had no opportunity of
procuring an authenticated example of the latter wherewith to compare it. The
naucrates, or ship-master, inhabits all the warmer districts of the Atlantic, and was
taken by Mr. Collie among the South-Sea Islands.
ANGUILLIFORMES. 267
MALACOPTERYGII APODES.
ANGUILLIFORMES.
allel] 1. ANGUILLA ROSTRATA. (Le Sueur.) Beaked-cel.
Famiry, Anguilliformes. Cuv. Genus, Anguilla, Tuunserc. Sub-genus, Murena. Lac#e.
Mureua rostrata. Le Sueur, Journ. Ac. Sc. Phil., i, p.81. An. 1817.
Tus order contains only one natural family of which the members have serpen-
tiform bodies, clothed with thick, soft skin in which the scales are scarcely percep-
tible, their ribs are few, and they have no ceca; almost all of them possess air-
bladders, often of very curious shapes—The Ext family may be recognised by
their small opercula, surrounded concentrically by the gill-rays, and enveloped in
the skin, so that the gill-opening is reduced to a small tube whose orifice is far back.
Their bodies are long and slender, and their scales, embedded in a fat thick skin,
become visible only when this dries up: they all want the ventral fins and pyloric
czeca, and their anus is far back. All these fish were included by Linneeus in his
great genus Murana, which has been divided and subdivided by subsequent
writers, who have introduced many new designations for their groups, and applied the
generic name mura@na, each after his own fancy, to divisions of very different extent
and value.-—The eels, angwille of Thunberg, or murene of Bloch, are known by
the double character of the existence of pectoral fins and of the gill-openings being
placed beneath them. ‘Their stomach is a long blind sac, their gut almost straight,
and their elongated air-bladder has a peculiar gland in its middle. The extent
and form of the vertical fins serve to characterise the minor divisions of anguilla,
such as the true eels, or murene of Lacépéde, the congers or congri of Cuvier,
and the ophisuri of Lacépéde.—The murays, muren@ of 'Thunberg (gymnothoraz,
Bloch, murenophis, Lacépéde), want the pectorals altogether, their gill-openings
are merely a little hole on each side, and their gill-covers and their small feeble
rays are so concealed by the skin, that their existence has been altogether denied
by able naturalists: their stomach is a short bag, their air-bladder small, oval, and
high up in the belly.
2M 2
268 : NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
The Common eel of Europe belongs to the TRUE EELS, or that division of Thun-
berg’s genus anguilla, in which the commencement of the dorsal is pretty far
behind the pectorals, and to a minor group in which the upper jaw is shorter than
the under one. ‘The French fishermen recognise in the Common eel of ichthyo-
logical writers (muraena anguilla, Linn.) four different kinds or, as they say,
species, viz., ’anguille verniaux, which is the most common ; the long-beaked eel,
which has a more compressed and pointed snout; the flat-beaked eel, or grig of
the English, in which the snout is flatter and more obtuse and the eye smaller; and
Tanguille pimperneaux, or glut-eel, which has a shorter snout and larger eyes than
the others (Régne Animal).—The Common eel is mentioned by Pennant, Schoepf,
Mitchill, Smith, and many other writers and travellers, as existing in America,
and abounding especially in the St. Lawrence, but like many other North Ameri-
can fishes, supposed to be identical with the European ones of the same name, the
species does not appear to have been determined by an actual comparison of speci-
mens, nor have I discovered in the accounts of American fish, any notice of the
four kinds or species we have just alluded to. M. Le Sueur deseribes five species
which inhabit the waters of Massachusetts and New York, under the names of
murena rostrata, Bostoniensis, serpentina, argentea, and macrocephala, all of
them, he believes, previously unknown to naturalists*. His murena rostrata
was found in lakes Cayuga and Seneka, whose waters fall into the St. Lawrence ;
but whether it be the species which forms the object of the extensive eel-fisheries
on this river, of which we shall shortly give an account, we have no means of deter-
mining. As he mentions that its eyes are large, it is not likely to be the long-
beaked eel of the Régne Animal. De Witt Clinton states that the Common eel
has often been observed endeavouring in vain to surmount the falls of Niagara, by
winding its way upwards among the moist and slippery rocks, and that it is alto-
gether unknown in the superior waters of the St. Lawrence f. Mr. Todd was,
however, informed that an Indian speared an eel, three feet long and five or six
inches in circumference, at the mouth of the Nattawasaga, which flows into Lake
Huron. He had an opportunity, shortly after it was killed, of conversing with
several Canadians who saw it, and who assured him that it was actually an eel.
The lamprey being well known, both to the Indians and Canadians, could not have
been mistaken by either of them for an eel. The surprise which the capture of
* Dr. Mitchill mentions angwl/a vulgaris, conger and oceanica, as New York fish, the latter being, he supposes, described
only by himself.
+ He also informs us that eels were unknown in the Passaic above the great falls until a canal was cut at Paterson,
since which time they have become plentiful in the upper branches of that river. Phil. Tr., New York, i., p. 148.
ANGUILLIFORMES. 269
this fish excited, proves that it is very rare in those parts. I never saw any kind
of eel in the rivers of the Fur countries, nor heard of one existing there. Although
the gill-nets used by the natives and fur traders in fishing have the meshes too
large to retain an eel, that fish could scarcely have escaped their notice did it exist
in any numbers in the northern waters. The non-existence of the eel in the waters
of the Fur countries is the more remarkable from its being an inhabitant of the
lakes and rivers of the southern part of Greenland, though in small numbers.
Fabricius says it is called neemereeak by the natives, and that the largest which
he saw was thirty inches long and six in circumference. It is an object of abhor-
rence to the Greenlanders, who will not eat it. According to Vancouver, “a small
sort of eel”’ of a yellowish-green colour and extremely good flavour, inhabits Port
Discovery, in the straits of Juan da Fuca.
The following account of the mode of fishing for eels, which prevails above
Quebec for fifteen leagues along the St. Lawrence, is from La Hontan. “ At
low water they stretch out hurdles to the lowest water-mark, and that space of
ground being then dry by the retreat of the water, is covered over and shut up by
hurdles. Between the hurdles they place, at certain distances, instruments called
ruches, from the resemblance they bear to a bee-hive, besides baskets and little
nets belayed to a pole, which they call doutewx and bouts de quiévres. Then they.
~ Jet all stand in this fashion for three months in the spring, and two in the autumn.
Now as often as the tide comes in, the eels looking out for shallow places, and
making towards the shore, crowd in among the hurdles, which hinder them after-
wards to retire with the ebb water; upon that they are forced to bury themselves
in the above-mentioned engines, which are sometimes so over crammed that they
break. When it is low water, the inhabitants take out the eels, which are certainly
the biggest and largest in the world. They salt them in barrels, where they will
keep a whole year without spoiling, and indeed they give an admirable relish in all
sauces, nay, there is nothing that the council of Quebec desires more than that this
fishery should be plentiful in all years.” (la Hontan, An. 1684. Pink. Coll.)
Kalm, travelling through Canada nearly ninety years afterwards, drew up a de-
scription of the same fishery, which we shall also quote, as it differs from the pre-
ceding in the details, and gives us some further insight into the habits of the eel.
« They place hedges along the shore made of twisted osiers, so close that no fish
can get through them, and from one foot to a yard high, according to the different
depth of the water. For this purpose they choose such places where the water runs
off during the ebb, and leaves the hedges quite dry. Within this enclosure they
place several weels, or fish traps, in form of cylinders, but broader below. They
270 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
are placed upright, and are about a yard high and two feet and a half wide: on
one side, near the bottom, is an entrance for the fishes, made of twigs, and some-
times of yarn, made into a net. Opposite to this entrance, on the other side of the
weel, looking towards the lower part of the river, is another entrance like the first,
and leading to a box of boards about four feet long, two deep, and two broad.
Near each of the weels is a hedge leading obliquely to the long hedge, and making
an acute angle with it. This latter hedge is made in order to lead the fish into
the trap, and it is placed on that end of the long hedge which looks towards the
upper part of the river; now when the tide comes up the river, the fish, and chiefly
the eels, go up with it along the river-side ; when the water begins to ebb, the fish
likewise go down the river, and meeting with the hedges they swim along them,
till they come through the weels into the boxes of boards, at the top of which there
is a hole with a cover, through which the fish can be taken out. This apparatus
is made chiefly for the eels. In some places hereabouts they place nets instead of
the hedges of twigs.” The following passage occurs also in the same work. “ They
catch eels and porpesses at Quebec at the end of September and during the whole
month of October.. The eels come up the river at that time, and are followed by
the porpesses which feed upon them.” (Pink. Coll., xiii., pp. 6832—672.)
As the Common eel thrives and multiplies in ponds from whence it cannot
migrate to the sea, it becomes a matter of interest to ascertain whether there be
any specific distinction between the resident and migratory kinds, and the fact that
the eel exists in North America, in those parts only to which it has access from
tidal waters, is important in such an inquiry.
DESCRIPTION
Of the Beaked eel of Lake Cayuga, quoted from M. Le Sueur.
« Snout elongated, pointed, and straight; eyes large and situated very near the angle of
the mouth; body tumid in the centre, narrowed to a point at both extremities: upper parts
varied with grey and olive, sometimes of a slate-blue: lower parts white: dorsal and anal fins
reddish, which colour deepens as it approaches the tail ; pectoral fins small, acute, and bluish.
Length from eighteen to twenty-four inches.”
There is little doubt of the North American coasts being frequented by some of
the numerous species of murena(Thunb.). Murena moringa of Cuvier is figured
in Catesby, pl. 21, from a Bahama specimen, and Dr. Mitchill mentions murena
meleagris among the New York fish. The black and green muray of Catesby,
pl. 20, is considered by Pennant to be the common murena helena of Linnzus.
ANGUILLIFORMES. 271
[112.] The Orurpium virivE of the Fauna Grenlandica is unknown to
Cuvier, though he believes it to be allied to the Eels. ‘The species is said to attain
the size of a cod, but the only specimen seen by Fabricius measured no more than
two inches. It is taken with a hook and bait in deep water, on the southern coast
of Greenland, and is eaten, when of sufficient size, by the natives, who call it
oonernak.
It resembles a blenny in form, the head being broader than the body and grooved betwixt
the eyes. The mouth is wide, beardless, and toothless; the gill-rays are seven in number,
the membrane ventricose ; there are eleven rays in the pectorals ; the dorsal, beginning behind
the head, is, together with the anal, united to the caudal, whose longer rays are produced to
a point; there are no ventrals; the anus is situated nearer to the head than to the end of the
tail. The whole fish has a green colour except the belly, before the anus, and the fins, which
are white. Fauna Grenl., p. 142.
A fish taken from the stomach of a kittiwake gull, in Prince Regent’s Inlet,
was considered by Captain James C. Ross, as identical with Fabricius’s ophidium
viride, from its accordance with the description of that author. dpp. Parry’s
Third Voyage, p. 110.
[113.] 1. SACCOPHARYNX AMPULLACEUS. The Bottle-fish.
Famiry, Anguilliformes. Cuv. Gznus, Saccopharynx. Mircwiun, -
Ophiognathus ampullaceus. Harwoop, Ph. Tr., An. 1827, p. 49, pl. 7.
In this singular genus the body, capable of being inflated like a sack or
leathern bottle, is terminated by a very long and slender whip-like tail, edged
above and below by the narrow dorsal and anal which unite at its tip. The
mouth, armed with long sharp teeth, is cleft far past the eyes, which are close to
the very short pointed snout. The gill-openings, having the form of irregular slits,
and large enough to permit the three branchiz to be seen, are under the very small
pectorals. The skin is soft, slimy, loose, and slightly granular in appearance.
The extensibility of the jaws and throat is extraordinary, being even greater
than that exhibited by the serpent tribe. Only two examples of the genus are
known to have been taken, and, with the exception of dimensions, they realise
many of the popular accounts of the great American sea-serpent. They are vora-
cious fish, with a capacious stomach and short straight gut. One of the specimens
had recently before its capture swallowed a fish longer than its own body, and the
272 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
other had apparently exhausted itself in vain attempts to gorge a sea-perch thicker
than itself. The individual described by Dr. Harwood, measuring four feet and a
half in length, was captured in the entrance of Davis’ Strait, by Captain Sawyer,
of the ship Harmony, and the other was taken by Captain Hector Coffin, about
midway between the Labrador coast and Ireland, in the 52nd parallel of latitude.
A description of the latter, by Dr. Mitchill, is contained in the first volume of the
Annals of the Lyceum of New York, but it is unaccompanied by a figure, and the
details which are given do not clearly point out the differences between it and Dr.
Harwood’s ampullaceus. Dr. Mitchill, believing his fish to be the stylephorus
chordatus of Shaw, appears to have intended to retain the specific appellation, and
merely to change the generic name to saccopharynex, which having the priority of
ophiognathus must be adopted.
In Dr. Harwood’s fish the anal terminates insensibly fourteen inches, and the dorsal twenty
and a half, short of the tip of the tail, and there are a few slender filaments springing from
near the termination of the latter; but in the saccopharynx chordatus the dorsal and anal
extend in form of fillets, or narrow ribands, quite to the tip of the tail, where they unite with a
very indistinct caudal, of which Dr. Mitchill could perceive only a few hair-like rays. This
author also mentions a whitish longitudinal stripe on each side of the dorsal fin, and another
less evident and disappearing sooner, on each side of the anal. About fifty pairs of slender
barbels or threads an inch long depended from the dorsal stripes, all the way from the head
down the back, and along the tail. As soft barbels go to decay generally sooner than other
parts of a fish, the specimen of ampullaceus may have been imperfect in these appendages,
and also in the extent of the vertical fins. In chordatus the tail was sufficiently flexible to
allow several knots to be tied on its tip as upon a piece of whip-cord.' It had no teeth on the
lower jaw, while ampullaceus had a single series of long teeth on the intermaxillaries and
lower jaw. Dr. Mitchill’s specimen was a female, with large ovaries full of eggs, but the sex
of Dr. Harwood’s is not mentioned.
Dimensions.
S.ampull. 8. chordatus,
Inches. Inches.
Totallength . 6 : 5 . : 54 72
Length from tip of snout to eyes 3 9 ‘ . 03 03
of of angle of mouth ° j 21 3
By of gill-openings ; 6 A OR 0
*s " dorsal é : 5 18 11
x anus . 0 0 ail) 14
‘ anus to tip of tail . . ¢ . 35 58
Circumference of inflated body 3 4 : athe) 0
Greatest diameter of ditto 6 0 3 4 0
iW)
~
Ww
ANGUILLIFORMES.
[114.] 1. Opuiptum stigma. (Bennett.) Branded ophidium.
Famity, Anguilliformes. Cuv. Genus, Ophidium. Linn.
Ophidium stigma. Brennerr, App. Beechey's Voy. ined.
The ophidia resemble the anguille in the backward position of the vent and the
union of the dorsal and anal to the caudal, which forms a pointed extremity to the
fish ; the body is long and compressed like the blade of a sword, and covered, as
in the eels, with small scales planted irregularly in the substance of the skin.
These fish differ, however, from the eels in the wideness of their gill-openings,
which are furnished with a conspicuous operculum, and a membrane supported by
short rays: their dorsal rays are jointed but not branched.—The genus is sub-
divided in the Régne Animal into the true ophidia, which have two pairs of small
barbels attached to the tip of the hyoid bone and depending from the throat; and
the fierasfers, which want these appendages, and have a dorsal so slender that it
looks like a mere fold of the skin. The Cirrhous ophidium of Dr. Mitchill, which
is an inhabitant of the New York seas, belongs to the first division; but the Spi-
nous ophidium of the same author is evidently a centronotus, and of the same
species, or at least very nearly allied to the Labrador fish which we have described
at page 91.
The Branded ophidium of Mr. Bennett was discovered in Kotzebue Sound, on
Captain Beechey’s recent voyage to Behring’s Strait, but the only specimen that
was obtained was not preserved.
“ The caudal, dorsal, and anal fins were united into a transparent ridge; the scales were
very small, and the rays of the branchial covering distinet.”—Collie. «“ Its colour dilute-
brown with void swathes or spots, and a purplish spot near the beginning of the dorsal fin.
Its snout obtuse, chin with a large gibbosity, and teeth small. Its length five inches.” —Lay.
Its peculiar characters, gathered from the notices preserved of it, are thus summed up by Mr.
Bennett.—* Ophidium (imberbe?) pallidé brunneum, fasciis maculisque plurimis ; macula
magna purpurea ad ortum pinne dorsalis.’ — BENNETT, lL. c.
QT4 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
f115.] 2. Opnipium Parris. (Ross.) Parry's Ophidium.
Ophidium Parrii. Ross (Captain J. C.), 4pp. Parry's Third Voy., p. 109, and
Polar Voy.,p. 199. Inem, App. Ross’s Second Voy., p. xlvii.
This species, discovered and described by Captain James C. Ross, has not come
under the notice of any other naturalist. It was first seen on Sir Edward Parry’s
third voyage in Baflin’s Bay and Prince Regent’s Inlet, swimming among ice, in
the cavities of which it fmds refuge from the sea-fowl, who, from its keeping near
the surface, would find it an easy prey if deprived of such retreats : a glaucous gull,
shot near Felix Harbour, on Sir John Ross’s recent voyage, ejected one, measuring
four inches in length, from its stomach. Captain J.C. Ross informs us that this ophi-
dium belongs to Cuvier’s sub-genus Fierasfers, and in its general appearance
approaches nearly to the Ophidium viride of Fabricius (p. 271), but has very much
larger pectoral fins, the number of their rays being between three and four times
greater than in Fabricius’s fish. His description of it is as follows :—
«Heap very obtuse, being of equal length, depth, and transverse diameter, broader than
the body, flattened and grooved between the eyes, which are lateral and rather large; irides
pearl-white. Mouth rather large, placed at the extremity of the head, and armed with numer-
ous minute teeth on the palate and either jaw: lower jaw rather longer and without cirrhi.
Bopy three times the length of the head, ensiform, much compressed, and gradually tapering
towards the tail, which is pointed. Neck much arched, giving a greater depth to the body
than to any other part. Back of a dark greenish-brown colour, which is lighter on the sides ;
belly before the vent white ; vent nearer the head ; fins partake of the colour of that part of the
body on which they are inserted. F'ins.—The dorsal, which rises just behind the head, and
anal, which commences close to the vent, unite with the caudal, and together consist. of ninety-
five rays, of which there are fifty in the dorsal and superior half of the caudal, and forty-five
in the inferior half of this fin and the anal. The pectoral fins, which are very large, contain
thirty-seven rays, and when stretched backwards along the body, extend rather beyond the
vent, completely covering the whole of the belly and throat. The individuals varied from
four to eight inches in length. The following measurements are of an ordinary-sized fish :—
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
“ Length to the caudal fin. : . 4 6 Length to the vent . . . . el 8
» of the caudal . 0 8 Height of dorsal or anal ° ° : 0 92
' head. : ‘ = 22 Total length of fish ° . . 8) 6
5 body . 3 7 Greatest depth of body : : ° 1 by
Ross, @. ¢.
On Sir Edward Parry’s Polar expedition a putrid ophidium was found among
ANGUILLIFORMES. 275
some sea-weed on Walden Island, to the north of Spitzbergen, which was con-
sidered to belong to this species, but the pectoral fin, though of large size, contained
only twenty-eight rays.—Ross, Parry’s Polar Voy., p. 199.
[116.] J]. AmmopyTEs LANCEA. (Cuv.?) Sand launce.
Famiry, Anguilliformes. Cuv. Genus, Ammodytes. Linn.
Ammodytes tobianus, Fasricius, Fauna Grenl., p. 140.
Lance (Ammodytes tobianus). PEnn., Arct. Zool., ii., Suppé., p. 113.
The /aunces have, as their name imports, an elongated body like the preceding
genera, a dorsal fin supported by unbranched jointed rays occupying a great
part of the back, an anal of a similar appearance, and a forked caudal sepa-
rated from the other two by small spaces. The snout is pointed, the upper jaw
extensile, but shorter when the mouth is shut than the lower one. The stomach
is fleshy and pointed, and they have neither air-bladder nor pyloric ceca. They
feed on worms, and bury themselves in the sand, from whence the fishermen dig
them when the tide retires. Pennant states the mmodytes tobianus of Linneeus
to be plentiful at Newfoundland, and Dr. Mitchill enumerates it among his New
York fish ; but as naturalists have until lately confounded two species under the
Linnean name, and the one Pennant has figured as tobianus in British Zoology is
the /ancea of Cuvier, it remains to be ascertained to which of the species the
American fish is to be referred, if indeed it belongs to either.—Neither Pennant
nor Mitchill have favoured us with a description of the transatlantic launce.
Fabricius considers the putsrotok of the Greenlanders to be the Ammodytes
tobianus, and from the number of rays in its dorsal and anal being greater than in
the /ancea of Cuvier, it is probably the species represented by Bloch, pl. 72, f. 2.
It frequents parts of the sea having sandy or clayey bottoms, in which it hides its
head, and remains quiet with its tail pointing upwards and body spirally twisted.
It rarely visits the surface, though it is occasionally observed swimming near pieces
of ice, and in the month of May it approaches the beach in company with the
capelins. It searches among the sand with its pointed snout for the worms upon
which it feeds.
Fins:.—Br. 7; D. 67; P.14; V.0; A. 34; C.16. Fasrictus.
2n 2
276 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
LOPHOBRANCHIL.
In this, the filth order of fish according to Cuvier’s arrangement, the jaws, as in
the preceding orders, are complete and free; but the branchiz, unlike those of
other fish, are divided into little round tufts disposed by pairs along the arches:
they are shut in by a large gill-cover bound down by a membrane, in which there
is merely a small hole for the exit of the water, and only vestiges of rays. The
Lophobranchit may also be known by their bodies being encased from one end to
the other by shields which give them, in almost every instance, an angular form.
They are generally of small size, and almost destitute of flesh. Their alimentary
canal is even, without ceca, and their air-bladder slender, but large enough in pro-
portion to the size of the fish. The order is divided into two genera, Syngnathus
and Pegasus, the species of the latter being inhabitants of the Indian Ocean.
Syngnathus is subdivided into three sub-genera, viz., the Sea-pipes, or True
syngnathi, the Sea-horses, or Hippocampi, and Solenostomus, of which the only
known species is an inhabitant of the Indian seas. Pennant mentions the Lesser
pipe-fish, or Syngnathus acus of Linnzeus, as belonging to North America, and
Drs. Mitchill and Smith include Syngnathus typh/e in their lists of the New York
and Massachusetts fish. The peculiarity of the syngnathi carrying their roe after
impregnation in little pouches under the belly or tail, which are cleft to give exit
to the young when they are hatched, has been long known to naturalists, but Mr.
Yarrell has recently shown that it is the male fish alone which is provided with
these receptacles for the roe.
PLECTOGNATHI. OTT
PLECTOGNATHI.
THE sixth order of osseous fish makes a near approach to the Chondropterygii in
the imperfection of the jaws and the tardy ossification of the skeleton, which is
nevertheless fibrous, and in its general structure the same as in ordinary fishes.
Their principal distinctive character consists in the labials being joined immove-
ably to the intermaxillaries which form the upper jaw, and in the arch of the palate
being united by suture to the cranium, and consequently destitute of all motion.
The gill-covers and rays are moreover concealed under a thick skin which leaves
only a small branchial slit; there are no ribs; the true ventrals are wanting, the
alimentary canal is wide, without czeca, and an air-bladder of considerable size is
almost always present. The order comprises two very natural families, the Gym-
NODONTES, which, instead of teeth, have their jaws armed with a substance like
ivory, divided internally into plates, and having a general resemblance to the beak
of a parrot ; and SCLERODERMATA, which are readily known by a conical or pyra-
midal snout projecting from before the eyes, and terminated by a small mouth armed
with a few distinct teeth in each jaw. Their skin is generally rough, or clothed
with hard scales*. The following species have been stated to frequent the coasts
of the United States :—Diodon punctatus, Cuvier (D. attinga, Scuorpr, D.
hystrix, Bu.); D. rivulatus, Cuvier (D. maculato-striatus, Mircuit.) ; D.
pilosus, Mircuiti; Tetraodon geometricus, SCHNEIDER Bl.; T. lineatus, BL.,
ScHorpPF; JT. hispidus, Scnorrr; T. turgidus, Mitcu.; T. levigatus,
Wittoueu., Scun. Bl; T. eurvus, Mircuiti; Orthagoriscus mola, SCHN.
(Tetraodon mola, Linn., ScHoepr); Balistes tomentosus, Linn.; B. vetula,
Bu.; B. hispidus, Linn., Scun. Bl. ; B. monoceros, Linn., PENN. (Aleuteres
monoceros, SMITH); B. aurantiacus, SMitH; B. broccus, Smitu; B. sufflamen,
SMITH; Ostracion triqueter, SmitnH; O. bicaudalis, SMitu; O. quadricornis,
Scun., B/. There is considerable confusion in the application of these names,
some of them, at least, being preoccupied by fish belonging to other quarters of the
ocean.
* The Plectognathi are included by M. Agassiz among his Ganoidians.
©
~~
fo)
NORTHERN ZOOLOGY,
CHONDROPTERYGILT ELEUTHEROPOMI.
STURIONIDEL.
Tus CARTILAGINOUS FISHES (those whose skeleton contains no bony fibres, but
only small caleareous grains) are considered by Cuvier as forming a series parallel
to the osseous fishes, in the same way that the marsupial animals represent the
unguiculated mammalia. They are not, in his opinion, either inferior or superior
in their organization to the osseous fishes, for many of the genera approach the
reptiles in the structure of the ear and genital organs, while others show so much
simplicity of form, and such imperfect vestiges of a skeleton, that one might even
hesitate in ranking them among the vertebrated animals. The two orders into
which the series is divided are characterised by the condition of the gills. The
eleutheropomi * resemble ordinary fishes in their gill-openings, which are furnished
with a cover edged by a greatly-restricted membrane destitute of rays. This order
comprehends only two genera or families, one of which, acipenser of Linnzus, or
the Sturionidee, is included by M. Agassiz along with the plectognathi, syn-
gnathi, and fifty extinct genera in his order of Ganoidians; his Placoidians em-
bracing the rest of the cartilaginous fishes. The following Stwrionide@ have been
mentioned by authors as existing in the waters of the United States. -4cipenser
brevirostris, Le Susur; A. rubicundus, Ip.; A. oxyrhynchus, Ip.; A. macu-
losus, Ip. ; Platirostra edentula, Ip.; Polyodon spatula, Régne Animal.
[117.] 1. AcIPENSER TRANSMONTANUS. (Richardson.) Columbia River
Sturgeon.
Famiy, Sturionidee. Genus, Acipenser. Aucr. Sub-genus, Sterleta. Branpr.
The sturgeons resemble the sharks in general form, but their bodies are de-
fended by bony shields disposed in five, or in a few instances in three, longitudinal
rows; their head is also well cuirassed externally; their toothless mouth, situated
* Donati operculis branchialibus liberis. Lovetsky. Eleuthéropomes. Dumeril.
Plate 97.
1aAyUILS
Pu
4
)
Yuper
13 Naz si
-
Ens ex
Acip
smontamis
ae st
Acipenser tr
Nukerhouse Llawktns del
STURIONIDES. 279
under the snout, is supported upon pedicles, which give it more protractility than
the mouth of the sharks; the upper jaw, formed by the union of the palate-bones
and labials, contains merely vestiges of the intermaxillaries; the eyes and nostrils
are lateral ; the snout is furnished beneath with barbels ; there is no vestige of an
auditory opening, the little hole behind the temples, which has been so considered,
being, in fact, only a spiracle leading to the gills; the anal is under the dorsal, which
is posterior to the ventrals ; the caudal embraces the turned-up end of the spine,
and has a broad lobe underneath anterior to the principal point. In this genus, as
in the selacians, there is a conglomerated pancreas, and the lower part of the
intestine is furnished with a spiral valve which serves to delay the passage of its
contents. The sturgeons are anadromous fish, ascending rivers in shoals for the
purpose of spawning. The migrations of some are confined entirely to fresh waters,
others pass a part of the year in the sea. ‘They are particularly abundant in the
seas and rivers of northern Asia, and are of great importance, in an economical
point of view, to the various nations under the Russian sway. Caviar is made
from the roe, isinglass from the air-bladder, the flesh is eaten fresh, salted, or pre-
served by aromatic substances, and even the ligamento-cartilaginous cord which
pervades the spine constitutes a Russian delicacy named vesiga.
The sturgeons of North America, though almost equally numerous with those of
Asia, are of comparatively little benefit to the natives. A few speared in the
summer time suffice for the temporary support of some Indian hordes, but none
are preserved for winter use, and the roe and sounds are utterly wasted. The
ingenious methods practised in Asia of capturing the sturgeon by weirs and move-
able chambers are not resorted to in America, though west of the Rocky Moun-
tains salmon are taken by analogous means, which we have already described.
The northern limit of the sturgeon in America is probably between the 55th and
96th parallels of latitude. I have met with no account of its existence to the north-
ward of Stuart’s Lake, on the west side of the Rocky Mountains, and on the east
side it does not go higher than the Saskatchewan and its tributaries. It is not
found in Churchill River, nor in any of the branches of the Mackenzie or other
streams that fall into the Arctic Sea, a remarkable circumstance, when we con-
sider that some species swarm in the Asiatic rivers which flow into the Icy Sea.
Sturgeon occur in all the great lakes communicating with the St. Lawrence, and
also along the whole Atlantic coast of the United States down to Florida. Pecu-
liar species inhabit the Mississippi, and it is therefore probable that the range of
the genus extends to the Gulf of Mexico.
The sturgeon-fishery of Pine Island Lake, whose waters fall into the Saskatche-
280 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
(
wan, is most productive in the summer, a stray individual being very rarely taken
at other seasons. The sturgeons make their first appearance when the river breaks
up in the spring, and the lake is flooded with muddy water. The great rapid
which forms the discharge of the Saskatchewan into Lake Winipeg, appears quite
alive with these fish in the month of June, and some families of the natives resort
thither at that time to spear them with a harpoon, or grapple them with a strong
hook tied toa pole. Notwithstanding the great muscular power of the sturgeon
it is timid, and we have seen one so frightened by the paddling of a canoe, that it
ran its nose into the muddy bank, and was taken by a voyageur, who leaped upon
its back. ‘The Saskatchewan sturgeon weighs from ten to twenty pounds, and
rarely attains the weight of sixty. June is the principal spawning time, but indi-
viduals filled with roe have been killed in every season of the year. As this fish
is not taken near Hudson’s Bay, it is probable that it winters in Lake Winipeg
without visiting the sea, though we are not aware that there are any cascades in
Nelson’s * River which it cannot surmount. On comparing a number of these
sturgeons with one another, considerable variety was perceived in the length and
acuteness of their snouts, and in the intensity of the colour of their bodies: the
older fish had smoother and flatter shields. I brought home specimens of the two
most distinct kinds in 1821, and on drawing up a few hasty notices of the fish for
the Appendix to the Narrative of Sir John Franklin’s First Expedition, followed
the opinion of Forster in considering them to be specifically the same with the
acipenser Ruthenus, or sterlet of the Russian rivers. ‘The specimens having gone
to decay, I have no means of correcting this reference, which is doubtless erroneous.
As far as I can recollect, the Saskatchewan sturgeon, known to the Crees by the
name of nameyoo, is very similar to one which exists on the west side of the Rocky
Mountains, which I shall now allude to more particularly.
Two specimens of a sturgeon, which I have named acipenser transmontanus,
were sent to me from Fort Vancouver by Dr. Gairdner, accompanied by the follow-
ing notice :—‘ The species attains eleven feet in length, and a weight of six
hundred pounds f ; the small specimens sent home were chosen for their porta-
bility. It enters the Columbia early in March every year, and is caught as high
up as Fort Colville, notwithstanding the numerous intervening cataracts and
rapids, which seem to be insuperable barriers to a fish so sluggish in its movements.
* The Saskatchewan loses its name when it falls into Lake Winipeg, whose superfluous waters are carried to Hudson's
Bay by Nelson’s River.
+ The huro is reported by Pallas to attain a weight of nearly three thousand pounds, and a length exceeding thirty
feet.
STURIONIDE®. 28)
It disappears about the month of September. It is termed by the Cheenooks
katlook, and in the language of the Cascade Indians nakhun.”—The Columbia
River sturgeon belongs either to the stwriones or sterlete, two of the four groups
into which Brandt has divided the genus, the approximation or remoteness of the
shields by which these two forms are characterised not being very precise as a prac-
tical mark of distinction *. Its snout is broad as in the Common sturgeon 4. sturio,
but much more depressed, and its mouth is comparatively large. In its general
form and proportion of parts it strongly resembles A. Ruthenus, but whether it be
the same with the sturgeon of Stewart’s Lake and Frazer’s River, noticed in page
215, we have no means of ascertaining.
DESCRIPTION
Of No. 1, specimen of 4. éransmontanus from the Columbia River.
Form elongated, tapering from head to tail, the body keeled by five rows of shields, the
dorsal row being the most prominent, and the lateral one least so; the belly and under sur-
face of the head are flattish; the cheeks are also flat, and the snout rounds off laterally from
the nostrils, terminating in a moderately-acute point ; the top of the head is slightly convex,
both longitudinally and transversely, with a shallow depression extending from between the
orbits backwards on the mesial line ; the profile shelves off suddenly before the nostrils into
the greatly-depressed snout, which, when seen from above, is semilanceolate, its breadth at the
nostrils being equal to its length anterior to these openings; in profile the snout appears thin
and horizontal, but its flexible point is readily turned up a little. Two pairs of slender, taper-
ing barbels, quite simple at their tips +, hang from beneath the snout about midway between
its point and the orbit; the exterior pair, which are a little posterior to the others and rather
longer, measure an inch and a half. A bone, forming a narrow, even, flat ridge, is per-
ceptible through the skin covering the under surface of the snout, and terminates abruptly
opposite to the anterior margin of the orbit, on the verge of the large cavity in which the
mouth is lodged. The snout, if measured from the orbits, forms one-twelfth of the total length
of the fish, but less than one-fifteenth if measured only from the nostrils. The mouth is pos-
terior to the eye, and when protruded has an oval orifice, whose axis lying transversely mea-
* Professor Lovetsky, adopting Brandt’s subdivision, has given the following arrangement of the species known to
him :-—
1, Husonzs.—Snout acute or obtuse, wholly or partly cartilaginous, more or less pellucid; shields which arm the
body distant from one another. 4. huso, Linn.; A. husoniformis, Lover.; A. dauricus, Gxora.; A. oblusirostris, Lx
Sueur; A. rubicundus, Ly Surur.
2. Sruriones.—Snout obtuse or awl-shaped, covered with bony shields not pellucid; shields distant. 4. Gulden-
stddtu, Brannt ; A. sturio (A. Lichtenstein, Scun., Bl.) ; A. schipa, Guipenst.; A. Geckelit, Frux.
3. Srerter#.—Snout awl-shaped, covered with bony shields, not pellucid; shields imbricated. 4. Ruthenus, Linn. ;
A. aculeatus, Fiscuer.
4. HzLopes.—Snout long (one-sixth or one-seventh of the length of the body), covered with strong bony shields;
shields distant. 4, stel/atus, Pauu.; A. oryrhynchus, Mitcn.; A. macudosus, Le Suzur. (Loversxy, Nouv. Mém. de
Moscow, iil., p. 257. An. 1834.)
7 The barbels of 4, Ruthenus have fringed tips.
20
282 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
sures an inch and a half, or nearly as much as the distance between the anterior nostrils and
the tip of the snout : when the jaws are retracted the commissure of the mouth is transverse,
and is drawn considerably within the under surface of the head. ‘The lips, thin and pendu-
lous at the junction of the jaws, are separated by a fissure on the medial line of the upper jaw,
and are altogether wanting on the middle half of the lower jaw. ‘The tongue is fixed, pro-
minent, and smooth, and there are no teeth whatever. The orbits are small and circular and
the nostrils large, particularly the posterior openings. Four lengths and a half of the head
are equal to the entire length of the fish.
The GILL-cover consists of a pretty large operculum, which has a form more like that of
A. schipa than any of the other figures in Lovetsky’s monograph*: a chain of three smaller
bony plates proceeding from the lower corner of the operculum gives firmness to the gill-
membrane, which is not to be distinguished from the softer parts of the gill-cover.
Sxry.—The whole upper surface of the head is encased in bony plates of various forms,
which are rough, with radiating, granulated ribs: the plates on the snout admit of a little
motion, the others are fixed; a few small ones exist on the tip of the bone beneath the snout,
and farther back rises into two tubercles. The suborbitar bones, humerals, and scapulars,
have surfaces still more rough than the upper plates, in conjunction with which they
form a firm helmet that compensates for the too great flexibility of a cartilaginous cra-
nium. The shields on the body have rough saddle-shaped bases, with very acute central
ridges terminating in a hook or spine which points backwards, and is longest and most acute
on the posterior dorsal shields; there are also some serratures on the ridge of the shields
beneath the point of the spine. The dorsal row contains fourteen shields, exclusive of one
without a spine, which is incumbent on the first ray of the dorsal fin: the anterior of these
shields is fixed among the plates of the head, the others move with the skin, and are near each
other, though not in actual contact. The shields on the /ateral lines have lozenge-shaped
bases, placed obliquely, and are smaller and farther apart than the dorsal ones anteriorly, but
the posterior ones successively diminish and approximate until they reach the curvature of
the tail, beyond which they cannot be easily reckoned, though they can be traced in form of a
cartilaginous line extending along the under margin of the tail to its tip: excluding the
extreme caudal ones, then, there are in this specimen forty-two lateral shields on the left side,
and forty-seven on the right. The ventral shields, of which there are eleven on the left side,
and nine on the right before the ventrals, are wider apart than the lateral ones, and of
an intermediate size between them and the dorsal ones. There are also five or six sub-
orbicular, spineless plates in two rows, between the vent and anal fin, one on the commence-
ment of the latter, and another on the upper ray of the caudal. The compressed, turned up
part of the tail is covered above the lateral line by ten or eleven crowded rows of small, rough,
lozenge-shaped plates, which give it a reticulated appearance. The rest of the skin is studded
with small, scattered, stellated tubercles of various forms and sizes; some exist even on the
* In Professor Lovetsky’s monograph on Russian sturgeon, no statement is given of the parts that are included under
the name of snout, so that we cannot compare the length of this member in our fish with that of his.
STURIONIDEZ. 283
lining of the gill-openings, the skin surrounding the eye and nostrils being the smoothest.
There is a short, smooth groove on the under edge of the tail, between the caudal and anal
fins, the use of which is not apparent.
Fins.—Br. 0; P. 43; V. 34; D. 52; A. 33; C. 27/86.
The pectorals have a greater spread than any of the other fins; their first ray is very strong
and bony, its slender tip, however, being articulated. The ventrals are far back, being nearer
to the tip of the tail than to the end of the snout: they have a horizontal position, which, in
conjunction with the size of the pectorals, and the position of the mouth, shows that the fish
is constructed for taking its prey on or near the bottom of the water. The anal begins as far
from the vent as its termination is from the caudal: its middle rays are the longest. The
dorsal commences a little posterior to the vent, and terminates a very little anterior to the end
of the anal. The portion of the caudal above the tail gradually narrows and disappears short
of the point ; its rays are rigid and bony, or spinous with very acute points. ‘The under part
of the fin is considerably broader, particularly its anterior lobe; its margin is sickle-shaped,
and its rays are articulated like those of the other fins. The rays of all the fins are very rough.
There are seventeen interspinous bones connected with the dorsal, and eleven with the anal.
Cotour.—* Body and top of the head of a hue intermediate between yellowish and bluish-
grey, partially iridescent ; shields ash-grey, giving a spotted appearance to the back. Sides
silvery-white, with faint vertical bluish-grey bands. Belly white.” (Gairdner.)
IntTEsTINES.—The cesophagus, or upper part of the stomach, is furnished with seven longi-
tudinal rows of crenated papillz; the rest of the stomach is smooth, with thin coats forming
longitudinal folds, except close to the pylorus, where the parietes of the stomach are thick and
fleshy, like the gizzard of a fowl. The upper half of the gut, below the pylorus, has its lining
finely reticulated, and the remainder is traversed by a spiral membranous valve. A little
below the pylorus there is a glandular-looking pancreas which communicates with the gut;
when laid open it appears to consist of honey-combed cells, much resembling the second sto-
mach of a ruminating quadruped. The air-bladder communicates with the upper part of the
stomach by a pretty large hole. The stomach was filled with the remains of some nearly-
digested malloti pacifici, mixed with the light wrack that collects in the eddies of rivers, such
as decayed leaves, water-worn pieces of wood, and the exuvie of the larve of neuropterz.
The second specimen has a longer and rather more acuminated snout, twelve dorsal shields,
forty-two and forty-three lateral ones, and twelve ventral ones on each side. There are also a
few roundish plates ranged near the bases of the dorsal shields. In other respects it resembles
the preceding ones perfectly.
201. 2
284 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Dm ensIions.
No.1, || "Nowe! aca
measurem,
In. Lin. | In. Lin, } In. Lin.
Length from tip of snout to extremity of tail : 27-0 | 23 6 | 54 0
a A; curvature of tail (excluding caudal) 22 6 |19 2 | 45 0
es fs end of dorsal . . : a 19 84) 17 0 | 39 0
a 3 end of anal 5 4 . 6 19 6 17 3 | 38 92
a Hf beginning of dorsal : ° 17, 1 | 14 93) 33 0*
a 35 anus : 5 : A 7 15 93/14 2 | 33 0
” end of ventrals ° . . 15 0 | 13 7%} 0 0
iP Fi beginning of ditto . 14 0 | 12 73) 29 0
5 if nape including first dorsal shield Giee2 6 0 0 0
a 4 nape excluding ditto é c 5.3 5 2 11 0
> 39 pectorals . 5 ee) 5 9 | 12 0
, * posterior edge of ‘gill- openings 5 923 / 5 8 0 0
. si edge of operculum ; : 35.7 5 44]10 1
Bs e temporal spiracles . . . 3 10 3478" lr uous,
5 3 posterior edge of orbit 2 8: | 2102] 0 0
‘ A anterior ditto . : ; : 25321 206 0 0
ot) posterior end of vomer é . 2 48) 2 64] 0 0
3 , angle of posterior sub-orbitar . 3 2 3 31] 0 0
a D superior nasal orifices . . . ete e hath EE eal 7/
» of pectorals ° . . c¢ . “ 4 0 3.4 7 0
- ventrals . 0 6 6 é i Ph it) 7, 44
es attachment of ditto . . . . 4 1 0 0 0
55 attachment ofanal_ . é 0 : ° 14 1 0 2 8
iy its longest rays : 7 : . 2 4 2 0 4 0
35 attachment of dorsal . . F % 5 - 2 72 Oey 6 0
. its longest rays . : . : . Beng vn har S2 esa 0
55 longest lower rays of caudal : : . 3 0 Ziad, 0 9
> lower lobe of ditto . 6 . ; . 6 3 6 3 1 5 0
upper lobe of ditto . ¢ 7 : 5 10 By 4 0 0
| rewath of pectorals c . . 249 2nd 5 5
» between nostrils—upper orifices . C . 1 2 [a2 2 5
» betweeneyes . ¢ C . 1 93 ery) 3 6
5, between anterior orbitar bones . . . ‘ . 2-10 1 10 3 9
», between temporal spiracles . . ° . 2 0 1 10 3) 9
», between surfaces of scapular bones . 5 . Dei 2 4 0 0
Circumference of body where thickest : . . . 9 0 ey Ds | Ss ©
‘4118.) 2. AcIPENSER RUBICUNDUs. (Le Sueur.) Ruddy sturgeon.
Y s
Acipenser rubicundus. Lx Sueur, Ph. Tr., Philad., New Series, i., p. 388, pl. 12.
This sturgeon, which was very imperfectly known to Pennant and other writers
who have mentioned Canadian animals, was first established as a distinct species
by M. Le Sueur, who found it in lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, and Michigan.
The individuals inhabiting the three latter sheets of water are of course cut off
* This measurement was probably made by Dr. Gairdner to the anterior edge of a shield incumbent on the dorsal
which is nearly opposite to the posterior verge of the vent.
STURIONIDE. 285
from all communication with the sea by the falls of Niagara, and even the sturgeon
of Lake Ontario do not perhaps descend the St. Lawrence, as I have no notices of
their having been taken in the lower parts of that river. La Hontan says “ the
lake sturgeons are commonly five or six feet long, but I once saw one of ten feet,
and another of twelve. They are caught by the savages with nets in the winter
August is termed the sturgeon month by the Cana-
>
and grapples in the summer.’
dian Indians, on account of the productiveness of the fishery at that period. Carver
states that sturgeon of excellent quality may be taken in Lake Superior at almost
all seasons of the year, but whether they are of the same species with the ruddy
sturgeon we have no means of judging. ‘The latter is remarkable for wanting the
abdominal shields, agreeing in this respect with the 4. nudiventris of Lake Aral,
which Professor Lovetsky considers to be a variety of 4. schipa. This author
refers 4. rubicundus to the sub-genus sturio, in which the shields are remote and
the opake snout is protected by strong bony plates. It is described by M. Le
Sueur as having
A yellowish-red colour on the back, and olivaceous-red on the sides. Its head, which forms
one-eighth of the total length, is flat above with a roundish snout, having its four barbels
nearer to its tip than to the mouth. The breadth at the eyes is equal to the distance from
thence to the end of the snout, which in a fish four feet long is only three inches. The dorsal
ridge is much elevated at its junction with the nape. ‘There are nine dorsal shields and thirty-
five lozenge-shaped lateral ones. Fins.—P. 50; V.28; A. 22; D.42. (Le Sueur, l. c.)
[118.] CuIM@RA. —— Slephant fish.
Elephant'fish, Vancouver.
The chimere, though placed by Cuvier at the end of the sturionidee, seem to
belong more properly to his second order of chondropterygii, in which the gills are
fixed, for though there is only one apparent gill-opening on each side, the giils in
reality adhere by a large part of their borders, and there are consequently five holes
communicating with the external gill-opening. ‘They have, moreover, a great
resemblance to the sharks in their general form and the position of their fins.
They have a rudimentary operculum concealed by the skin, and their jaws, still more
reduced than those of the sharks, are furnished with hard plates, four above and
two below, in place of teeth. The projecting snout is marked with rows of pores.
The males are distinguished by trifid bony appendages to the ventrals, and they
236 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
have also two spinous laminze in front of these fins, and a fleshy barbel between
the eyes, terminated by a cluster of prickles. The gut is short and straight, with
a spiral valve as in the sharks. These fish produce very large leathery eggs,
having flat velvety edges*. The only two species known to Cuvier were placed by
him in separate sub-genera. The Chimera monstrosa, or king of the herrings,
inhabits the European seas, where it preys on fish that migrate in shoals. The
Callorhynchus antarcticus frequents the southern seas. ‘The researches of Mr.
Collie, during Captain Beechey’s recent voyage, render it probable that several
undescribed species exist in the Pacific. One was seen at Coquimbo, on the coast
of Chili, and another at Monterey, in California, possessing characters intermediate
between Chimera and Callorhynchus. Another, inhabiting the northern parts of
the Pacific, is described in the Appendix to the Narrative of the Voyage alluded
to by Mr. Bennet, under the name of chimera Collet. An elephant fish, taken
by Vancouver in Port Discovery, lat. 48°, in the Straits of Juan da Fuca, may pos-
sibly belong to this species.
* Captain King says that the spawn of Cal/orhynchus bears a strong resemblance to a broad leaf of sea-weed, within
the coats of which the fish, already perfect in form, is discovered suspended in fluid. Griffith’s Cuvier, x., p. 97.
SELACHII. 287
CHONDROPTERYGII TREMATOPNEONTES.
THE CARTILAGINOUS FISHES with FIXED GILLS, forming the eighth order of their
class in Cuvier’s arrangement, are the trematopnés of Dumeril, or the placoidians
of M. Agassiz. Their gills adhere by their outward edges in such a way that the
water either escapes by as many holes in the skin as there are intervals betwixt
them, or by a common conduit in which all these holes end. Another peculiarity
in the structure of these fishes consists in the frequent suspension of small cartila-
ginous bows in the flesh opposite to the gills, and which may be called branchial
ribs. The order is divided into two families.
SELACHII.
The sé/aciens of Cuvier, or plagiostomes of Dumeril, comprise the sharks and
rays, Which have many common characters. They have the ordinary jaw bones
merely in a rudimentary state, their place being supplied by the palatine and post-
mandibular bones, which are alone armed with teeth, and are suspended to the
cranium by a single bone, that represents at once the petrous, jugal, and temporal
bones and the preoperculum. The gill-rays are attached to the os hyoides, as in
osseous fishes, although they are not so perceptible externally, but there is no ves-
tige of any of the three opercular pieces. The ventrals are situated on the hinder
part of the abdomen on each side of the vent. The pancreas is in form of a con-
glomerated gland, and not divided into distinct ceeca, and the short gut is provided
in its lower part with a spiral valve. ‘These fish are either oviparous or viviparous,
and possess well-organised oviducts. The males have curious appendages on the
inside of their ventral fins, whose use is not known. The following species have
been mentioned as inhabitants of the seas of the United States.
Scyiii.—Seyllium Edwardsii, Cuv. (Squalus canis, Mitcuiti; S. canicula
et catulus, SMITH). CarcHaRI®.—Squalus carcharias, PENN., MITCHILL,
Smitu; Carcharias vulpes, SM1TH (Squalus vulpes, Mircuit1) ; Squalus glaucus,
MitcHILy, Smitn ; Squalus punctatus, Ip—EmM; Squalus obscurus, Le SuEvrR ;
Squalus littoralis, Ippm. SELAcHES.—Selache maximus, SMITH (Squalus
238 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
maximus, MircHit.; Squalus elephas, Lu SuEurR). Scymni.—Squalus Ameri-
canus *, MitrcuHitt; Somniosus brevipinnis, Le SurturR. ZyGeNu.—Zyge@ena
malleus, VALENC. (Zyg@na vulgaris, Smita; Squalus zyg@na, MITCHILL) ;
Zygena tiburo, Smit (Squalus tiburo, Penn.). Squatine.—Squatina Dume-
rit, Le Sugtur. Pristes.—Squalus pristis, PENN. Rata.—Raia torpedo,
ocellata, diaphana, centroura, and bonasus, Mircuiti; Raia batis and clavata,
Smitu; Raia Sayii, Desmarestii, eglanteria, Chantenay, Ly SuEur; Trygon
Sabinum, Cuv. (Raia Sabina, Le Sueur); Trygon micrura, Cuv. (Raia Ma-
clura, Le SuEvuR); Myliobatis Fremenvillii, LE SuEur; Myliobatis quadriloba,
Cuv. (Raia quadriloba, Le SuEur). CEPHALOPTERE.— Cephaloptera mobular,
Cuv. (Ceph. giorna, Le Sueur; Cephaloptera vampyrus, Mircutty. Devil
ray, PENN.). From the imperfect descriptions of many of the above fish, and the
want of figures, we caunot be certain of the right application of the names.
[119.] 1. SgquaLus (CARCHARIAS) VULGARIS. (Cuvier.) The
WV hite shark.
White shark. Penn., Arct. Zool., Suppl., p. 105.
The sharks constitute an extensive genus, which is known by the elongated
body, thick fleshy tail, and pectorals of medium size, so that in their general form
they are not widely different from ordinary fishes. Their gill-openings and eyes
are lateral, their snout is sustained by three cartilaginous branches proceeding
from the forepart of the cranium, and their rudimentary intermaxillaries, labials,
and premandibular bones are readily discernible. Many of them are viviparous,
others oviparous. The spine is divided throughout into vertebra, and the small
ordinary ribs, as well as the branchial ribs, are apparent. ‘The sub-genera are
characterised principally by the form of the snout and nostrils, the presence or
absence of spiracles on the top of the head, the extent of the gill-openings, the
number and position of the dorsal fins, the existence of spines before these fins, the
presence or absence of the anal, and the form of the teeth, which are either cutting
or en paves. The carcharia, a most celebrated and numerous group, have sharp
* It is probable that this is not the Sgualws Americanus of Gmelin, which is a European species wrong named, from his
mistaking Cape Breton, near Bayonne, for the island of Cape Breton, in the entrance of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.—
Reéegne Animal.
SELACHII. 289
cutting teeth, most generally serrated on the edges, their first dorsal is considerably
before the ventrals, and the second one opposite to the anal. They are destitute
of spiracles, the nostrils are under the middle of the depressed snout, and the pos-
terior gill-openings are over the pectorals. The Common or White shark, the
terror of all seas, attains the length of thirty feet, and may be recognised by its
teeth, which, in the upper jaw, are in form of an isosceles triangle with rectilinear
sides and jagged or serrated edges; in the lower jaw they have a narrow point
upon a broader base. The rows of teeth are said to increase with the age of the
fish, which, when adult, has six distinct ranges, the outer teeth being then two
inches and a half long. This shark has a flat head, and a round depressed snout
projecting beyond the mouth, which is underneath the head. The pectoral fin is
large, as it very frequently is in fishes which have large heads and mouths so
situated.
[120.] 2. Sgua.us (CarcuARiss) TERR#-Nov#&. (Richardson.)
Newfoundland Shark.
Green-backed shark (Squalus punctatus). Mircuixt, i., p. 483 ?
I am indebted to Mr. Audubon for a small and apparently young specimen of
this shark. It is closely allied to the carcharias glaucus by the form of its teeth,
which are not however serrated, at least in the young state, and its pectorals can-
not be said to be very long and much pointed like those of the Blue shark. The
Green-backed shark of Mitchill agrees with ours in the teeth not being serrated,
but his description is not particular enough to enable us to say that they are the
same species.
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen taken at Newfoundland.
Form.— Head, and particularly the snout, broad and depressed, the latter rounded at the
tip: the breadth of the head between the eyes is about half its length, and at the nape about
two-thirds. The body tapers considerably, is much compressed posteriorly,sand the tail, ex-
clusive of the fin, is thin and narrowly lanceolate. There is a narrow, oblong, flattened space
between the second dorsal and caudal, which, in the squalus glaucus, is said to be triangular ;
a similar flat space extends from the anal to the under lobe of the caudal, and there is a
broader and somewhat triangular one between the ventrals and anal. The pectorals, rather
larger than the first dorsal, have, like it, nearly the form of a latteen sail, but the latter fin has
2p
290 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
a little slip at its posterior end higher than the portion immediately preceding it. The ven-
trals, second dorsal, and anal are small, and the two latter have each a posterior slip, taller in
proportion than that of the first dorsal. The origin of the second dorsal corresponds with the
end of the anal. The ventral appendages are semicylindrical, covered with the common in-
teguments exteriorly, and terminated by a minute, hard, callous tip. The tail at the origin of
the caudal inclines a very little upwards. The anterior under lobe of the caudal is as high,
but not so wide, as the first dorsal : it is connected by an even fillet of fin about twice as long
as itself, to the second lobe, which uniting with the upper portion of the caudal forms an
oblong lanceolate tip to the tail; the upper half of the caudal is widest at the extremity, and
gradually becomes lower as it runs forwards, being no longer perceptible a little posterior to
the commencement of the under part of the fin.
Sxin.—The whole exterior of the fish, including the fins, feels rough when rubbed towards
the snout. On examining a portion of the skin with a powerful microscope, it is observed to be
completely encrusted by a congeries of small, hard, transparent, lancet-shaped, tricuspid
spines or scales imbedded in a fibrous matter. The roughness extends to the anterior half of
the tongue and palate, and to portions of the branchial arches. There are several rows of
minute pores on the head, particularly on the cheeks and at the angles of the mouth. Two
pores larger than the others, but not capable of admitting the point of an ordinary-sized pin,
exist on the hind part of the head, one on each side of the mesial line. ‘There are no traces
of spiracles near the eyes.
TrretH.—There are four rows of teeth in each jaw, having the form of very oblique spherical
triangles, the posterior side much the shortest, and the acute point directed towards the
corners of the mouth, and overhanging a small rounded lobe of the base. ‘The edges of the
teeth are very acute, but even under a good lens do not appear dentated or serrated, though a
slight inequality, approaching to crenature, may be perceived with a high magnifying power.
There is scarcely any difference in the form of the teeth of the two jaws.
Dimensions
Of a specimen kept in spirits.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of snout to extremity of tail 12 94 Gape of mouth longitudinally . 4 2 2
iS 5 beginning of lower part of a transversely (from corner to Beene) 0 92
caudal. 6 : . 3 6 8 0 Length of pectorals . ° . . 1 8
% be end of second dorsal . 8 0 Spread of ditto. ; : oy eal 0
. endofanal . . oP Mee 8 Height of dorsal . ; . . 1 1
5 1D anus . . 6 0 Length of its attachment ° . al 02
,s 5 end of first dormal . 2 eo 0 » ventrals . . . 0 5
A D beginning of ditto . 4 0 9 ventral appendages, Saitie one! 0, 73
= i$ last gill-opening 5 2 94 6 attachment of anal. 0 6
_ Hy base of pectorals . . 2 8h Height ofanal . 0 5 wll) 33
3 By foremost gill-opening B14 21 Length of attachment of seen dorsal . 0 4
5 " Mape . . . : 1 94 Height of anterior, under caudal lobe 0 11
eS a) angles of mouth é ao A 93 Length of second lobe 9 * 0 10
a 33 middle of upper lip F 1 1 Distance between the lobes . 4 4 1 9
7) s centre of eye . . ohagell 3 Total length of caudal fin beneath 5 3 2.
” 3 nostrils 7 0 0 8 5 35 above , 3 63
SELACHII. 291
F121.] 1. SguaLus (SELACHE) MAXIMUS. (Cuvier.) The
Basking Shark.
Squalus maximus. Fasr., Faun. Greeni., p. 130.
This sluggish shark acquires the name of “ basking” from its habit of lying
motionless on the surface of the water. Notwithstanding its great size it is not
ferocious like the White shark, and 1s little dreaded by man. Fabricius says that
it feeds on the smaller whales and dolphins, which it swallows entire. It is named
Kaksib kannioa by the Greenlanders, and is a very rare fish on the Greenland
coast. It has, in addition to the general form of the earcharia, spiracles, long gill-
openings almost encircling the neck, and small conical teeth not serrated.
[122.] 1. Se@uaus (Sprnax) acanTuias. (Cuvier.) Piked Shark,
or Dog fish.
Squalus acanthias. Fasr., Faun. Grenl.,, p. 126,
This species, so common on the coast of Scotland, where it is named the “ Picked
or Piked Dog,” from the strong spine at the beginning of each dorsal, is said by
Fabricius to be an inhabitant of the Greenland coast also. It is named kookeeleek
by the natives, who fish for it in the winter time through holes in the ice. The
fish of this sub-genus want the anal, but possess spiracles, and their jaws are
armed with many rows of small cutting teeth. Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton
Smith informs me that he has taken the Common dog-fish of the English Channel
on the coast of Nova Scotia.
[123.] 1. Rata Futtonica. (Linn.) The Fuller.
Fanizy, Selachii. Cuv. Genus, Raia. Linn. Sub-genus, Raia. Cuv.
Raia fullonica, Fasr., Faana Grenl., p. 125,
Taraleekeesak, Aglernak, GreENLANDERS.
The Common skate furnishes a characteristic example of the peculiar form of
the rays, in which the greatly-depressed body is extended laterally by the addition
2P2
292 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
of wide fleshy pectorals that unite anteriorly with one another, or with the snout,
and stretch backwards along the sides of the belly as far as the ventrals. The eyes
and spiracles are on the dorsal aspect, the mouth, nostrils, and gill-openings on the
ventral one. ‘The dorsal fins are most generally situated on the tail. Their brown
leathery eggs have a square form with projecting points at the angles.
The fuller ray receives its name from the resemblance of its spiny back to the
instrument used in dressing cloth. It is called on the Yorkshire coast white hause,
from the colour of its throat. Fabricius mentions it as an inhabitant of the deeper
southern bays of Greenland, but he is not quite certain whether the fish he describes
be the same with that of all the various authors whom he quotes. Indeed, Cuvier
remarks that the references of Artedi, Linnzus, and Bloch, in respect to the rays,
must be altogether disregarded, as they are in inextricable confusion, arising from
the number of rows of caudal spines being considered a principal character, though
they vary with age and sex, and cannot therefore distinguish species. Characters
founded upon the roundness or sharpness of the teeth are equally vague and un-
certain in their application. There are doubtless many fish of this genus on the
Newfoundland coast ; but from the circumstances just mentioned the species cannot
be quoted with any approach to correctness.
CYCLOSTOMATA.
Tue suckers of Cuvier, or cyclostomes (round mouths) of Dumeril, forming the
second family of the cartilaginous fish with fixed gills, have the most imperfect
skeletons, not only of their own class, but of all vertebrated animals. Indeed, they
approach the annelid@, both in external appearances as well as in many details of
structure, some of them closely resembling leeches, and others being more like the
red-blooded worms, so that some naturalists have doubted their right to be classed
with fish *. Their fleshy circular, or semicircular lip, placed at their anterior ex-
tremity, is supported by a cartilaginous ring, formed by the union of the palatine
and mandibular bones. The vertebree are merely incomplete cartilaginous rings,
scarcely distinet from each other, and pervaded by a tendinous chord which con-
* Sir Everard Home considers the Lamprey and Myxine as intermediate.between the fishes and vermes, and remarks
that they are hermaphrodites, and have much analogy in their mode of respiration with the leeches and the aphrodita
aculeata. (Phil, Trans., June, 1815, p. 256.) The Ammocetes inhabit the mud of streams, and resemble worms still more
than the fish Sir Everard Home mentions, They may be said to have no skeleton whatever.
CYCLOSTOMATA. 293
tains a mucilaginous matter. There are no ordinary ribs, but the branchial ribs
are much developed, forming a sort of chest for containing the gills, which, in place
of having the usual appearance of leaves, or combs, are united each to the adjoin-
ing one so as to form oval bags. The nostrils open by a single orifice, in front of
which there is the entrance to a blind cavity, that has been erroneously considered
as an air-hole or spiracle. The gut, slender and straight, is furnished with a spiral
valve.
[124.] 1. Prerromyzon TRIDENTATUS, (Gairdner.) Tridentate
Lamprey.
Famity, Cyclostomata (Les suceurs). Cuv. Genus, Petromyzon. Cvv., Linn.
Petromyzon tridentatus.. GarrpNeER, 2 Jit,
Squaqual. Inprans of the banks of the Watamert.
The lampreys have seven gill-openings on each side; their maxillary ring is
armed with strong teeth, and the inner surface of the circular lip is likewise
provided with tubercles encrusted by a hard shell and resembling teeth. The
tongue, furnished with two longitudinal rows of little teeth, works backwards and
forwards like the sucker of a pump. The water passes from the mouth to the gills
by a membranous tube situated under the cesophagus and pierced by lateral holes.
There is one dorsal fin anterior to the anus, and another behind it which unites
with the caudal; the latter looks like a mere fold of the skin, its rays being fine
fibres that are scarcely perceptible. These fishes adhere strongly to stones and
other bodies by their mouth, and also to fishes, the largest of which they can destroy
by draining them of their fluids. Three species are described as European, viz.,
the P. marinus, fluvialis, and planeri, the two former of which are mentioned by
Mitchill and Smith as inhabitants of the United States waters.
The tridentate lamprey abounds at the falls of the Walamet, which we have
already had occasion to say is one of the tributaries of the Columbia. Dr. Gairdner
gave it the name of tridentatus, from the upper side of its maxillary ring being
armed with three conspicuous and contiguous teeth, of which the middle one is the
smallest. It resembles P. marinus and fluvialis in the dorsals being distinct.
DESCRIPTION.
Mourtu broadly oval, its axis parallel to that of the body. The thick obtuse lips are furnished
with a circular row of small nipple-like papille, about fifty-six in number, each standing in the
294 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
middle of little circular depressions having a raised margin, which are partly concealed by a
rugose, tessellated plate, investing the inner surface of the lips, and of the same horny nature
with that which forms the outside of the teeth,—both are softened and peel off when the speci-
men is kept immersed in spirits. Four small, acute, conical teeth stand in a row across the
upper part of this plate, and four larger ones occupy each of its sides, the upper and lower
pairs being bicuspid, and the middle ones tricuspid: these stand on the sides of the maxillary
ring, or inner orifice, and have their ends turned towards it; the inferior margin of this orifice
is armed with a slightly-curved dental piece, having five acute points or teeth; and opposite
to it, on the upper side of the orifice, is another piece, having two large, acutely-conical lateral
teeth, with a smaller central one. ‘The tongue is also clothed with a horny-looking substance,
which is edged anteriorly by a row of about twenty fine teeth.
The dorsal fins rise in even curves which are highest in the middle; the first one is about
one-third of its own length distant from the second one, which unites with the caudal, the point
of junction being marked by a depression. A fold of skin becomes perceptible on the under
edge of the tail, a short way behind the anus, and gradually expands into the lower caudal
lobe towards the tip of the tail, where its height, in conjunction with that of the upper lobe,
equals the greatest height of the second dorsal.
Cotour.—* Back and sides bluish-grey with irregularly-scattered yellowish patches. Belly
yellowish-white.”’ (Gairdner. )
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches, Lines.
Length from tip of upper lip to extremity of Length of space between Ist and 2nd dorsal fins 1 0
caudal fin . 5 . - 21 6 Bs upper lobe of caudal . 1 6
3 3 end of second dorsal . 20 1 Height of both lobes of caudal 0 10
5 3 anus : ‘ ~ ald 5 of first dorsal . : is Seay.) 44
ne 3 origin of second dorsal 14 11 5) second dorsal 0 10
v end of first dorsal : 13 11 Length of axis of mouth a 1 2
a origin of ditto 5 A lO) 8 i its transverse diameter . 0 9
of last gill-opening 5 4 10 _ diameter of inner orifice of max-
5 ie first ditto 2 8 illary ring : : E . CC, 5
» ” centre of eye 1 8 Distance between the eyes . ° > 0 9%
» Of first dorsal . 6 5 3 3 Greatest circumference of body —- Bins 6
Ff second ditto 5 2
[125.] 2. PrErTromyzon FLUVIALIS. (Linn.) River Lamprey.
Petromyzon argenteus. Buocu, t. ccccxv., f. 2.
Petromyzon fluvialis. Ricuarpson, Frank. First Journ., p. 705.
A lamprey having teeth like fuvialis was found in Great Slave Lake adhering
to an Inconnu (Salmo Mackenzii). It was very like Bloch’s figure above referred
to, which Cuvier thinks is not different from fluvialis.
ADDENDA.
Page 43, before Cottus polaris.
[126.] 2s) Corrus asper. (Richardson.) Prickly Bull-head.
I am indebted to Dr. Gairdner for this interesting and very distinct species of
fresh-water Bull-head, which is common in the Columbia River. It resembles
gobio in its general form, but is distinguished from it, at first sight, by the rough-
ness of the skin, exclusive of other characters. It is a larger fish.
DESCRIPTION
Of a male specimen.
Form.—Head not so much depressed as in gobio, its height being proportionably greater
and its breadth less ; it forms a third part of the length of the fish, excluding the caudal. The
top of the head is flat, or rather widely concave, the margins of the orbits being smoothly and
roundly elevated; there are no other indications of lateral ridges, nor any tubercles or spines
on the top of the skull. On close examination a small spinous point may be detected on the
nasal bones ; the operculum ends in a thin flat point, which is masked by a narrow, flexible,
cartilaginous process of the suboperculum, imbedded in membrane, and forming the tip of the
gill-cover ; the suboperculum ends anteriorly in an acute point, but its edge is even: the spine
at the angle of the preoperculum is more evident, and when divested of the skin which envelops
it, shows a very acute, clear point, curved slightly upwards; the under edge of the preoper-
culum forms two distinct angular points: the scapular bone ends in an acute point, which can
scarcely be felt through the skin, but none of the bones margining the gill-openings, nor any of
the opercular pieces, are serrated. In the recent specimen the spines are perceptible only to
the touch, being concealed from the eye by the integuments. The posterior tips of the inter-
maxillary pedicles may be mistaken for spines. The under lip projects a little beyond the upper
one when the mouth is closed. The eyes are more than one of their diameters apart. The
Sxin of the head is quite smooth to the touch, but it is dotted, particularly on the crown, with
minute soft warts. The belly, a stripe adjoining the anal on each side, a small space round
the base of the caudal, and the interscapular space anterior to the first dorsal, are also smooth;
but the rest of the skin of the body is thickly studded with very small, subulate, acute spines
296 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
directed backwards. These spines are too minute to be seen distinctly by the naked eye, but
a little fold of skin, raised by each of them, produces a roughness which is very visible; they
resist the finger only when it is drawn against their points. The lateral line, formed by a
furrow, interrupted by about forty-four coutractions, is very conspicuous.
Fins.— Br. 6—6; P.16; V.1/4; D.9/—21; A. 18; C. 98.
The ventrals are situated posterior to the three under rays of the pectorals and anterior to
‘he upper ones. ‘The pectorals are obliquely obovate. The first dorsal, commencing oppo-
site the upper pectoral ray and supra-scapular point, is lower than the second one and not
half its length ; its spines are slender, but scarcely flexible, and its membrane is attached to
the lower third of the first ray of the second dorsal; the sixth and seventh spines are the
longest. The second dorsal commences opposite the anus, and extends a little farther back
than the anal.
“ Cotours, generally, greyish-white ; top of the head, back, and sides studded with small
clove-brown spots, in some places confluent and forming patches. Pectorals, dorsals, and
caudal marked with transverse rows of clove-brown spots. Under parts whitish with minute
specks.” (Gairdner.)
IntEsTINEs.—The stomach is a roundish muscular bag, having one-third of its cavity be-
neath the pylorus. There are five ceeca, four of them slender, cylindrical, and of unequal
lengths, the fifth a short oval bag.
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches, Lines.
Length from tip of snout to extremity of cau- Height of body at the pectorals : 62 5
dal . . . : : . gu) 6 Length of pectorals . : 2 x
th 3 base of caudal . . 8 3 93 ventrals . . é . 1 6
ss 3 end of second dorsal . Our Ze 4 Sp first dorsal . 7 . : 1 64
a s) end of anal ; ; 7 2 Height of ditto A : 4 6 - O 7
Be fs beginning of ditto i ae eel 6 Length of second dorsal 5 6 : 3 34
» op beginning of second dorsal 4 2 Height of ditto 2 ° . gil 0
ef a anus A . 4 2 Length of anal . - 2 9 . 2 82
cf a beginning of first doveat ; 2 7 Height of ditto : ; oJ 0
of b upper ray of pectorals - 2 8 Length of caudal (contre) 5 . : 1 34
} oy tip of gill-cover : 2 8 Spread of caudal . . . . 5 ul 5
. Hh first ray of ventrals . . 2 3 % pectorals . c 0 1 9
# ” angle or spine of preoperculum 2 2 Circumference of head. . - 5 6
Gs 5 nape ‘3 5 Be 74 1 9 body between Rorals : 4 0
” 9 posterior edge of orbit . 1 3 Height atsame place. 5 oll 4
a 5 end of labial. 2 regal: 3 » Of tail behind second dorsal 0 6
» ” anterior edge of orbit c 0 9 Length from gullet to bottom of stomach . 1 9
5) tips of intermaxillary pedicles 0 63 Bf : pylorus . 1 3
55 of labials . 3 6 . opal 3 a pylorus to anus é : - 6 6
5 lower jaw. ( ° ‘ 1 4 » of whole alimentary canal 6 7 9
Breadth between orbits. ° és a0) 73 x longest cecum 4 . - 1 5
5 sf tip of preopercular spines 1 9 s shortest ditto . ° 0 5
» 2 pectorals . 9 0 1 6
a
1
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TAP SAYMDET OSHOYABTD A) L
ADDENDA. 297
Page 46.
[15.] 5. Corrus Granianpicus. (Cuvier.) Greenland Bull-head.
I am obliged to Mr. Audubon for three specimens of a cottws taken at New-
foundland, which are almost without a doubt examples of the species described by
Fabricius under the appellation of scorpius, called Grenlandicus by Cuvier, and
known to the Greenlanders by the names of kaneeok and kaneoonak. They have
the four tubercles bounding a square area on the top of the head, and the sixteen
spines enumerated by Fabricius; viz., a nasal, opercular, subopercular, scapular,
and humeral one, with three preopercular ones on each side; the colours of the
body also, and rays of the fins, agree sufficiently well with the description in the
Fauna Grenlandica. As Captain J. C. Ross informs us that the cotius quadri-
cornis of the appendices to Sir Edward Parry’s first and third voyages, and of Sir
John Ross’s recent one, is named kan-ny-yoke by the Esquimaux of Boothia, it is
rendered probable that it also ought to be referred to Grenlandicus. The scor-
pioides of Fabricius, quoted by the authors of these appendices as synonymous with
their quadricornis *, is named pokudlek and eegarsok by the natives, and differs
from the true guadricornis of Linnzeus and Bloch by many characters; it wants
the nasal, scapular, and humeral spines which exist in Grenlandicus. Dr. Mit-
chill gives so slight a notice of his cottus scorpius (the cottus Mitchilli of Cuvier),
that it is impossible to come to any certain conclusion respecting it, but the little
that he does say of its colours, and the comparative length of its spines, applies
also to Grenlandicus. Cottus octodecim-spinosus may be readily distinguished
from Grenlandicus by the length of its preopercular spine, which in the Jatter falls
more than its own length (or nearly three-quarters of an inch in our largest speci-
men) short of the tip of the opercular, spine. The two species differ likewise
remarkably in the size of the pyloric ceeca, and in other respects. Their tints of
colour are, however, at times much alike, for the markings in Mr. Audubon’s
specimens are very similar to those exhibited by specimens of octodecim-spinosus,
brought from Newfoundland by M. Pilaye. (Hist. des Poiss., viii., p. 459.)
Cuvier remarks that the account of the kaneeok and other Greenland species
given by Fabricius, forms the ground-work of almost all that has been said by
* In page 45 I hazarded a conjecture that this fish might be identical with my heaacornis, under the supposition that
the two anterior horns might have been overlooked, but the acquisition of the Newfoundland specimens having dispelled
the obscurity which hung over the scorpius of Fabricius, has rendered a reference of the guadricornis of the recent Arctic
Voyages to the Grenlandicus more likely to be correct.
2Q
298 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
naturalists of the sea-scorpion and father-lasher (scorpius and bubalis) of Euro-
pean seas. The kaneeok is described as a most voracious fish, and this character
is fully maintained by the individuals from Newfoundland, whose stomachs con-
tained the vertebral columns of several small fish, some entire crabs, the peelings of
potatoes, and other substances.
DESCRIPTION.
Form.—Head large, forming more than a third of the length of the fish, caudal included ;
its height at the nape is about a fourth of the length, exclusive of the caudal, and its breadth
there, when the gill-covers are closely shut, scarcely exceeds its height. Eyes lateral with a
slight inclination upwards, and placed their own diameter apart. The upper border of the
orbit is much elevated and terminates posteriorly in a rounded, obtuse, somewhat uneven knob,
about the size of a grain of duck-shot. At the foot of this, and so covered by skin as not
always to appear distinct, there is a smaller tubercle which forms the commencement of a low
even ridge, that separates the temples from the crown of the head, and terminates on the nape
by a tubercle similar to the orbitar one. ‘The space bounded by the orbitar and nuchal tuber-
cles of each side is flat, and in the female nearly square, but in the males it is narrower, the
posterior tubercles being nearer to each other than the anterior ones. ‘The space between the
orbits is much depressed and is bounded anteriorly by the nasal spines and the prominent ends
of the intermaxillary pedicles which play between them. In coftus octodecitm-spinosus the
place of the four tubercles on the top of the head is occupied by compressed, curved spines.
There are velvet-like plates of teeth as usual on the intermaxillaries, lower jaw, and vomer,
but none on the palate bones in Grenlandicus.
Sprnes.—None of the spines project distinctly through the skin in the ordinary state of the
fish, though all are subulate and acute. The nasal ones are small. The principal one at the
angle of the preoperculum is stout, straight, awl-shaped, and only about one-sixth of the total
length of the head, or rather shorter than the diameter of the orbit ; it is inclined a little
upwards ; an equally stout spine, only half as long, springs from its base beneath and inclines
slightly downwards; while the lower limb of the preoperculum ends just behind the articula-
tion of the lower jaw in a spinous point directed forwards—the number of preopercular spines
being the same as in cottus scorpius. ‘The anterior under spinous angle of the suboperculum
points downwards, but there are no serratures nor spines on the edge of this bone, which is
continued backwards by a thin, strap-shaped, flexible, cartilaginous process forming, with the
integuments in which it is imbedded, a triangular, but not very acute tip to the gill-cover.
The opercular spine is much concealed by the skin, and falls nearly half an inch short of this
tip. The scapular spine, though shorter than the opercular one, to which it is parallel, is
fully as stout. The tip of the short humeral spine coincides exactly with the tip of the gill-
cover. ‘There are no serratures on any of the spines, or bones of the head or shoulder, in
which respect this species differs from bubalis ; while by there being only two, and not three,
strong spines at the angle of the preoperculum, it is distinguished from the quadricornis of
Linneus and my hexacornis.
Fins.—Br. 6—6; P.17; V.1/3; D.10/—17; A.13; C. 118. In two specimens.
6—6; 7h Vase 10/—18; 2% 11. In one ditto.
ADDENDA. 299
The pectorals are large and wide, reaching backwards to the anus and second dorsal. The
first dorsal, commencing opposite to the tip of the gill-cover, is high anteriorly and rounds off
gradually posteriorly, its membrane terminating exactly at the base of the second dorsal. ‘The
spinous ray of the ventral is short and not easily distinguishable from the first soft ray to which
it is applied.
Sxin.—The top of the head is sprinkled with little soft conical pimples, and on the body
and posterior surfaces of the pectoral rays there are a number of small circular scales, whose
surfaces, and particularly their posterior margins, are studded with very short minute spines.
The general tint of the upper parts of the fish is dark-brown, which is mixed on the top
of the head with large clay-coloured patches, and on the gill-covers, nape, and pectorals,
with crimson-red blotches; there are also some smaller spots of the latter on the back. The
sides, belly, and pectoral and ventral fins are ornamented by perfectly circular spots as big as
the point of the finger, of dead-white, generally bounded by a ring darker than the neighbour-
ing skin. Some of the white spots on the pectorals are placed excentrically on a larger
orange-coloured mark, and there is a row of large orange spots on the under surface of the
tail. The dorsal fins are blackish with oblique dull, yellowish, irregular spots or bars. On
the anal the yellowish bars alternate more distinctly with the purplish-black ones, there being
three of each; and on the caudal there are three transverse rows of contiguous, large, black
spots on a yellowish ground, with indications of a fourth row on the tips of the rays. The
colours of the female specimen are much less brilliant.
IntEstINEs.—The stomach is a bag with folds towards its fundus, and minute reticulated
wrinkles round the pylorus, where its parietes are thickened. ‘The linings of the cesophagus
and stomach have a very different appearance, and are separated by a distinct line. There
are seven long cylindrical pyloric ceca. The liver is very large, and after long immersion in
spirits retains a bright scarlet colour.
Dimensions
Of a female specimen.
Inches. Lines. Inches, Lines.
Length from tip of upper lip to end of caudal 13 6 Distance between upper orbitar tubercles . 0 9
35 ' base of central rays of ditto 11 4 96 x nuchal tubercles . 0 8}
a end of second dorsal . 5 1) 3 A. nuchal and orbitar tubercles 0 10
s end of anal . : oc LO 2 Length of preopercular spine. 5 0 93
F ” beginning of ditto ° - 8 3 » pectorals . : . 3 0
fe bs anus. : : : 6 TL Spread of ditto 5 . . 4 4
3 ‘5 beginning of second dorsal 6 8 Length of ventrals : é 0 2 2
2 ” beginning of first dorsal 4 5 ” attachment of first dorsal . 2 9
: rp tip of gill-cover . . 4 74 Height of first dorsal . A 1 8
of rp tip of opercular spine . . 4 2 9p second dorsal . ‘ : - 2 0
33 cf tip of preopercular spine . 3 93 Length of its attachment : . 3 4
oc a nape : 5 . ofa 5 » attachment of anal . ’ me 4
a By tip of labial. . : 2 34 Height of anal . 9 6 ‘ 0 1 6
2 » posterior edge of orbit - 2 0 Length of caudal. . : : a @ 2
ey, anterior edge of ditto 1 24 Spread of ditto. ° ° 2 . 3 0
» Of axisoforbit . ‘ : a 103 Greatest circumference of body , . - 8 6
vertical diameter of ditto 0 0 74 Length of longest pyloric cecum . . 1 8
Distance between upper margins of orbits . 0 93 shortest ditto . . . 1 0
3800 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Page 52, before Sebastes Norvegica.
[127.] 1. Scorp#na Buro. (Cuvier.) Sea Toad.
La scorpéne crapaud de mer (Scorpena bufo). Cuv. et Vat., iv., p. 306.
Mr. Audubon brought a specimen from Newfoundland of this fish, which is ar
inhabitant of the Caribbean Sea and coast of Brazil, and will, no doubt, be here-
after detected in the intervening sea of the United States. I have received no
account of its habits, nor is anything said on that subject in the Histoire des
Poissons.
Cuvier observes that the most obvious distinctive mark of the sea-toad consists in the axilla
of its black pectoral being dotted with round milk-white spots, a character which is not de-
stroyed by immersion in spirits, and is very conspicuous in our specimen, though it is injured
elsewhere. The barbels, and the soft integuments of the head in particular, are decayed, so
that the spines and ridges of the cranium are much exposed, and a greater number may be
reckoned than Cuvier enumerates in his description of scorpena scrofa, but the principal ones
occupy the same situations as in that species, though they are more prominent and robust.
The nasal spines are not denticulated, which is the only circumstance in which the Newfound-
land fish does not correspond with the description of bufo in the Histoire des Poissons. Thirty-
two or thirty-three spines may be reckoned on each side of the head and shoulder, viz., one on
the nasal bone ; five on the elevated bony margin of the upper half of the orbit, the lowest one
before and behind being the sharp terminations of the bone ; three in a row extending back-
wards from the orbital ridge to the nape, occupying the position of the cranial ridges in the
cotti, and flanking a deep circular depression on the top of the skull; five in a row parallel to
the above, commencing close to the orbit, passing over the temples and ending on the shoulder ;
the posterior part of this row is doubled, adding two spines more ; four divergent ones on the
anterior sub-orbitar; three on the ridge of the second sub-orbitar which traverses the cheek
obliquely ; six on the preoperculum, as in scorp@ena porcus, the principal one being at the
angle, and the two next in size standing at equal distances a little way below it; two on the
operculum, tipping its divergent, obtuse keels which are slightly furrowed longitudinally ; the
acute points of the suboperculum and interoperculum, pointing downwards and in contact with
each other, are not spinous ; the thirty-second spine tips the humeral bone immediately above
the pectoral, and the edge of the bone is widely notched above the spine, so that the upper
corner of the notch, which is acute and prominent, may be taken for another spine. The
bands of teeth on the jaws, vomer, and palate-bones are narrow. The upper and lower
pharyngeals are also toothed en velours.
Fins.— Br. 7-7; P. 20; D. 12/9; A. 3/5; V.1/5; C. 143:
ADDENDA. 301
The fifth dorsal spine is the tallest, but the third, fourth, sixth, and seventh are scarcely
perceptibly shorter, the eleventh is as high as the second, and the twelfth is taller, being equal
to the tenth, but shorter than the third. The anal spines are very robust, they are deeply
grooved behind, and also furrowed in front, seeming as if they were formed by the consolida-
tion of two or three spines, particularly the second one, which is highest and stoutest, and is
enlarged downwards by the thin expansion of one of the edges.
The scales are obtusely oval, with crenatures on their basal margin corresponding with from
fourteen to twenty furrows that converge towards the exposed edge of the scale, which, with a
portion of the adjoining surface, appears rough under the microscope, but is not grooved or
toothed. A scale on the anterior part of the body is rather more than a quarter of an inch
long, and thirteen of them, when in situ, are included within a linear inch. There are forty-
seven on the lateral line, and thirty-four in a vertical row where the body is highest. The
colours have been mostly destroyed by the spirit in which the specimen is kept, but, exclusive
of the spots on the pectoral already noticed, various large marks on the flanks are discernible,
and there are traces of a large spot on the tips of the soft rays of the dorsal.
Dimensions.
Inches, Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of upper lip to end of caudal 7 0 Length from tip of upper lip to a of dorsal 2 1
rr &p beginning of ditto 5 7 x 9 nape . fee 63
x 7 end of dorsal . 4 11 % centre of orbit 0 9
& sf end of anal 3 ; 4 93 Diaweter of orbit . 6 ; 3 310 6
» 9 beginning of ditto . 4 0 Length of intermaxillary . 0 9
5 5 anus 6 . 3 7 6 labial . P a ul 1
33 5 tip of humeral spine 2 4 Breadth of lower end of ditto 5 j 0 0 4
of op gill-cover . 2 33 Length of fourth dorsal spine 0 9
” tip of opercular spine 2 2 9 second anal spine . ° . 1 2
Page 111, after Abramis Smithii.
[128.] 2. Cyprinus (ABRAMIS) BALTEATUS. (Rich.) Red-sided
Bream.
This pretty little bream, which is an inhabitant of the Columbia, was sent to me
by Dr. Gairdner.
DESCRIPTION.
CoLour.—* Back of head and body mountain-green, with iridescent tints of yellow and
blue. Belly silvery-white—A bright gold-yellow band behind the eye on the margin of
the preoperculum, and a broad scarlet-red stripe beneath the lateral line, extending from
the gill-opening to the anal. Fins of an uniform greenish-grey colour without brilliancy.”
(Gairdner. )
Form much compressed, the depth of the body being equal to one-fourth of the distance
between the tip of the snout and the caudal fork, while its thickness is only equal to a tenth
302 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
of the same distance. The profile curves moderately from the snout to the dorsal, just before
which the depth of the body is greatest, but it continues to be considerable at the insertion of
the anal, the belly running as it were into an acute edge at that place : the short piece of the
tail behind the anal is narrow. ‘The head, forming exactly one-fourth of the length of
fish, excluding the caudal, has a conical profile when the mouth is shut, the apex being formed
by the tip of the lower jaw, which projects a very little beyond the commissure of the mouth.
The top of the head is comparatively broad and rounded, its thickness at the nape being equal
to that of any part of the body, and the snout, when viewed from above, appearing obtuse.
Eyes large, much nearer to the snout than to the gill-opening. Nostrils near the eyes.
Mouth toothless, small, its commissure descending obliquely and not reaching farther back
than the nostrils: the lower jaw, when depressed, projects considerably beyond the upper one.
GILL-covers.—Bony operculum quadrangular, its slightly-convex under edge being equal to
the anterior one, and fully one-third longer than the upper or posterior one: the latter is
widely emarginated, or cut with a concave curve. The suboperculum, one-third of the height
of the operculum, is rounded off posteriorly in the segment of a circle, forming an obtuse tip
to the gill-cover: both these bones are edged with membrane. Preoperculum narrow.
Scars thin and sub-orbicular, their transverse diameter being rather greater than their
longitudinal one. A few crenatures may be obscurely seen on their basal edges with a lens,
and very faint lines proceeding from them towards the centre. There are about fifty-seven
scales on the lateral line, and the greatest diameter of one taken from the anterior part of the
sides measures a line and a half. A linear inch includes sixteen or seventeen of them in situ.
The lateral line is curved convexly downwards, just before the ventrals, rising so as to run
straight through the tail. It is formed by a short tube on each scale.
Fins.— Br. 3—3; P.17; D.11; V.9; A. 19 to 22; C. 192%.
The ventrals are attached a little anterior to the middle, between the tip of the snout and
base of the caudal, or opposite to the eighth ray of the dorsal; their tips reach to the anal.
The anal and dorsal are high anteriorly, and become considerably lower posteriorly, with a
slight concave sweep; the articulations of the first ray of each are obsolete.
The air-bladder is divided by a contraction into two portions, of which the lower one is the
largest. ‘There are forty vertebra in the spine.
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of snout to end of caudal lobes 5 94 Length of lower jaw 0 43
7S end of central caudal rays . 5 0 a pectorals : . . 0 il3
a base of ditto . 4 7 ) ventrals . : 0 Z
ay - end of anal 4 0 ep attachment ofanal ~~. 1 IZ
- . end of dorsal . 5 3 23 Height of anal anteriorly 0 9
56 % beginning of anal 2 11 x posteriorly 0 2h
5 anus. 4 0 0 2 104 7 dorsal anteriorly 0 103
x " beginning of dorsal. 2 63 Ap posteriorly . 0 34
np oy ventrals 2 1 Length of attachment of dorsal . 0 8
sp » tip of gill-cover . 1 1 iN lobes ofcaudal . 3 1 33
s 5 nape 3 A 0 9 3 its longest rays ] 2
9 » posterior edge of orbit 0 63 fF its central ditto 0 43
» w anterior ditto . . 0 54 Depth of caudal fork 0 9b
d nostrils 0 21 by body at ventrals 1 33
» v9 tip of labials 0 32 Thickness of body where greatest a) 6
ne ee
ADDENDA. 303
Page 115, after Catastomus Hudsonius.
[129.] 6. Cyprinus (CATASTOMUS) RETICULATUS. (Cuvier.)
Lattice-scaled Catastomus.
Catastomus reticulatus, Cuvier, in “it.
I had referred an imperfect specimen of this fish, obtained in Lake Huron, to
C. Hudsonius, but after examining several very well-prepared examples from
Albany River, I think it probable that it may prove to be a distinct species. If,
on a comparison of the recent fish, this question be decided in the negative, Cuvier’s
specific name must give place to Le Sueur’s prior one of Hudsonius.
The head is less convex at the eyes, the eyes themselves are farther back, the mouth is a
little smaller, and the depth of the body somewhat greater than in C. Hudsonius ; but the
length of the head, which does not form a fifth part of the whole length of the fish, and the
other external proportions, are the same as in that species. The scales, however, which are more
distinctly radiated and crenated, exhibit in the prepared specimens of the younger individuals
a nearly uniform hyacinth-red tint ; and in the older ones reddish-orange tips with dark grey
bases, forming a coloured mesh-work, whence the specific name. ‘The belly is pale. The
scales of the lateral-line vary in number from 70 to 77, and there are 18 or 20 in a vertical
row under the dorsal.
Fins.—Br. 3; P.17 to 19; D.14to15; V.10to1l; A.8; C. 204.
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines, Inches. Lines.
Length from end of snout to tips of caudal . 21 0 Height of dorsal 3 : : 5 4
” 53 end of scales of ditto. 18 0 Length of its attachment 3 2
5 . beginning of anal 5 5 (es 8 é5 ventrals 2 3h
oh a ventrals 6 : : 10 0 Depth of anal - 3 5
or ” dorsal : ‘ 6 5 ts 2 Length of its attachment . 1 6
7 66 edge of gill-cover 3 11 Space between it andcaudal . 1 9
5 nape 2 G - 3 3 Depth of body before dorsal r . 3 10
. 7 centre of orbit . 9 2 1 Breadth of nape . : . . . 2 1
of pectorals ° 3 3
Page 119. Catastomus Sueurit.
By the acquisition of three well-prepared specimens from the Albany River
district, Hudson’s Bay, I am enabled to give the dimensions of this fish more fully.
*
f
304 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Dimensions.
Inches, Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from end of snout to tips of caudal . 19 6 Breadth of nape : : : 0 gil 10
ey 3 end of central rays . - els 2 Length of pectorals 3 0
% 3 end of scales on ditto . . 16 7 Height of dorsal 3 0
of ef end ofanal_. 5 + sl4 3 Length of its attachment 3 0
FF x) anus - 3 ; ails 0 FA ventrals 2 4
or es ventrals Z , A ) 0 Depth of anal. 3 6
a y dorsal : 7 2 Length of its attachment 1 9
4 es edge of gill-cover 3 0 Space between anal and caudal 1 11
” » nape 2 6 Length of caudal lobes 4 0
os 5 centre of orbit 1 7 0 central rays of caudal 1 4
s Of axis of orbit 0 8 Depth of caudal fork 1 9
Page 122, to follow Cyprinus (Leuciscus) chrysoleucas.
[ 130. ] 3. Cyprinus (LEuciscus) caurtnus. (Rich.) North-
west Dace.
Famiry, Cyprinoideer. Genus, Cyprinus. Swb-genus, Leuciscus. Cuv.
This dace inhabits the Columbia River, and is abundant at Fort Vancouver,
from whence I have obtained two dried specimens through Dr. Scouler, and more
recently two preserved in spirits from Dr. Gairdner. The latter gentleman makes
no mention of it in his notes, and does not seem to have distinguished it from the
following species, of which examples were inclosed in the same vessel ; hence the
tints of colour in both, when fresh, may be supposed to be nearly the same. It is
very different from /ewciscus gracilis in the size of its head, the form and size of
its scales, and other characters, being much more closely allied to the Common
European dace, from which, however, it may be readily distinguished by the fol-
lowing characters.
DESCRIPTION.
Form handsome, moderately compressed, circumference of the body greatest just before
the dorsal, where the height is equal to one-fifth of the distance between the tip of the snout
and end of the central caudal rays: the thickness there rather exceeds half the height. The
shoulders are thick and arched in profile. The head forms one-fourth of the length of the
fish, caudal excluded : the snout is rather obtuse, and projects a little beyond the shut mouth ;
the orbit is nearly two of its diameters from the tip of the snout, and almost three diameters
from the most posterior part of the gill-flap. The under jaw shuts within the upper one, and
its tip is then more than the thickness of the upper lip, or above two lines posterior to the end
of the snout. Gill-cover rather broadly edged with membrane, rounded at the apex ; posterior
edge of operculum straight.
ADDENDA. 305
Scaes sub-orbicular, crenated exteriorly, and impressed with from fourteen to twenty fine
but conspicuous lines, radiating from near the base, which is neither furrowed nor crenated.
There are seventy-five on the lateral line, twenty-four in a vertical line before the dorsal, and
ten in a linear inch measured on the forepart of the sides.
Fins— Br. 3—3; P. 18; D.10; V.10; A.9; C. 198.
The dorsal commences exactly midway between the tip of the snout and base of the central
caudal rays: its first ray is so short as to be scarcely perceptible through the skin, and with
the second one is closely applied to the base of the third: the latter and the fourth are the
longest. The ventrals are attached under the fifth dorsal ray, or considerably before the
middle of the fin, and midway between the gill-opening and end of the anal, which is similar
in shape to the dorsal, being highest anteriorly. ‘The caudal is deeply forked.
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of snout to extremity of Length of under jaw to articulation .« . 0 g
caudal . 0D : - 12 6 7 vertical gape of mouth . 0 93
cp oh end of central caudal rays 11 2 , transverse ditto . 0 2
eo base of ditto . . nL, 6 ms pectorals . A C 5 2 2
= “n end of anal : a 8 5 op ventrals . 9 : . 5 yl 42
56 HH beginning of ditto . ° 7 6 Height of dorsal anteriorly . . 1 8k
7 a5 anus cj e : bu ef 5 33 ditto posteriorly é . - 0 9
a 5 end of dorsal ° e 6 5 Length of attachment of dorsal 1 2
" 3 ventrals’ . . . ii 8) 7 ¥ ” anal . F gral 0
r » beginning of dorsal . 5 4 Height of anal anteriorly =» ° ° 1 5
3 7 pectorals . : d a) 9 35 ditto posteriorly : o von 7
3 5 tip of gill-cover c : 2 8h Length of caudal lobes é - : 2 3
ne » tip of bony operculum by YB 7% By) its middle rays ° 0 8
. > nape 6 . c 2 23 Depth of caudal fork 1 0
x, rr posterior edge of orbit 1 4 Height of body before dorsal 2 3
0 5 anterior ditto 0 102 Greatest thickness ‘ f . 1 3
” 3 anterior nostril . : 5: » Ai) 63 circumference . 4 . 6. 8 0
Pe & tip of labial’ . A . 0 9 Thickness at nostrils. C ° 0 9
» of margin of upper jaw, one side 0 8 mn between orbits . 0 10
os ditto under jaw 0 6% Ay of nape 1 3
[131.] 4. Cyprinus (Leuctscus) OrEGoNENSIS. © (Richardson.)
Columbia River Dace.
This species is also an inhabitant of the Oregon, or Columbia River, and is so
similar in general appearance to the last, that it may be readily confounded with it,
though it is certainly specifically distinct, as may be seen by the following differ-
ences.
ForM more tapering forwards, the shoulders not being so high: head longer, forming one-
fourth part of the length of the fish, including the middle caudal rays: snout obtuse and even
2R
306 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
with the margins of the upper and lower jaw when the mouth is closed: mouth considerably
larger, being cleft as far back as the edge of the orbit: anterior sub-orbital more oblong and
perforated by a greater number of foramina: the gill-cover less widely rounded, and the
edge of the operculum concave, though not so much so as in leuciscus gracilis, pl. 78. The
dorsal also stands farther back, being nearer to the tip of the tail than to the point of the snout,
while the ventrals stand under the first dorsal ray, and midway between the orbit and base of
the central caudal rays. The distance from the gill-openings to the ventrals reaches from the
latter to half way between the anal and caudal. ‘The size of the scales, generally, and their
number on the lateral line, is the same as in leuciscus caurinus, but their form is more per-
fectly orbicular, and those on the belly are proportionably smaller.
Fins.—Br. 3—3; P.15; D.10; V.9; A.9; C. 192.
“ Cotour of the back and top of the head intermediate between yellowish grey and brocoli-
brown, passing gradually on the sides, below the lateral line, into sulphur-yellow, the latter
colour prevailing also on the cheeks, gill-covers, and bases of the fins. ‘The belly is silvery
white.” (Dr. Gairdner.)
Dim Ensi0ns.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of snout to extremity of Height of gape of mouth . : C 1 0
caudal . c : 6 - 13 0 Length of ditto transversely . 0 103
5) - end of central caudal rays 11 11 a3 pectorals . ° 5 1 BY
-. ; base of ditto . : - 10 10 sy ventrals . ° 1 6
. . end of anal ° : - 8 74 Height of dorsal anteriorly . 1 8
- if beginning of ditto . . 7 83 7 ditto posteriorly C O - 0 9
oA rr anus c zh if Length of attachment of dorsal . . 1 2
i 4 end of dorsal 5 : 1 2 = ‘3 anal . 0 11°
ae ventrals 6 1 Height of anal anteriorly . 1 6
5 Bs beginning of dorsal 6 1 of ditto posteriorly ° auO 82
"5 - pectorals . C 3 2 Length of caudal lobes 6 f b 2 44
» 9» tip of gill-cover 3 1 fs its middle rays : 1 3
» 9 tipof bony operculum 2 11 Depth of caudal fork . . 1 0
” ” RENUS . . . 2 4 Height of body before dorsal. . 2 3
op ” posterior edge of orbit 1 5 Greatest thickness bs By 1 22
3 a anterior ditto 2 ‘ 0 11 » circumference . . . 5 3
" is anterior nostril . f 5 7 Thickness at nostrils. 6 0 93
sere tiposlabial . 6 7 2 . between orbits. ¢ 0 102
») of margin of upper jaw one side 1 23 ” of nape . ° 1 3
rf ditto under jaw . . 0 10 Weight 9 oz. 2 dr.
rs under jaw to articulation . site 44
Page 141. Srwin, Salmo Cambriseus.
Mr. Yarrell, in the tenth number of his History of British Fishes, which has
just reached me, states this fish to be the same with the Salmo eriow of Linneus,
Salmo griseus seu cinereus of Ray and Willughby, and the Whitling and Bull
ADDENDA. 307
trout of the Tweed. Its young are named Warkworth and Coquet trout, in the
north of England, and it is also supposed to be the species which the Scottish
fishermen call Norway trout and Norway salmon. I have recently ascertained
that the note at the bottom of page 140 respecting the habits of the Salmon-trout
refers properly to the salmo Cambriscus, which is termed salmon-trout in many
parts of Cornwall and Wales, while the appellation of Sewin is given indiscrimi-
nately to our Salmon-trout (p. 140), and to the salmo trutta, or Nith trout (p. 142).
Colonel Lawrence informs me that the hook of the under jaw is very decided, even
in the young salmo Cambriscus. This fact, together with a consideration of the
>
synonyms quoted by Mr. Yarrell, tends to strengthen the opinion I have expressed
of the Lapland salmon noticed by Linnzeus, the S. hamatus of Cuvier, the Bull
trout of the Tweed, and the S. Cambriscus of Donovan, being one and the same
species. According to Mr. Yarrell the normal number of the dorsal vertebree in
the Bull-trout is 59.
Page 144. Salmo fario.
In Mr. Yarrell’s work, part x., p. 53, the normal number of the dorsal vertebree
in this species is stated to be 56, instead of 58 as I have mentioned in the text.
Page 226, to follow Salmo Clarkia.
By the friendly attentions of P. W. Dease, Esq., I have received small speci-
mens of three different kinds of trout from New Caledonia. One species, named
by the natives * DUGGANG, agrees exactly in external characters with the Salmo
nitidus of the peninsula of Boothia (page 171, pl. 82, f. 1), the only discrepancy
being some traces of a different distribution of spots and tints of colour, which
may be owing to the different seasons in which the fish were captured, or to the
mode of preparing the skins.
Another, named Suppai, of which there are three specimens, resembles the
young of an anadromous salmon. The scales are thin, flexible, and bright, the
body is marked chiefly above the lateral line with scattered crucial cr crescentic
black spots, and the dorsal and caudal are thickly dotted with oval blackish marks
* The envelopes of the specimens on which the names were written having been disturbed at the Custom-house, the
appropriation of the native names is not quite certain.
2R2
308 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
in rows*. The fins generally, but the under ones especially, are small, andthe
latter appear to have been ofa pale hue. In form and proportion of parts, as well as
in dentition, this fish strongly resembles the Hirling, noticed in p. 141, and might
easily be confounded with the Salmon trout, p. 140, pl. 92, f. 1; though on exa-
mination some slight differences in the forms of the opercular pieces may be
detected. The characters ascribed by Dr. Gairdner to the Tsuppitch of the
Columbia (p. 224) agreeing well with this fish, and the names being so similar,
we may conclude that they are the same, and also that they belong to the species
named Silvery-white Salmon trout, by Lewis and Clarke. (Vide F. B. A., iii.
p- 163.) ;
The Utrat of the New Caledonia tribes differs from the last in the scales being
firmer, duller, and rather smaller, and the body more thickly and generally covered
with black spots, which extend well down the sides. ‘The spots on the dorsal and
tail are also more regular and conspicuous, and the teeth are stronger, especially
those on the palate bones; a flexuose row on the vomer does not extend quite so
far back as the palatine teeth. The Uléai is most probably the Salmo Clarki:,
p. 225, and also the Dark salmon trout of Lewis and Clarke, noticed in p. 163.
It is interesting to receive two fish so like European species as the Suppat and
Ultat from rivers falling into the Northern Pacific. They are very closely allied
indeed, by excernal form, to the Salmon trout, No. 2, p. 140, Hirling, No. 3, p.
141, and Nith trout, No. 5, p. 142, which are considered by many Ichthyologists
to be only varieties of sa/mo trutta, produced by local causes.
Dimensions.
Suppai. Ultar.
In. Lin. In, Lin.
Length from tip of snout to extremity of caudal - . . - 10 10 10
oA rs end of its central rays 3 . ey aby 10 1
Hf 0 end of scales on ditto Sn? 9 4
As * end of anal BEG 7 8
5 sa end of adipose Zin 1Gy' Zoe
ie if beginning of anal 6 8% 6 112
3 on end of dorsal 5 6 By)
a beginning of ditto. 4 62 4 7
fy) ventrals ° . ° 4 10 3 (0
' 5) end of gill-cover 20a 2 12
fy op nape . ° 14 1 43
3 of tip of labials ? 0 1 12
%, "9 centre of orbit . . 5 0 8% 0 82
» of labials 0 = 0 92 0 103
o under jaw . Ahi 4 22
is pectorals . 6 e 1 32 1 63
9 ventrals . : e . . lee: 1 23
Height of dorsal é é . : . Ll Irs
* Jn one specimen the spots on the fins are almost obsolete.
ADDENDA. 309
Page 183. Satmo MAcKENZII.
Having received several heads of this fish through the kind attentions of Mr.
King, who accompanied Captain Back on his recent expedition, I have been
enabled to give a view of the teeth in plate 94, f. 1.
All the teeth are en velours, the band on the intermaxillaries and end of the lower jaw is
very narrow, that on each palate bone is broader and unites before with a pretty large circular
patch on the anterior extremity of the vomer. The greater part of the surface of the tongue
is covered with teeth, though its tip is smooth. The labials and sides of the lower jaw are
perfectly toothless. The posterior piece of the labial is widest above, tapering gradually to
an acute point, which is even with the extremity of the anterior piece, and its length is about
two-thirds of that of the latter. ‘The under jaw is shorter than the upper surface of the head.
The rays of the gill-membrane vary from nine to ten on the right side, and from ten to eleven
on the left, there being generally, though not always, one more of the latter.
Page 201. Satmo (COREGONUS) TULLIBEE.
The acquisition of a specimen of the Tullibee from Albany District, Hud-
son’s Bay, enables me to make some essential additions to the description of
that fish.
In external appearance, and especially in the size and lustre of the scales, the Tullibee cor-
responds with the group of Coregoni, named Salmon-herrings, and bears the strongest resem-
blance to C. lucidus, p. 207, pl. 90, f. 1. ‘The depth of the body is, however, greater than in
that species, and the scales are so tiled, that the uncovered portion measures considerably
more yertically than longitudinally. The posterior piece of the labial is likewise wider, and
the suboperculum has a fuller, though rounded exterior edge, giving the gill-plate more the
form of that of C. albus, pl. 89, f.2. The greatest depth of the considerably-compressed
body is equal to one-fourth of the total length, caudal included; while the head forms a fifth
part of that length. The under jaw protrudes rather more beyond the upper one than in
C. lucidus. The lateral line contains eighty-one scales, whose tubular ridges are curved
downwards more conspicuously than in other species. There are twenty-three scales in a
vertical row under the first ray of the dorsal, a linear inch measured in that direction contain-
ing four scales in situ, or rather more than seven in a longitudinal direction. The first ray
of the ventrals and fifth of the dorsal is opposite to the thirty-first scale of the lateral line,
which is exactly midway between the tip of the snout and end of the scales on the caudal.
Fins.— Br. 8—9; P.16; D.15—0; V.12; A. 14 0r15; C. 194.
310 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of snout totipsofcaudal . 15 0 Length of labials_ . 0 104
9 33 end of central rays of ditto 13 7 ey lower jaw. 1 44
on oH end of scales on ditto . on 2, 7 Height of dorsal fin 3 2 3
” % end of adipose fin . - 10 10 Length of its attachment . 1 8h
” 3 end of anal 4 . cup 1 a pectorals 6 . 2 3
5 55 anus . A A - 10 0 a) ventrals n d ° 0 2 2
oF a ventrals . C . 6 6 10 Depth of anal ° 4 . ; el 5
as dorsal ° : ° - 6 3 Length of its attachment C . 1 3
x af edge of gill-plate . a 3: 0 5 lobes of caudal 6 : 3 0
5 % nape f° . 2 al 11 i itscentral rays. 1 0
of af centre of orbit 5 1 0 Depth of caudal fork 1 5
» of intermaxillaries vertically 0 2 + body at dorsal 3 10
Oxs. Though the species of Coregoni described in this work may be readily
distinguished when compared either in a recent or prepared state with each other,
yet there may be a difficulty in recognising any single species merely from the
descriptions, as the form, colours, and peculiar appearances of the scales are apt to
change in spirits, or when dried, and distinctions depending on magnitude are
strictly comparative ; it may therefore be useful to recapitulate some of the charac-
teristic marks which are less likely to vary. In C. albus and Labradoricus the
lower jaw is equal to the upper one; in C. tullibee, lucidus, and harengus, it is
longer; and in C. quadrilateralis it is shorter. In C. albus the labials are equal
in length to the long axis of the orbit (the eye being removed), and their posterior
piece has a broad pyriform shape with the obtuse end down. In C. Labradoricus
the labials have a similar form, but they are decidedly smaller, being shorter than
the axis of the orbit. In this species also the suboperculum is more cut away pos-
teriorly, and the head is proportionally smaller in all its dimensions. In C. tullibee,
lucidus, and harengus of the herring-salmon group, the labials have a more oblong
shape, being as wide close to their articulation as at their lower end; and the
intermaxillaries are very narrow vertically, so that the edge of the upper lip is but
a very little way beyond or beneath the tip of the snout, according as the mouth is
shut or open. The depth of body of the tullibee is greater than in the other two
species, and its gill-plate, as mentioned above, has a different form. C. lucidus
and harengus can scarcely be distinguished from each other except in a recent
state. C. quadrilateralis may be known by its very small mouth, small labials,
short under jaw, and its peculiar shape of body, which, though flat on the sides, is
ADDENDA. 311
less compressed than any of the other North American Coregoni that we have
seen.
In Plate 94, f. 2, the head of a Coregonus albus is represented the size of life,
to show the correct forms of its different parts: in f. 2, b, the mouth is seen in
front, and inc, on the stretch sideways, exhibiting the depth of the intermaxillaries,
which is much greater than in the herring-salmons, of which reduced figures are
given in plate 90.
Page 232. Hiopon curysopsis. Puare 94, f. 3. Three views of the head,
full size.
The dental surface of the vomer widens gradually towards the gullet, and the palate bones
have, in addition to the row of conical teeth on their edges, a small oval plate of minute teeth
near their middles.
Page 285, to follow Acipenser rubicundus.
[ 152. ] 2. ACIPENSER RupERTIANUS. (Richardson.) Rupert
Land Sturgeon.
Acipenser ruthenus major. Forsrer, Phil. Trans., \xiii., p. 149. An. 1773.
Puate 97, f. 1, one-third natural size. Shields full size: a. dorsal: b. lateral: c. ventral.
Two specimens of this sturgeon have reached me from Albany River District.
It is a species quite distinct from the 4. transmontanus (p. 278, pl. 97, f. 2), but
is probably the same with the sturgeon which abounds in the Saskatchewan, and
has been noticed in p. 279. It ranks decidedly among the Sterlete of Brandt,
approaching 4. Ruthenus closely in its general character.
DESCRIPTION.
Form more slender and the dorsal profile less elevated anteriorly than in A. transmon-
tanus ; the top of the head and snout are also more nearly in the same line than in that
species, there being no sudden convexity anterior to the orbits. The snout is slender and
tapers gradually to its extremity, which though narrow is not acute: its breadth at the nos-
trils equals half the length from thence to its tip, and its sides, instead of sloping off into a
thin edge as in the Columbia River sturgeon, are flattened and have a vertical height equal
to half the transverse breadth. The upper surface of the snout is finely granulated and
312 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
radiated like the top of the head, but its under surface is quite smooth, without any plates on
the end of the subrostral bone or cartilage, which is slender and little prominent even in the
dried specimen. ‘There are four barbels situated rather nearer to the orbits or mouth than to
the tip of the snout. They are quite simple, tapering and smooth, except that their inner
surfaces are studded with papillee like beads, in a crowded double series. The anterior mar-
gin of the orbit is exactly midway between the tip of the snout and first dorsal shield. The
shape of the operculum is somewhat different from that of A. transmontanus, and its surface,
instead of being reticulated, is marked with fine granulated lines radiating from its middle.
Mouth smaller than that of the Columbia River sturgeon.
SHIELDS in general not so much compressed as those of A. transmontanus. There are
thirteen or fourteen dorsal ones, including a spineless one incumbent on the dorsal; the spines
of the others resemble those of the sturgeon just mentioned: there are also two flat shields
between the dorsal and caudal. The lateral shields, thirty-five in number, have less acutely
spinous ridges than those of A. transmontanus, but with more oblique, longer, and more
approximated lozenge-shaped bases. The abdominal shields, nine or ten on each side, are
smooth or even pitted on the apex, instead of being crowned by an acute spine-tipped ridge :
there are two large flat shields between the anus and anal, and two smaller ones fill the space
between that fin and the caudal. ‘There are also in one specimen two small shields between
the ventrals,—one before the other. Integuments of the tail nearly as in A. transmontanus.
Fins.—Br. 0; P.40; V.30; D. 40; A. 25; C. 28/84. The fins in general, but the
vertical ones especially, are smaller than those of A. transmontanus.
Dimensions.
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
Length from tip of snout to extremity of tail 26 6 Length of rostral barbels 0 f ayy i 3
a %) curvature of tail . aie 2, 6 5 pectorals . r 4 cs 3 6
5 5 end of dorsal . 2 - 20 1 55 ventrals F 3 5 0
i ip end of anal . G 5 Al 2 5) attachment of ditto 9 6 2 2
nA . beginning of ditto . . 19 1 x attachment of anal . 4 ae ee 1
hy ‘A beginning of dorsal Be) Als} 2 Hy its longestrays . j : 2 0
AN Rs anus : 3 és ay UA 6 %) attachment of dorsal 5 1 10
» ” end of ventrals 5 aria 17) 2 ae its longest rays. , : 1 11
9 » beginning of ditto. 216 0 » attachment of lower lobe of
es & nape, including first dorsal caudal 6 : ‘5 O C 5 8
shield. . - 9 ° : 6 7 ) itslongest rays . : 2 9
Af ip nape, excluding ditto . by 0 ” attachment of upper lobe 5 6
s es pectorals ° : ¢ 6 0 Breadth of pectorals . 0 : . 2 0
aH » posterior edge of gill-opening 6 0 » between nostrils, upper orifices 1 2
-¢] of edge of operculum . 5 10 a between eyes . 5 6 1 8
“ rs temporal spiracles. 4 3 v between anterior sub-orbitars . 1 1l
55 By posterior edge of orbit 3 63 ” between temporal spiracles orl 10
‘ . anterior ditto . : ye 11 9 between surfaces of scapulars . 2 8
»» 5) posterior end of subrostral bone 2 84 Circumference of body where greatest 8 6
ny is angle of posterior sub-orbitar 3 8
” 5 superior nasal orifice 6 2 4
ADDENDA. als
Oss. Acipenser maculosus and A. oxyrhynchus of Le Sueur, Am. Phil. Trans., An. 1818,
differ from A. Rupertianus in their abdominal shields being acutely keeled and spinous.
A. maculosus has a broader snout than the latter. Acipenser transmontanus is represented
one-third of the natural size in Plate 97, f.2. The shields full size, a. dorsal, b. lateral,
c. ventral.
Page 291, to follow Spinax acanthias.
[133.] 1. Seuatus (Scymnus) Gunneri. The Northern Scymnus.
Famuny, Selachii. Genus, Squalus. Swub-genus, Scymnus. Cuvier.
Squalus Carcharias. Faxsricrus, Faun. Grenl., p. 127.
Eekalloorksoak. GREENLANDERS.
This species, which we omitted to quote from Fabricius in its proper place,
rivals the White Shark in size, and is greatly dreaded in the Greenland seas. It
is reported to have occasionally destroyed the native fisherman by biting off his
lower extremities, together with the bottom of the skin-covered kayack in which
he was seated.—The scymni have spiracles, but are destitute of the anal fin and
dorsal spines. ‘The second dorsal is over the ventrals.
Page 295. CorTTUs ASPER.
PuiateE 95, f. 1, two-thirds natural size.
I neglected to mention in the description of this species, that it differs from its
congeners in having teeth on the palate-bones, being in that respect like Hem-
lepidotus, to which genus it will probably be hereafter referred. It wants the scales
however of the latter, and its dermal spines are peculiar. A side view of the fish,
a front of the head, and the roof of the mouth, are represented on the plate.
314 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY.
Page 297. Cotrus GR@NLANDICUS.
Prats 95, f. 2, two-thirds natural size,
A reference to this plate could not be made before, as it was executed after
the description of the species had gone to press. The same parts are represented
as in the figures of Cottus asper.
MOLLUSCA.
The few fresh-water Shells collected on the Expedition having been placed in
the hands of Mr. James De Carle Sowerby, he kindly furnished me with the fol-
lowing list, in the year 1828.
Names. Localities.
1. Helix attenuata . ; . Lakes Superior, Winipeg, and Saskatch. R.
22 eularis.. ‘ 4 Ditto ditto ditto.
oe TUdIS ‘ . : Ditto ditto ditto.
4. ,, paludosus (minuta, Say) Ditto ditto ditto.
2. , albolabris ‘ ‘ Ditto ditto ditto.
6. Succinea putris . : ; Ditto to Methy Lake (lat. 57°).
ths 5 ovalis ; ; Ditto to the Saskatchewan River.
8. Bulimus lubricus , : Ditto.
Se ae ie SG Ditto to the Saskatchewan River.
10. Valvatatricarinata . : Ditto to Methy Lake.
Jills oe synceraeet : Methy Lake to Great Bear Lake (lat. 65°).
We ee ita SE on hia Te) lake Superior to Saskatchewan.
13. :, bicarinatus : Ditto ditto.
14. trivalvis : : Ditto ditto.
15. 53 sp. nova . é Ditto ditto.
16. = albus . Ditto ditto.
We B sp. nova . Ditto ditto.
18. es sp. nova contorto similis _ Ditto ditto.
19. parvus. ; Methy Lake.
20. 3 sp. nova : 3 Ditto ~ to Great Bear Lake.
21) 4 sp. nova . ‘ Saskatchewan.
22. Ancillus rivularis, Say
23. Physa rivalis
24,
» turrita (elngata) Say
(Bulla hypnorum, Linn.)
» Sp. Nova
» foutinalis . : . Methy Lake to Bear Lake.
WwW W
D Or
2s 2
316 MOLLUSCA.
Names. Localities.
27. Physa heterostropha . Canada to Saskatchewan.
28. ,, ancillaria, Say . ; Ditto ditto.
29. ,, sp. nova é : Ditto to Methy Lake.
30. Limnea n. sp. similis stagnali © Lake Superior to Lake Winipeg.
Ee 145 columella. Ditto ditto.
ae palustris . : . Canada to Great Bear Lake.
3 fossaria : : Ditto to Saskatchewan.
ees oe Nespas : : Ditto ditto.
SOE Ss catascopium ; Ditto ditto.
BOn we sp. dubia , : Ditto ditto.
2 (as sp. n. leucostomee similis Ditto ditto.
oo ee sp. nova ; ; Ditto ditto.
39. Melania conica, SAY : Lake Superior ditto.
40. » Sp. nova : Ditto ditto.
aU » Sp. nova : : Ditto ditto.
42. Paludina decisa, var. . L Ditto ditto.
43. i limosa : : Ditto to Methy Lake.
44, Cyclas rhomboidea : Ditto to Lake Winipeg.
4D: de seu ASUS: , ; Ditto ditto.
46. ‘itil (Pera, mat ae Ditto ditto.
AY. ,, ¢alyculata | j Methy Lake.
48. ,, — stagnicola : ‘ Ditto.
49, , media. ; : Ditto.
50. ,, ~pulchella . : ‘ Ditto.
51. Unio plicatus . , : Saskatchewan.
D2. radiatus:s 5 Ditto.
53. ,, Yradiatus, var. . F Ditto.
54. ,, | purpureus . ' 5 Ditto.
Oo. 4, purpureus, var. be ash Ditto.
56. Anodon undulatus ; . Ditto.
Dilton hs anatinus : p Ditto.
a
ND Eexe
[The Latin names of groups or species, whose characters or descriptions are contained in the text, are in sMaLI. cAPiTALs,
and those accidentally referred to, or synonymes, in Ifadics. |
Page Page Page
Abapokeetsok . : 9 - 263 | Amersulak . : : . 264} Aspidophore, . . 50
Abdominal fishes : 109} Amira . 3 : ¢ : 236 Ap a une seule dorsale 5) ay
AsRaMIs . c : : - 111] Ama é . 5 . 236, 237 Dy @ Europe . . 48
Abramis P ‘ 5 6 110 | Amia calva 5 . - 229, 236 On esturgeon . 5 50
93 Smitha z ; . 301} Ama ocELLicaupa 5 236 | Aspidophore, Sturionic . 6 49
Acadian Bull-head ss 2 50 | Ammocetes 5 4 . 292) Aspidophore with one dorsal ss 50
Acanthonotus . : : - 821] Ammopyres . 4 : 275 | Aspidophori : : -48, 49, 50
nasus . A 82 hy LANCEA . e . 275 | Aspidophoroide Tranquebar . - 950
Acanthoptery gian fishes | : » 108 | Ammodytes tobianus : . 275 | Aspidophorus E 5 36, 37, 48
ACANTHOPTERYGII . - ‘ 1 | Amphiprion 3 ; ‘ , 63 56 Europeus 5 38, 48
Acanthopterygit - 3831] Anabas. . ; ‘ 75 | Aspredo : ' 5 4 32
Acanthopterygii, remarks upon 108 | ANABASIDE® . ps j 75 | Aspro 5 . J ': 31, 33
Acanthurus A & 86 | Anabasidee . 5 : 261, 262] ,, vulgaris . ° . 18
A hepatus 5 . 86 | Anampses ' a ; . 106 | Astrodermus . . . 7 aD
op triostegus A © 86 | ANARRHICHAS ; A : 95 | AruHErRINA 5 fe 4 A 88
Acerina : : - 31,33 | Anarrhichas 6 . : 95, 98 | Atherina hepsetus . C 6 88
3, vedgaris : . » 3801] AnarRHICHAS LUPUS. Z 5 Nu) »5 menidia . . - 88
Achiri O A 5 5 ; 255 yo MINOR ; : 96 >) mordax . A f 88
Acipenser : : : « 278) Anchovas : : a tkey/ >, notala 6 é 5 6S
>> aculealus . F n 281 | Anchovy 6 ‘ 6 6 227 3» viridescens : : 88
>, brevirostris . é . 278) Ancillus rivularis J A . 314] Attihawmeg, The . 5 195
Ds dauricus . 3 5 281} Ancylodon . A 3 r 62 | Attihawmeg 195, 201, 203, 204, 208,
35> Geckelii : 5 . 281 age jaculidens . . . 68 209, 213, 215
3» Auso : : : 281 parvipinnis, ‘ 68 | Aunardlek : ' (i a» WA
3; husoniformis - - 281 Angmaggeuck . s 5 . 187| Auris . : ' : A 79
>, Lichteinsteinii . : 281 | Angmagsak . G 0 187 | 5, vulgaris . . v eens.
>» maculosus . 278,281,312] Angmalook,The . . «. 171| Avinurus . . . 86
>, nudiventris . i - 285 | Anguilla : . ° . 267
>, obtusirostris . 5 281 sy oceanica : jk . 268 | Back’s Grayling A 5 . 190
oxyrhynchus 278, 281, 312 | Ancuin1a rosrraTaA. . 267 | Back’s Grayling . : ; 208
AcrPENSER RUBICUNDUS .« : 284 | Anguilla vulgaris 9 : . 268} Bagaty . : ° . » 262
Acipenser rubicundus 278, 281, 284 | Anguille pimperneaux,? « ‘ 268 | Bagrus marinus. : o 132
ActPenser Rupertianus . 6 util >» verniaua, 0’ o 6 268 | Batstes aurantiacus . ’ 9 ld
Acipenser Ruthenus : 280, 281 | AnauinirroRMES 3 é - 267 >» broccus : ; 5 277
os 22 major. ——«._- 3:11 | Anguilliformes 267,271,272,275| 5, hispidus =. 9. , 277
ae schipa 5 . 281, 285 | Annelide P ; 5 " 292 39 ‘monoceros . : : 277
6 stellatus . t : 288 | Anodon anatinus . . 6) ails) >» sufflamen ’ : . 277
ot sturio 5 se ASI >> undulatus . . ‘ 315 >> tomentosus 6 0 277
ACIPENSER TRANSMONTANUS ; 278 | Antlered Bull-head . A s vetula . ° : 277
Agriopus . : ‘ - 37 | Aphareus 3 ‘i A , 72 Rank cod ‘ : : 241, 242
Akooliakeetsok, The , : 88 | Aphrites z 4 . 5,34 | Bannock- Flac F 4 . a WR
Akoohakeetsoh . is 88, 89, 252 | Aphrodederus " 3 - 31,33 Barbi . . . . 110
Aleuteres monoceros . . . - 277) Apistes . ‘ 5 . 59 | Bar-fish . . . 8
Alewife, The . s A Z 229 | Apistes . 5 zi F 9 36 | Basking Sharke : 6 291
Alocephalus A . : - 124} Aplodactylus . : 5, 33 | Basse . . - 8,9, 31
Alse . é 5 7 . 229 | Apodal fishes . ‘ . . 109} Basse, Canadian . . : 8
Alosa estivalis . 0 : + 229 | Apogon 6 5 6 » 81, 34] Basse, Common . : é . 9
>, matowaka , ? 5 229 >> rex mullorum . 4 833 99 OAR 0 ; ° a 20
>» menhaden ’ - . 229 | Apolectus 5 - f . 79 >, Striped ‘ ‘ ; 9
3) vernalis , 5 : 229 | Aprion . 5 ‘ 5 . 5,34] Basses, The . 5 3 ‘ 8
Ambassis . ; ‘ - 34) Apsilus ‘ . ? 5 33 | Batrachi . ; ; ‘ - 102
American perch, The . 1 | Arctic turbot . . é . 258 | Batrachoide vernueit ; : 103
American salmon “ 6 - 154} Argyreyosus ; 6 6 79 | BarracuHoiwEx > 5 - 102
American sandre, The . 3 10 ne vomer . i = 82 | Batrachvidee ° . . 103
318
Page
Barracuus 102
Batrachus 102
AGA grunmens 103
ahs lau i 103
0) variegatus ‘ é 103
Beaked eel : - 267, 270
>.) motacanth: . 4 é Z
Bear Lake bull-head . 40
te herring-salmon 207
Bellows fish ¢ 103
Bellying lump c . 263
Belone . , | 123
56 incata: 123
Belones : 4 6 128
Sembras Fi 5 : : 36
Beryx ns A : : 34
Big oceanic ao 266
Billets 247
Black and green muray 4 270
Black-belhed flounder 4 ae es)
Black burnstickle . 5 : 56
>> chub . 122
>» pimelode 5 134
Black sucker 120
Bleak . 5 11)
Blennies, The . Sd 788
Blennies c 5A, OT, ‘93, 101, 246
Blennies proprement dits . 89
Buiennius Stel
Blennius " §8, 90, 91, 94, 95
BLENNIUS (Cuwrronorus)GUNNELLUS Oil
oe (Cxiinus) puNncrarus 88
aes LUMPENUS 90
Blennius chuss . . 5 . 242
sy geminatus : . 89
BLeNNIUS GUNNELLUS fj on oll
Blennius lumpenus . é 0 90
>> pholis . 5 - - 89
ae hentz " c 89
», ocellatus . : A) 883
ye PTS 94
>» punctatus 88, 89
viviparus . 90
Buennius (Zoarczs) ponaris . 94
Blennoid cod ; 241
Blenny . ‘3 . an tle
Blenny, pustulated : : 93
st spotted : : oy ag
Blepharis 3 . , : 79
BLEpsIAs : OS,
Blepsias 6 36, 53. 54, 59
3» Orlobus 5 ° . 64
Blepsias, Three-lobed . : 53
BLeEpsiAs TRILOBUS. . ° . 53
Blepsias ventricosus . ¢ 59
Blue lump-fish 260
Bodianus . . 4 1
35 jlavescens * . : 1
Bonitos 77
Bony-fish 5 Pe)
Boops . 70, 71
Boridia 3 4 : 62, 64
BoucHEs EN FLUTE . 107
Bovichtus b , 0 By) Sis}
30 diacanthus S ‘ 32
Bor : 5 : : 70
Brama ° , ‘i i 74
mist eae é A 74
Branded ophidium a A 273
Brazilian pike . 129
INDEX.
Page
Bream, Common d11
Bream, Red-sided 301
Breams, The . : ; 11
British char 3 5 i yy}
Brochets, les . . 237
Bronzed centrarchus . : a lis
Brosme jaune,le. 2 2 252
PBrosmerus flavescens . A 2 202
Brosmi1 252
Brosmii. , : 9 . 241
Brosmius ¢ 252
3» vulgaris z "941, 252
Bryttus . j b, 19, 23, 25, 31, 33
Bulimus lubricus 5 31 4
Bull-eyed mackerel 80
Bull-head, Antlered 48
A Bear Lake . 40
Bull heat, Fresh-water 2 a PAG)
Bull-head, Greenland. 46, 297
5 Many-horned 48
BY North eves 43
55 Porous 47
6.5 Prickly 295
a Six-horned ; 44
Bull-heads . Cc 40, 91
Bul-trout ‘ p 2 "149, 307
29 Tweed 150
Burnstickle 5 : Pe ay
Burnstickle, Black , 56
ts Newfoundland Aye ate)
Tiny . 57
Buricdcides: The 54, 55
Burn-trout 144
_Butirinus vulpes : : 229
Butter-fish . ; 6 93
Cesio ‘ 72
Calhehthys . . : 132, 261
Calliodon : 2 i - 106
CaLLIonyMus 97
Callonymus 88, 97
Bunaense : fs 97
Cillovhvnchis : 286
as antarcticus 286
ais australis 286
Cambala F ‘ ; 257
Canadian Basse - : 5 8
AN Sandre . 17
Cantharus : 70,71
Capelan A - 4 187
Capehn . - 187, 246
Capelin, North-west _ 226
Capelinas 187
Capelins : ; 228
Capros . A 5 83
Caranx s : ° HTS)
9» carangus : : a, 148
>» chrysos 82
39 punctatus 82
CaRCHARIZ . 288
Carcharie ‘3 A i Si PASies
Carcharias glaucus 289
An vulpes 2 , =) 287,
Carp, Grey sucking . 112, 303
», Redsucking . . & IIe
Carpe blanche a 112
Cartilaginous fishes, The Sas)
Os) with fixed gills 287
Carastomus : ° 3 112
Catastomus : 6 110, 112, 303
Page
Catastomus aureolus . 6 119
ne caurinus . 304
Ae cyprinus . p 110
HD Forsterianus . 115
an Hudsonius 112, iI, 117,118
5 Lesueurit - 118, 303
A nigricans 0 0 120
50 oregonensis - 305
reticulutus 116, 117, 303
Gennicimence 5 19
Centrarchus . 18, 19, 23, 25, 31, 33
CENTRARCHUS HNEUS 5 18
Cenirarchus e@neus 18, 19, 23, 25,27
3 a six epines . 20
oi bronze, ° ° 18
Centrarchus, Bronzed. 5 18
Centrarchus pondenmihae ; 3 20.
ys nigro-maculatus 20
0 sparoide r q) AU
Centriscus . . ‘4 4 107
a scolopaxr . § OY
Centrolophus d " ie lly UY)
ae Crassus . : 5) ty
Centronoti 5 ‘ 93
Crenrronotus . a i aw
Centronotus . 91, 273
Bn punctatus 88
ao Sspinosus . . OL
Centropomus 2 31, =
A undecimalis f
Centropristis . 6 10, 32, 53 °
nigricans eo
Cephatacanthus 6 . : 37
Cephaloptera giorna 288
5 mobular : 288
oe vampy? us 5 . 288
Cepola : 85
Chaboisseau a bois de Chesca 48
a8 du Greenland 46
Ae poreux 47
Chetoduon B 5 ; 74
Chetodontes . . aS
Chetodontoid groups 73
CH &TODONTOIDER 73
Chetoduntoidee 71, 74, 77, 106
Cees Table of genera ae 74
Char ‘ ¥ 144
Char ‘ : : 171
Char, Britishie ; 3 5 tes}
a Long-finned 169
>» New York 176
>» Red of the Columbia 162
»» Torgoch : 5 144
Charax ‘ r A 70
Chars . z f 0 169
Chat, Le : 6 135
Chatoessus Cepediana . 9 . 229
> ogina . : 7 229
Chats, Les " f : +) so
Chauliodus 124
Checouts . 5 g 4 ‘ 68
Cheilinus radiatus . 107
Cheilodipterus . . . 34
Chelmon . . : 74
CHIMmRA ° . . . 285
Chimera . J 0 5 286
Ate Collier , : - 286
98 monstrosa 286
Chironectes : 102
an levigatus. C 103
Page
Chironemus ; ° “ . 5, 34
Carrus 5 : 6 98
Chirus 2 7 88, 98, 100
CHIRUS DECAGRAMMUS : o | BE
Chirus, Eight-lined 100
>, Even-finned . : 98
CuIRUS HEXAGRAMMUS . ‘ 101
>) LAGOCEPHALUS 5 = 01
>; MONOPTERYGIUS . 98
>; OCTOGRAMMUS * . 100
SUPERCILIOSUS . . 100
Chirus, Ten-lined . - o£)
ye eeutted a 100
Chondropterygit "977, 285
CHONDROPTYGII ELE THEROPOMI 278
On TREMATOPNEONTES 287
Chorinemus i : Hy GS)
Chroms 106
Chrysophrys a : ee 0,
a4 aculeata 5 : 71
Chrysotosus. : . 84
Chub . ° 5 5 0 111
Chub, Black . : 0 o ee
>» Mackerel 80
Chub, Mackerel me tel)
Cichla enea . _ 18, 23
CICHLA FASCIATA 23
>) MINIMA 24
Cirrhibarba 90
Cirrhites ‘ 34
Cirrhous ophidium 273
Clarke’s salmon . 0 : 225
Clean fish ‘ 5 2 =o li50
Cuinus : G C ° 89
Chnus 5 90, 91
CLupPeEa 229, 230
Clupea . : . . » 229
Py. alsa os ° 9 229
>, c@rulea . 5 6 + 1229
3) halec’ : A : 229
CLUPEA HARENGUS 229
Clupea indigena 229
>» medwocris 229
>> minima . : : 229
>> parviula . : 229
>> pusilla 0 b ‘ 229
>, Ssadina . . C 229
>) vittata éj ; 229
>> villosa . : 4 257,
CLUPEOIDEZ é 229
Clupeoidee 229, 232, 233, 237
55 of the United States 229
Coal fish : : C 247
D5) Polar 247
Cobitis heteroclita 110
Cock pardle c 262
Cod, Bank : 241, 242
:, Blennoid ; 241
>, Common . é 5 - 242
3, Land c p 135
>, Mathemey 2 c “ldo
55) beock. ; c 241, 243
3, Shoal A c - anal
>» Slender ° - 6 242
Spotted . : : « 242
Codfish, Common . 4 242
Codiin, Rock ¢ ° c - 246
Colisa . ; < ° 75
Columbia River dace P 305
oe fish : 217
Ab sturgeon 278, 311, 312
INDEX.
Page
Columbia River trouts 162, 217
Columbia salmon : 6 - 162
Columbia trout. 178
Columbia trouts 7 d 147
Comephorus . . . . 97
Common basse . . é c 9
>> bream 5 . c 111
>, coal fish C c . 247
By Codie. 242
SN la of New Foren : 241
Common codfish . 4 3 242
oe ete 0 eC
Common eel .
3» flounder C . . 206
Common herring . ° 229
Common ling . . . 248
Rigen | HD 6 C 260, 261
>, lump-fish . . eo
Sma a7taCheTielanr. 0 . 80
Common pike 5 . 124
on salmon . 145, 179, 181
;> ofthe Columbia 162
Cayimin salmon. 141, 167, 214
>» shark 5 | Mish)
isn Wrskate é . 291
ROUTE Ns . 176
Common trout 144
50 wolf-fish . A : 95
Conodon : 0 - 62, 64
Conovolus bidentatus 307
Coppermine River salmon c 167
Coquet trout 2 5 . 307
Corb de Le Sueur : 3 68
>, Richardson . ° 64
Coregoni 196, 309, 310
a0 European : 213
CoreEGonus : 6 - 198, 310
Coregonus. . : 195
Ap) albus 155 118, 180, 195,
203, 213, 309, 310
ih Artedi 5 201, 203, 210
CorEGONUS FERA . ‘: 6 213
Coregonus Labradoricus - 310
0) lucidus 208, 210, 309, 310
55 marenula . c 198
50 oxyrhynchus . ° 198
or quadrilateralis 204, 310
90 signifer . 190
99 thymalloides 194
tullibee : c 310
56 Vandesius 213
Corrconus VaNnpEsIUS 204
Corvina 9 5 . 6 64
Corvina 0 4 61, 63, 64
3, Le Sueur’s 5 Z 68
59 CHORE <0 ; “4 68
>> oscula ° : » 65, 68
Coryphena 9 0 LUIS)
Sp azorica . : C Ue
Mt dolfyn 77
55 equiselis . 77
aby rupestris 254
Sucurit 83
Coryphance . a4. UC.
Coth . 5 "44, 49, 50, 51, 52
Cottoid groups. . . 36
CotroipEx 6 oo
Cottoidee 36, 38, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54,
59, 62
Cottoidee, Table of genera of » 39
be Geograph. distribution of 36
319
Page
Corrus . seeer40
Collus 29, 36, BY fe 40, Al, 48, 50, 297
Cortus AsPER . 295, 313
iy (Asviwornorus) ACIPENSE-
RINUS 5 49
5H) a Evurop#us 48
Sip 29 MONOPTERYGiUSs 50
Cottus bubalis 298
3, cataphractus 49
>» Claviger . 43, 44, 48
3, cognatus . - 38
Corrus CoGNATUS . a AO
Cotlus marmoratus 48
>, dwceraus 48
>> gobio 38, 41, 42, 43, 295
Cortus Guonuiannrcuss 46, 297, 314
Cottus Groenlandicus 45, 46, 47, 246,
297, 314
+9 grunniens 103
5, hexacornis . 6 44, 297
Corrus HEXACORNIS 6 ; 44
Cottus Mertens : ' es
>> minutus : ° . 4)
s3 Mitchilh ‘ 5 297
Corrus OCTODECIMSPINOSUS 46
Cottus octodecimsmnosus . ay PRS
>> prstidiger . . 48
Corrus PISTILLIGER . 5 48
>) POLARIS . 43
Cottus polaris 43
Corrus POLYACANTHOCEPHALUS 48
Cottus porosus ? : 47
Corrus PoROsuUsS 5 O 47
3) SCORPIOIDES 6 47
Cottus scorpioides d 45, 47, 297
39 Scorprus
38, 45, 46, 47, 297,
>, guadricornis 38, 43, 45, 48, 297
Hott es 0 : 5 all
>» ‘trachurus . . . 51
ventralis 0 é 48
Orapaids de mer 44
Crenidens 5 : i 79
Crenilabrus . : dQ b 107
5) burgall . . INDY
Crysotose lune, Le . 0 . 84
Cuddy. : 2 K 6 ve
Curious fish . 5 : 6 83
Cusk ; F . . 241, 252
Cybium a 6 . : 79
>> maculatum . 4 ae Hl
Cychla si tea, (eameeLOG
50 \NaOd 6 ' : : 19
Cyclas . , CG 68
Sp oyaraninenl iin . 315
>» ¢calyculata 315
>» media . cs 6 315
>, pulchella . ; : 315
», Thombodea . c 315
3) similis 3 : ° 315
stagnicola ° 315
Creu OPTERUS 0 : C 260
Cyclopterus . . 241, 260, 263
A ceruleus . 260, 261
a gelatinosus - 260, 264
9 paris. 263
Cxctoprrrus (Lriraris) communis 263
9D LUMPUS 260
Cyclopterus minutus . ° "260, 262
CyYcLoprerUs MINUTUS . 262
ats SPINOSUS e - 263
oh) VENTRICOSUS . 263
320
INDEX.
Page Page Page
Cyclopterus ventricosus 260,263] Dorse . ; . . . 244) sox estor 0 «1 123; 197
CycLosToMATA 5 0 , 292 | Dorse . 5 241, 244! Ksox EsTror . . 127
Cyclostomata. ‘ é 293 | Dory 0 ' 0 . 245 | Esox flavulus 110
Cyclostomes . 9 : PAA) cia MLE PAG ° 83 | Esox Lucius ° 124
Cyprini . 110 | Drepane . : ; . 74)| Esox luctus : 123, 124, 127
Cyprinodon ovinus . 110 | Duggang, The AWW 99 thee 6 123, 128
SOME ILCUULES: : - 110} Dudes . 30,32] ,, osseus 229, 238
Cyprinodons . C . ; 56 +) ovinus . . 110
CypRINOIDEZ . . 109| KcuenripExm . * : . 265) ,, phaleratus 123, 128
Cyprinoideee 111, 112, 120, 304, 308 | Echeneidee . : A . 266| ,, pisciculus . : : 110
ny North American ’ 109 oa of the United States 265| ,, vreticulatus i . 123,128
Cyprinus . 110] Echeneis . ; 241, 265, 266 zonatus : 110
Cyprinus “1, 7 12, 120, 304, 308 a lineata : é 266 Espadons , ¢ : - 46
Cyprinus (Apramis) BALTEATUS 301 | EcHENEIS NAUCRATES 266 | Etehs . : . . 5, 34
so Smirni 111 | Echeneis usteochir . ‘ C 266 | Etroplus . y ; 0 61, 63
Cypri inus atronasus c E 111 | Echeneis, Shipmaster : . 266 | European Coregon . . ° 212
5, catastomus . » 112,115 | Echini . 5 : ‘ : 9] oS Sandre , A ere?
Cyprinus (Carasromus) AUREoLus 119 | Hegarsok . : : 297, >> smelt . 185
aA >» Forsterianus 116 | Eel, Beaked . - ; 267, 270 | European trouts : : 5 wed)
ss >, Hupsonius 112} ,, Family . 267 | Even-finned Chirus : ‘ 98
ats >> Nigricans . 120] ,, fishery . 269 | Exoca 71 a : 5 «129
Bs », ReETIcuLATUS 303 | Eel, flat-beaked . 268 | Exocetus . F : 123, 129
58 >, SuEuru 118,303] ,, glut g 4 5 268 >> appendiculatus . » 123
Cyprinus chrysoleucus 111,122] ,, long-beaked . : 268 sy Comatus . : . 123
>> (Leuciscus) chrysoleucus 304] ,, pout é : i 248 | Exoc@®Tus EXILIENS . . - 129
Cyprinus (Levciscus) Gracinis . 120 | Eels Z ° é . 271) Exocetus exiliens . 123, 130, 131
45 >> Oreconensis 305 | Eekallooak é : 245 >, fasciatus : - 130
20 >> CAURINUS 304 | Hekalloogak . 6 a 5 NW’) 35 furcatus 9 123
$5 >> CHRysoLEucAS 122,]| Eekallook . - 163,164, 178, 179 >> mesogaster . 130, 131
304 | EKehkallook-pedeook . a és 169 >> Nuttall . : 123
Cyprinus macrolepidotus 118 | Eekalloorksoark 3 . 313 >» volitans ° 131
>> maxilingua d 3 122 | Eeleetok . 244 | Exoglossum ; 122
»> microcephalus . « 120 | Eewrksoak : : 248 | ExoGLossuM NIGRESCENS . 122
>» oblongus 110 | Egypt-herring . ° 129
Eight-lined Chirus 100 | Father lasher 298
Dace é a « 111 | Etthinyoo-cannoosheoo . 124} Fera, La . ; 9 . 207
Dace, ColumbialRiver. .. ‘ 305 | Ekewan, The : ; : 223 | Fierasfers 273, 274
», North West . 5 - 304] Ekewan, The . ‘ 4 . 2241 File, The 4 : : . 100
»» Saskatchewan é : 120 | Evecate : 2 F : 79 | Fish, Clean . . . c 150
Daces, The . C C - 120 >> Americana . : 6 teil >, Curious. P . par 83
Dactyloptére commun g : 40 >, Atlantica . 78, 81 | Fish, Flat G 9 6 255
DacryLoprerus A . - 40) Eleginus . c : 61, 62 | Fish, Red 5 : . + too
Dactylopterus, Common : 40 | Elephant-fish - 285) 5, Ugly . : : : 135
DacrTYLOPrERUS VOLITANS . - 40} Elephant-fish 286 | Fishes, Osseous . . - 108
Dactylopterus volitans ; ‘: 38 | ELeuTHEROPOMI 5 278 | Fistularia ' 3 j A 107
Dark salmon-trout : 308 | Eleutheropomus 278 90 serrata. . 107
Dascyllus é is x 4 63 | Elops ; A 236 An tabaccaria 107
Datnia ‘ : : 34) ,, Carohkna A 229 | FistruLaAROIDEm A é 107
Dentex : A A 70,71 | Enchehiopus Americanus : 242 | Flat-beaked eel 6 . 268 -
Devil ray . 4 x - 288 | English Grayling . ; A 193 | Flat-fish . : O . 255
Diacope . : 5 5 34 | English gunnelle : 91, 92 | Flounder, "Black-bellied 255
Diagramma 5, : ‘ < 63 English salmon : ; 185 a Rhode Island O 2 255)
Diminutive lump . 7 A 262 | Engraulis i 2929 >» Spotted . : ‘ 255
Diodon attinga F 6 5 exe is encrasichols 229 | Flounder, Stellated . 4 Se eBY/
>> hystrix 277 | Enoplusus ; 5 3 . 84) Flying-fish 130
A eeu Atontian tes : - 277 | Ephippus F 6 6 : 74 | Flying-fish, Werenean 5 . 129
>> prlosus ‘ a . 277 >, faber ( . . 74) Fresh-water bull-head . : 295
>» punctatus é e SPA y> «gigas : a 3 74 sD herring . 0 - 235
rivulatus . 5 277 | Epbulus . 2 ‘ 72 55 percoidee . ; 30
Diploprion . . . 34, 73, 74 | Epnoche a deux épines : : 56 | Frost-fish é : 0 . 241
DiscoBort : 5 260 3 noir i D . 56| Fuller, The . 6 6 : 291
Dog, Picked. . 291 | Epinochette de terre neuve : 58 | Fadler ray . . . . 292
Dog, Piked . 0 . 291 | Eques . , 7 : . 62} Fundulus cenicolus 110
Dog-fish . 291 | Egquites 7 4 ‘ r 70 ‘ fasciatus 110
Dog-fish 5 248 | Equula . . . 0 ot 4 ,
Dolphins . : 77\| Erythrini . 6 Q36\|\\Gadieen (ie <3 MONE 89
Doras . 261 | Esocma 6 : . 123) Gavowrem 241
>» costatus ‘ P - 132] Esvcede : 123, 124, 129 | Gadndee “eal, 242, 247, 248, 252
Dore . ‘ a : 14 No. OF the United States 123 aot) lofithe United States . 241
Doree, Opah - 83|Esox ~, é : y - 124) Gadus 241, 242, 247, 248, 252, 253
Dorosoma . 229 | Eson . . ‘ - 123,124,128} ,, eglefinus . 241, 245
Page
Gedus aliidus 241, 247
>», barbatus , 246
», blennoides 241
Gavus (Brosmius) FLAVESCENS 252
+) CALLARIAS A eae
Gadus callarias 241, 242, 244, 246
33 COMpressus .« : 24
>» dorso tripterygro, & C. 242
Gauus Fasricii . 3 ; 245
Gadus fasciatus 241
95 fuscus 241
SG ZACiUS ie : 242
>> longipes 242
>, 4ota 248
Gavus (Lora) mactLosus : 248
Gadus luscus . 5 3 - 242
>, macrocephalus 6 ‘ 242
>> maculosus 241, 248
Gapus (MeR.Lanous) carsonarius 247
PULARiS 247
Gadus men lubotes - 241
>> morrhua. c 24], 242
GapDUs MORRHUA - : . 242
5 OGACS . S 246
>> (Pxycts) PUNCTATUS 253
Gadus pruinosus. : 0 241
:> purpureus A 6 . 241
+, punctatus . c . 242
33 Tupestris 241
3> tenuis . c a 242%
>, tomcod . c . . 241
s> tomcodus 241
vITENS + c : . 247
Gairdner’ s salmon 221
Gallichthys 5. Fah)
Ganoidians . . xil., 278
Garfish . . 128
Garterfish . . . 242
Guster acanthus cataphractus Ay a)
Gasterostet . c c 2 36
GasTEROSTEUS : 5 a!
Gasterosteus ' : 36, 37, 54
55 aculeatus « 904,55, 57
GASTEROSTEUS BIACULEATUS 56
Gasterosteus Cunadus 5 81
oy, cataphractus 55
66 concinnus 58
GASTEROSTEUS CONCINNUS 5) iy
Gasterosteus levis . 57, 58
of leiurus 38, 55
GASTEROSTEUS NIGER 6. 8
Gasterosteus niger . 56
sy Novehorucensis 56
sf obolarius —y : 95
GAsTEROSTEUS OCCIDENTALIS - 458
Gaslerosteus pungitius . 57
as spinachia 38
by trachurus 38, ‘55, 56
Gedd . - é 3 . 124
Gedde . : - . - 124
Gempylus. 76,79
Geographical distribution of Per-
coidee . 30
Gerres 72
s> aprion , 72
>> rhombeus 72
Gilses : 148
Gilt sucking-carp : ° 119
Gluteel . 5 ° A - 268
Glyphissdon .
61, 63, 64
INDEX.
Page
Goltes. 3 d 9 6 teks
5 ERO ; ; d 96
GosroiEs : ois)
Gobioidee 88, 91, 94, 95, 96, 3
Gosius
Gobius 6 5 ; ‘88, ee
>, alepidotus : 9 96
SNUNCOSC, ne . 5 . 96
>, woridi-palidus . . 5 Eh
Goby, Venetian ; 2 : 261
Gold-eye 9 : . 232
>) fish ‘ g 1
Goter (note) 164
Gorbuscha 158
Gouramy ae . 261
Gowdnook . 5 3 5 129
Gramimistes ! , med
Grand chaboisscau a dia-huit epines 46
Grawls : 6 . 148, 152
Grayling, Back's 190
Grayling, English § 5 193
Grayling, Lesser. : . 194
Graylings ‘ 191
Green pickering : : 17
Green-backed shark 5 . 289
Greenland bull-head . 46, 297
ae trouts . 0 ° 178
Grenadier, Rock 9 Ss specos
Grey. . ° . 141
Grey sucker 5 0 . 5 | iy
Grey sucking-carp : : 112
Grey sucking-carp 180
Grig . 3 é : 268
Grilse 141, 152
Grilses 148
Grystes . 5, 31, 52
sy salmonordes 145
Guiniad . E F « 195
Gunnelle, English 5 92
9 Spotted 91, 92
Gymnetrus . 85
GYMNODONTES . 3 0 277
Gymnothoraxr . . 267
| Haddoek . 0 f 5 245
| Haddy 245
| Hemulon . s 0 5 . 62
Hemuluna. , ; 73
Heniochus A ; 5 0 74
Aalhbut fs 5 F 255, 256
Hard heads % O 229
Hassars 3 . : 261
Heliases 0 0 . 61, 63, 64
Helix albolabris D 314
>, attenuata . F 4 » 3i4
>> gularis 314
>, paludosus 314
59 (UC 5 4 : ° 314
Hetores (note) 281
Helostuma . 5 75
Helotes . . Ob 34
Hemilepidotum 4 Cs é 59
HemILepiporus : aol
Hemilepidotus 36, 51, 59, 60
59 Tiles ‘ ; 51
HEMILEPIDOTUS TRACHURUS 51
Hemiramphus . . 6 onlZ3
Hemitriptére de ’ Amerique—- 50
Hemitripterus . 5 - 36,50, 54
HemiTRIPTERUS . A 50
321
‘ Page
Hemirriprerus AMERICANUS A Atl)
Herring, Common . : 229
Herring, Long Island 229
>» Spring 229
>> Summer a ey 2
Herrings, True 229, 23(
Herr ing-salmon . 180
Herring-Salmon, Bear Lake 207
Dy Lake Huron 210
5 Le Suew’s . 203
Heterobranchi 5 5 Urey?
Hewlook-powak 190
Hexagrammos . : ots
>» asper . 101
Stellert 98, 99, 161
Hiekejak, The 5 at
Hiodon 5 : 235
Hiovon (note) 233
y> CHRYSOPSIS 232
Hiodon clodalis . 0 232, 235
Hiodon, Notch-finned 235
HiopDon_TERGISUS . 235
Hippscampt 276
Hippoglossi . 255
Hirling, The 141
Histtophorus . 5 oY
Hlyre . 96
Holocanthus 74
Ai eidiaris 74
Holocentrum 9 0 32
nD dongipinne : 32
Hoplostethus . 5 37, 59
Horn-fish, The o 14
Hunchback-salmon . 6 . 158
Huro : . 4
Huro : 0 4, 31, 33
o>» mgricans 4
Huron, L’ : 4
Huron, Pimelode, The , 132
Hurons: The ; 4
Hush waidle . ° 26%
Husonzs (note) . 5 il
Hynnis 5 5 79
Hyodon clodalis 229
3» tergisus ° Q 229
Hypostomes 132
Idgajuk . . . 100
Inconnu, The . : . 183
Inconnu 0 ; 183, 294
Ingmingoak 6 . Ga!
Isinglass ° ° 279
luirksoak é 3 178
John Dory . : 83
Johnius regalis . 5 68
Joués curassées 5 : 36
Jugular fishes C : - 109
Jugular order of fish 241
Jugular percoidee C 29
Kabsib-kannoia 5 291
Kerrak : 96
Kakilisak 34, 55
Kukootsheek : 3
Kaneeok 0 297, 258
Kannoonck a 27,
Kamok : 46
Kanny-yoke 9 297
Kapiselihk . 5 229
Katheh . . - 204
Page
Katlook . 0 5 251
Kebleriksoak 9 : 178
Keblernak . 6 b 107
Keegooteeleek . . ay Le)
Kelts . . 6 2 ° 152
Killifish . C : . dal BiG
Kippers . 5 3 ° 148
Kollooseuternak : ° 2 83
Kookeeleek . . ‘ 291
Koschandanguisch ; Q . 50
Kundscha é : 6 : 178
Kurksaunak 5 ‘ 91
Kurtus C 79
Laheo F one
cyprinus 7 c . 110
Laprax : 0 C 8
Labrax 8, 11, 31, 98, 100,
Labrus Americanus, J - 107
yy curitus 24
>, devagrammus . : 6 99
>> exoletus 107
hexagrammos so 8
,: lagocephalus : 99
-> Uneatus . 15/9510
>> upus . 5. a sail)
>> mon-pterygius a. ¥h3
ys mucronatus « C . 10
multilineatus . 6 5 10
riya NOTATUS 8
Lahrax nvtatus 8,9
+, octogrammus 100
i, squeteague - 68
39 superci/osus . . 100
Labre salmoide « 145
Labri : 62, 107
LaBROoIDER ' A c 106
Labroidee : é 63, 72
ae of the United States . 107
Lasrax NOTATUS é 8
Labrus : . : « '106
y» Chogoet a q 107
», tautoga . 107
Lactarius ‘. 79
Lachnolaimus Builds 107
Lake Huron herring-salimon 210
Lamprey .« . 4 268, 292
Lamprey, River . 294
i) Tridentate 293
Lampreys, The . 293
Lampris 6 84
Lampris 5 . 83, 84
>> guttatus 83
Lampugus : a Algitly
a punctu/atus 6 Ce
Land cod : O 135
Lates ‘ . 3)
Lattice-scaled Sucking-carp . 306
Launce : c 275
Launce, Sand . a 275
annces The 275
Launces, The . 246
Taz: . 5 3 178
Laxloring elas
Lebius : 4 c 98, 100
>, ellipsndea . ‘ - 110
Leiostomus . . ‘ 62
Lepadogaster . - 260, 264
59 ventricosus 263
Lepidoleprus celorhynchus 7 od
INDEX.
Page
Lepidopus . é : 76, 79, 85
an argyreus . ° . 78
Lepipteri A . 4 . 73
Lepipterus S . . 262
Lepisosrel. A ; 237
Leypisosreus . . - 237
ats Hvronensis c 237
Lepisosteus gracilis , . . 240
50 usseus « 0 . 240
Fs rostratus « . 229, 238
95 spatula ; Q 229
Lesser Grayling : . 194
>, Pipe fish . : ° 276
>, Wolf fish : 9 Sr NH
Le Sueur’s Corvina t é 68
Lethrinus ; A ‘ -- 70
Leucisct ‘ : . 120, 122
Leuciscus b . . - 120
Leuciscus 110, 112, 120, 304
9s gracilis : - 304, 305
Lichia 6 5 : eld)
>> glaucus : ; 0 78
Liggers. : : . « 148
Limnia catascopium ° ° 316
>» columella : 5 e 316
>> fossaria 4 0 ; 316
>» palustris 0 ° « 316
oy) peregris . . ° 316
stagnalis ° C - 316
Lings, The . ; . . 248
Liparis . . 5 260, 263
>) Communs . 9 6 263
Lisitza , . 5 0 49
Loch Leven mont : ° 143
Loch Leven trout : . - 144
Loche, La . Q ° 248
Lonchurus : ‘ e - 62
Long-beaked eel. . ° 268
Long-finned char, . « 169
Long Island herring . . 229
Loruosrancuu - 276
Lophobranchit of United States 276
Lophius . 5 5 - 102,103
>», bufo s 2 ° 103
>» gibbus . . . - 103
Lornivus (MaLTHE) CUBIFRONS 103
Lophius piscator . . - 103
o> prscatorius : 102, 103
>> vespertilio . - - 103
Lophotes é cs . 6 85
Loricane ; A . oe 32
Lonicanie@ 5 : q 132
Lota 0 5 . 248
+, maculosa 180, 241, 248
Lucio-perca . . é oO)
Lucio-perca : : 10, 17, 31
ne Amerwana 10, 14,17, 18, 30
LuciopErcA AMERICANA S 10
39 CANADENSIS. 17
Lucioperca sandra 1], 16, 30, 31
56 Volgensis . 3 11
Lump, The. 9 . . 260
>, Bellying . : fl 263
>, Common 4 P - 260
>) Diminutive 9 262
»» Spiny. , : - 263
Lump-fish, Blue. . 3 260
Common . a : 95
Lumpen, The 5 - i 90
Lumps, The . : . - 260
Page
Lumpus . : 5 : 260
Lupi . . ° . )
Lupus . c . . > +9, 10
Lutjanus 0 0 A » 107
Luvarus 0 5 7 2 79
Mackerel, Bull-eyed . C a teil)
He chub 3 2 . 80
On Commun . : n~ fell)
9 Spring . : 50
StS Thimble-eyed : =. 80
Macropodus o S : 75
Macrourus . C o» y2O4
Macrourus RUPESTRIS . 5 254
Mena . C : G é 72
Mene . ; : 6 » 2
Manowex . 2 : : 72
Maenowdea 5 ‘ 5 Sh
Margre . . 6 3 61
Maigres . . 64, 69
Mailed cheeks, The : D 36
Mailed fish, The 6 é a MEY
Makaira - A : 2 79
Malacanthus . 0 . 106
Malacopterygian fi fsien Oe 5 109
MaacopreryGil ABbOMINALES . 109
BA APODES 9 267
50 SUB-BRACHIATI 241
Malapteruri . 6 9 0 132
Malapterurus ° . orl S2
Malashegané, The . s ‘ 64
Malasheganeh . 5 5 6 64
Malloti 5 3 3 5 187
Mallutus . 0 5 - 187, 226
0 Pacificus . . 6 283
Mama (note) . : . o li64
Malma O : . : 164
Marne . ° . 9 wel03s
Malthe . : : 102, 108
>9 angusta o . . 103
>» nasuta é : ; 103
>, motata . 9 - 103
Malthe, Square- bowed . ° 103
Malthe truncata 0 P - 103
>» vespertilio . A 103
Many-horned bull-head, The - 48
| Maquaria 5 6 63
Maquereau (petit) ue P Amerique 80
50 printannier . ; 80
Marsh bankers .« 9 C . 229
Marsh fish, The . . 3 236
'Masamacush, The. , 243
Masamécous . s 2 ; 173
Maskinongé ‘ : A 2 i27;
Mastacembelus . 77, 78,79, 82
Mathemeg, The . . - 135
Meesarkornak, The F 3 245
Meethqua-maypeeth . . - 116
Megalops ° C c . 236
>, Cepediana . ¢ + 229
65 oghna 5 A 5 229
Melania conica , : a ala
Melampus auricula a : 315
A bidentatus a - 315
Membras . . . 230
MeErtanai : 0 . - 247
Merlangi ° ° : . 241
Merlangus . : . « 247
ais carbonarius « ° 247
3 polaris. . . 247
VW gee es: -
INDEX. 523
Page Page F Page
Merlangus pollachius . : - 241 Nebris . : ; . 61,62,70 | Orthagoriscus mola. ‘ « 277
$5 vulgaris 241, 247 , Neemereeak . ‘ ‘ 269 | Osmert 6 P , P 187
Merlucet ‘3 . : 0 241 | Neepeesar DEEL OD 0 - 262} Osmerus . » - 3 » 185
Merlucrius ic 6 ' - 242 | Neepeesardilovk . : ‘ 263 x» viridescens . 185
Mesopriuon s : 0 : 32 | New Caledonian fish ‘ - 214) Osphromenus . P 75
Methy, The. 5 ; - 248 | Newfoundland burnstickle f 58 a8 olfax 261
Micropogon . ; : 62 | a0 saury pike . 128 | Osseous fishes . : 108
Microstoma . ‘123, 124 9D shark. . 289 | Ostracion bicaudalis 277
Mingan River salmon, The é 156 New York char é ‘ 176 9» quadricornis : ne
Minous " 36,59 | New York pollack . ‘ = 241 aye triqueter . A 277
Mithomay peath 5 : . 116 » New York shiner 0 122 | Otolthe royal . 2 : . 68
Molinesia latipinna . : - 110 | New York sole . 255) Orouirnr . : ‘ ¢ 68
Montusca . 5 : 5 315 | a whiting 241 Oroniruus 04. 0 a Be
Molva Huntia . 5 . - 241 | NES EON ar . 252 | Otolithus . . 63, 64, 68
»5 maculosa 248 | Nephon : 33 >» G@quidens « 69
Monocentris 5 ° 36. Nith trout . - 142 59 Carolinensis G ‘ 70
Morruva . ‘ 242 Nomeus 5 79 | Ororirnus Drummonp1 (note) 70
Morrhua vulgaris é . © 242) 4, Mauritii é 78 | Otolithus regalis . 68, 70
Morrhue = 24] | Nonatcheeges . : : . 120} Ottonneebees . 201
Motelle 91| Noos . 188 | Oki 6 187
Mountain-trout : : 178 | North American flying-fish 129 | Oularhan 2 226
Mud fish . F ; - 110) North Georgian bull-head 43| Owak . . 246
Mugil , pee 5 : 87 | North-West capelin . 6 » 226 | Owarak 246
>> albula ., 5 cC 5 teY/ 99 dace 304 | Owarket. 246
ss auratus s ; é 87 5g notchfin . 59 | Oweepeetcheesees . : 232
-,- capito . : : 87 | Northern mailed fish 237 | Owuk : : Q 243
>: cephaius : : 87 >> pomotis . a . 24
:: chilo . 0 : - 87 3) sebastes . 52 | Pagellus 70
:, labeo . : : 3 87 | Notacanth, Beaked 82| Pagrus . . 70
>: neatus . : . » 87 | Notacanthe nez, Le 82 9» agyrops . : 71
saltator 9 . . 87 | Notacanthus . 77, 78, 79, 82 | Palee, La . : : 198
Mecieaines C : : - 87 | Noracanruus NAsUS is 5 82 | Paludina 0 : 6 ; 68
Murz1 a - : 35 | Notemigonus . . 229 oe) decisa P 6 ONG
Mullus . é s F 35 | Notchfin, North-W est 3 ; 59 ” limosa . : . 316
Murena 5 : 5 267, 270 | Notch-finned hiodon . : 235 | Par, The . : : o dist), 1e6)
Ae anquilla ? ‘s - 268 | Notchfins, The 5 59 | Paralepis . 5, 33
55 argentea A 5 268 Parewplitee 36
5 Bostoniensts ‘ - 268) Oblata . 5 . 5 70, 71 | Parewoplonide 9 36
helena , ‘ fs 270 | Obolarius aculeatus 5 é 55 | Parrs . . 247
mavrorephala : 268 | Observatory Inlet salmon . . 158 | Parry’s ophidium 9 Q 274
; meleagris 5 : 270 | Oceanic sucker, Big 5 : 266 | Pectorales pediculies, Les 102
is miringa - 270) Odaxr e ‘ f . . 106) Pegusus 6 : 6 276
rostrata 267, 268 | Ogak. The . ‘ . G 246 | Pelamys . F 6 4 79
serpentina 268 | Ogarak . ‘ 4 2 246 a Chilenus , 5 78
Eee ‘ 267 | Ogarket F 246 55 Sarda . 78, 81
Murenophis . 267 | Okeugnak : 3 204 | Pelates ; : s 34
Muray, Black and Green 270 | Okow, The f 14 | Pelor 5 6 ' ° 6 36
Murays, The 267 | Okow 3 ~ : 14,30 | Pempheris . 74
Musquaw River salmon . 156 | Olistes 0 : 79 | Pentapus 70
Myhiss . F - 2251 Olthen . : ; ‘ 927 | Pera appendiculata one
Myliobatis Fr Peiepeillis 283 | Ooonernak . . 271 | Perca 5 3 aes 's, atthe
+s quadriloba : » 288] Opah,The . : : » 83] Perca acuta . . 4
Myripristis . é 6 . 32 | Opah doree : Bi 83 3) FLAVESCENS .« é 1
Musti E C A 3 - 132{ Ornipia . é 3 é . 273) Perca flavescens . : ach We
Myzxine 292 | Ophidium ; 973 ») fluviatilrs 3 5 1, 14, 26
Myzxodes . 89 | Ophidium, Branded ‘ ‘ 6 AS x9 gracilis : . 4
_ Ophidium, Cirrhous 6 273 | Perca (Huro) NigkIcANS . e 4
Naccaysh, The 232 5) ocellatum . 93 | Perca marginata . : ° 10
Nakhun . F : 281 | Opninium Parrnu . 274 », Plumieri : 10
Namaycush, The < ° 179 | Ophidium, Parry’s 274) 4, serratagranulala . : 2
Namaycush c “179, 208, 209 | Ophidium, Spurious 273 >» trutta . . : : 10
Namaypeeth . ‘ ‘ 112 | Opnipium stiama 273 35 vulgaris 30, 31
Nameyno « A : 5 - 280 VIRIDE , 271 | Perch, Sea : : » 8,52, 53
Nammécoos . a : 179 Onkitiinn virvde 271, 274 | Perch, Sharp-nosed 5 5 4
Nandus . C C ; - 34) Ophiocephalus ; 75 | Perch, Yellow . . F 1
Naseus c : 86 | Ophiognathus ampullaceus 271 | Per che jaundtre a Ameri ique G 1
Nauclerus : : 2 - 79 | Oplichthys 36 | Prercis . : ; S : 5
Naucrates « 79, 265 | Orcyni 80 | Percis 3 : 3 34
ductor 78, 81 | Ordleet 247 | PercowER . wrod.
9 Noveboracensis 81 | Oreosoma 38 | Percoidee 1, 18, 33, 36, 37; 38, 52,61, 62
ese
Page
Percoidee, fresh-water species 30
Percoidee, Geog. distribution of 30
oH Jugular. a oars)
Ho Table of genera of . 34
we Thoracic . : Cirle AY
Percophis . . 2 11533
Peristedion : J 5 36, 40
PEROPUS BILOBUS . ° 54
Petit chaboisseau de Greenland . 47
>» maquereau de l Atlantique 80
Petromyzon 6 d = 293
50 argenteus . « 294
PETROMYZON FLUVIALIS « ; 294
Petromyzon fluviahs 293, 294
ee Marinus 293
an plunert. - 293
PETROMYZON TRIDENTATUS 293
PHARYNGIENS LABY RINTHIFORMES 75
Phinoc . a : oda
Pholis 5 0 89
>) mnovemlineatus . Z 89
>> guadrifascialus 89
Phycides . 242
Puycis 3 : 253
Phyevs : 96, 253
Phycis, Spotted P 253
Physa ancillaria 2 5 - 316
+, fontinals 2 315
>, Aeterostropha 316
>, rivals 315
>, turrita 315
Pwarel 10, 14
Picconou, The : 118
Pickarel > 2 214
Picked dog 0 a - 291
Pickering, Green. 4 17
Pike . < c 4214
Pike, Common? é 124
Prtked dog ; . ‘29)
Piked shark 291
Pikes, The : S24
Pimelode, Black . 134
39 Huron sani32
Pimelode livrée 5 132
39 noiritre d - 134
Pimenopus . : 133
Pimelodus ° . 132
nf aeneus 132
5 albidus 132
an borealis . 15
55 catus > wd32
SH cauda-furcata . 132
ns msigne 132
ey nata/is 132
nip nebulosus 132
50) nigrescens 5 134
NIGVICANS - 134
Pimilepter us 3 6 - 73,74
oe Bosen . 9 | 4
Pinguipes 32, 33
Piscis in lacu Makan So. . 3) 207,
Piscis non scriptus 83
Placoidians ; c 278, 287
Plagrostomes fe 287
Planorbis Recaninaeis OMS
a campanulatus . 315
95 parvus 315
30 trivalvis 315
Platar . C 9 : 73, 74
PLaTESSA : 0 257
INDEX.
Page
Platess@ 6 2 255
PLATESSOIDER 255
Platessoidee. : 257
Platirostra edentula : 278
Platycephalus . 36, 41
56 Suscus 38
PLATYPTERA ao
Platyptera : 88
PLEcTOGNATHI . B20
Plectognathi f . 278
rit of United States By PALL
Plectropoma q 32
Pleswops d . 106
Pleuronectes 89, 241, 25 55, 256, 257,
258 |
as albus 307
As Americanus 5 255
AY argus 255
as cynoglossum 52
ae dentatus » 255
Pp glacialis : 258
ie hippoglossus 255, 256
Bie lineatus c 255
55 mollis - 255
20 melanoguster 255
Be oblongus . 255
an plagiusa 255
platessa . 256
Pu EURONECT ES (PLATESSA) STELLA-
TUS . 257
Ar \Ruomnva) GLACTALIS 258
Pleuronectes solen . > 255
35 stellatus 256, 257
Plotoses S32
Peciha majalis . 110
>> mutitineata 110
Pogge, The : Bare is)
Pogonias i 62, 64
Poisson blew. A 190
9) armée 237
>, de line, Le 2 nga
>> de marais 236
ae idoré We 4 : 17
Poissons blancs, Les 3 196
>, des Lacs 196
98 en ruhan z 85
Pokudleek, The AT,
Pokudleek 297
Polar coal-fish . : - 247
Polyacanthus 75
Polynemus 32, 61
a4 approximans 32
Polyodon spatula 278
Polyprion« : 32
35 cernuum eee
Pomacentrus - 635,°74
Pomatomus 5) toe
Pomolobus 5 22
Pomoti . . 5
Pomoris . 25
Pomotis . c 19, 24, 25, 26, 31, 33
>> Catesbee . - 23, 26
Pomotis, Northern . | 24
Pomoris VULGARIS 24
Pomotis vu/garis
Porous bull-head
Porthmeus
Premnas 0
Prickly bull- head
Priodon 0 6
95, 129
47
79
63
295
86
Prionotus
ais punclatus
Prionurus
Priopis
Pristipoma
Pristes C
Psenes
Psettus :
Pteraclis .
>> Carolinensis
Pterois
Pustulated blenny
Putrotok
Quannich C .
Queachts j
Quebec salmon
Quesche, La
Quinnat, The
Quinnat
Raa .
>» Oats
>» bonasus
9» centroura
>» Chantenay
>, ¢/avata
>, Desmarestu
>, deaphkana
>, eglanteria
Raa FULLONICA
Raa Maclura
>, ocellata
9, gquadriloba
>> Sabina
Soh SAY22) 0
>, torpedo
Rae . 6
Raniceps blennordes
Ray, Devil
Ray, Fuller
Rays .
Red-bellied Kane
Red char
oe a
> heli 288
“87
Red char of the Columbia 2 + 3162
Red fish
Red-sided bream
Red sucking-carp .
Red sucker
Remora
Rhode Istand founder
Rhombi
Rhombus .
” eryptosus
3» dongipinnis .
+) maximus
Rhynchichthys .
Rhynchobdella F
River lamprey
River perch .
Roach. O
Rock basse. :
>, Cod « . .
>» codling
o> fish
Rock Grenadien
Round-fish, The
Round-fish, The
Round mouths
Ross’s Arctic salmon’
. 150
116
268, 266
+ 200
0 255
79, 257, 258
7 83
= 83
0 255
. Bt
78, 79, 82
. 294
4 1
. Iti
; 20
241, 243
246
9
254
. 204
208, 209
: 5 299
6 5 163
Page
Ruddy sturgeon 284
Ruddy sturgeon 282
Rynchobdella 77
Rypticus - 32
ws Saponaceus 32
SaccopHaryNx 271
; AMPULLACEUS 271
Saccophar ynax chordatus . 271
Sairis . 6 123
Sanmo : 4 tee
Salmo 3 "158, 169, 185, 190, 19%
>, albus ; s 101
SaLmo ALIPES 0 169
Salmo alipes 169, 171, 178
: alpinus 5 5 139, 178
>> amethystus : - 178, 181
>> arcticus : ° 187
>> cambriscus é ‘ sea
>: carbonarius 2 139
carpio 164, 178
catervarius 187
Shino CiarKku ; 225
Selmo Clarkii cd 5 226
>> Cumberland 141
Satmo (CorREGoNUS) 4L.BUS 195
oe 56 ARTEDI 203
Ae 1) FERA . 213
56 a HARENGUS 210
Ae LUCIDUS 207
oe iis QUADRILATERALIS 204
2A a TULLIBEE ae Avi
Sp Bs VANDESIUS 213
Salmo eperlanus 5 : a ites)
>, ertox (note) 141
>> fario F : . . 139
SaLmMo FarIO 5 é , 144
33 FEROX oC c 144
>> FONTINALIS . 176
Salmo fontinalis “176, 178, 179
Satmo GarrRDNERI : 5 221
Salmo Gairdneri : - 225, 226
3» Goedeni 2 C ; 176
3, Grenlandicus . 87
>: hamatus 139, 141, 142, 148,
150, 160
»> Hearnii 6 : - 164
Satmo Hearyn 167
»» Hoonu . dé é eumliie,
Salmo Hoodii 173, 178
>, hucho . 139
9, lacustris . f . 139
>», ¢lavaretus cath
>>» Lemanus . 139, 143, 144
>; Mackhenzi . 183, 294
Satmo Macxenzi c r 183
>>» (Matxorus) pactricus . 226
96 D6 VILLOSUS 187
Salmo marena 4 3 204, 207
3) marmoralus « 139
SaLmo NamMaycusH ; 179
>) NITIDUS ‘ lal
Salmo nitidus ; g 173, 174, 178
9, ocla F - 139
Samo (OsMERUS) EPERLAMUS 185
Salmo pallidus c > 56 (eh)
SaLMo PAUCIDENS 3 ° 222
Salmo punctatus é ; - 139
2) quinnat 218, 226
Sa.a10 QuINNAT " , . 219
INDEX.
Page
Salmo rivals. F : 5 AY
Saumo Rossit : ‘ 163
Salmo Rossi. 163, 164, 169, 170
>> ratidus q 3 ‘5 139
SALMO SALAR . - 145
Salmo salar 13 9, 140, 141, 220
>, salmarinus : 3 . 139
>» salmulus : 139, 145
>: Ssalvelinus 5 ° . 139
Sarmo Scou.ert . 158, 223
Salmo Scoulert 6 5 180, 223
>> Schiefermulleri . 139
>, stagnalis 4 6 178
190
Samo Ceara SIGNIFER
THYMALLOIDES 194
Saino aioe 139, 143, 148
55 truttula oC - ; 139
SaLMO TSUPPITCH C . 224
Salmo umbla P 6 139
35 ventricosus 139
Salmon o ‘ 145
>> American 154
Salmon, Clarke’s 225
ee COMMOonay ls 6 . 145
Salmon, common 179, 214
Salmon, Coppermine River 167
Salmon, English. . . 185
29 Sry . ° 5 & 6x0)
Salmon, Gairdner’s : 3 221
Salmon, Hudson’s Bay i - 147
Salmon, Mingan River . : 157
>> Musquaw River . . 156
Salmon, New Caledonian 214, 215, 216
is Norfolk Sound 4 217
Salmon, Observatory Inlet . 158
Salmon peel « : 4 . 148
ois Quebec . 6 157
Salmon, Ross’s arctic 163
Salmon, Scottish . 3 157
>, trout 138, 141, "143, 152, 162,
218, 225
Salmon trout . . 140
Os >, ofthe Columbia 163,.225
SP eorue é > 137
33> Weak- toothed . 222
Salmonacei . 3 2 145
Salmones ° 3 . 145
SaLmMonoipR& 4 137
Salmonoidee 145, 158, 185, 187, 190,
195, 933
Salmons, White. 9 z 145
Salanr . ¢ . : . 124
Salarias 5 189
SaLvenini = . : sG9
Salvelinus . . ‘ 6 169
Samlet 7 ‘ 139
Sand-dab 257
ay Ga : ; 5 149
Sand launce 6 : 275
Sandre, American. : 5 | HO
»» Canadian 0 ‘ 17
Sandre 2 Amerique . 0 5 Ko
Sandre, European .
Sandres, The . j 5 5 1 alte}
Sandres, The ‘ Fi é 10
Sardlooak 3 ‘ ors}
Sargus ° 5 . 3 EOS,
33 Ovrs 5 5 fs 65, 71
3, rhombordalis 3 ‘ 71
Saraudleek ; 3 : 244
Page
Saskatchewan dace 120
oy sturgeon 250
Satooak $ C 178
Saumon blanc, Le . A 141
Saury pike, Newfoundland . 128
Scarus - ; 196
Scatharus 0 5 5 5 thY
Scatophagus - ; 3 74
Schilbés s A : oy IGP
Scr@na 3 0 i 61
Sciena . 63, 64, 68
Scrana (Corvin) OSCULA 68
45 Richarpsonn 64
Scena oscula : a 68
Scimna (Ororiruus) REGALIS 68
Sciena (Otolithus) Dr seh wee 70
Scien, true 6 t 64
ScIZNOIDEZ . otal
Sciencidee “61, 62, 63, 71, 73
Scienoidee, first series 64
90 groups . . 61
9 table of genera - 63
9 with seven gill-rays 63
Sclerodermata . b 0 277
Scolopsides , 6 : 9 63
Scomber 79, 80
>> colias 80
ScomBER GREX : . teil)
Scomber grex 78, 80
99 pelagicus é . 84
9» pneumatophorus . 80
»9 scombrus 0 : 78, 80
ScoMBER VERNALIS . 9 80
Scomberesox 6 o - 128, 129
99 equirostrum 123, 129
ScomBrrEsox SCUTELLATUS - 128
ScomBrrowEx P 76
Scomberoidee 71, 72, 83, 85, 87
Be Jirst tribe ‘ 76, 80
a6 Sourth tribe 77, 83
39 second tribe 77, 81
Bs third tribe 77, 82
Scomberoidee, Table of genera of 78
Scombrésocés 3 ° ° 128
Scombri . c 5 c - 80
Scorpmna . F . . 52
Scorpena 36, 37, 51, 52, 54, 59, 62
Scorp#NA BUFO : E - 300
Scorpena flava : : . 50
55 porcus 6 0 38, 52
Scorpana (Sepasres) Norvecica 52
9 VARIABILIS 53
Scorpena scrofa 38, 300
Ba atid 0 . ° 50
Scorpene 50, 51,52
Scorpene, The . . . 52
aD True . . 52
Scorpene crapaud de mer, Le 300
Scorpion, Sea . : 5 - 298
Scorpis 3 73, 74
Scorpius virginianus 46
Scottish curegonus . 204
3» salmon . 157
Sculpin, The 46
Scuteeg .« : 68
Sceyllii $ 287
Scyllium Edwar aan : . - 287
Scymni : 288, 289
Scyris . : . 5 AY
Sea guiniad < a - 196
Page
Sea horses . : 5 276
>, needles : 3 6 128
>» perch 5 c 8, 52,53
53) pes. . 276
Sea raven, The 9 . - 50
Sea scorpion : : i 298
x) snail . ‘ a 263
», toad ‘ j . ‘ 300
Sebaste septentrionale : + 92
», variable, Le . 53
SEBASTES 52
Sebastes 36, 37, 52, 53, “59, 62
Sebastes, Northern . 6 By
Sebastes Norvegica 5 52, 300
Se Norvegicus . 38, 52
+> variabilis . a 3 52
Selache maximus ; Sth
Se/aches a ‘ é 287
Senacai ; . s By ASHE
Selachii é : A 291
>, of the United States esa
Se/uciens y . F 4 287
Sennersuitsut . : 5 Pe t¥A
Sennersulik i : c 187
Seriola ; 77,79
3, Bosc a : 83
39 cosmopolita 78, 83
>> fasciata 9 4 ° 83
»» levarchus 83
> Zonatus z 4 e 83
Sea ‘ani. - ; a ee Oe
Serranus , é 3 Srinteriestit
ai Couchii é . hee
Seserinus 79
Seth . , 5 247
Sewin, The . . ; . 141
Shad 230
Shas PMP Asis one
Shark, basking 291
Share Common 289
»> Green-backed 289
Shark, Newfoundland . 289
35) biked)... 4 5 - 29)
>> White di 288
Shark, White 288, 289
Sharks, The . 288
Sharp-nosed perch. 4
Sheepshead, The 71
Sheepshead 65
Shiner, New Worle, [22
Shipmaster : 266
Shipmaster echencis c 266
Shoal-cod : a 6 241
Shoemaker 5 : : - 120
SIGANOIDE 4 5 86
Siganus . é . 0 » 86
Sillago 34
Sillock 247
Stlure noir. . . 133
Sinurowem . 132
Stluroidee of the United States 132
Siturus é 6 ~ > 132
Stlurus aspredo. . ° 132
>, callichthys . 6 - 132
>, felis é C : 135
+> glans . ° 132
Siiurus (Pimeopus) BOREALIS 135
36 oh CZNOSUS 132
ae se NIGRESCENS 134
Silver fish : : . 88
INDEX.
Page
Silver sides. 9 88
Sithe ‘ 247
Six-horned Bulteheady 44
Skate, Common 3 5 . 291
Slender cod 242
Slom i e . 188
Smaris é 3 : & 72
Smelt, European 185
Smelts 148
Smolts 4 . 148
Smouts 5 : o 14S. Mol lsg
Snail, Sea 0 a 5 288)
Soft-fnned fishes : é 109
Sole - . Q 3 Se }5
>> New York 255
Solea vulgaris . : : - 255
Solee { 5 “ , 255
Solenostomus , : 276
Somniosus brevipinnis é : 288
SPAROIDER 5 70, 71
Sparoidee 63, 64
Sparus . é : eal
Speckled feautal 178
Sphyrena 5, 32
Ap picuda 32
Spinous ophidium . é - 273
Spiny-finned fishes 108
Spiny lump 4 5 é « 2263
Spirling : 185
Spirobranchus é - de
Spotted blenny . 91
Spotted cod . . 2492
39 | flounder wi. 9 : 255
Spotted Phycis . ci » 293
Spotted gunnelle . $1, 92
Spring herring . ° “229
Spring Mackerel . . 80
Squalus acanthias ° 291
») Americanus : . 288
y> canicula ' 5 - 287
9» Canis 4 ¢ . 287
>» archarias d easy,
Squatus (CarcHarras) Teer
NOVE . . . . 289
aes vula@aRis 288
Squalus catulus é 287
», elephas . 5 , 288
o> glaucus 6 . . 287
>, Uttoralis . : 7 287
5) maximus. 287, 291
>) Obscurus 287
39 pristis - 288
punctatus 287, 289
Sean us (SELACHE) MAXIMUS 291
aD (SpINAX) ACANTHIaS 291
Squalus tiburo 288
>» vulpes 287
39 2YG@Nna « 288
SQuaMMIPINNE 73
Squayual 293
Square-browed malthe : - 103
Squatina Dumerilit ° 288
Squatine . . . 1288
Squeteague 68
Stellated flounder 257
88 trichodon 29
Sterleta 4 ‘278, 281
SrerLeTH (note) . ; 2 281
Stickleback ; oS
Sticklebacks, The 55, 57
Pave
Stumias . 6 : . b24
>> barbatus . A 123
Striped basse. : : 9
Stromateus . 4 0 naa,
Sturgeon R Bs 15
Sturgeon, Columbia River 278
by Ruddy. : 284
ois Russian 6 0 282
55 Saskatchewan 280
Sturgeons, The 278
Srukiones (note) Q . 281
Sturjonic aspidophore —. 6 49
STuRIONIDE 278
Sturionidee 6 é 278, 235
AG of the United States “78
Stylephorus ; & Oy tet)
nis cordatus 271
Succinea ovalis 5 als)
39 putris 5 0 ° 315
Suceur’s, Les. 293
Sucker : 112
>, Black 120
>, Grey 112
Sucker, Unctuous 263
Suckers, The 292
Sucking carp. 173
Sucking carp, Black — 120
5 Gilt calih9
35 Grey 112
gp Lattice-scaled - 306
Bo Red 116
Sueur's Herring-salmon, Le =) 4203
Summer-flounder 255
>, herring 229
Synanceia . 9 ° 36
Synghathi ° 276, 278
Syngnathus 276
Bi acus d . 276
5A typhle - 276
Synodontes - 132
TzNI0IwER A ° 85
Tenidee : a. AG
Tenwides . d 8)
Tenwonotus + 8%
Tanticu 0 . 257
Tareeleekeesak . 3 . 29)
Tarrogan 9 . ‘ 145
Taso 6 on 78
Taurichthys ‘ 74,
Temnisria d : . 59
a9 VENTRICOSA 59
Temnodon 4 77,79
aes saltator 0 a 83
Ten-lined chirus 99
Terpuck c . 101
Terpugh e 100
Téte de miuton d . ° 71
Trrraconurus Cuvier 87
Tetrandon curvus 277
99 geometricus 277
an hispidus 277
ne levigatus . : 277
99 lineatus 277
a mola 3 4 a) dl.
turgidus ° QUT,
Tetraptin US 6 : ; 79
Teyarnak 4 0 . 90
Therapon 34
Tueuryes, Les 86
Thimble-eyed Mackerel
Thoracic percordee
Three-lobed Blepsias »
Three-spined sheen
Thymallus
99 signifer
Thynni . °
Thynnus
5 pelamys
Thyrsites. é .
Thutinameg
Tickomeg :
Tiny burnstickle
Titymeg :
Tockoo, The
Torgock
Toxotes
Trachichtys
Trachinotus é Q
29 argenteus
ais draco
is Suscus
eyes pampanus
Trachinus .
Trachurus
‘ saurel .
Trematopnes
Trichiurus é
55 lepturus
TricHODON
STELLERI
Trichodon, Steller’s
Trichonotus setigerus
Trichopus «
Tridentate lamprey
TRIGLA
Trigla. c
33 cuculus 5
>» gurnardus
>» hirundo
>,» fineata . a
by «(Uyfa
3) pm
3, volttans ;
Trigle
Trout . :
Trout, Burn
>, Columbia
;, Common
i @ RSS
5, 29, 32, 33
e795
, 78
287
76, 79, 85
a0 78
; 29
29
29
97
75
, 293
39
36, 37, 40
38
38
; 38
c . 38
38
° 40
37, 39
INDEX.
Trout, Common ;
Trout, Mountain .
Trout, New Caledonian
Trout, Speckled
Trouts . 0 6
Trouts, Columbia. .
Trouts, Greenland.
True goes.
True herrings
True ophidia : 5
True pikes 9
>, salmon .
5, sclene
y9 scorpene
True syngnathi
Truites des lacs
55 Les :
Trutte :
Trygon micrura
>») Sabinum .
Tsuppitch, The
Tufted chirus , ‘ 0 ;
Tullibee, The
Tullibee 0 6
Tunnies « Q
Turbot F
Turbot, Aectie C
Turbots 0 :
Tusk 6
Tusk, Yellow
Tusks, The 0
Tweed bull-trout . :
Two-spined burnstickle
a stickleback
Ugly fish .
Umbrina
Unctuous sucker, The
Unio 0 3
>) plcatus . .
>» purpureus
3» radiatus .«
Upeneus . .
Uranoscopus. .
Usweatheekasheesh
Valvata syncera C ;
Vandesius . *
Vendace, The . 0
Page
176
178
, 214
. 178
137
. 147
5 NAs}
° 96
. . 230
° 273
- 124
137
2 64
. 52
276
° 179
237
196
. - 288
. 288
244
100
. . 201
201, 205
. 255
6 252
. 150
. o (BD
e - 316
35
* 29, 32, 33, 36
° 59
. 315
. - 1207
. 213
327
Page
Vendace, The 204, 207
Vomer . ° 77,79
>, Brown . : 3 82
Venetian goby . . A =) 201
Wawpawhaw keeshew.. . 118
Weak fish . oO 68, 69
Weak-toothed salmon. 2 222
White fish C 5 5 ite, ile
salmons . : . 145
White shark. : C 288
White shark . : 288, 289
Whiting . 0 c 141, 241, 247
>> pout 0 : ° 246
Wind fish . 5 103
Winepeg attihhawmeg . 196
Wolf fish, The 0 : 95
5 Common . . 95
99 Lesser. : 6
Xiphias 5 0 : C 79
39 gladius ; c 78, 81
Xiphide q : : 71
Xirichthys 5 C - 106
99 dineatus ‘ 6 107
A psittacus « 107
Yellow perch : . 6 1
Yellow scorpena . . 50
3, tusk : : : 252
Zanclus c : 74
Zeus ° . 83
Zeus 3 ° 72, 83
9» asper 9 f ° 83
9» gallus Q 9 6 . 82
3» guttatus 83
x» Unperralis . 84
Zeus (LampRis) Gu 4raTUS . 83
Zeus luna 7 . 83, 84
9» opah 6 . : 83
>) Tegius 5 6 4 84
ZosRrcEs ° ° : 93
Zoarces . ‘ ° 93, 94, 108
>» ¢labrosus . . : 93
3) veviparus 3 : 5 98
Zygena malleus. - ¢ 288
>, tiburo . . c 288
>> vulgaris. : 288
Zygane 7 : . 288
LONDON:
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