Prize essay on the fishes of the district of the Firth of Forth - Tapa blanda

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1838 Excerpt: ... also much larger than in the Northern Charr." Genus OSMERUS.--Branchiostegous membrane with eight rays only; anal fin with more than fourteen rays; gape large; teeth long and sharp; intestinal canal without caeca. 0SMF.EUS EPERLANUS. THE SPERLING. Specific Characters.--Vomerine teeth confined to the anterior extremity; under jaw longest. Description.--From a specimen eight inches in length. Head onefifth of the whole length, caudal included; depth of the body under the dorsal fin less than the length of the head; basal line of the operculum rather oblique; suboperculum slightly produced behind at its superior posterior margin; preoperculum approaching to angular; under jaw the longest; the extremity of the maxillary extending back as far as the posterior margin of the orbit. Colour of the back as far as the lateral line, dusky green; sides marked with a metallic grey band, extending from the upper part of the gill-cover to the Otmerus eperlamu, Cuv., Flem., Yarr., Jen. Salmo eperlanus. Linn., Penn., Don. Smelt, Sperling. base of the tail; belly, cheeks, and gill-covers, silvery-white; pectoral, ventral, and anal fins light straw-colour; dorsal and caudal pale ash-green. First ray of the dorsal fin arises exactly half-way between the point of the upper jaw and the base of the middle caudal ray; the first two rays simple, the rest branched, the third the longest, equalling the length of the long caudal ray; the last ray the shortest, one-half the length of the fourth; the last but three equalling the length of the base of the fin; adipose fin situated in a line over the last ray but three of the anal, and half-way between the base of the last ray of the dorsal and end of the middle caudal ray; tail-fin deeply forked, the middle ray not half the length o...