File:A history of the fishes of the British Islands (1862) (14590049399).jpg

Identifier: historyoffisheso04couch (find matches)
Title: A history of the fishes of the British Islands
Year: 1862 (1860s)
Authors: Couch, Jonathan, 1789-1870 Lydon, A. F
Subjects: Fishes
Publisher: London, Groombridge and Sons
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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gned to our fish will notapply to the Hucho of Germany and Linna3us; and that thislast-named species is not found anywhere even in Germany,except in the Danube and its tributary streams; to which Dr.Reisinger adds, that it is not common in any part of Hungary.It is evident that the figure of the Hucho in the work of Bloch,pi. 100, is not nearly like our fish; and the more indifferentone copied by Willoughby from Gesner is still less like it. Weare therefore compelled to conclude that our fish, presently tobe described, must not be referred to any known species of thecontinent of Europe. The example from which our figure and description weretaken was caught in the harbour of Fowey, in the month ofJanuary; and it has since been sent to the British Museum.But the figure was taken when it Avas fresh from the water,and a copy of it was communicated to INIr. Yarrell; whoseopinion of it we give in justice to that gentleman, in his ownwords:—Many thanks for your drawing of the female Salmon
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SLENDER SALMON. -217 with your letter, and kind remembrance of me. I have a skinof a Sahnon that wouhl have been a good match for yourfemale. This was a Salmon that had been detained in a fresh-water pond rather more than three years, and he had in tnattime become in form more like an eel than a Salmon. I havealso in my drawer a specimen of a Sal/no Triitto almost asmxich elongated, but I had no opportunity of ascertaining anycause for this change, but probably, as in the case of yourfish, destined to live in a river, the water of which did notsuit it. It is not generally safe to differ in opinion from that excellentnaturalist, and especially in reference to fish of fresh water;but on the present occasion it should be remarked that theknown circumstances were very different from those that werethus suggested. So far from having suffered from long confine-ment, the effect of which on the true Salmon is highlysuggestive, this example was caught when it had just thencome from the open se

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