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Show 1SG8.J DEVELOPMENT OF THE SALMON. 251 February 1863. No. 1 is a male (by examination) ; of No. 2 the sex cannot be stated. The coloured figures best display the tints and markings; but for the sake of precision I shall describe each separately. No. 1, it may be observed, has been drawn from the dead specimen, and hence it appears paler than during life; this, however, rather increases its Salmon-like characters. No. 2 has been drawn from life (25th March, 1868). It is very possible it may shortly alter considerably ; if it does so, I propose to have it figured in its change of garb*. No. 1 (Plate XXIII. fig. 1) may be thus described :-The dorsum, from the head to the tail, is of an olive-brown, deepest in the neighbourhood of the dorsal fin. O n the sides this shades into a yellow, which becomes still lighter below the median line, and almost white and silvery towards the abdomen. This is particularly the case between the pectoral and ventral fins. The upper part of the head and the snout are of a sombre hue, approaching to that of the back. Scattered along both above and below the median line are a series of bright red spots; these are absent behind the adipose fin. There are ten transverse bars of a purplish grey, deepest in colour below the median line. The two hinder bars are more or less united; and the same may be said of the anterior one, also indistinctly double and occupying the operculum and suboperculum. The iris is of a golden-yellow colour, the pupil large and black. At the root the dorsal fin is darkest; but the reverse is the case with the pectoral fins. The ventral fins are the lightest-coloured, the anal and caudal intermediate in shade. All these fins are of a neutral yellowish brown. The adipose fin is dark brown. No. 2 has nearly similar general under-tints to No. 1, but is chiefly distinguished from it by darker markings and spots throughout the body. There are thirteen more or less distinct transverse bars, the opercular one being large and well marked. Between the root of the dorsal fin and the lateral median line a large, broad, and dark-coloured patch exists; this intermingles to a certain extent with the fifth, sixth, and seventh transverse bars. Both along the deep-brown dorsum and below the median lateral line, upon and between the transverse bars, very many small dark spots are freely dispersed. The lesser-sized red spots in this specimen are irregularly placed both upon and above the lateral line. The dorsal fin has a number of deep-coloured interradial spots, chiefly confined to its root. The form of the body in both specimens (the dead and the living one) is that of a Salmonoid, but not the clean plump outline of a full-grown Salmon. * On June 30th this fish (No. 2) was carefully compared with the drawing made on March 25th; and the coloration then sensibly appeared to have become lighter and yellower. The alteration in shade, however (as Tennent, the keeper, justly pointed out), depended more on the strong sunlight than on any permanent change; for in the mornings and evenings, or when skulking in the shadow of the rockwork, the tone of colour was darker. No silvery-scaled appearance has been assumed this year. |
