page_title: Lough Melvin
section_title: Fishes and angling
hierarchical_section_title: Lough Melvin / Fishes and angling
caption_attribution_description: English: 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 View Book Page: Book Viewer About This Book: Catalog Entry View All Images: All Images From Book Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book. Text Appearing Before Image: r of membrane, close behind it the fine pointed orificeof another. Eye rather large. The back rises gradually tothe dorsal fin; scales very small; lateral line slightly raised,straight, the pores small and very numerous. All the fins havethe membrane dense. The thickness of the body is carriedback to the adipose fin, and more especially in the large example.Dorsal fin high, the rays fourteen, the fourth longest and twolast united. The pectoral reaches three fourths of the distanceto the ventrals, broad, with thirteen rays; anal fin eleven;ventral ten or eleven. Colour of the upper parts black, sidesdark, thickly covered with white spots, as were other examples;belly yellow, but in some a tinge of red, this colour seemingto have vanished from the operation of spirit in which theyhad been preserved. Upper ray of the pectoral fin whitish, andin a less degree the border; front border of the anal white;ventrals with a tinge of orange; all besides dark. Air-bladderlarge: milt of small size. Text Appearing After Image: J2G7 GRAYS CHAR. Sahno Grayi, Gunther; Journal of Zoological Society, 1862, p. 15, pi. 7; where it is called the FreshWater Herring of Lough Melvin, but to bedistinguished from the PoUan, which is also,and more appropriately named Fresh WaterHerring. This Char is among the speciesreferred to by Mr. W. Thompson, vol. iv, p. 160. Much obscurity hangs over this species, as also on the twoothers which are to follow, so far as regards their distinctivehabits. And this is so much more the case in regard to GraysChar, as there is another which inhabits the same Lake Melvin,with which it is likely to be confounded. In order, therefore,that we may not add to the uncertainty which still exists, bydescribing the habits of one, which might more properly belongto the other, it is thought best to limit our notice of this andthe others as enumerated by Dr. Gvmther, to a simple descriptionof each, with a corresponding figure so far as the latter arewithin our reach. After which we shall give a list o Note About Images Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original work.
context_page_description: Lough Melvin is a lake which is internationally renowned for its unique range of plants and animals. It is located in the northwest of the island of Ireland on the border between County Leitrim and County Fermanagh.
context_section_description: Lough Melvin is one of Ireland's famous angling loughs offering the chance of spring salmon from February to May, grilse from May to July and gillaroo, sonaghan and ferox trout throughout the season. Lough Melvin is also home to an endemic species of char, the Melvin charr or Gray's charr (Salvelinus grayi).
  A ghillie or boatman is strongly recommended to anglers unfamiliar with the lake.
caption: The Lough Melvin charr (Salvelinus grayi), a species unique to the lake. Now critically endangered.
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