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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Br. Fishes, vol. i, p. 461. The Wels, Dr. Gunthek; Fishermans )\Iagazine, No. 8, p. 365. TuftiiE appears little reason to doubt that the Silurus ofPliny, (13. 9, c. 15.) and consequently the Glanis of Aristotle,is the same with the Silurus glanis of Linnaeus; but it is stilluncertain whether it has ever been found in the British Islands.From the enormous size it sometimes attains it could not haveremained with us without having been discovered, and thereforeif found at all, it could only have been as a wanderer fromthe Continent of Europe, in the larger rivers of which it isknown, although not in abundance, for it is said to be notexceedingly prolific. In the Danube, and the larger rivers ofthe north of Europe, it is well known; but it is more rare inSweden, although it is met with even in Norway. Accordingto Nilsson, in these northern countries it never reaches thesame size as in Germany. Pliny says it is a fish of the Nile,and also of a lake out of which the Nile flows: a remarkable
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SlIEATFTSH. 7o anticipation of modern discovery; and it is also found in someother rivers of Africa, and in Asin. But the question ariseswhether this fish is capable of living for a short time in theopen sea; and it scarcely amounts to an answer to this, whenit is said that it has been occasionally found in the Baltic, forit is known that the water of that inland sea is much less saltthan that of the ocean, and in its upper part it is almostentirely fresh. It is affirmed, however, that the Sheatfish has been taken inan Irish river; but the example was not seen by a scientificnaturalist, nor was a figure of it drawn; and therefore it isfor the assistance of future observers that we extract what Mr,Thompson has recorded of the facts of the case. That thisspecies has in a single instance been taken in Ireland I amdisposed to believe, on the following testimony:—On inquiry(October, 1840,) of William Blair, who has for many yearsbeen fisherman, etc., at Florence Court, whether he had eve

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