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CHAR (Salvelinus)

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Originally appearing in Volume V05, Page 856 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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See also:

CHAR (Salvelinus) , a See also:fish of the See also:family Salmonidae, represented in See also:Europe, See also:Asia and See also:North See also:America. The best known and most widely distributed See also:species, the one represented in See also:British and Irish lakes, is S. alpinus, a graceful and delicious fish, covered with very See also:minute scales and usually dark See also:olive, bluish or purplish See also:black above, with or without See also:round See also:orange or red spots, pinkish See also:white or yellowish See also:pink to See also:scarlet or See also:claret red below. When the char go to See also:sea, they assume a more silvery coloration, similar to that of the See also:salmon and sea See also:trout; the red spots become very indistinct and the See also:lower parts are almost white. The very See also:young are also silvery on the sides and white below, and See also:bear 11 to 15 bars, or See also:parr-marks, on the See also:side. This fish varies much according to localities; and the difference in See also:colour, together with a few points of doubtful constancy, have given rise to the See also:establishment of a See also:great number of untenable so-called species, as many as seven having been ascribed to the British and Irish See also:fauna, viz. S. alpinus, nivalis, killinensis, willoughbyi, perisii, colii and grayi, the last from Lough Melvin, See also:Ireland, being the most distinct. S. alpinus varies much in See also:size according to the See also:waters it inhabits, remaining dwarfed in some See also:English lakes, and growing to 2 ft. or more in other localities. In other parts of Europe, also, various See also:local forms have been distinguished, such as the " omble See also:chevalier " of the lakes of See also:Switzerland and See also:Savoy (S. umbla), the " Sabling " of the lakes of See also:South See also:Germany and See also:Austria (S. salvelinus), the " kullmund " of See also:Norway (S. carbonarius), &c., while the North See also:American S. parkei, alipes, stagnalis, See also:arcturus, areolus, oquassa and marstoni may also be regarded as varieties. Taken in this wide sense, S. alpinus has a very extensive See also:distribution. In central Europe, in the British islands and in the greater See also:part of Scandinavia it is confined to See also:mountain lakes, but farther to the north,in both the Old See also:World and the New,it lives in the sea and ascends See also:rivers to spawn. In See also:Lapland, See also:Iceland, See also:Greenland and other parts of the See also:arctic regions, it ranks among the commonest fishes. The extreme See also:northern point at which char have been obtained is 82° 34' N.

(See also:

Victoria See also:lake and Floeberg See also:Beach, Arctic America). It reaches an See also:altitude of 2600 ft. in the See also:Alps and 6000 ft. in the Carpathians. The American See also:brook char, S. fontinalis, is a See also:close ally of S. alpinus, differing from it in having fewer and shorter gill-rakers, a rather stouter See also:body, the back more or less barred or marbled with dark olive or black, and the dorsal and caudal fins mottled or barred with black. Many local varieties of colour have been distinguished. Sea-run individuals are often nearly See also:plain See also:bright silvery. It is a small species, growing to about 18 in. abundant in all clear, See also:cold streams of North America, See also:east of the See also:Mississippi, northward to Labrador. The fish has been introduced into other parts of the See also:United States, and also into Europe. Another member of the same See also:section of Salmonidae is the Great Lake char of North America, S. namaycush, one of the largest salmonids, said to attain a See also:weight of too lb. The body is very elongate and covered with extremely small scales. The colour varies from See also:grey to black, with numerous round See also:pale spots, which may be tinged with reddish; the dorsal and caudal fins reticulate with darker. This fish inhabits the Great Lakes regions and neighbouring parts of North America. CHAR-A-BANC (Fr. for " benched See also:carriage "), a large See also:form of wagonette-like vehicle for passengers, but with benched seats 856 arranged in rows, looking forward, commonly used for large parties, whether as public conveyances or for excursions.

End of Article: CHAR (Salvelinus)

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