The very remarkable fish called the _Vendace_ is to be found but in one
place in the three kingdoms,--the Castle Loch of Lochmaben, a parish to the
south of Dumfriesshire in Scotland. The Vendace, it is said, derives its
name from _Vendois_ in France, and was brought to this country by one of
the James's. This, however, is mere conjecture, and, from its habits,
highly improbable--because _they die the moment they are either touched or
exposed to the air_.
According to Mr. Stewart (_Elements of Natural Hist._), the Vendace belongs
to a species which he calls _Salmo albula_, or the "Juvangis."
"This species," he adds, "is found in Lochmaben in Scotland, and
_nowhere else_: it is said to have been carried thither from England in
the time of Robert the Bruce."
Mr. Stewart describes the fish, but from his description it is evident he
has never seen it. The following one is exact:--
"This beautiful fish measures from four to six inches in length, and
tapers gradually to the tail. When taken out of the water, it has a
bright silvery white appearance, with a slight tendency to a light blue
along the back and part of the sides. In size it resembles a small
herring or par, but particularly the former, not only in the mouth and
external appearance, but also in the anatomical structure. _Upon the
top of the head_ there is a very distinct _shape of a heart_, covered
with a transparent substance of a brownish colour, resembling a thin
lamina of mica slate, _through which the brain is visible_. This
peculiar mark proves it to be as yet a distinct and undescribed
species. Nothing is ever found visible to the naked eye in the stomach
of the Vendace. They are extremely delicate, and are allowed to be the
most pleasing to the taste of all fish. The general mode of catching
them is with a net, as there is no instance known of their having been
caught either with bait or the artificial fly. The pike, with which
this lake abounds, is their greatest enemy. It has been frequently
stated that no fewer than fifteen distinct species of fish, fit for the
table, have been found in the Castle Loch."
Dr. Knox, sometime Lecturer upon Anatomy in Edinburgh, states:
"That he has not only discovered the food of the Vendace, but actually
exhibited it before the Members of the Royal Society, and offers
suggestions for the stocking of the various lakes in Britain with this
exquisite fish; pointing out first the necessity of locating its
natural food, without which it cannot live."
Allowing, however, that some neighbouring lake could be covered with some
of these invisible and "incredibly minute entomostraceous animals," which
the learned lecturer says constitute their food, we should still find a
difficulty in transferring the fish; as every attempt to do so, though
conducted with the greatest possible care and nicety, _has failed_.
In the preceding account, I have followed the Rev. John Gardiner of
Lochmaben, who, in 1835, drew up an admirable account of his parish, which
is inserted in the statistical survey of the county.
The gentlemen of the county have formed a {302} _Vendace Club_, which meets
at Lochmaben annually on the 25th and 26th of July, when they dine off the
fish. I asked one of the members how long it had been in existence, and he
said about thirty years.