In the laminar vortex street behind a circular cylinder, only few distinct shedding modes for a large range of aspect ratios and various end conditions are observed. Thenth mode is characterized by a Strouhal number Stnand a shedding angle, &thgr;n, both of which vary continuously with the Reynolds number. The experimentally observed discontinuities in the Strouhal–Reynolds number relationship are transitions between these shedding modes.