292 ANACANTHINI. 



good as the haddock (Edward) : Aberdeen (Sim) : frequent at St. Andrew's 

 (Mcintosh) : Firth of Forth plentiful (Parnell) : resident and very abundant off 

 Yorkshire (Yorkshire vertebrata) : plentiful in the Norfolk estuary, especially in 

 the autumn, but those on the Norfolk coast only attain to about two-thirds the 

 size of those off Devonshire : common along- the south coast of England, and very 

 abundant off Devonshire and Cornwall, especially in the latter county, from 

 September until March, the largest and best coming from Polperro (Cornish). 



In Ireland it is common around the coast, but not held in much estimation in 

 the north. It is considered in its finest season in the spring. 



This fish has been recorded off the British coasts up to 16 inches in length and 

 from 3 to 4 lb. in weight, but Couch remarks on having heard of one weighing 

 7 lb., while Pennant records fish from 4 lb. to 8 lb. weight, taken from the edge of 

 the Dogger Bank. 



B. Loiver jaw the longer : its outer row of teeth enlarged (JBoreogadus). 



6. Gadus poutassou, Plate LXXXIII, fig. 1. 



Gadus merlangus, Risso, Ich. Nice, p. 115 (not Bloch). 



Merlangus poutassou, Risso, Eur. Merid. iii, p. 227. 



Merlangus alius, Yarrell, Brit. Fish. (Ed. 2) ii, p. 247, c. fig. (Ed. 3) i, p. 551; 

 Couch, Zool. 1847, p. 1824 ; White, Catal. p. 90 ; Van Beneden, Bull. Acad. Sc. 

 Belg. 1865, xx, p. 52 ; Andrews, Proc. Nat. Hist. Dublin, 1865, iv, p. 9 ; Steind. 

 Ich. Span. u. Port. 1868, p. 39. 



Gadus potassoa, Diiben. Vet. Akad. Handl. 1844, p. 88. 



Pollachius poutassou, Bonap. Peso. Eur. 45. 



Gadus melanostomus, Nilss. Skand. Faun, iv, p. 556. 



Kulmund, Esmark, Naturg. Mote i Christ. 1844, p. 230. 



Merlangus communis, Costa, Faun. Napol. : Canestr. Fauna Ital. p. 154. 



Merlangus vernalis, Canestr. Arch. Zool. 1863, t. ii, p. 352. 



Gadus poutassou, Giinther, Catal. iv, p. 338 ; Mc Andrew, Fish. N. Uist, Pro. 

 Nat. Hist, Soc. Dublin, 1864, p. 9 ; Collett, Norges Fiske, p. 110 ; Winther, Ich. 

 Dan. Mar. p. 30 ; Giglioli, Pesc. Ital. p. 36. 



Merlangus poutassou, Moreau, Pois. France, iii, p. 255, c. fig. 



Poutassou, Conch, Fish. Brit. Isles, iii, p. 77, pi. cxli. 



Boreogadus poutassou, Malm, p. 486. 



B. vii, D. 12-13/12-14/22-24, P. 20, V. 6, A. 34-38/20-25, C. 25-29, Vert. 53 

 (Couch). 



Length of head 4| to 4f , of caudal fin 6, height of body 6 to 7 in the total 

 length. Eye diameters 3| in the length of the head, \\ diameters from the end 

 of the snout, and 2/3 of a diameter apart. Lower jaw slightly the longer : the 

 maxilla reaches posteriorly to beneath the middle of the eye : the snout does 

 not overhang the upper jaw. Barbel on chin absent. Teeth an outer row of 

 distantly placed enlarged ones in the jaws, and one or two rather large ones 

 present in the vomer on either side. Fins the first dorsal commences above 

 the middle of the pectoral, anteriorly it is one-fourth higher than its base is 

 long. The interspace between the fii'st and second dorsal fins equals half the 

 length of the base of the latter. The second dorsal fin is not quite so high 

 as the first, but higher than the third. The interspace between the second 

 and third dorsal fins equals nearly twice the length of the base of the second 

 dorsal. Anal commences below the origin of the first dorsal : the second anal 

 is below and similar to the third dorsal. Caudal deeply emarginate. Pectoral 

 as long as the head behind the middle of the eye. Ventral very short, scarcely 

 exceeding the diameter of the eye. Scales very small. Lateral-line nearly 

 straight, situated parallel with the back in the upper fourth of the height of the 

 body. Vent situated a little before the commencement of the anal fin, and 

 therefore anterior to a vertical line descending from the insertion of the first dorsal 

 fin. Colours brownish along the back, divided by a yellow band from the 



