NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 249 



Callarias Klein, Historic Pisciuni Naturalis promovendse Missus quintus et 



ultimus, p. 5, 1749. 

 Morrhua Cuvier, Regne Animal. 

 Gadus Nilsson,'Prodromxxs Icbthyologia? Scandinavicse, pp. 39, 41, 1832. Adopt 



Bon. 



r . f Swainson, Natural History of Fishes, Amphibians and Reptiles, vol. 



Tilesia J "' PP' 188 > 299 ' 300 ' 1839 ' 



Gadus Gill, Proc. Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila., 1S62. 



Gadus Giinther, Catalogue of the Fishes in the British Museum, vol. iv. pp. 

 326, 327, 1862. 



Morrhua Putnam, Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology of Cam- 

 bridge, 1863. 



Body elongated, subfusiform in profile, but highest under the first dorsal 

 fin, tapering into the moderately slender caudal peduncle, which is com- 

 pressed ; back compressed and oblique, and abdomen prominent and rather 

 tumid beneath the first dorsal. 



Scales minute and regularly imbricated. 



Lateral line slightly convex from the scapular region to the middle of the 

 body, and thence rectilinear, in a groove covered by a membranous linear 

 band. 



Head scaly, oblong conical in profile, above gradually narrowed towards 

 the front, transversely arched at the nape, nearly flat at the forehead, and 

 with the snout protuberant and longer than the eye. Eyes moderate, mostly 

 or entirely in the anterior half of the head. Opercula almost concealed by 

 the skin ; operculum acute at the angle. Nostrils in front of eye ; the an- 

 terior with a posterior flap ; the posterior patulous or subtubular. 



Mouth with the cleft moderately oblique and rather deep ; the supramax- 

 illars extending at least under the anterior half of the eyes, their ends pro- 

 duced downwards and truncated behind ; intermaxillars ceasing far in front 

 of the ends of the supramaxillars. Lower jaw received within the upper, 

 broadly rounded in front. 



Lower jaw with a moderate barbel persistent on the bone. 



Teeth pauciserial in each jaw ; those of the outer row in the upper, and of 

 the inner in the lower, enlarged. 



Branchiostegal rays seven. 



Dorsal fins three, separated by decided interspaces, invested in a naked 

 skin ; the first shortest, more or less behind the vertical of the pectoral fins, 

 rounded or angular in front, and rapidly declining in a more or less convex 

 line decurved backwards ; second oblong and longest. 



Anal fins two, opposed to the second and third dorsals and nearly equal in 

 size and form. 



Caudal fin moderate, subtruncated, concave or convex, with numerous 

 supplementary rays above and below. 



Pectoral fins moderate, obliquely rounded behind. 



Ventral fins inferior, moderately approximated, inserted moderately in ad- 

 vance of the pectorals, narrow and provided with seven rays, the second of 

 which is more or less prolonged. 



D. 1214 | 1621 | 1722. A. 1826 | 1724. 



Artedi, in his " Genera Piscium," establishing this genus in the manner of 

 the moderns, gave the following diagnosis : 



" Membrana branchiostega utrinque septem ossicula subteretia continet. 

 " Dorsum jam tripterygium, jam dipterygium. 

 " Caput plerumque cathetoplateum, interdum plagioplateum." 

 To the genus were referred the following species : 

 1. Merlangus vulgaris Flem. 



1863.] 18 



