366 Dr. R. Dyce on the Identity of 



XXXIX. On the Identity of Morrhua punctata and Morrhua 

 vulgaris. By ROBERT DYCE, M.D.* 



[With two Plates.] 



IN Turton's 'British Fauna/ published in 1807, a fish is de- 

 scribed under the name of the " Speckled Cod," Morrhua punctata, 

 as a distinct and peculiar species found in the weirs at Swan- 

 sea. Since his time, every succeeding author has transcribed 

 his account of it, although each has, to a certain extent, thrown 

 a doubt over its existence, by saying either that it is unknown 

 to them, or that no other author appears to have noticed it. 



Thus, Fleming simply copies Turton's account of it, without 

 comment : he, apparently, never had seen it. Jenyns, besides 

 quoting from Turton and Fleming, adds, et This supposed spe- 

 cies I am not acquainted with, and I would venture to suggest 

 that it is only a variety of the Morrhua vulgaris ;" while Yarrell, 

 besides transcribing the descriptions of these authors, adds, " No 

 other record of this fish has appeared, that I am aware of." He 

 r also states that a fresh example was brought him, caught at the 

 mouth of the Thames, which the fishermen called " Lord-fish," 

 and considered to be an accidental deformity. Thus, though 

 each has suspected its existence, there has been no attempt 

 made at removing the doubt. Yarrell appears not to have pre- 

 served the fish, but he gives a very characteristic drawing, which 

 strikingly resembles the numerous examples I have met with of 

 Turton's fish. 



It appears to me that I am now in possession of facts suffi- 

 cient to set these doubts at rest, from having obtained so many 

 examples, within the last few years, which correspond with Tur- 

 ton's Speckled Cod, with the Lord-fish of the Thames fishermen, 

 and yet so entirely possessing the character of the common Cod 

 as to leave not a doubt in my mind that they are all the same 

 fish, altered only in appearance and shape, in short, deformed 

 from disease of the spine. In endeavouring to show this, I 

 shall first contrast Turton's fish with the detail of appearances 

 in my own specimen, to show their identity ; and then, secondly, 

 exhibit the evidences of the connexion of both of these with the 

 common Cod. 



Perhaps this will be more readily understood by referring to 

 the accompanying Table of comparison, which is intended to 

 identify Turton's fish and mine. From this it will readily be ad- 

 mitted that the most notable difference (setting aside the shape of 

 the fish) is that in the number of the fin-rays ; but to this par- 

 ticular I do not attach much importance, because, even in fish 



* Communicated by the author, having been read at the Meeting of the 

 British Association at Aberdeen, Sept. 1859. 



