found in the Shetland Seas. 130 



to be able to swim. No hurt appeared on it, except the mark 

 of a bite over the gip (gape). It recovered a Uttle in the boat, 

 and was brought on shore aHve. It made a buzzing sort of 

 noise in the boat. It had a long struggle with the seal, as the 

 men who took it first saw it from a hill at a distance, and a good 

 deal of time elapsed before they reached the shore, put off their 

 boat, and arrived at the spot where it was.'' Its fins were of a 

 beautiful dark red colour, and inflated in the same manner as 

 the fishermen remark the fins of the ling to be, when they are 

 emigrating. The skin was coloured like mother-of-pearl, with 

 very large scales on it. Its flesh had a whitish painted appear- 

 ance, and was very soft. There was very little in the stomach, 

 and the contents did not exhibit any strange particular. No per- 

 son here remembers to have seen any fish of the kind. When 

 it was brought to me, I had it put in salt pickle ; in which it re- 

 mained till summer, and consequently its beautiful appearance 

 was by that time much impaired." No particular attention had 

 been paid to the swimming-bladder ; and, of course, no remark- 

 able structure was observed in that organ. 



3. The description above given of the dried fish, and the par- 

 ticulars now detailed regarding its appearance when fresh, leave 

 not a doubt that oiir fish is the species of Scicena called by the 

 French Maigre, or Aigle-de-mer, and excellently described by 

 Baron Cuvier in the first volume of the new series of the " Me- 

 moires du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle," 1815. So far as the 

 descriptions are parallel, or can be compared, they completely 

 agree *. 



In the dried fish, indeed, the fins were destitute of colour, ex- 

 cept that a tinge of red was perceptible at the base of the rays 

 of the first dorsal, when moistened and raised out of the sulcus. 

 This loss of colour was not to be wondered at, considering that 

 the bright colours of fishes are generally fugacious, and that this 

 individual had been first pickled and then dried. Cuvier men- 



• An_accurate drawing was made by Mr P. Sjme, painter to the Wernerian 

 Society ; but as figures of the fish have long ago been published, and a correct 

 outline has been given by Baron Cuvier in the work above mentioned, it 

 seems unnecessary to engrave it. 



