THE COD FAMILY. 379 



often found it possible in the course of a couple of tides to 

 empty a spot of its large pout. 



[The Norway Pout has apparently been added to the 

 British fauna recently. It is distinguished by the pointed 

 snout, large eye, and projecting lower jaw. According 

 to Harvie-Brown and Buckley,^ it is not uncommon in 

 Kilbrannan Sound.] 



In the smaller Poor Cod we find the body narrower, 



the eye larger, and the lateral line less curved. There 



Poor Cod are no vertical bands. It has the family 



or Power, barbel. This fish occurs all round these 



islands. 



Most familiar after the cod, the Silver Whiting is re- 

 markable for the delicate flavour that makes it invaluable 

 Silver to convalescents, though it deteriorates almost 

 'Whiting, ^yj^jj the rapidity of mackerel. More elongated 

 than the foregoing, this species lacks the barbel. In colour, 

 it is silvery, having the lateral line black, as also a spot on 

 the pectoral fin. The mouth is large, the teeth small and 

 numerous, and very sharp; the food consisting of sand-eels, 

 worms, crustaceans, and the like. Essentially a sand-fish, 

 it moves from place to place much more than the pout, and 

 seems to undertake movements of considerable extent to 

 and from the deep water. It is recorded to the weight of 

 4 lbs., but the average is very much below this. The 

 whiting spawns about May. With reference to its migra- 

 tions, it occurs to me as of interest to mention that I have 

 noticed for years at Bournemouth a spring inshoring of 

 small silver whiting, measuring about 3 inches, early in 

 May, after which there are few or no whiting in the bay 

 until the larger fish put in an appearance late in July. 



Rarely seen at the fishmonger's, owing to the little esteem 

 in which it is held as food and the rapidity with which its 

 1 Fauna of the Outer Hebrides, p. 203. 



