GEN. MERLANGUS. THE WHITING. J 9] 



"Whiting Pout. It is not unfrequently taken on 

 the coasts of Devon and Cornwall ; and occurs also 

 in Ireland. We have not seen any Scottish locality 

 assigned to it. It is almost the only kind of Cod, 

 properly so called, that occurs in the Mediterranean, 

 and it is also plentiful in the Baltic. 



Besides the above species of Morrhua, Dr. Turton 

 describes another as British, under the name of M. 

 punctata. This no subsequent author appears to 

 have taken any notice of except Dr. Fleming and 

 Mr. Jenyns, the former of whom enumerates it 

 among the other species, adopting Turton's descrip- 

 tion without remark. Mr. Jenyns considers it a 

 variety of M. vulgaris, which in all likelihood is 

 the light in which it ought to be regarded. 



Gen. LXXIV. Merlaxgus. — This generic group 

 admits of a very brief and determinate definition, 

 as the only character of importance in which it dif- 

 fers from the preceding genus is in the want of a 

 cirrus or barbule at the chin, while the possession of 

 three dorsal fins distinguishes it from all the follow- 

 ing genera of the family. The species are of hand- 

 somer forms than the Cods, the belly being less 

 prominent, and the fins not so ample ; but they are 

 very closely allied to them in structure as well as 

 habits, and among other resemblances is the fortu- 

 nate one of being fitted to afford most excellent food 

 to man. This is the case, in particular, with the 

 first we have to mention, 



(Sp. 152.) M. vulgaris. The Whiting, which is 

 generally thought to be superior in delicacy to all 



