THE COD FAMILY 107 



To quote the Cambridge Natural History " these caecal pro- 

 longations from the air-bladder have tlieir extremities apposed 

 to the outer surfaces of the fibrous membranes which close a pair 

 of vacuities in the outer walls of the peri-otic capsules, the inner 

 surfaces being bathed by the perilymph surrounding the auditory 

 organs. It remains somewhat of a mystery or an unsolved problem 

 why this sub-tropical species should possess a sound-producing 

 organ. 



In our waters, sound-production is known in few species, and the 

 gurnards are the most familiar ; it is interesting that the gurnards 

 are also characterised by the presence of tactile processes which 

 are really specialised fin-rays. It is, however, a fact that in the 

 warm waters of the Atlantic there is a host of sound-producing 

 fishes, such as the maigre and other sciaenoids and roncadors. It 

 would appear that Phycis has followed the local fashion. These 

 remarks on the internal anatomy lead one to the description of a 

 remarkable brain-pattern in the species Phycis. The large size of 

 the anterior lobes of the brain is very noticeable as they are as large, 

 if not somewhat larger, than the optic lobes. These anterior lobes 

 are not simply due to the primitive end-brain. The primitive end- 

 brain is represented by two small globular median lobes which are 

 surrounded laterally and anteriorly by large olfactory lobes. The 

 cerebellum is very long and tongue-shaped, longer and narrower 

 than that of gadus morrhua which it otherwise resembles. The 

 acoustic tubercles are small. When the cerebellum is lifted to 

 expose the medulla the somatic-sensory lobes are seen to be of only 

 moderate size and the facial lobes not clearly distinguishable. 



It appears, therefore, that we have here a shell-fish eating fish, 

 not unlike the haddock, which goes about its job of getting its dinner, 

 not by gustatory organs but by smell and touch, as evidenced by its 

 large olfactory organs and by its sensory tentacles and also by the 

 size of the somatic-sensory lobes ; as we have already stated above, 

 we have no theory as to the value to the animal of its elaborate swim- 

 bladder, but it should be noted that its otoliths are of noticeable 

 size and in this respect resemble the maigre. 



When we contrast this brain with that of the haddock we notice 

 that the optic lobes are much larger than the end brain in our had- 

 dock and that the cerebellum is not so long, and that the facial lobes 

 are as prominent as the somatic-sensory. 



The rock-haddock, Phycis blennioides, is said by Gunther to be 

 an occasional visitor to the British Isles. To-day it is landed in 

 large quantities at ]\Iilford Haven from the trawlers fishing out of 

 that port. This species, together with Phycis phycis and P. Mediter- 



