24 



imod ere Pectoralernes Underside. Analen og Ventralerne 

 nøgne. undtagen hos Expl. a, hvor ogsaa Analen var ru. 

 Paa Hovedet gaa Beutorneue. som allerede nævnt. lige ud 

 paa den Hud, der bedækker Cornea, saa at blot Partiet 

 over Lindsen og en smal Ring omkring denne lades fri. 

 Læberne ere ligeledes altid glatte, selv hos det mindste af 

 de under Expeditionen erholdte Individer, der iøvrigt 

 viser sig at vare beklædt med disse Bentorne saagodtsom 

 overalt. 



Farven. Farven er hvidgraa. med mer eller mindre 

 tydelige Pletter og brede Baand. Hos de mindre Exem- 

 plarer ere disse Pletter skarpere begrændsede. end hos de 

 større; hos Yngelen (fra Hammerfest) fandtes saaledes blot 

 et enkelt bredt, sort Baand. der steg op fra Bagranden af 

 Kjæverne gjenuem Øjnene. og udfyldte den mellemste Del 

 af Hovedets Overside ; et andet, noget svagere farvet Baand 

 gik over Dorsalens bagre Del tvers over Legemet ikke 

 langt fra Haleroden. 



Hos det mindste af de nye Individer (a) er tilkommet 

 paa det egentlige Legeme et bredt Baand, der gaar ud fra 

 Roden af Pectoralerne op over Begyndelsen af Dorsalen, 

 ligesom et smalere gaar tvers over Haleroden. Saaledes 

 er den typiske cottoide Tegning med de 3 brede verticale 

 Baand nedad Legemet, som fremtræder især hos de yngre 

 Individer af et Flertal af denne Families Arter, ogsaa her 

 tilstede. 



Hos de 2 største ere Baandene noget mere utydelige; 

 hos b er saavel Hovedets. som Legemets første Tverbaand 

 næsten ganske forsvundet. medens disse hos det største 

 Individ vel ere tilstede, men opblandede med Felter af 

 Bundfarven. 



Pectoralerne og Caudalen ere marmorerede af afbrudte 

 Baand. Ventralerne ere ufarvede, ligesom hele Bugsiden 

 hen til Underkjævespidsen. Derimod er Underkjæven 

 selv, saavelsom Smulen, forsynet med uregelmæssige større 

 Pletter. 



Levemaade og Føde. Denne Art har ojensynlig. lige- 

 som de øvrige Cottoider. sit Tilhold umiddelbart paa eller 

 ved Bunden. Den ringeste Dybde, hvori noget af de hidtil 

 fundne Exemplarer ere erholdte, er 191 Favne, den største 

 459 Favne. Som allerede ovenfor nævnt, ere alle Pecto- 

 ralens Straaler i Spidsen fri. og skjønt disse fri Spidser 

 ikke ere synderlig lange, tjene de dog utvivlsomt til Under- 

 støttelse under Krybningen om paa Bunden. Den Tempe- 

 ratur, som Havbunden har havt paa de Steder, hvor de 

 erholdtes, hav vexlet mellem -)- 3,5<> C. og - - 1,0" C. 



Det største af de erholdte Individer var en Han, 

 hvis Testes dog vare for Tiden lidet udviklede. Hos de 

 yngre Ind. vare Generationsorganerne endnu ganske utydelige. 



Ventrikelen af det største Individ, optaget paa 459 

 Favnes Dyb. fandtes fuldproppet af diverse Dyrelevninger, 

 hvoraf kunde kjendes følgende: Smaastykker af Røret af 

 den imerkelige Annelide Spiockaetopterus tiii>i<us. M. Sårs. 

 (beskreven i ,.Fauna Littoralis Norvegiae", 2 H. 1856), af- 



surface of the pectorals, the anal. and the veutrals are 

 naked, except in the specimen a. which has also the anal 

 rough. On the head, the denticles, as before observed, 

 encroach on the skin covering the cornea, and thus the 

 skin immediately above the lens, together with a narrow 

 annular edge round it. are the only parts left free from 

 spicuke. The lips are always smooth: this is the case even 

 with the smaller specimen a, which everywhere else ap- 

 pears almost entirely covered with denticles. 



Colour. — Whitish-grey, relieved with spots and broad, 

 riband-shaped bands, more or -less distinct. In the smaller 

 examples, these spots appear more sharply defined than in 

 the larger specimens; the fry-specimen (from Hammerfest) 

 has only one band, broad and black, which, stretching from 

 the posterior margin of the jaws through the eyes, occupies 

 the whole of the central portion of the upper surface of the 

 head; a similar band traverses the posterior division of the 

 dorsal, extending right across the body, at a short distance 

 from the base of the tail. 



In the smallest of the individuals newly obtained (a) 

 a broad band has developed on the body, extending from 

 the base of the pectorals towards the commencement of the 

 dorsal: another and narrower band traverses the base of the 

 tail. Thus, the typical Cottoid marking, three broad vertical 

 bands down the body, a salient feature, particularly in young 

 individuals, of most species belonging to this family, is also 

 characteristic of Cottuncvhis microps. 



In the two largest examples, the bands are not so 

 distinct; in specimen h. the transverse bands traversing the 

 head and body have become much fainter: in the largest 

 example, though obvious, they are a good deal patched with 

 the ground-colour. 



The bands across the pectorals and the caudal are abruptly 

 disconnected, giving to the surface a mottled appearance. 

 Ventrals and abdominal surface to extremity of lower jaw 

 whitish. Lower jaw and snout irregularly marked with 

 large spots. 



Habits and Food. — This form, in common with the 

 other species of the family Cottrts. must have its haunts on. 

 or in close proximity to. the bottom. Of the examples 

 hitherto obtained, not one was taken at a depth less than 

 191 fathoms, the greatest depth being 459 fathoms. As 

 before observed, the extremities of the pectoral rays are 

 free; and those detached points, though comparatively short, 

 no doubt prove a great support to the fish when moving 

 ever the surface of the bottom. The temperature at the 

 bottom of the sea where this species was met' with 

 varied from -f 3.5» 0. to — 1.0" C. 



The largest of the individuals was a male, with the 

 testicles however as yet but slightly developed. In the young 

 specimens, the generative organs were quite indistinct. 



The stomach of the largest individual, taken at a 

 depth of 459 fathoms, was found distended with the 

 remains of divers species of marine animals, of which the 

 following admitted of being determined: — small fragments 

 of the alimentary canal of the remarkable Annelid species 



