1. GADUS. 331 



Vertical fins rather short, close together. Caudal truncated. The 

 second ventral ray is prolonged into a filament. 

 Kamtschatka. 



4. Gadus tomcodus. 



The American Codfish. 



? Gadus callaiias, var. /3, Fahr. laun. Groenl. p. 144. 



Tom-cod, Schoepf, Schrift. GeseUsch. Naturf. Freund. viii. p. 140. 



Gadus tom-cod, Bl. Schn. p. 8. 



Frost Cod, Penn. Arcf. Zonl Suppl p. 114. 



Gadus caUarias, Mitch. Lit. df Phil. TraiM. New York, i. p. 368. 



tomcodus, Mitch. Lit. ^j- Phil. Trans. New York, i. p. 368 (G.prui- 



nosus). 

 ? Gadus nanus, Faber, Fischelsl. p. 113. 

 Morrhua tomcodus, Storer, Fish. Massach. p. 126 ; Dekay, New York 



Faim. Fishes, p. 278. pi. 44. fig. 142. 

 americana, Storer, I. c. p. 120 ; Dekay, I. c. pi. 44. fig. 140. 



D. 13-14 I 17-18 I 19. A. 22-23 | 18. 



Barbel rather short, as long as the eye, which is one-sixth of the 

 length of the head, and rather less than one-half the Andth of the 

 Lntororbital space. Snout more than twice as long as the eye, obtuse, 

 with the upper jaw longest. The height of the body is less than the 

 length of the head, which Ls two-ninths of the total (without caudal). 

 The vent is situated vertically below the last rays of the first dorsal. 

 The two anal fins separated 6-om each other by an interspace. Pro- 

 portions of the fins : — 



ID. 2D. 3D. 1 A. 2 A. 

 1 : 1-6 : 1-1 : 2 : 1 



Brownish or greenish, mottled with darker and lighter ; adult speci- 

 mens with small yellowish spots on the back. 



Atlantic coasts of the Northern States of North America. 



a. Fourteen inches long. Boston. Presented by B. Winstone, Esq. 

 h. Young : skin. New York. From Dr. Pamell's Collection. 

 c. Adult: stuffed. N.America. Presented by E. Doubleday, Esq. 

 d-^. Young. N. America. Purchased of Mr. Warwick. 



It is veiy difiicult to arrive at a coiTect idea as regards the species 

 which have served for the descriptions of the earUer North American 

 writers. It appears that Mitchill described the American Cod imder 

 two names — the adult state as O. caUarias, and the yoimg as G. tom- 

 codus; just asEuropeanichthyologists, induced by popular distinctions, 

 named the old Codfish G. morrhua, and the immature G. caUarias. 

 The G. morrhiui of Mitchill may be the Em-opean species. Storer 

 also distinguishes two species : the old as Morrhua america)ut (not 

 likely=G. morrhua, Mitch., as he supposes), and the young as M. 

 tomcodus. 



The fish described by Faber as Gadus nanus, and considered by 

 him as identical with the second variety of G. ccdiarias, Fabr., ought 

 perhaps to be referred to the Tom Cod, both having the vent situ- 

 ated more forward than in the true Cods. 



