SOME RARE OR UNCOMMON FISHES 277 



The Bergylt {^Sebastes norvegicus), or Norway Haddock, 

 is chiefly interesting as one of our only two bony fishes 

 (the viviparous blenny has already been described) which 

 produce living young. The female is said to contain fully 

 two thousand embryos, and a celebrated Scandinavian biologist 

 regards the male as monogamous. The satisfactory establish- 

 ment of that peculiarity in the lower vertebrates must always 

 present difficulties, since, as already suggested, the results 

 of observations in the aquarium necessarily rest on artificial 

 conditions, and the results of observations in the natural state 

 are almost purely surmise. 



Most of our rarer fishes are southern forms, reaching 

 us from the Mediterranean ; but the bergylt is a cold-water 

 fish, occurring, so far as we are concerned, chiefly on the 

 north coast of Scotland. It is occasionally caught in the 

 Moray Firth, and is said to be familiar in form to the Grimsby 

 fishermen, who take it on the North Sea banks ; but one 

 authority declares that they have no vernacular name for it. 

 This, if correct, is an almost unique case, for it is the 

 experience of most who have dealings with the fishing 

 population that they seem to have devised vernacular names 

 for even the rarest of fishes that they catch only at long 

 intervals. That they should, therefore, have no familar name 

 for so striking and characteristic a form as the bergylt seems 

 almost incomprehensible, and further evidence on the subject 

 would be desirable. 



The bergylt is deep-water fish of active habits, and is 

 for the most part taken on the cod-lines. In colour it is 

 of a uniform bright red on the body and fins ; hence in 

 America it is known as " rose-fish." The name " bergylt," 

 which seems to be Norwegian for " clifl^-sow," is not intelli- 

 gible to our limited knowledge of its habits ; but it is at least 

 unfortunate that bergylta should have been made the specific 

 name of one of the wrasses, which are no connection whatever 

 of the present fish. Nor is the gadoid association of 



