202 



GADID.E. 



Tlie figure here given is taken from a drawing by Mr. 

 Couch, whose MS. contains the following notice of this 

 species : — " The head flat on the top, compressed at the 

 sides, small in proportion to the body : eyes large ; nostrils 

 in a depression before them : mouth wide : under jaw short- 

 est ; teeth in both fine ; some larger teeth on the palate : a 

 barb at the lower jaw : body compressed, slender tow^ards the 

 tail, which is small in proportion ; belly tumid ; lateral line 

 elevated at first, afterwards low ; body and head with scales : 

 two dorsal fins, the first elevated and pointed ; second dorsal 

 and anal fins long, expanded, bound down towards the 

 tail ; the ventral fins simple rays, very long, divided or 

 forked, one of the divisions longer than the other ; a few 

 spines before the anal fin ; tail rounded, all the rays soft. 

 Colour of the sides and back dusky brown ; on the gill- 

 covers sometimes greenish ; fins dusky purple, except the 

 ventrals ; belly whitish. 



This fish grows to the length of two feet : in a specimen 

 of this size the longest portion of the ventral ray was eight 

 inches, the shortest five inches and a half. 



" Hake's Dame is the name by which alone this fish is 

 known to our fishermen. It is not uncommon in Cornwall ; 

 but I have never seen it except in winter, when it seems to 

 come into shallow water to spaAvn. It takes a bait, and is 

 used as food, but is not much esteemed." 



The number of fin-rays, according to Dr. Fleming, are — 



1st D. 10 : 2nd D. 62 : P, 12 : V. 1 ; A. 56. 



It is desirable to notice the specific characters of this 

 fish, in order to distinguish between it and a Mediterranean 

 species of the same genus, which, according to Cuvier, is 

 the true Bleiu/ius phycis of Linnaeus, and not the British 

 fish, as supposed by Pennant and others. The British fish 



