130 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



this distance. In all three females this distance is also 

 considerably greater than the greatest depth of the 

 body, while in the males it is only slightly greater or 

 even less than the depth, which in the females varies 

 between 81 and 88 % of the distance in question, in 

 tlie males bet\veen 93 and 103 %. 



The usual length of tiie Great Weever on the coasts 

 of Scandinavia is between 22 and 30 cm.; but speci- 

 mens are also found up to 37 cm. or a little more in 

 length. It occurs along the whole west coast, from 

 Bergen in Norway to the south of Scania and into the 

 Baltic as far as the coast of Prussia, where it is, ho\v- 

 ever, extremely rare. To the south it is common as 

 far as the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. It gener- 

 ally lives alone; but at certain spots and certain sea- 

 sous, periodically for a number of years, as IvROYEii 

 states, and especially during the summer months, whole 

 boat-loads are taken in seines and bottom-nets (Danish 

 bniiihidrn). It is greatly dreaded by all fishermen, who 

 generally throw awav all the Weevers they may happen 

 to catch on the hook, in the net or the seine. The 

 cause of this dislike and dread is the fact that the 

 fisherman is often very painfully wounded by the sharp 

 spinous rays of the first dorsal fin or the still stronger 

 opercular spine. All these spines are furnished with a 

 real poison-organ, which only needs special contractile 

 muscles to be fully comparable to the corresponding 

 organs of the venomous snakes. The rays of the first 

 dorsal fin have on each side a comparatively deep groove, 

 in which lies a small saccate poison-gland, superiorly 

 attenuated into a fine duct. On the inside of the mem- 

 brane of this glandular sac and of the duct we find 

 an epithelium of cylindrical cells, filled with graimles 

 ol a translucent yellow, 0.025 — 0.020 nnu. broad and O.i 

 mm. (or more) deep". The jjoison-organ of the oper- 

 cular spine is similar, but larger. This spine has on 

 tlu- outside a longitudinal ridge, the free margin of 

 which is expanded on each side (upwards and down- 

 wards), and thus partly covers the two glands, the rest 

 of which is covered by the skin and the extensors of 

 the operculum. The quantity of poison which can enter 

 the wound caused by one of these spines, is of coui'se 



extremely small; but none the less its effects on several 

 occasions have proved quite equal to those of the sting 

 of the viper. "iV strong young fisherman near Hahn- 

 stad," says Dr. Ratzky', "had caught a Weever. In 

 detaching it from the hook he was wounded in the 

 finger. The wound gave him intolerable pain, and 

 within an hour his arm, and even his head, were 

 swollen. The swelling afterwards extended over the 

 ^\■hole upper part of the body. Then followed painful 

 headache and a desire to vomit. Several small blisters 

 appeared along the arm. Hereto were added feelings 

 of suffocation, deep mental depression and sleeplessness. 

 The skin assumed a yellowish green colour over the 

 whole body. Only thx'ee drops of blood had oozed from 

 the wound. Several leeches were applied to the arm 

 affected, and they died soon after, as if they had been 

 poisoned .... The part immediatel)- surrounding the 

 wound became gangrened." By maintaining the bleed- 

 ing caused by the leeches, by giving vapour and warm 

 baths and applying opium plasters to the wound, the 

 pain was relieved; but it was a month before the pa- 

 tient could be discharged from hospital. At the same 

 time Dr. LandeberCx of Stromstad wrote; "Most suf- 

 ferers, who do not obtain speedy assistance, die on the 

 sixth or seventh day of gangrene''." On other occa- 

 sions, perhaps in consequence of the patient's consti- 

 tution, the results of wounds caused liy the Weever 

 are, however, very slight, though violent pain always 

 follows. The surest way of relieving the pain is to 

 open the wound with a knife iunnediately and bathe it 

 ^vith cold water, dropped into the wound from a height, 

 as long as any burning sensation is felt. In Bohuslan, 

 says Fries, it is held to be a sovereign I'emedy to cut 

 open the belly of tlie fish that has caused the wound, 

 take out the liver and at once make the patient eat 

 it. This remedy, strange as it may appear, is never 

 omitted. "At Fredrikshavn," writes Schmidt, "it is a 

 favourite pastime of the boys to fish for Weevers in 

 the harbour, and when they go fishing, they take with 

 them a bottle of hartshorn or, still more commonly, 

 of aquafortis, which they apply to the wound im- 

 mediately, if they are stung by a Weever." 



" According to ScilMinr (1. c.) these cells have no special memhraiie, and he describes tliem, as well as the otlier cells in the epi- 

 theliiMii, as supporting cells. 



* Tidskr. f. LaUare ocli Plianii. 1834, p. 125. 



"■ Death is, however, only an exceptional consequence. Schmidt (1. c.) knew of no such case. Still, he also regards as exceptional the 

 cireuiiislance wliich Kuhykr asserts to be borne out "by his own experience and tliat of others," namely that the consequences of the sting 

 of Ihr Wecvor are sonictiinc^s no worse than those of the prick of a pin. 



