170 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



tlie third Ijackwavds ;ni(l dowiiwai'ds and the h)west 

 downwards and forwards. In most cases the points of 

 all of them project above the skin, but sometimes the 

 points of one or tAvo of them arc, as it -wei'C, broken 

 off short, nodose or branched. They also vary consi- 

 derably in direction and length. Tlic o])erculMi' si)iuc 

 is almost hidden 1)V the skin, Hat and without any 

 roughness whatcxer. On the suboperculum are ?> or 4 

 fine, pointed spines, scarcely distinguishable, with the 

 exception of t!ic lowest, whicli is the longest. On 

 the superior clavicular bones there are also two spines 

 Avhich are l)r()ad at the l)ase and rougli partlv at the 

 point and partly along the upper margin — the lateral 

 line starts from these si)ines — and on the true claviculai- 

 bone a more pointed sj)ine just above the pectoral tin. 



The cavernous bones of the face must also in some 

 degree be regarded as a distinguishing peculiarity of this 

 species. This cliaracter is, however, easily overlooked 

 Avhen the tish is examined during life or soon after its 

 capture, for the thick, elastic skin conceals the depressions 

 in the bones. It is more distinctly visible when the fish 

 has been dead for some time or has been preserved in 

 spirits. These depressions", -which belong to the system 

 of the lateral line, occur on the loAver side of the lower 

 jaw, three on each side; along the lower margin of the 

 sul)orl)ital ring — the chain of l)ones which forms the 

 lower boundary of the orbit — to a number of four or 

 five; and lastly in tlie margin of tlie ])reoperculum, 

 Avliich has a swollen appearance and in which there are 

 two depressions above the uppermost spine and one in 

 the interval between each pair of spines. 



As is generally the case in the Coffi, the liody 

 tapers in a conical form towards the tail. It shows less 

 lateral compression than in the following species, but 

 is also more elongated and shallower''. The lateral line 

 is fairly straight. It consists of raised, olilong scales, 

 concave at the end, and thus acipures a chain-like 

 appearance. With this exception it is completely mi- 

 armed, and usually ends a little in front of the base 

 of the caudal fin. Above the lateral line there are 

 generally two irregular rows of scattered, round, some- 

 what raised and rough scales, which are continued with 

 one or two breaks, now in one row and now in the 

 other, back to the caudal fin. On closer examination 

 these scales sliow a jxirous surface, from tlie raised 

 centre of Avhich radiate small, granulate, l>ony lamelbe. 



" Cf. Acerina cerniia, above. 



* Cf. the abuve scheme for llie distinction of tlie species of this 



Similar scales, though of smaller size, also occur in no 

 regular arrangement below the lateral line, Avhere they 

 begin just above the commencement of the anal fin 

 and generally disappear at its end. 



The nunil)er of the branchiostegal rays varies in 

 tliis species; it is most often six, but in some specimens 

 five and in others seven. 



Tlie dorsal fins are distinct and of ordinary form. 

 Tlie anterior generally contains eight ra}-s; Init the 

 luimber \aries between 7 and 9. All these rays are 

 simple, not articulated and somewhat pungent, though 

 more flexible and Aveaker than in the following species. 

 The posterior dorsal fin generallv contains 14 ravs, 

 sometimes 13, 15 or 16, all very rough and sharp on 

 each side, articulated but not branched at the tip. In 

 the anal fin we usually find 15 smooth, simple, arti- 

 culated rays, but the nundier varies lietween 15 and 13. 

 The pectoral fins contain from 15 to 17 i-avs, the 4th 

 and 5th being the longest and the others gradually 

 diminishing in size downwards, to such an extent that 

 the last ray is extremely short, its lengtli lieing only 

 al)Out ^'j of that of the first oi- ujipei'inost ray. All 

 these rays are articulated and undivided, and some of 

 them rough and sharp on each side, in which respect, 

 however, sex generally causes some variation. In the 

 female only the first vax is rough on the hiside, Avhile 

 all the others are smooth; and on the outside onlv the 

 first VAX is rough throughout its length, the second 

 from the middle to the tip, the next ones, down to the 

 5th and 6th inclusive, only at the tip, and all the rest 

 smooth. In the male, on the other hand, the first 8 

 ravs are rough on the outside throughout their length, 

 and the rest are also armed, when stripped of the thick 

 skin which envelo])S them; and on the inside the first 

 8 ravs are rough at the point, the roughness extending 

 to the middle of the 2nd and 3rd I'a^s and gradually 

 diminishing in extent as we proceed down the fin. The 

 ventral fins contain four iviys, the first a hard, spinous 

 ray, which is relatively longer than in the following 

 species of this genus, but is just as closely united as 

 in them to the second raA", which, like the next two 

 (inner) rays, is soft and articulated, but simple at the 

 tip. In the male the innermost rav is often consider- 

 al)ly longer than the middle one, in the female of about 

 the same length as it, but to this rule, too, there are 

 many exceptions. The caudal fin is moi'c truncate than 



