->4(i 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



,ire longer, but farther apart, and subulate with re- 

 curved points. The palate is smooth (toothless), like 

 the tongue, which is thick, with truncate ti)). The 

 pharyngeal teeth, two patches above and one below, 

 are small and conical. The gill-openings are faii'ly 

 ^mail. The four i)raiirhial arches have two rows of 

 tubercles on the anterior side. The gill-cover, as well 

 as the cheeks, is scaleless. The preopercular margin, 

 ill wliicli the ])ores mentioned al)ove are situated, forms 

 a. fairlv even curve, with rounded corner. The oper- 

 culum has a row of |)a])ilUe along the base and another 

 obliquelj' across the middle of its surface, and together 

 with the suboperculum forms a ti'iangle, the up])er pos- 

 terior corner of which is pointed, but hidden in a dermal 

 flap which closely unites it to the body. The Ijranchio- 

 stega] membrane is fastened to the isthmus on each 

 side, from a, point exactly in front of the ]o^ver end 

 of the base of the i)ectoral tin. The rows of papilla' on 

 the cheeks are arranged both longitudinally aiid trans- 

 versely, being somewhat different in diff^'erent individ- 

 uals, but essentially as shown in tig. 63, borrowed from 

 WixTHER. The eyes are moderately large in full-grown 

 specimens, measuring from 22 to 25 % of the length of 

 the head, somewhat oblong and prominent: in young spe- 

 cimens they are relatively larger, at a length of ;)4 mm. 

 measuring 31 % of the length of the hesid. They are also 

 far apart in adult specimens, the distance between them 

 being about equal to their \errical diameter; but in 

 young specimens the breadth of the interorbital space 

 is hardly more than \ „ the diameter of the eye. They 

 are set so high that they are not touched by the line 

 drawn from the anterior margin of the upper jav\' to 

 the middle of the caudal tin. In the forehead i)etAveen 

 the eyes there are two pores (see fig. 63), the anterior 

 broad and set transversely, the posterior smaller and 

 round; and behind the middle of the posterior m;irgin 

 of each eye is another pore. All these j)ores belong 

 to the system of the lateral line. The nostrils are 

 double, small and indistinct, the anterior ])air being 

 tubular, and the posterior small round holes just in 

 front of the eyes. Nearer the middle of the head than 

 the latter, on each side of the snout, is a large pore, 

 belonging to the system of the lateral line. 



The front ])art of the body, on the top of the head 

 behind the eyes and on the anterior part of the back, 

 is covered with small, cycloid scales; but on the greater 

 portion of the remainder of the body the scales are 

 ctenoid, striate and imbricate, broad in jirojtortion to 



their lengtli, and at the hind margin dentated with fine 

 bristles, wliicli render the bodv rough to the touch, 

 when the thick mucus which covers it, has been re- 

 moved. The scales are firmly fixed, and are largest 

 in the middle line of the sides, which contains from 

 about 36 to 40 scales. The true lateral line is want- 

 ing, no perforated scales appearing in it; but each or 

 each alternate scale in the middle line, at least on the 

 anterior part of the body, is furnished with a, trans- 

 verse row of small papilhv belonging to the system of 

 the lateral line, and set just behind the posterior mar- 

 gin of the next scale in front (see fig. 63). 



Close l)ehind the vent, which lies in front of the 

 middle of the body, is a soft genital papilla, longer 

 and moi'e pointed in the male than in the female. 



The two dorsal fins are set close together, especi- 

 ally in the male. The anterior Ijegins at a distance 

 from the tip of the snout ecpial to 26 or 27 % of the 

 length of the body, vertically above the end of the in- 

 sertion of the pectoral fins, and terminates vertically 

 al)ove the vent. The anterior corner of this fin is 

 rounded, the posteiior projects in a point, and the 

 upper margin is straight, this shape being due to the 

 fact that the first tive rays are much longer than the 

 fin-membrane, but in spite of this lie within it in a 

 curve, one behind another. When the thin and fragile 

 fin-membrane is carelessly handled, the i-ays break loose, 

 and then project considerably above the membrane, thus 

 giving the fin a rounded shape, with the tips of the 

 rays free {Gohius jozo). This fin contains six rays, 

 the middle ones being the longest, and the sixth being 

 farther apart from the next one than is the case with 

 the other rays. The distance between the beginning 

 of the first dorsal fin and that of the second is from 

 15 to 17 % of the length of tlie body. The posterior 

 dorsal fin, the base of Avhich measures from 23 to 2^1 

 ?6 of the length of the body, begins above the vent and 

 ends behind the perpendicular from the end of the 

 base of the anal fin. In the females and young males 

 it is generally of fairly uniform height, or even, in the 

 former, lower posteriorly; but in the adult males and 

 sometimes in the females, the posterior corner is so high 

 or elongated that the last rays, when depressed, extend 

 over the base of the caudal fin. The anterior corner 

 is rounded. The number of rays in this fin is 13 or 

 14, generally 13, in Avhich case, however, the last ray 

 is divided down to the base. The pectoral fins are 

 rounded and ('ontain from 17 to 19 branched rays, 



