352 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



Sound, after depositing their spawn, pass into the Baltic, 

 whence they return in autumn in splendid condition. 

 The fishery is carried on in accordance with these 

 circumstances. Though the flesh of" the Garpike is some- 

 what dry, as ^ve have mentioned, its flavour, no less 

 than its colour, resembles that of" the Mackerel; and 

 tliougli it is disliked by many people on account of its 

 green bones and the rank smell of new-caught specimens. 



Fig. 93, a. Bottom-net (Sw. Botlengani) from the Sound. 



it forms an excellent dish, boiled or smoked, and is a 

 catch ])y no means to be despised. In the open sea it 

 is often taken in the Mackerel-nets. During the spawn- 

 ing-seiison it resorts to the fishing-grounds on the coast, 

 and is then taken in the common seine. In the Sound, 

 during the greater portion of the autumn, Garpike are taken 

 in "bottom-nets" (fig. 93, a), stationary tackle, a kind 

 of stake-net, constructed on the principle of the common 

 traps, but provided with a grou!id-net for the chamber, 



which is lifted up in examining the net. The Garpike 

 is also taken on the hook, tliough not very often in 

 Scandinavia. According to Blanchere" this fishery is 

 carried on on the French coast dui'ing the Mackerel 

 season, with the same bait and in the same maimer. 

 NoRDMANN states that in the Black Sea the Circassians 

 and Aljkhasians catch these fish witli l)right-coloured 

 balls of raw silk, which they fasten to the lines instead 

 of bait. The Garpike is attracted bv the colour, en- 

 tangles its teeth in the threads, and is thus captured. 

 On the coasts of Germany, according to Bloch, the Gar- 

 pike in former times was mostly speared by torchlight. 

 In many countries the Garpike-fishery is very va- 

 luable. In London, where in spring lai'ge quantities of 

 Garpike are often brought to market, its cheapness then 

 renders this fish a common article of food, according to 

 Yarrell. In Denmark and Scania this is also the ca«e 

 in spring and autumn''. In the Cattegat the largest 

 catches are made ott' Laeso". A large proportion of the 

 Garpike taken here are conveyed to Gothenburg; and in 

 1856 Malm'' estimated that the supply of Garpike during 

 the spring and summer, chiefly from this island, num- 

 bered about 1,188,600, with a value of about =€2050 

 (37,000 Swedish crowns). In Holland, where the Garpike 

 is taken in great abundance, but held in low esteem as 

 an article of food, it is employed principally as bait, 

 especially during the Cod-fishery. 



Genus SCOMBRESOX. 



Both jaivs (the under o)ie most so) elongated into a iiorroiv and Ioikj or at least pointed beak, armed irith one or 

 tiro roirs of extreme! // siiudl teeth. Sereral finlets behind the dorsal and anal fins. Bod ij elongated and compressed. 



The genus Scombresox, which, according to Couch, 

 was probabh' known even to the Greek writers Oppian 

 and /Elian, who are said to have called it Hiera.x or 

 Hirax (Sea-hawk), received from Rondelet the name of 

 Satirus, and in 1803 was introduced into the system 

 by Lacepbde under the name of Scomberesox. It has 

 subsequently been known by Rafinesque as Saijris. The 

 juvenile stage, previous to the elongation of the snout, 

 was named Grammiconotus by Costa'". Lutken' has 



" Nouv. Diet. Gen. d. Peches, p. 565. 



' See Scn.AGERSTROji and Kkoyer. 



" See Krhyer. 

 ■« (?6</,s Boh. Fn. 



* Ann. Mus. Zool. Nap., Anno I, p. 55, tav. I, fig. 4. 



f Vid. Selsk. Skr., 5 Rajkke, Naturv. Math. Afd., XII, p. 565. 



■' The Royal Museum possesses a specimen 200 mm. long, 



liowever, state that the species attains a length of about 350 umi. 



rendered it a very doubtful point whether more than 

 two species of this genus are known. One of these 

 species, the Pacific Scombresox brevirostris, from Cali- 

 fornia, has a comparatively short beak, the lower jaw 

 being of about the same length as the preorbital part 

 of the head, and the upper jaw exactly like that of 

 Hemiramphus, and in the adult state^ thus corresponds 

 to one of the juvenile stages (b or r) in Lutken's figure 

 (see above, p. 346) of the Scandinavian species, 



Peters' type-apeciuicn was of the same length. Jordan and Giluert, 



