468 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



ever, by the iishenneii uf Bohuslaii th;iT tlie}- had seen 

 Haddocks 89 cm. or more in length". 



The body is of the normal Gadoid form, being 

 usually somewhat deeper than that of the Common Cod. 

 The greatest depth varies between 21 or (generally in 

 the males) 20 and 2;! % of the length. The least depth 

 of the body is also, in most specimens, somewhat greater 

 than in the Cod, varying between 5 and 5' g % of the 

 length. On the other hand, the body is generally rather 

 more compressed, the greatest thickness varying l)etween 

 55 (sometimes 54) and 61 ?^ of the greatest depth. The 

 dorsal proiile slopes from the first dorsal iin to the 

 occiput, and joins the forehead, which bends slightly 

 down towards the snout, in a regular, gradual curve. 



The head is of a singular form, characteristic of 

 this species'. The vuider surface is perfectly flat when 

 the mouth is closed, the lower jaw, the projecting margin 

 of the ujjper jaw, and the inferior margin of the still 

 more prominent snout lying in the same plane, and the 

 slightly curved frontal profile sloping in a wedge-shape 

 towards the snout. The snout is somewhat pointed', 

 but broader than higli, and quite thin, and projects as 

 far in front of the tip of tlie upper jaw as the latter 

 beyond the lower ja-w. With the exception of the ex- 

 treme margin, wliicli is visible, the whole of the upper 

 jaw lies in a deep dermal fold under the snout''. The 

 upper ja\v is comparatively short, its iiiiid extremity 

 falling short of the perpendicular from the anterior 

 margin of the eye, or, at all events, extending only 

 just behind it. The distance from the tip of the snout 

 to the end of the maxillary bones is about 9 or 10 % 

 of the length of the l)ody, 1)ut to the Ijest of our know- 

 ledge does not exceed the latter proportion. The eyes 

 are comparatively large, their length in full-grown spe- 

 cimens being very nearly V4 of that of the liead. They 

 are set high, their inferior margin lying somewhat above 

 the line from the point of the operculum to the margin 

 of the upper jaw, and their upper margin almost in the 

 same plane as the forehead. The distance between them 



is about equal to their diameter; and the centre of the 

 eye almost coincides Avith the middle point of the length 

 of the head. The nostrils lie in a small depression 

 somewhat behind the middle of the snout, one on each 

 side just in front of and u little above the other. The 

 posterior opening on each side is large, oval, and open, 

 with only the upper anterioi' part of tlie margin raised 

 in a lobate form; the anterior is smaller, with a more 

 tubular oriiice, the lower posterior part of the margin 

 being furnished witli an upright, triangular flap. The 

 lips are fairly thick, and envelop the margins of both 

 jaws. The gape is small, its length being about '/^ of 

 that of the head; it is turned obliquely downAvards 

 when the mouth is opened and the ujiper jaw protruded. 

 In both jaws and on the head of the vomer we find 

 I'ather small and sliort, pointed, recurved teeth, in the 

 upper jaw (on the intermaxillary bones) set in several, 

 close roAvs, but in the loAver. strictly speaking, in only 

 two, of Avhich the inner one is often hardly perceptible. 

 The tongue is somewhat pointed, Avith free tip. The 

 gill-openings are middle-sized. The branchiostegal mem- 

 branes are inferiorly united to each other in the form 

 of a collar. The branchiostegal rays are, as usual, 7. 

 Under the chin Ave find a small, conical barbel, Avith 

 fine tip. Its length is less than the diameter of the eye. 

 The Avhole body, out to the very snout, is covered 

 Avith small, thin scales, Avhich are generally invisible 

 during the life of the fish, being then coated Avith slime. 

 These scales also cover a great portion of the caudal 

 fin and the bases of the dorsal fins, especially in front, 

 and of the pectoral fins. Some traces of scales also 

 appear on the front parts of both anal fins. The lateral 

 line starts from the temporal region, on a level with 

 the upper margin of the eye and in a scarcely percep- 

 tible curve, and ])eloAv tlie second dorsal fin descends 

 evenly, thus occupying tlie middle of the side vertically 

 beloAv the beginning of the third dorsal fin, from \vhich 

 })oint its course is straight. It is strikingly l;)road and 

 depressed, with the margins of the groove SAvollen, as 



" Statements from England and North America show that the Haddock may attain a much greater size. Ol-SEN (riscatorial Atlaf, 

 pi. 17) gives 16 lbs. as the maximum weight of the Haddock. Daa' mentions a specimen that was caught in Dublin Bay, and was 37 in. 

 in length and 24' ^ lbs. in weight. Stoeeh (Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, Sc, vol. VI, p. 357) states tlie inaximinn weight of the Haddock at 

 17 lbs., and E.MiLL (see Brown-Goode, 1. c.) found the weight of a gravid female SS'/, inches long to be 9 lbs. oz. 



'' In full-grown specimens tlie length of the licad is about ' 4 of that of the body. In fry between 35 and 70 mm. long we have 

 found the length of the head to be 27 or 28 % of tlie length of the body. 



' Its relative length, on the other hand, is the same as in the Common Cod, varying between about S'/^ and 10 % of the length of the body. 



'' GESNEit (HM. Anim., lib. IV, p. 86 — Frankfort, 1620) describes the form of the snout as rostrum aijnilvitniu and suggests the 

 latter word as the derivation of the name of ciiglejhi. At Dieppe, however, the Maigre (iSchtiki) is also known as rii</le, and ai(jlejin may 

 perhaps be due to some fancied likeness between this lish and the Haddock. Bei.on liad already declared that it was im])ossible to discover 

 any satisfactory etymology of aiglejin. 



