CoDllMIKS. 



487 



THE WHITING (.-u. mmtlinokn;. 



<:AI )rs MKHLAMiUS. 



I'lale XXIV, lig. 1. 



JjCiifft/i (if fill' lidsi; (if till' first (lual tin iiKirc IIkih IkiIJ' llic distance hetiveeu this fin (tnd the ti/i (if the snout. 

 Upper jaw most prominent. Length 0/ titc loircr jair at least ahont 47 % of that of the head. Least depth of 

 the tail at most ahaat 4:J % of the Icnf/fh of the loircr jair. Length of the I/cod al least nliont ^.-5 % of th(d of 

 the hodg. Distance lietiveen the lip of the snoitl and Ihc Itind e.rtremitg oj' llii; nuuillarg Ijones more than 84 % 

 of the length of the lon-er jair and also greater than the length of the ventral fins. Length of the snout more 

 than S % of that of the hodg. Ilion 7 ■'> % of llie }iostorhital length oJ' Ihc head, or than (17 % of the length of 

 the lower jaw. (Joloralion light, shading into gcllow, violel. and green. Inoirnish on the hack, milk-white on the 

 ventral sides: lateral line dark: a Idaekish s/ml in the iijipcr /kiiI of Ihc a.iil of Die j)eel(iral fins. 



F. t>i: 7; D. 13 — l.'V •20''— 25 19— 22 ; .1. .il' 

 P. 19—20; V. (!; ('. ,f + 23— 25 + .r; Vcvt. 54 — 55. 



38 20—24; 



Sijn. Le lueiliiii, Rki.on, .Vo^, Dicers. Poiss. (1555), y. 120; Diham., 

 Ti: P,\li.. part. II, sect. I, p. 12«, tal.. XXII. 



(jiuliis -Vi). /, Anr., Gen., p. 19; .Syn.. p. 34; Dencv. ->/)., 

 p. t)2. LlN'., Fn. Siiec. ed. I, p. 110; /I. Westrog., p. 170; 

 It. ^can., p. 326, tab. 2, Hg. 2. 



Gndun mevlanijus, Lin., i>ijst. Nut., cd. X, torn. I, p. 253; 

 Fabeb, yatiirij. Fiscli. Isl., p. 93; Nilss., Prodr. L-hth. 

 iScaild., p. 42; ScHAGERSTR., Pliysiogr. Sallsk. TidsUrift, 1837, 

 p. 300; Fit. et v. Wright, Skand. Fisk:, ed. I, p. 81, tab. 18; 

 N11.SS.. Scand. Fn.. FM:, p. 553; Gtiih, Cat. Brit. Mas., 

 Fisli., v(d. IV, p. 334; LiNDsrii., Gotl. Fisk:, (Gotl. L. 

 Hush. Sallsk. Arsber. 1866), p. 26, sep.; Morn, ("ifvers. 

 Vet;-Akad. Forli. 1867, p. 263; Steind., Stzber. Akad. Wiss. 

 Wien, Math. Natiirw. CI.. LVII, i (1868), p. 703; Coll., 

 Vid. Selsk. Forh. Christ. 1874, Tilla'gsh., p. 108; Winth,, 

 Naturh. Tidskr. Kbhvn, ser. Ill, vol. XII, p. 29; Be.necke, 

 Fisch. Fisclier., Fiscli:. 0., W. Prenss., p. 88; Day, Fish. 

 Gt. Brit., Irei, vol. I, p. 290, pi. LXXXII; Mob., Hcke, 

 Fiscli. Osts., p. 76; Lii.l.i., fSv., Norg. Fisk-., vol. II, p. 61; 

 Hansen, ZooI. Dan., Fiske, p. 69, tab. IX, tig. 5. 



.Mcrloiujus vuhjaris, Flem., Brit. Aniin.. p. 195; Kr., Danni. 

 Fiske, vol. 2, p. 83; Thomps., Xat. Hist. Irel., vol. IV. 

 p. 182; Mor., Hist. Xal. Poiss. Fr., toiii. Ill, p. 239. 



Gadiis ciiriiins, XoRPM. in Demid., Voy. Puss. Me'r., \i. 526, 

 Poiss.. pi. 26. tig. 2 (vide STElNDACllNEli, I. c). 



Merlangus Liniu'i. Mai.m, Gdr/s, Bull. Fn.. p. 485. 



Tlic Whiting is one of the sninllci' (i.-idciid species. 

 Most ot" the Scandinavian specimens are between 20 

 and 35 cm. in leii;.'th, thongh now and then a speci- 

 men hh cm. or more in lono-tli is taken, bnt only on 

 rare occasions. 



The form of the l)od\" is handsome and well-pro- 

 portioned. The greatest de])th, wliich measures about 



IS or 19 '•'./' of Ihc Iciiuth of thi- Ijody, occurs at tli<- 

 first dorsal (in. From this point thr body tapers gra- 

 dually and regularly towards the caudal liii, with oidv 

 a slight distension at the bases of the unpaired fins. 

 The greatest lircadth is alxjut lialf tlic dc|ith or ratlicr 

 more, from about 9'\, to 11 % oi' the liMigth <if the 

 body, 'flic least deptli of the bod\ yaries, according 

 to our measurements, in different indiyiduals between 

 4'7 % and .V8 % of the length of the body or between 

 38 and 41' . "o of tiie length of the lower jaw. 



The head, the length of which is from "25 to •>! % 

 of tiiat of the I)o(ly, is wedge-shaped, with straight and 

 fairl\ liroad, somewhat conyex forehead. The .snout is 

 somewhat pointed, though l)lunt, and projects only a 

 little wa\ in tVoiit of the margin of tlie upper jaw, its 

 Icngtii in front of the eyes measuring about 9 — 9'6 % 

 of the length of the body or 35 — 37 % of that of the 

 head. The .sides of the head are rather flat and smooth, 

 being coycred with a thick skin, which entirely coyers 

 and conceals the bones of the gill-covers, and, as in 

 most of the Cods, grows out beyond them witli age, 

 the postorbital length of the head (including this flap) 

 increasing from aliout lU' j, to ]2'/j % of that of the 

 body or from ;d)out 83 to 96 % of tiiat of the hjwer 

 jaw. Tlie eyes are middle-sized, their longitudinal dia- 

 meter varying between about G and 4' ^ % of the length 

 of tiie body or from about 23' j % to about 167. ^ 

 of the length of the head in Whitings between 13 and 

 41 em. long. Tiiev are round and naked, and are set 



"" SoiuetiiiK-s 16, according to Moreac. 



<• „ 18 



30, 

 '' Occasionally, in llie nialeii, only 16' .^ 'i. 



