498 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



The question still remains whether the Bib and the 

 Poor Cod are really distinct species. Up to this point 

 we have followed the o])inion maintained l)y Fkies in 

 the tbriner edition of this work and the generall}' ac- 

 cepted one. In most cases too, the characters given in 

 the above diagnoses should be sufficient to prove the 

 specific distinction. Steindachner has remarked, how- 

 ever, that tlie difference in the depth of the body is 

 merely a character of age". He has also referred to the 

 same categoi')- the character given by More A u and 

 GuNTHEK and derived from the distinct separation of 

 the anal fins in Gadus minutus and their union in G. 

 Juscus. The length of the snout in proportion to that 

 of the body affords no constant difference, though it 

 follows the rule of the changes of gi'owth and is greater 

 in the larger Bib; and the size of the eyes has been 

 long since ascertained to undergo a relative diminution 

 with increasing age. We are further met by the in- 



dividual variations. Thus, in the lareest Poor Cod 

 measured by Kroyer the greatest depth of the bodv, 

 contrary to the general rule, is at least somewhat greater 

 than the length of the head; and this variation goes 

 still further in one of Fries's type-specimens of this spe- 

 cies which is still preserved in the Royal Museum. In 

 this specimen, which is 163 mm. long, the greatest 

 depth of the body is 24 % of its length, while the length 

 of the head is only 22'/2 % thereof. In the largest spe- 

 cimen from Christiania Fjord examined by Collett, the 

 length of the head was somewhat less than 22 % of the 

 length of the body, but the greatest depth very nearly 26%. 

 The natural connexion between the forms is best 

 illustrated, ho^vever, by a reference to the average 

 changes of gro^vth in the relations Avhich apparently 

 show constant differences. Partly on this account, and 

 partly instead of a fuller description of the Bib, we 

 here give the following table. 



in % of tlie length of the I)ody 



1' M 5) 

 U V 5? 

 )1 )) Tl 



,1 )1 ,J 



Length of the body expressed in millimetres, ._ 



,, „ ,, head 



Distance Ijetween the first dorsal tin and the tip of the snout 

 ,, „ „ second „ „ ,. „ „ ,, „ „ 



„ ,, ,, third ,, ., ,, „ „ ,, „ „ 



Length of the base of the third dorsal fiu _ 



,, ,, „ „ ,. „ first anal „ 



„ „ ,, pectoral tins 



„ „ „ ventral ,, 



Longitudinal diameter of the eves 



Breadth of the hind extremity of the maxillary bones 



„ ,. „ lower jaw 



„ in % of the longitudinal diam. of the eye 



Breadth of the interorbital space iu % of the base of the third dorsal fiu 



Length of the snout in % of that of the base of the first anal fin 



Distance between the ventral fins and the beginning of the first anal fin in % of the length of the body 



,, ,, ,, ,, ,, „ „ pectoral fin 

 „ ,, ,, ,, base of the first anal fin 



Base of the first anal fin in % of the distance between this lin and the tip of the snout 



,. ,, ., second ,, ,, „ „ ., ., base of the first 



Least depth of the tail in % of the length of the body _ 



„ „ „ ,, „ ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ., „ middle rays of ihc caudal fin 



snout _ 



H 1) )1 H ,5 ,» 5, ,, 



1? T5 75 „ „ ,1 J, ,) 



,• )» T» ?1 ', ,) )? ,) 



T» »; }* TJ t) ») •) ,5 



'5 )t ,) )5 ,, 7' )1 ,J 



,) ,, », T> ,1 V 



Average in 



Gadus minutus 



Sspeciuiens, 



)j ») ») >» 



»» )> 5» " 1) ), „ „ 



15 »5 f» >' T1 IT )? 1, 



'J f? »' ?? 



,, „ „ „ distance from the tip of the snout to the hind extremity of the 

 niaxillarv bones 



T) H 11 



,, ,, ,, „ length of the lower jaw 



„ ,. ,, ,, base of the first dorsal fin . 

 II V " I! 11 11 •, „ „ ,, ,, ,, third „ „ . 

 Greatest thickness of the body in % of its leuijth 



153 



22.9 

 27.1 

 37.8 

 m.h 

 IG.i) 

 27.7 



15.7 



12.1 



7.4 



2.0 



IS.2 



28.4 



31.3 



23.9 



15.5 



9S.7 

 55.9 

 75.1 

 (51. 3 



4.4 



51.1 

 GG.3 



40.3 



3S..r, 



37.2 



2(5.0 



1(J.6 



.specimens 



207 

 23.0 

 27.5 

 38.9 

 63.5 

 16.1 

 2i).8 



16.2 



14.2 



7.2 



2.4 



20.6 

 33.7 

 34.4 

 22.3 



15.2 



;i5.3 



51.9 



83.2 

 53.2 



4.7 



56.0 



71.5 



43.3 

 40.4 

 43.2 

 29.6 

 10. (; 



G. luscus 



•J specimens 



305 

 24.7 

 29.6 

 43.3 

 66.8 

 13.0 

 35.6 

 18.0 



15.G 

 6.5 



2.7 



22.7 

 40.7 

 43.9 



10.9 

 11.7 



65.2 

 32.8 

 99.2 

 44.2 

 6.U 

 60.3 

 84.7 



5(1.5 



.52.3 

 51.1 

 48.2 



12.2 



Maximum or minimun 

 in these specimens 



G. minntiis 



<24 



<40 



■>15 

 <32 

 <17 

 <15 



<2.; 

 <21 

 .^35 

 <.35 



>84 

 >46 

 <85 

 >49 

 <5 

 <57 

 <77 



<45 

 <42 

 <45 

 <30 

 <11 



G. luscus 



>24 



>42 



<14 

 >33 

 >17 

 >J5 



>2.6 



>21 

 >38 

 ;-42 



<76 

 <38 

 >86 

 <47 

 >5 

 >57 

 >77 



>51 

 >49 

 >48 

 >44 

 >11 



" P>-en KROYtCR's measurements show tlie following re.KiiK in Gadus mhmUis: 



Length of the body expressed in millimetres 



Greatest depth of the body in % of the length of tLe body . 



173 

 21.4 



190 

 22.3 



222 



23.: 



