510 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



length being about 13 — ll^o % of that of the body. 

 The second anal fin is shorter in young specimens than 

 the tliird dorsal, but in older ones the only differences 

 betAveen them are that the former is soinewliat lower 

 and situated rather farther back. The first three or 

 four rays are simple. 



Tlie caudal fin is more forked than in the Pollack, 

 the hind margin being concave even when the fin is 

 expanded to its full breadth. The middle rays are, 

 however, comparatively of the same length as in the 

 Pollack, tlicir length being at least Vc greater than 

 the least breadth of the interorbital space, and the 

 least depth of the tail never rising as high as ^'3 of 

 the length of these rays. 



The scales are thin and small as in most of the 

 Cods, but somewhat larger than in the Pollack, im- 

 bricated and striated. They cover the -whole body, and 

 small scales occur even on the snout and far out over 

 the caudal fin. Tlie lateral line forms a slight upward 

 curve from behind at about the tip of the pectoral fins. 



The abdominal cavity extends behind the begin- 

 ning of the first anal fin for about a third of the length 

 of this fin. The stomach does not extend back to the 

 vent. The pyloric appendages are Avell-developed, but 

 comparatively few. The liver consists of one lobe, 

 the right and — so far as we could discover in rather 

 decomposed specimens — the left lobes are wantii^;. 

 The peritoneum is of a lustrous black. 



In specimens preserved in spirits the colour of this 

 species is the same as that of young specimens of the 

 Pollack in the same condition, though a little darker 

 olive brown on the Ijack and lighter aluminium colour 

 on the sides and the belly. The dorsal and caudal fins 

 are dark In-ownisli at the margin. A black spot marks 



the root of the pectoral fins and the upper part of the axil. 

 We have never seen the s})ecies alive, but our coloured 

 figure (PI. XXVII, A, fig. 1) will give a pretty good 

 idea of a fi-esh siiecimen, as it appeared on its arrival 

 at the Roval Museum, thi-ee days after its capture by 

 Mr. C. A. Hansson, off Stroinstad, on the 9th of De- 

 cember, 1890. 



Gadus Esmarkii was first discovered in Chi-istiania 

 Fjord and seems to find a favourite haunt in this fjord, 

 where, according to Collett, it is plentiful and taken 

 dailv in large numbers during the autumn and winter 

 months, in deep \\'ater with a clayey bottom. It ge- 

 nerally occurs in shoals, together with the Whiting. 

 In January and February Collett found gravid females 

 of this species. In autumn he found young specimens 

 at least 40 mm. long in quantities among the netted 

 Sprats. In the stomach of these specimens as well as 

 in older ones he often found nothing but White Gobies 

 {Aphya minuta), which thus seem to be the chief food- 

 of Gadus Esmarkii. Stokm found this species spai-- 

 ingly represented among other small Cods in Trond- 

 hjem Fjord. Farther north it has never been found. 

 Lutken" received specimens from the Faroe Islands, 

 but in the Shetland Islands and on the shores of Great 

 Britain it is as yet unknown. 



The Royal Museum has received through Mr. C. A. 

 Hansson several specimens, taken at a depth of about 

 30 fathoms, from Bohusliin, but only from the imme- 

 diate neighbourhood of Christiania Fjord, or from Strom- 

 stad Fjord, Dynekil, and Siicke Fjord. 



Gadus Esmarkii is thus no rare species in Scan- 

 dinavia, but seems to lie confined to certain localities; 

 and its insignificant size debars it from possessing any 

 considerable value in an economical respect. 



" Vid. Meddel. NaUirli. For. Kblivi,, 1881, p. 253. 



