HAKE. 



515 



ovi'V the entire upper surface of each of tlie frontal 

 hones. At the middle of its length each of the frontal 

 ridges is met iiy a similar i-idge, running forward and 

 inward from the upper surface of each of the squamosal 

 l)ones; and thus a W-shaj)ed figure of osseous ridges 

 is formed, more or less distinct even externall\- on the 

 forehead and occiput. In all the forms of this genus 

 the lower jaw pnijects be\ond the tip of the snout; 

 the I)ranchiostegal membranes ai'e not coalescent, but 

 pnrtially cross each other at the point of their attach- 

 ment to the isthmus; and the jaw-teeth as well as the 

 teeth on the laterally extended head of the vomer are 

 set in two rows, scattered and pointed like canine teeth 

 but of uniform size in each row, larger and capable of 

 lieing bent inwards in the inner row. The point of 

 the chin is without anv I)arbel. 



Tlie variety of form witliin tiic gemis is not great. 

 The number of known species would ])e five, if two of 

 them" were described with sufKcient accuracy to have a 

 claim to scientific recognition. The three species of 

 which there is no doubt, belong to the north of the 

 Atlantic .-ind Pacific ( )ceans. 



Tlie genus receiv<;d its mime of Melius or Mer- 

 luciiis at the hands of tiie contemporar}' writers (1554), 

 Belon* and Rondelet'', but was known even to the 

 ancient Greeks, according to Aristotle and AthexyEUS, 

 by the name of o;'o>. Lixx.i:us, however, in the tenth 

 edition of iSi/sfema Xatara:, liaving given our Hake the 

 name of Gadus merhiccius, Rafine.sque'' raised this 

 specific name to a generic rank. The original spelling 

 was restored by Risso", and has subsequently won 

 Avider and wider recognition. It also enables us without 

 complete tautology to retain the I.innajan specific name for 



THE HAKE (.sw. lysing or kujijiei,). 



:\IERLUC1US MERLUCCIUS. 



Plate XXV, fig. 1. 



Bo(Jj/ elongated and terete, the (/reatest depth heinei about IS — i^'Vg %■' of the length, and the greatest thickness 

 ahoat 70 — 90 % of the former. Length of tlie head about 28 — 24^!^ % of that of the hodij. Bend in the margin 

 of the dorsal and anal fins onJg slightly marked, and their posterior lobes rounded. Length of the pectoral fins 

 (dtoiif 12 — 16^ i % of that of the body, and equal to or only slightly greater than the postorbital length of the head, 

 n-hicli measures more than 12 % of the length of the body. Ventral fins as a rule in young specimens longer, in 

 old slightly shorter tJian the pectoral fins. Number of rays in tlie first dorsal fin at most 11. I^east breadth of 

 the interorhital space more than 70 % of the length of the base of the first dorsal fin. 



,B7— 39'': P. 13 — 14'' 



R. br. 7: D. 9 — 1 1 37 — 39-",- A. 

 ; C. ,r+18— 20 + .r; Vert. 50 — 52. 



Syn. Gadiis dorso dipterygio, maxilla inferiore knigiore, .\iiT., Gen., 

 p. 22; Si/ii., p. 30. Lysing, Strom, Sondm., Beskr., part. 

 1, p. 295. 

 Gadtis Merhiccius, Lin., Si/st. Nat., ed. X, torn. I, p. 254; 

 Fn. iSuec., ed. 2, p. 113; (Merlucixs), 2Ius. Ad. Frid., 

 torn. 2:di prodr., p. 60; Mull., Zool. Dan. Prodr., p. 41; 

 Retz., Fn. Suec. Lin., p. 321; Hollb., Gbgs Wett., Witt. 

 Samh. N. Handl., V (1822), p. 38 cum fig.; Nilss., Prodr. 

 Iclttli. )Scaiid., p. 44; ScHAGERSTR., Pliysiogr. Sallsk. Tidskr., 

 p. 302. 



Grand Merlus, Duham., 2>. Peclies, part. II. sect. I, p. 141, 



tab. XXIV. 

 .Verlucciiis smiridtis, Rafin., Caratt., p. 25; Jord., Gilb. (Mer- 



luciiis), Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus.. Xo. 16, p. 809; Coll., N. 



Mag. Natiirv. Christ., Bd. 29 (1884), p. 83; LiLLJ., Sv., 



Xorg. Fn., Fisl., vol. 2, p. 120; Hansen, Zool. Dan., 



Fiske, p. 76, tab. IX, fig. 9. 

 Merbicius esctdentiis, Risso, Etir. Me'rid., torn. Ill, p. 220. 

 Merluccius vulgaris, Flem., Brit. Anim., p. 195; Sund., v. 



Wright, Skand. Fisk., ed. I, p. 145, tab. 33; Kr., Danm. 



Fiske, vol. 2, p. 140; Nilss., 6'kand. Fn., Fisk., p. 570; 



Thomi'S., Nat. Hist. Irel, vol. IV, p. 184; Gthr, Cat. Brit. 



Mus., FisJi., vol. IV, p. 344; Coll., Forh. Vid. Selsk. Christ. 



" Merlucius argentatus from Iceland and M. Gaiji from Cliili. 



* Im nature et dicersite dcs poissons, p. 110. 

 " Be pisribus, lib. IX, p. 273. 



** Caralteri di alcuni miovi Generi etc. (1810), p. 25. Rafinesque here mentions two species, Linn.ei's's <jad«s »n<c/«t'en<« and his own 

 Merluccius smiridus, both from the Mediterranean and belonging to bis genus Merhiccius. In the same year, however, he included the Hake 

 in Lidice d' Ittiologia Sicilana, p. 12, under the name of Onus riali, a generic name which was unquestionably used here in its right place, 

 and wliicli we should have adopted, if Risso had not given it a different application which has gained fairly general recognition in recent times. 



' Europe Meridionale (1826), torn. Ill, p. 220. 



■' In gravid females as much ns 20 "i,. 



' 36 — 40, according to Moreav. * 



* Sometimes 36, according to Moreau. 



1 1 



