NOIiTHEUX HOCKLING. 



549 



long. TIk' species is disliugnislicd in tlic tirst place l)^• 

 its large liead and deeply-cleft ukjuIIi. The furnier is 

 a cliaracter of age, whicli in this genus as in others 

 Ix'longs t(i the fry, hut the latter is of entirely opposite 

 signiii cation, tht' gajic heiiig as a rule even I'clatively 

 larger and inore deeply cleft in old Kocklings than in 

 young. Tiie development of the iuinKM(jus liarhcis is 

 strictly to be regarded as a variation of the character 

 of the Five-Bearded Kocklings, for we tind tAvo nasal 

 harliels, two rostral ones, and one barbel under the chin, 

 all ol which in tliis species, too, are regularly set at 

 llieir tixed places. Besides these, ho\\ever, we tind a 

 row of more or less rudinientary barbels, more or less 

 pointed, small dermal flaps or small, l)hint dermal pro- 

 tul)erances, situated like the rostral barbels in the der- 

 mal fold at the loAver mai'gin of the preorbital bones, 

 which partly conceals the ui)per jaw and runs forward 

 under tlie tip of the snout or a little above it. In 

 Collett's type-specimen thei-e are three of these rudi- 

 mentary barbels on each side behind the rostral ones, 

 but in another specimen he remarked one more barbel, 

 situated "straight l)eliind' (above the space bet>veen) 

 these two barbels. 



The head is distinctly depressed (broader than high: 

 tlie greatest breadth equal to the lengtli of the lower 

 jaw). The body is fairly deep in front — in the type- 

 specimen the depth at the beginning of the anal tin is 

 IG % of the length of the body; but l)ehind the depth 

 decreases more rapidly than is usual in tlie genus, the 

 depth of the peduncle of the tail in the type-specimen 

 being no more than 28'/., % of the depth of the body 

 at the beginning of the anal tin. In all the specimens 

 of the other Kocklings that we have been enabled to 

 examine, this percentage lias been more than 30. 



The eyes are small, their longitudinal diameter 

 being about 11' ^ % of the length of the head and only 

 slightly more than half the breadth of the flat inter- 

 or1)ital s])ace". On account of the depression of the 

 head they are turned (jl)li([uely up\vards (at an angle 

 of about 45°), and they lie almost vertically above the 

 middle of the length of the upper jaw. The posterior 

 nostrils lie somewhat farther from the eyes than from 

 the anterior nostrils. The jaw-teeth form cai'ds in the 

 ordinary manner, but tlie teeth in the outermost row 



on the intei-maxillary bones and in the innermost roAv 

 in the lower jaw are more scattered and only slightly 

 larger than tiie others. The breadth of the card of 

 teeth on the head of tlie vomer is somewhat greater 

 than the longitudinal diameter of the e3e, and these 

 teeth form an angle ratlier acute in IVont. 



In Collett's type-specimen the distance between 

 the first dorsal fin and the tip of the snout is nearl}- 

 2?> %, and the base of this fin nearly 9 %, of the length 

 of tiie bod_y. The length of the first ray' is about 

 equal to the breadth of the interorbital space" or to the 

 least depth of the tail '. The distance between the se- 

 cond dorsal fin and the tip of the snout is 33',., % of 

 the length of the body, and its base measures about 

 'rl % of the same length. 'I'he middle rays of the 

 rounded caudal fin do not measure (juite ' jy of the 

 length of the body. The distance between the anal fin 

 and the tip of the snout is 40 %, the distance between 

 it and the base of the ventral fins 23 %, and the length 

 of its base 40 %, of the lengtli of the bodw The length 

 of the pectoral fins is ' \ of that of the body. The length 

 of the ventral fins is contained about 7' ., times in that 

 of the body. 



The covering of scales leaves the greater portion of 

 the snout naked, but extends forward on the forehead 

 to a line with the posterior nostrils. The lateral line 

 follows the same course as in the preceding species 

 and contains about 20 pores. 



The coloration, according to Tollett, is plain 

 grayish brown, without spots, slightly lighter on the 

 ventral side than on the back. The specimen preserved 

 in spirits is reddish brown, with the ventral side shad- 

 ing into gray. The inside of the mouth white. The 

 iris blackish lilue. 



In his last account of the fishes of Norway Collett 

 tells us that 9 specimens of this species are known at 

 present, from the north and west parts of the Norwegian 

 coast, from ()x Fjord in Finmark down to FlorO off 

 Stadt Proniontoi-y. The Museum of Copenhagen pos- 

 sesses a specimen from Greenland. The species was 

 first discovered in 1<S73 during Professor Sars's dredg- 

 ing-operations; and of its habits nothing more is known 

 than that it is met with in deep water, sometimes at 

 least 50 fathoms in depth. 



" In a younger spcciiiuMi Coi.i.ett foiiiid llie longitudinal dianieU-r of the eyes to be IG'*., K of the lengtli of the liead, and their 

 lerlieal diameter equal to the breadth of the interorbital space. 

 * 19-.5 % of the length of the heail. 



' 200 % , ., 



'' 18-6 '^ „ ., ., „ ., 



