l<'IVK-I!K.\I!I)i;ii iiucklint; 



posterior nostrils are set nearer to the ej-es or at least 

 li;ilf-wny hetAvecn the latter and the nasal barbels, and 

 their aiitcrii)r margin is nsually raised into a seniicir- 

 eiilar dermal flaj). The mouth is compaTatively small, 

 and tlie teeth are blunter than in the preceding species 

 and of more unilorm size, tlie iinier row in the lower 

 jaw being generally the only one distinguished by some- 

 what larger teeth. The lircadth in the palate of the 

 vomerine card of teeth is always less than the longi- 

 tudinal diameter of the eyes. The two rostral barbels, 

 which this s])ecies possesses in common with the North- 

 ern Rockling, are well separated from each other, but 

 the distance between them is less than their length. 

 At the lower margin of the snout (the lower preorbital 

 margin), on each side of these barbels, we find here, 

 as in many specimens of the preceding species, sinuous 

 contractions, the spaces between which remind us of the 



rudimentary 1)arl)els in the Northern Rockling. The 

 scales are small but dense, and extend, as in the pre- 

 ceding forms, out over the pectoral fins and the ver- 

 tical fins, especiall}' the caudal. The light-coloured 

 pores of the lateral line are in most cases rather in- 

 distinct, as. in the rest of the g-c-ims, and tlie lateral 

 line (jften seems 1o be interiaiptcd in its curved part, 

 below the anterior part of the second dorsal fin. Where 

 we have found this line most nearly perfect, it has 

 contained 22 pores, arranged thus: 



1st 



7tl 



8th 



9th— 22nd 



Tlie relation between this species and tlie preced- 

 ing ones is shown most clearly, howevei', in the fol- 

 lowinnf table of measurements: 



n o 



u s t e I a. 



Length of the l)oily expressed in millimetres 



Length of the head in % of the length of the body 



Longitudinal diameter of the eyes _. „ „ „ „ „ ,, „ „ 



Least breadth of the iiiterorbital space _ __ ._ „ ,, „ „ ,, ,, ,, ,, 



Length of the upper jaw _ „ „ „ ,, ,, ,, „ ., 



„ „ ,, lower „ „ „ 



Postorbital length of the head ,, ,, „ ,, ■ ,, ., ,, „ 



Distance between the lirst dorsal (iu and the tip of the snout „ ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, „ 



,, second ., ,, .. ., ., „ „ ,, ,. 



Base of the first dorsal tin ,, „ „ ,, „ „ „ „ 



„ ,, „ second ,, „ „ „ „ „ ,, „ „ 



Length of the lirst ray of the first dorsal fin ,, „ „ „ 



„ „ ,, longest „ „ „ second ,, , - „ „ ,, „ „ „ „ ,, 



„ ,, „ pectoral fins ,, „ ,, ,, ., „ ,, ,, 



,, ,, ., ventral _ - --- „ „ 



Distance lietwecn the ventral fius and the beginning of the anal fin ., „ „ ,, ,, „ „ ,, 



,, ,, „ anal tin ,. „ tip of the snoBt „ ,, „ ,, „ „ „ „ 



Base of the anal fin - ., „ ,, „ „ i, „ „ 



Longest ray of the anal fin „ „ „ >, v „ „ » 



Least depth of tlic tail »? ?? .• •• ?' »> >» n 



Length of the middle rays of the caudal tin. „ ■■ » » n 



Depth of the body at the beginning of the anal fin „ „ ,, ,, „ „ „ „ 



Greatest breadth of the head „ ir n " " n ii » 



Thus, in the Five-Bearded Rockling the length of the young specimen, however, the length of the lower 



the lower jaw and (as a rule) of the upper is less than 

 half that of the head; and in all the older specimens 

 (more than 1 dm. long) the former is less than 9 %, 

 the latter less than 8 %, of the length of the body. 

 In these respects the Five-Bearded Rockling differs from 

 all the other Scandinavian species of the genus. In 



jaw in proportion to that of the body falls within the 

 limits of individual variation in the Four-Bearded Rock- 

 ling; and the length of the upper jaw (from the tip 

 of the snout to the hind extremity of the maxillary 

 bones) corresponds in this relation to the averages both 

 in the three-bearded and the four-bearded species. In 



