618 



SCANDINAVIAN KISIIKS. 



Mil exteni tliat the distance between tlie iinal iiu and 

 the ti|) (»!' the snout is only about 28 % of the length 

 of tlic body. The form of the body is otherwise the 

 same, almost terete throughout, evenly tapering Ijack 

 from the occiput, and with no distinct lateral compres- 

 sion before the end of the tail, .\ccording to Collktt, 

 the depth at the beginning of the dorsal fin is 4^2 — 

 .") %. and at the beginning of the anal fin 3 — 4 % of 

 the length of the liody. The head is more dej^ressed 

 and broader, with longer snout, than in the preceding 

 species: its length is 14 — 12 % of that of the body. 

 Half of its length is occupied by the postorbital part; 

 and in a specimen i dm. long the eye occupies ',5 (in 

 vounger specimens nearly ' ,) of the length of the head. 



to thai of the eve. The same remark ap])lies to the 

 number of their rays as in the preceding species. 

 Sometimes, according to Collett, we ma}- trace two 

 lateral lines, one ventral and one median, though the 

 pores in the latter are rather scattered. 



<_)f L)jv()dcs miirteiui as of L. Sarsii onh' four s[)e- 

 cimcms are yet known in the North, and only one of 

 these can lay claim to a place within the Scandinavian 

 fauna. This specimen was found by the Norwegian 

 Arctic Expedition in June, 1877, at a depth of 350 

 fathoms off Helgelaiid. In 1878 the same expedition 

 took two specimens in 4.")!) fathoms of water, west 

 of the northern part of Spitzbergen, and one spe- 

 cimen in 658 fathoms, west of Bear Island. In Faroe 



Fig. 1.52. Li/codes mvrccna, natural size, from Uie Norwegian .Arctic Expedilion. Tlie property of the Mnsenni of Cljristiania University. 



Even in specimens 2 dm. long the rauciferous cavities 

 along the jaws and the lower margin of the preoper- 

 cidum are as distinct as in the preceding sjiccies. The 

 dorsal fin begins further forward tlian in the preceding 

 species, the distance between it and the tip of the snout 

 being at most about ^1^ (less than 21 %) of the length 

 of the body or ^/j (in the preceding species at. least ''4) 

 of the distance between the anal fin and the tip of the 

 snout, which distance here measures about 26 — 28 '^" 

 of the length of the body. The pectoral fins are ob- 

 tusely rounded, and their length is about 9 — 8V3 % of 

 that of the l)od)-. The ventral fins are of the same 

 form and position as in the preceding species, and their 

 length too, in a specimen 2 dm. long, is ai)ont etjual 



Channel, however, the English Kiii(/Jtf-Erraid Expe- 

 dition of 1882 took several examples of this spe- 

 cies at depths of between 540 and 608 fathoms. Li/co- 

 des murcOHt thus seems to be one of those Arctic species 

 which in deeji water have a range extending to the 

 south through the cold layers of the ocean. Its manner 

 of life is otherwise unknown, Init in all probability 

 resembles that of the other bott()m-fishes, among which 

 it passes its time resting on the cold clay or buried 

 in its shelter. In the stomach Collett has found frag- 

 ments of crustaceans {Themhto and X(nnioiiif:riifi). 



The largest specimens known measure nearly 23 

 cm. (9 in.), according to Glnther. 



PHYSOCLYSTI PLECTO&MTHL 



I'h)/sodj/sts ill irhirli tlie iiifcrmcuillari/ bonefi arc usiiallij ^/iniil/i nnifcd to the nia.iitliiries, mid in ichicli the dentid, 



and nrtienJnr puiis of the lower jaw are also more or less perfectly confluent. Branchial arches enn/jiJete. and 



their lameUce pectinated. No externalh/ visible interclaricles. 



We now ap])roach those groups among the Phy- 

 soclysts that, each in its own manner, remind us in a 

 higher degree than the fishes we have already examined, 

 of the piscine types of primeval times, the Ganoids. 



" According lo GUnther's figure (I. 0.) SO %. 



(_)ne universal feature that strikes us in the folIoAving 

 Physoclysts, is the marked ossification of the dermal 

 system as opposed to the weaker ossification of the 

 endoskeleton. Those ))arts of the endoskeleton that 



