916 



SCANDINAVIAN FISIIKS. 



or, if these are pi'eseiit, they are faint or ut least scat- 

 tered, while on tiie anterior (inserted) part of the scale 

 they are .all the more niiinerous. Radiating grooves 

 there are none; hut the anterior margin of the scale 

 in particular is often sinuate. The nucleus of some 

 scales, for exam])ie on the forepart of tlie back and of 

 tlie l)el]y, is so large as to occupv the greater ])art of 

 the scale, with only a coni]>arati\el3' small number ("20 

 — 30) of concentric stria' in front of, above, and below 

 it. l)Ut in other cases, for example in tlie large scales 

 on the sides just Ijelow the lateral line (fig. 229, c), 

 the nucleus is all the more reduced, so that about 80 

 or 90 concentric stria; may- be counted, about each 8th 

 — 10th one coarser than the rest, on the inserted part 

 of tlie scale. Most of the scales are irregularly round, 

 of a rounded quadrangular or broadly elliptical shape, 

 witli the longitudinal axis set vertically; and in these 

 cases the anterior margin as well is arcuate, or elong- 

 ated in an angular form at the middle. Where they 

 cover any of the longitudinal ridges on the body, they 

 are indented, as we have mentioned above, at the 

 middle of the hind margin. This also applies to the 

 .scales of the lateral line (fig. 229, b). The large scales 

 set in a row just belo^v the lateral line, largest on the 

 forepart of the body (fig. 229, c), are distinguished by 

 their more rectangular shape, with straight anterior 

 margin and with the anterior angles i-ight angles. Along 

 each side of tlie liase of the dorsal fin lies a row 

 of obliquely linguiform scales, with the exposed part 

 obliquely triangular (fig. 229, a). We shall meet with 

 similar scales in tlie following family, as well as a certain 

 resemblance in tlie cucullate shape characteristic of the 

 duct in the scales of tlie lateral line (fig. 229, b). 



The coloration of the body is determined by the 

 horn-3'ellow tint of the scales; but the inner surface of 

 their exposed (ijosterior) part is lined with a thin coat 

 of silvery lustre, which gives to the sides of the body 

 an iridescent gleam of silvery, golden, or brassy hue. 

 The back is darkci', brownisii ; the liellv "sihery white, 

 with a reddish lustre" (Haxsson). Tiie adipose mem- 

 brane on the head is -vellowisli, but under it the cheeks 

 and opercula gleam with a silvery lusti-e. The fins share 

 in the general coloration, being of a grayish yellow or 

 paler (whitisli, according to Kuovek). Tiie adipose fin is 

 yellow, but at tlie liase of the same colour as the back. 



The abdominal cavity-, and the pharynx forward to 

 the root of the tongue, are black; but the black lining 

 of the peritoneum has a silvery layer underneath. In all 



our specimens, liowever, tiie \iscera are so greatly da- 

 maged that we cainiot describe them with anv minuteness. 



The Greater .Siil-Smelt belongs to the deep — though 

 pr()l)al)l\- not to the deepest — parts of the North At- 

 lantic. In comjiany with the Norway Haddock (Sehasfcs) 

 it lives off the Norwegian coast (AscAXirs, Stkom, and 

 NiLS.Sox) and off the east coast of North America (Sable- 

 Island Bank off Nova Scotia, Brown-Goode and Bean) 

 at a depth of al)out 80 — 200 or 300 fathoms. The deep 

 fjords of Norway afford it a constant abode. In tlie 

 Skagei' Rack it is occasionally found. Like other deep- 

 sea fishes it is sometimes suddenly carried in some wa\- 

 or other to dej)ths where the pressure is inadequate to 

 its requirements, and it is then borne liel))lessly to the 

 surface, where it drifts about, unable to regain its home. 

 Under these circumstances it has been cast ashore on 

 the west coast of Jutland. It has most frequently been 

 met with in the neighbourhood of Bergen; bitt its range 

 extends, according to Collett, from the entrance of 

 Christiania fjord along the whole coast to TromsO. 

 According to Stokm it is not rare in Trondhjem Fjord, 

 and has been found, especially in late "sears, at several 

 places in the fjord, to the very head thereof. In the 

 Skager Rack, off Uynekil, between the Koster and Tisler 

 Islands, a specimen was caught on a long-line in No- 

 vember, 1890, which was forwarded to the Royal Museum 

 by Mr. C. A. Haxsson, and which is represented in our 

 figure. From the Skaw to the extreme south of the 

 west coast of Jutland three specimens have been found, 

 according to Wintiier and Petersen, since 1871. The 

 species conse(|uently seems to have the southern limit 

 of its range here in the deeper, northern part of the 

 North Sea, for farther south it has never been met with. 



Of the Greater Siil-Smelt's habits we know no more 

 than of the life led bv most dee])-sea fishes. As a rule 

 the stomach is forced into the pharvnx when the fish is 

 .secured, so that nothing can be ascertained as to its food 

 from the contents of the stomach. But to judge by its 

 mouth, which calls to mind the Grayling, its dentition, 

 which is somewhat more powerful than the Graylings's, 

 and its fairly coarse gill-rakers, its predatory habits are as 

 marked as those of the said species, and we know that it 

 takes a hook baited with mussels {Mytilus, according to 

 NiLssox) or a bit of fish (Herring, according to Olsson). 

 It is fat, and its flesh is said to be of good flavour. Some- 

 times a score or so are expcsed for sale in the fish- 

 market at Bergen; but else it is taken far too seldom 

 to be of ail)- economical importance to the fisherman. 



