(UATINors IIAIi 



1 I'd',! 



pliMiioiis. 'I'lie i-nldi'atiiiii iis i>t ;i rcddisli L;r;iy, iiKirc 

 or less str(iiii;ly sutt'iised tin the l)ack and the U|iiicr 

 part of the sides witli Mackish gray, owing to the pre- 

 sence of subentaneous pigment, a vague bluish violet 

 tint being thus produeed in those regit)ns. Sometimes 

 the pigment is une\enh- distributed, gi\ing the boily 

 a pieliald a|)i)earanee. On the belly the colour is of 

 a somewhat lighter gray- 



The hcdil is not delimited from the body, being of 

 about tlie sanu' thickness and terete form, but it tiipers 

 in a forward direction towards the tij) of the snout. 



in its appearance and structure the species be- 

 longing to tlie Scandinavian fauna exhibits all the pe- 

 culiarities enumerated above as characteristic of the 

 genus Mii.r'nic: and no further description is therefoi-e 

 necessary. 



The Glutinous Hag occurs throughout the west coast 

 of Sweden, from the .Sound upwards, and along the whole 

 Norwegian coast up to Finnmark. In the Sound, how- 

 ever, it appears to be very rare. From Mount Kullen 

 upwards, along the west coast of Sweden, and all the 

 coasts of Norway, it is common in such localities as 

 are congenial to its manner of life, viz. where the bot- 

 tom consists of soft clay and mud, the water is of a 

 suitable depth, about 20" to 50 fathoms, and preferably 

 where there is some ground current. The Glutinous 

 Hag is quite at home, however, in deeper water (100 

 — 200 fathoms), as has been observed off the northern 

 most coasts of Norway. It seems besides to occur in 

 the Arctic seas, off Greenland (Fabruius) and the east 

 coast of North America, though it is apparently n<'t 

 common there. On the coasts of Scotland and Northern 

 England it is also met with, but is less numerous, to 

 judge by the statements on record, than in Scandi- 

 navian waters. 



As regards its maimer of life, it seems as a rule 

 to lie embedded in the clayey bcjttom. This is its 

 hal)it too, when kept in aquaria with a bottoni of clay 

 or mud, and suj^plied with running water, an experi- 

 ment which I have repeatedly made. It soon burrows 

 into the clay and remains lying there, with only the 

 tip of the snout exposed to view. But it does not live 



and sunk in salt watei' at a depth of some fathoms. 

 At first the\ show great acti\it\- in llieii- mo\-ements, 

 wriggling like Fels, generally forwards, but sometimes 

 backwards, and swaying the head now to one side, now 

 to the other. In these actions tliey display fairly great 

 strength, and the\ seci-ete meanwhile large quantities 

 of slime, in which the\' sometimes entangle themselves. 

 They often project the tongue and draw it in again, 

 thus getting portions of the slimy secretion into their 

 mouth, and tln' dead Hags are eonsecpienth- found in 

 man\- cases to have clots of slime adhering far l)ack 

 in the mouth ca\it\-. 



( )f their habits little or nothing more is known. 

 That they are true parasites, as was formerly asserted 

 and is still stated in some foreign manuals, is in the 

 highest degree improbal)le. At least there is ufi direct 

 evidence of this. They apparently live on dead ani- 

 mals, princijially fish. This appears distinctly from 

 their not seldom attacking netted fish, or creeping into 

 pots containing dead tish or tish offal and sunk in 

 places frequented by this species. The most enticing 

 bait seems to be Haddock or Whiting, and by this 

 method great numbers of Glutinous Hags may be taken. 

 In one single \)ut a hundred or two may sometimes be 

 caught. ( )n examination the intestinal canal of the 

 captured Hags is found to be full of recentl)' de- 

 voured morsels of tish. They apparently do not with- 

 draw to any distance from the sea-bottom, and accord- 

 ing to the statements of experienced fishermen thej" 

 fasten upon netted or hooked fish only when this is 

 on or close to the ground. 



That the Glutinous Hag also attacks the corpses of 

 dro\\ned human beings, is a fact known on the west 

 coast of Sweden. 



The Glutinous Hag would thus ap])ear strictly to 

 feed on dead ci'eatures. It may be regarded as a sca- 

 venger of the depths. But, guided bj- its powerfully 

 developed organ of smell, it also assails hooked fish 

 hanging on the line, and must thus be stigmatized as 

 in some degree injurious to the fishery. 



Itself it possesses no economical value. Its flesh 

 is not irood to eat and is nowhere used for food. Pos- 



long in captivity. As a rule the prisoners die in the , sibly it might be smoked for consumption, like the 

 1 nurse of a few hours, even if they be placed in a corf ; Lanqjern. (G. Retzius.) 



" The least depth at wliich I succeeded in iil)taiiiin,i; it in Gullmar Fjord was Irt — 17 fallKHiis. liut, fioeordinic to statements given liy 

 fi'hernien, the animal lives diiring the winter at a still less depth (10 — 11 fathoms). 



