THE HERRING. 315 



Family IV. CLUPEID^.— Dorsal fin one; no adi- 

 pose tin ; intestinal canal with caeca. 



Genus CLUPEA. — Vomer and tongue furnished with 

 teeth ; under jaw longest. 



Clui'Ea harengus.* — The Heuking. 



Specific Characters. — Dorsal fin placed exactly half-way between 

 the point of the upper jaw, and the tip of the long caudal rays ; 

 Ventrals situated under the dorsal. (See Plate XXXV.) 



Description. — From a specimen eleven inches in length. Head, 

 measuring from the point of the lower jaw, when opened, to the pos- 

 terior margin of the gill-cover, nearly one -fifth of the whole length, 

 caudal fin included ; depth of the body under the dorsal equalling 

 the length of the head. Dorsal fin placed exactly in the middle of 

 the fish ; the base of the first ray situated half-way between the 

 point of the upjDcr jaw and the end of the scaly portion of the body ; 

 the fourth ray the longest, not quite equalling the length of the base of 

 the fin ; the last ray exactly one-half the length of the eighth ; all the 

 rays branched except the three first which are simple,; caudal fin deeply 

 forked, the middle ray about one-third the length of the longest ray. 

 First ray of the anal fin arises mid-way between the origin of the ven- 

 trals and the base of the middle caudal raj" ; the third ray the long- 

 est, about half the length of the base of the fin ; ventrals equalling 

 the length of the sixth ray of the dorsal, and j)laced in a vertical line 

 under the base of that ray ; pectorals pointed, of a triangular form, 

 and about twice as long as the tenth ray of the dorsal. Colour of 

 the back, glossy blue ; sides ancl belly silvery- white ; dorsal and 

 caudal fins, dusky ; ventrals and anal, white ; under jaw tipped with 

 black. Eyes large, placed nearer the point of the upper jaw than to 

 the posterior margin of the operculum. Teeth very minute (Pennant 

 states that the whole mouth is void of teeth) six or eight in a row on 

 the most anterior'part of each jaw, those on the lower jaw being longer 

 and more perceptible ; vomer with a double row about sixteen in 

 number; each palatine with a single row somewhat smaller than 

 those on the vomer ; tongue also armed with a number of teeth ar- 

 ranged in three or four rows, with their points directed inwards. 

 Maxillary large, broad, and thin, extending as far back as in a line 

 under the middle of the eye ; basal line of the operculum oblique 



• Clupea harengus, Auctorum. Zool. Bot. Mag. vol. i. Parnell. 



