346 FISHES OF THE FIRTH OF FORTH. 



This fish varies considerably in colour according to its 

 age. When young, about three inches in length, it is of a 

 light grey on the back, with the ventral and anal fins mi- 

 nutely spotted with dark brown ; when it increases to four 

 inches, it is of a beautiful deep green on the back, with the 

 sides of a lighter tinge, the fins shaded with orange and 

 closely freckled with brown ; when it becomes a foot in 

 length the back is dark grey ; and as the fish increases in 

 size, the back and sides become darker, and at length as- 

 sume a deep black, with the belly of a dirty white. 



The Coalfish very much resembles the pollack in appear- 

 ance, particularly when young. It is distinguished from it, 

 however, at all ages, by having the lateral line straight 

 throughout its course, and the middle portion of it when 

 full grown, broad and whitish ; whereas the lateral line 

 in the pollack takes a very perceptible bend under the ter- 

 mination of the first dorsal, and never assumes a white ap- 

 pearance. The Coalfish, when from four to five inches in 

 length, from the great resemblance it bears in colour to the 

 Green Cod, has been occasionally confounded with it. The 

 length of the under jaw, however, compared with the up- 

 per, will at all times distinguish them. 



In all the northern seas and in the Baltic, the Coalfish is 

 said to abound ; nor does it appear to lessen materially in 

 number as we proceed southwards, since, on the coast of 

 Cornwall, four men with two boats and lines have been 

 known to capture twenty-four hundredweight in a very 

 few hours. The young of these fish, known by the name 

 of podlez/s, are very common in the Firth of Forth in the 

 months of August and September, when they are sent to 

 market in great numbers. The larger individuals seem 

 to leave the Firth soon after they have spawned, and do 

 not reappear until the following spring. In the Orkneys 



