Report on Diseases and Abnormalities in Fishes. 33 



body (fig. 38). The jelly material between certain of the affected 

 vertebrae was small in quantity and suffused with blood. The 

 brown-coloured muscle of the lateral line region extends inwards 

 to the backbone. In the hind end of the swim-bladder a quantity 

 of yellow matter had been deposited. 



In the female the hump part extended posterior to the kidney 

 region. It began at the end of the kidney. 



The kidney contained many white cysts, which were visible to 

 the naked eye. The cysts had thick capsules, and in some cases 

 were attached to fibrous material. They were circular or oval. The 

 cyst shown in fig. 40 measured about -32 mm. in length. A 

 spherical cyst was -15 in diameter. A small cyst (fig. 41) was 

 surrounded by a green mass of small cells which resembled blood 

 corpuscles. The apparent nuclei in the cysts are vacuoles filled 

 with large clear corpuscles, in which are scattered little oil drops. 

 The cysts may be found in a group (e.g., fig. 42). They were 

 surrounded by a narrow green-coloured rim. One showed a hernia, 

 which may have been caused artificially. Several encysted 

 Gasterostomum gracilescens were present in the spinal canal. 



Auerbach describes Myxobolus ceghfini, parasitic in the bone-cavities, 

 in the periost, or in the connective tissue between single bones of the 

 head of Gadus ceglefinus. The spores are round to elliptical. Their 

 length reaches about 10-8-1 17 /*, breadth 9-9-10-4 /x, thickness 7-2-9 

 /x. Two polar capsules are present in the spore. 



The following is the analysis of the vertebrae of another humpty 

 cod : — 



Vertebrae 1-9, normal. 



,, 10-13, abnormal, fused. 



14-17, 



18-21, 



22-24, 



25, 26, 



27, 28, 29, normal. 

 ,, 30-32, abnormal, fused. 



33,34, 

 ,, 35-50, normal. 



Total number of Vertebrae, 50. 



Dyce discussed the identity of the fish known as the speckled 

 cod or lord-fish (Morrhua punctata). He showed that it was simply 

 a cod which had become deformed in consequence of disease of the 

 spine. It was what has been described above as a humpty cod. He 

 had observed a similar deformity in the haddock (Gadus ceglefinus). 

 He gave drawings of two deformed vertebral columns of the cod and 

 of three of the haddock. He remarked that the diseased portions are 

 neither uniform in extent nor in situation. In some the thickened 

 part is near the tail, while in others it is nearer the head. Occasion- 

 ally two diseased portions are met with, having a few healthy 

 vertebras intervening. The transverses of the diseased vertebrae are 

 stronger, longer, and generally undulated, presenting much the 

 appearance of broken bones badly united . In one of the backbones 

 of the haddock the diseased part was confined to the caudal 

 extremity. 



He said that he had constantly met with examples, oftener in 

 some years than in others, but never in a large full-grown cod. It 

 was far more common in the haddock, and often in fishes 18 or 20 

 c 



