608 THE COMMON COD. 



Occasionally it is also met with in the more southern 

 portion of the Baltic. It is generally found alone, though 

 at times in small shoals. Its usual length is from four- 

 teen to sixteen inches, but it attains, I believe, to some- 

 what more. It spawns in June and July, for wliich 

 ]i)urpose it proceeds some distance up rivers, though 

 properly a sea fish. 



The Anchovy {Ansjovis, Sw. ; Migraulis Encrasicho- 

 liis, Linn.), whose proper home is the Mediterranean, 

 is rare with us, and elsewhere on the w^estern coasts 

 of both Sfl'edcn and Norway, where it has been captured 

 as high up as Bergen. Some few have been taken, I 

 believe, as far south as the Sound, but hitherto it does 

 not seem to have found its way into the Baltic. Of' 

 tbe habits of this fish, whose usual length is from five 

 to six inches. Northern naturalists are apparently 

 altogether in the dark. 



The Common Cod (^Vanlig Torslc, Sw. ; Almindelig 

 Torsh, Dan., both meaning common cod; Gachis Mov- 

 hiia, Gadus Callarias, Linn.) was common in our Skar- 

 gard, and everywhei'e else on the western coast, from the 

 Sound to the North Cape ; as also in the Baltic, where, 

 however, it is of a much smaller size. Formerly it was 

 supposed there were two or more species, but Swedish 

 and Danish naturalists are now agreed, I believe, that 

 they are one and the same fish, and tbat the great 

 ditference observable between them in resjard to size and 

 appearance solely depends on age, locality, and food. 

 Ekstrom is, moreovei", of opinion that tlie name Morrkua, 

 which was applied to the adults, should be altogether done 

 away with, and that of Callarias, which was a])plied to the 

 younger, should, as the proper one, be alone retained. 



The usual length of this fish is from two to four feet ; 

 but Kroyer tells us he was assured by fishermen at the 

 Lofoden Islands that " they have taken them as long as a 



