1 899- No. 6. LYCODES GRACILIS. 



was thus but a trifle larger than the type specimen from the Christiania 

 Fjord. Like the latter, it possessed the youthful characteristic transverse 

 bands down the body, which in the above mentioned specimens, from 

 1888, had already become indistinct. 



The chief materials respecting the Scandinavian Form of this 

 species, came, however, first to hand in 1897 and 1898. 



In July 1897, Dr. Petersen ^ obtained a score of specimens of a 

 Ly codes from various parts of the Skagerak; and in July and August of 

 that year, Dr. Hjort also obtained specimens of the same species from 

 the Christiania Fjord, especially in the deep waters off Aasgaardstrand, 

 as well as near to, and to the north of Dröbak, up to and between the 

 islands off Christiania. 



In going through all these materials, it appeared that they formed 

 (together with those from the Trondhjem Fjord) an uninterrupted series, 

 from the infantile up to the mature specimens of L. gracilis. 



In the Summer of 1898, L. gracilis was again obtained, during 

 the continued practical scientific investigations of the South Coast 

 of Norway under the leadership of Dr. Hjort, at other parts of the 

 mouth of the Christiania Fjord, such as the Laurvik Fjord and Lange- 

 sunds Fjord. 



The materials gathered by Dr. Petersen in 1897, were obtained, 

 partly from the Læso Channel in the Cattegat, partly from other places 

 off the Scaw, some specimens being also caught in the Gullmar Fjord, 

 as well as near Hallo Lighthouse off the coast of the Bohuslehn, 



A couple of the last individuals which I have had an opportunity 

 of examining, were of a length of 175 to 178 mm., the greatest length 

 I have met with in specimens from the Scandinavian coasts. Both of 

 these were males; the first (Gullmar Fjord 31st July 1897, 60 fathoms, 

 eel net) had swollen testicles, and was very dark in colour; the other 

 largest (Hallo, 29111 July 1897, 95 fathoms) possessed, on the other hand, 

 very small testicles. This specimen was, too, somewhat of one colour, 

 and had no side spots or bands. 



In 1891, I had, moreover, received a young specimen of a Lycodes 

 from Dr. Grondai of Reykjavik, which had been caught off Iceland that 

 year. It proved to be in all respects identical with equal sized speci- 

 mens of L. gracilis from the Christiania Fjord (See Fig. 10). 



The total length of this individual (a female) was 125 mm., length 

 of head 28 mm. 



1 Head of the Danish Biological Station. 



