GEN. MERLUCCIUS. THE COMMON HAKE. 203 



some degree, misled in the inference he drew from 

 this (as Mr. Lowe seems to have been in regard to 

 the Madeiran Hake), by the figure of the fish in the 

 first edition of Yarrell's work, where the second 

 dorsal rather diminishes in height towards the tail, 

 and no sinuosity consequently exists. We do not 

 mean to say that this form of the fin, or at least an 

 approach to it, may not occasionally be observed, 

 for it varies considerably, but the normal shape 

 is decidedly sinuated (as represented in the figure 

 in Yarrell's second edition), as may be seen by 

 Pennant's, Jenyn's, and other descriptions, in which 

 the hinder rays of the fins are stated to be highest, 

 and it is by this the sinuosity is produced. So far, 

 therefore, Swainson has proved nothing in favour of 

 the view he takes of the Mediterranean Hake. He 

 next states that the head of M. sinuatus is shorter 

 than in the British Hake, being exactly one-fifth 

 the entire length of the fish ; Mr. Yarrell gives the 

 length of the head of M. vulgaris, as compared with 

 the length of the body alone, as one to three ; these 

 last mentioned dimensions we find to correspond 

 exactly to Mr. Swainson's figure of M. sinuatus. 

 The next character he refers to is afforded by the 

 teeth, which are said to be in two rows in M. sinu- 

 atus, instead of one, as in M. vulgaris. In describ- 

 ing the teeth of the latter, Dr. Parnell says, that 

 there is one row in each jaw, with some short ones 

 at the base it is possible that these may sometimes 

 assume somewhat of the form of a subsidiary row. 

 If it were found that there invariably existed two 



