28o6 THE BONY FISHES AND GANOIDS 



Belonging to the same group of the genus as the common cod, the 

 haddock (G. ceglcfinus), which is shown in the left upper figure of the 

 illustration on p. 2804, ma Y De always recognized by the blackish patch on each 

 side of the body above the pectoral fin, and the black lateral line. Generally 

 haddock vary in weight from one-half to four pounds, but in northern seas 

 they attain a larger size than further south, and measure as much as a yard in 

 length. In England the largest haddock are taken in winter, when they resort 

 to the coast for the purpose of spawning. They generally associate in large 

 shoals; and in stormy weather seek shelter in deep water among seaweeds, 

 when it is useless to attempt fishing for them. In addition to crustaceans and 

 other invertebrates, their food comprises small fishes of various kinds. Had- 

 dock are largely consumed when split, dried, and smoked. They range across 

 the Atlantic. 



By far the most delicately-flavored British representative of the 

 Other Species ,, .... , *~ ' , 



genus is the whiting (G. merlangus), shown in the right upper 



corner of the illustration on p. 2804, which differs from all the preceding species in 

 the absence of a barbel on the chin, and is specially distinguished by a black spot 

 near the root of each pectoral fin. The usual weight is about one and one-half 

 pounds; four pounds being nearly the maximum attained. The distributional area 

 of the whiting is restricted to the seas of Northern Europe, where it is found in vast 

 shoals; Plymouth being one of the British localities where these fish occur in great 

 abundance. Very shy in its habits, the whiting is a voracious fish, Yarrell stating 

 that several sprats have been taken from the stomach of one, while in another of 

 four pounds weight were found four full-grown pilchards. The same writer states 

 that it appears to prefer sandy banks, but frequently shifts its ground in pursuit of 

 the fry of various other fishes on which it chiefly feeds. Next to the mackerel, 

 the whiting suffers more by transport than any British sea fish, and should be 

 eaten as soon as possible after capture. Another species with a black spot near 

 the pectoral fin is the pout, or whiting pout (G. /uscus*), which may be at once 

 distinguished from the whiting by the barbel on the chin, and the greater depth of 

 the body, which during life is marked with dark cross-bands. Seldom exceeding 

 five pounds in weight, this fish ranges from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, but 

 does not cross the Atlantic. The name of pout is derived from the power pos- 

 sessed by this fish of inflating the membranes covering the eyes and adjacent 

 regions into a bladder-like form. Nearly allied is the much smaller power cod (G. 

 minutus), which seldom exceeds half a dozen inches in length, and may be further 

 distinguished by the small proportionate depth of the body. Found in vast shoals 

 in the Baltic, the power cod, although of little or no value, is always welcomed as 

 the harbinger of the advent of its larger cousins. The pollack, or whiting pollack 

 (G. pollachiui), is a British representative of the group in which the lower jaw is 

 the longer, and all the upper teeth are of equal size; it has a dark spot near the pec- 

 toral fin, but no barbel. This fish is an inhabitant of European seas as far as the 

 western portions of the Mediterranean. Haunting rocky ground, pollack are fa- 

 mous for their power of withstanding strong tides and currents; they are very com- 

 mon in many parts of the south coast of England, as Devonshire, but become 



