THE COD FAMILY. 383 



It is taken in more northern waters of a length of at least 

 3 feet and a weight of 50 Ibs., but examples taken off our 

 north coasts it does not occur in the south average 

 nearer 15 Ibs. It seems uncertain whether this fish should 

 find a place in the Irish list. 



In the three rocklings we have shore-fishes that feed, 



mostly at night, on small fish and crustaceans, lurking 



Three- during the day among the stones, and fre- 



bearded quently getting left behind in shallow rock- 



>c ing. p OO } s ky j-ke rece( ii n g tide. The largest of 



them, the Three-bearded Kockling, is a light-brown fish 



with black spots, and has two barbels on the upper and 



one on the lower lip. It appears to attain a length of 20 



inches, but the largest I ever hooked, off Hastings pier, 



measured just 9 inches. This fish, locally known as the 



" Three - bearded Gade," spawns in summer. It is its 



young that are known as " Mackerel - midge "; they are 



silvery and without spots, and a favourite food of herring, 



mackerel, and other surface-feeding fish. 



The Four-bearded Rockling has one barbel more than 



the last, the upper jaw carrying three of these appendages, 



Four- the l wer ne - It is brown, and has no spots 



bearded of any kind. The small dorsal fin of this fish 



mg * is observed to vibrate rapidly, not unlike that 



of the pipe-fishes. Like the other rocklings, it is a 



favourite in the marine aquarium. It spawns in summer. 



Yet one more "beard," five in all, has the Five-bearded 

 Rockling, four on the upper and the usual single one on 

 p ive _ the lower jaw. The body, which is of a uni- 

 bearded form brown or stone colour, is unspotted. This 

 Lng * fish is known down in Cornwall as the " Brown 

 Whistler," the reason of which sobriquet I was never able 

 to learn. It frequents shallow water, feeds on small crus- 

 taceans, mostly at night, and in summer deposits its eggs 



