FISHES. 487 



Gen. Trachypterus, Gouan. 



Body long, naked, compressed, like the blade of a sword, 

 covered with a silvery gloss ; snout projecting ; eyes very 

 large ; one long dorsal, with a partially separate and high 

 portion in front ; tail distinct and well formed ; not on a line 

 with the body, but elevated ; no anal ; pectorals very 

 small. 



34. TEACHYPTEEUS AECTTCUS, Nilss. Norsk Solv Qveite. 



The Deal Fish. D. 



The dimensions of the example which was sent down 

 to Lund by Liljeborg from Tromsoe, in Norway, de- 

 scribed by Nilsson, were as follows : " Length from 

 the point of the nose to the root of the tail 6 ft., of 

 which the head was 9 in. ; the height over the neck was 

 8 in., over the pectorals 10{ r in., increasing gradually to 

 about 34 in. from the point of the nose, where it is 

 14 in.,whence it quickly diminishes, being only 1 in. when 

 4 in. from the root of the tail, and close to the tail 4 1. ; 

 colour ; head blackish ; mouth inwardly white ; head 

 and the right side of the body silvered all over ; the 

 two oblong black spots, which in the vaagmar (the 

 Iceland deal fish, T. Vogmarus, Reinh.) lie wide apart on 

 the sides near to the tail, are not seen in the solv qveite, 

 but in their stead there is a black band parallel with 

 the upper edge, a little under the root of the tail ; fins 

 red ; the left side nearly colourless grey, with scarcely 

 a sign of silver gloss. Is said in Finmark to attain a 

 length of six to ten* feet. 



Couch's figure certainly represents the Iceland fish, but 

 in his description he says, ' ' thrown on the'shores of Iceland, 

 Norway, and Finland." If, as Nilsson (and I believe cor- 

 rectly) supposes, that the Scandinavian fish is a different 

 species from the Iceland vaagmar, Mr. Couch's Trachypterus 

 Arcticus, Gunther, does not appear even to be met with on 

 these coasts, certainly not at least the form as figured by 

 him, and described in his book by Dr. Gunther ; for Nilsson, 

 in describing the Norsk solv qveite, says : ' ' This singular 



