FISHES. 489 



which,, when present, forms the end of the tail, and is 

 horizontal, not elevated, as in the last. Pectorals consist 

 of one long ray each on the tip, flattened out to a web ; no 

 anal fin. 



35. GYHNETKUS GRILLTI, Lind. Norsk Sild Kung. Bank's 

 Oar Fish (?). 



Description of a fresh fish by Dr. Lindroth, which was 

 washed up off Hitteren, near Trondtheim, in Norway, on the 

 12th August, 1797, the fragments of which are now pre- 

 served in the Stockholm Museum : 



"Body pointed, thin, sword-like, 18 ft. long, 14 in. high, 

 and 3^ in. thick; weight 180 Itr. ; colour silvery; skin 

 rough, on account of four dark knotty and five paler smooth 

 rows along the whole body, and a few transverse shades ; 

 head compressed, small, 7 in. high, 12 in. long, and 2 in. 

 thick. The mouth was crushed, but it appeared as if the 

 upper jaw had been a little shorter than the under. No 

 teeth could be found. Eyes 2 in. in diameter, with silvery 

 iris. Pectorals 2 in. long, and about the same in breadth ; 

 twelve rays. Ventrals, each consisting of a single ray 

 of 5 ft. in length, rounded at the root, about as thick as a 

 swan's quill, tapering gradually towards the end to a fine 

 point, which appeared to have terminated with a flattened 

 web, which was so much damaged that the number of rays 

 could not rightly be seen. Colour bright red. .The dorsal 

 fin, which extended along the whole back, was highest at 

 the head, 6 in. ; in the middle of the back 4 in. ; -then gra- 

 dually tapering off to the tail; its rays 406; its web thin, bright 

 red, darkest at the outside margin, paler towards the back. 

 The lateral line, which commenced at the upper edge of the 

 eye, after that gradually sank down two-thirds of the fish's 

 height, and continued thence along the body in a straight 

 line to the point of the tail. The whole of this lateral line 

 was in appearance like a cable with links, four lines long, or 

 oblong scales of one line broad, which sat loose and thin on 

 the skin. The tail fin was broken off." 



Nilsson adds that at the fishing station of Glesnas, which 



