Prof. Reid on the Vogmarus Islandicus. 457. 
and in the 1st volume of the 2nd edition of Yarrell’s excellent 
‘ History of British Fishes,’ it was evident that it belonged to the 
latter species. 
No unquestionably genuine specimen of this rare fish has, as far 
as I am aware, been hitherto found in the British seas ; for the de- 
scription and figure of the fishes thrown ashore in Orkney, sup- 
posed to be specimens of the deal-fish or Vaagmaer, given by Dr. 
Fleming* on the authority of Dr. Duguid, differ in so many im- 
portant points from the Vaagmaer as must excite doubts as to their 
identity. Dr. Fleming is also disposed to regard as a specimen 
of the Vaagmaer one of the two fishes thrown ashore in the Moray 
Firth, and described by Mr. Hoyt as belonging to the Trichiurus 
lepturus of Linneus, but the identity is here still more doubtful. 
Its fins were of a light red colour, and the surface of the body 
and of the skull was of a bright leaden silvery lustre. The iris 
had also a silvery lustre. The greater part of the substance im- 
parting the silver colour to the surface had been detached from 
one side of the body from the manner in which it had been 
packed up in transmitting it to St. Andrews; and though some 
parts of the surface of the other side had a duller lustre than 
_ others, from a cause which I shall afterwards explain, yet none 
was sufficiently dark or distinctly defined to constitute a dark 
spot similar to the two represented on each side of Reinhardt’s 
specimen. 
Its measurements were as follows :-— 
ft. in 
Length of body from point of nose to termiiiation of the vertebral 
EMR thc evassibeaitsssesdis Re isanbsatpeabccasveotcudssccses denecennsens 5 ¢ 
—— of body immediately behind the gills (hot including dorsal 
MER ARs Gb aia Clues: Waa vaniesdas » vis'd d¥es we bnid dees « devedsanee 0 8 
Height of body 17 inches from point of nose ....... seesceneceesseses 0 11 
NT SMES ISIE VOTE inc 5. soos nctigeusssecsgncetnceesonsescons 0 1044 
Height of body 40 inches froin point of nose ...........000000 wanie o O O 
The height of the body tapered gradually from this last part 
mentioned to 7 inches from the termination of the vertebral co- 
lumn, where it began to diminish rapidly. 
Height of body 7 inches from end of vertebral column ........+.+. 0 3 
Height of body 4 inches from end of vertebral column............... 0 145 
Height of head measured across the middle of the eyeball ...... 0 6 
Length of head (the upper jaw being fully protruded).............+. 0 8 
The circumference of the eyeball circular, and its diameter mea- 
IN Gidenscoxeoksons re SeRNBNLERGGeksRiAet Cen okssadeneotascsheahietinn 0° 28; 
“Distance of vent from point of nose ....0.......sscceecscseccessscseeees 2°) 
The body and head were much compressed laterally, so that 
the whole animal was ribbon-shaped, the thickness of the upper 
edge being only ;4,ths of an inch, that of the lower edge being 
* The Magazine of Natural History by J. C. Loudon, vol. iv. p. 215, 
1831. 
+ Linnean Transactions, vol. xi. p. 210. 
