THE LING. 63 



barbel under the chin, and the ventral fin is reduced to a single long ray which becomes forked at 

 the end. In a specimen two feet long the longest part of the ventral ray measured eight inches, and 

 the shortest five inches and a half. It is seen in the winter only, when it comes into shallow water 

 to spawn. The body is of a lilac-grey colour, becoming pale on the belly ; the fins are edged with black, 

 except the ventrals, which have white tips. Other species of Phycis are found in the Mediterranean 

 and adjacent parts of the Atlantic, and on the coasts of the United States, and at Monte Video. 



The Burbot (Lota vulyaris) is a member of the Cod family, which is found in the fresh waters of 

 Central alid Northern Europe and the lakes of Canada, and adjacent parts of the United States. It 

 does not occur in Scotland or Ireland, and in England is limited to the rivers of Yorkshire, Lin- 

 colnshire, Durham, Norfolk, and Cambridgeshire, but it is far commoner in Sweden and Siberia, 

 and other cold regions of the north. In England it rarely weighs more than two to five pounds, 

 but heavier specimens have been taken in the Trent. Scandinavian examples are referred to weighing 

 twenty pounds. Its habits are similar to those of the Eel, for it hides itself under stones, feeds 

 principally during the night, and sometimes hides its body in holes in the banks. The flesh is white, 

 firm, and well flavoured, and is preferred by some epicures to that of the Eel. The length varies 

 from one to two feet. The chin is armed with one barbel, and the upper jaw is slightly longer than 

 the lower ; the lateral line is indistinct ; the ventral fins are a little in front of the pectorals and wide 

 apart. The body has a yellowish-brown colour, clouded with darker mottlings ; the under side is white. 

 The dorsal fins and anal fin are arranged as in the Hake. This genus may be regarded as a fresh- 

 water representative of the Ling, to which it closely approximates in important characteristics. 



THE LING * 



The Ling is essentially a northern fish, and ranges round the northern coasts of Europe to 

 Iceland and Greenland. It is taken chiefly on the west coast of Britain, especially between the 

 Scilly Isles and Land's End, all round Ireland, and among the Hebrides and Orkneys, but is also 

 found on the Yorkshire coast. In the West of England the best captures are made in January and 

 February ; in the north of Ireland in March ; and in the north of Scotland between May and 

 August It is caught like the Cod with both long line and hand line. It is not greatly valued for 

 food when fresh, but salted is often preferred to Cod. The 6sh are split from head to tail, cleaned, 

 soaked in brine, washed and dried, and taken to the ports of Spain. The Ling feeds readily on any- 

 thing that comes in its way. and though preferring live fish, will take pieces of Herring, Pilchard, or 

 Cuttle. Seven Plaice, six or seven inches long, have been taken from the stomach of one Ling, 

 and another specimen had swallowed a Rough Hound. The air-bladders, or sounds, are said to be 

 inferior to those of the Cod, but still are greatly valued when preserved. The roes which sometimes, 

 reach a weight of eleven pounds are also dried. The oil extracted from the liver was formerly 

 burned in the cottages of the poor, and in more recent times, like that of the Cod, has been used in. 

 medicine. Couch has known Ling to weigh a hundred and twenty-four pounds. A specimen five feet 

 and a half long weighed about seventy pounds, but the usual length is from three to four feet. 

 The body is more elongated than that of the Hake. The lower jaw is the shorter, with a single 

 barbel at its extremity. The teeth in the upper jaw are small and numerous, but in the lower jaw 

 they are long, large, and form a single row. The caudal fin is rounded at its extremity, like that of the 

 Burbot. The anal fin resembles the second dorsal ; the first dorsal is somewhat elongated. The 

 lateral line is straight ; the colour of the back and sides is an olive-grey, or sometimes bluish. The 

 belly is silvery ; the dorsal and anal fins are edged with white, and behind the white tip of the 

 caudal fin is a transverse black bar. Dr. Giiather remarks that the bones of the skull are more 

 solid than in the genus Gadus. Other species of Molva are found in the Mediterranean and on* 

 the coasts of Scandinavia. 



THE MACKEREL MIDGE.f 



Two little fishes which inhabit the North Atlantic and which only occasionally visit British 

 seas form the genus Couchia. In this genus there is no air-bladder ; there are barbels on the 

 upper jaw as well as on the lower jaw, and the first dorsal fin is formed of a band of short 

 fringes concealed in a longitudinal groove. The Mackerel Midge is one of the smallest of fishes, and 



* Molva vulgaris. t Couchia glauca. 



