202 



GADID,E. 



The figure liere given is taken from a drawing by Mr. 

 Couch, whose MS. contains the following notice of this 

 species : " The head flat on the top, compressed at the 

 sides, small in proportion to the body : eyes large ; nostrils 

 in a depression before them : mouth wide : under jaw short- 

 est ; teeth in both fine ; some larger teeth on the palate : a 

 barb at the lower jaw : body compressed, slender towards the 

 tail, which is small in proportion ; belly tumid ; lateral line 

 elevated at first, afterwards low ; body and head with scales : 

 two dorsal fins, the first elevated and pointed ; second dorsal 

 and anal fins long, expanded, bound down towards the 

 tail ; the ventral fins simple rays, very long, divided or 

 forked, one of the divisions longer than the other; a few 

 spines before the anal fin ; tail rounded, all the rays soft. 

 Colour of the sides and back dusky brown ; on the gill- 

 covers sometimes greenish ; fins dusky purple, except the 

 ventrals ; belly whitish. 



This fish grows to the length of two feet : in a specimen 

 of this size the longest portion of the ventral ray was eight 

 inches, the shortest five inches and a half. 



" Hake^s Dame is the name by which alone this fish is 

 known to our fishermen. It is not uncommon in Cornwall ; 

 but I have never seen it except in winter, when it seems to 

 come into shallow water to spawn. It takes a bait, and is 

 used as food, but is not much esteemed. 1 ' 1 



The number of fin-rays, according to Dr. Fleming, are 



1st D. 10 : 2nd D. 62 : P. 12 : V. 1 : A. 56. 



It is desirable to notice the specific characters of this 

 fish, in order to distinguish between it and a Mediterranean 

 species of the same genus, which, according to Cuvier, is 

 the true Blennius phycis of Linnaeus, and not the British 

 fish, as supposed by Pennant and others. The British fish 



