- 



the Herring-king. 181 



besides tlie spine situated immediately in front of it : I have 

 also noted the finding of six or seven ; but in this case it is 

 easy to make a mistake. 



The position of the lateral line may be a little lower or 

 higher. The proportion between its distance from the anus 

 and the height of the body at the same part is from 1 : 2*17 

 to 1 : 2*80; as a rule it is relatively lowest in the higher in- 

 dividuals. It contains about 102-110 scales, the little spin- 

 of which, especially in the younger individuals, may be 

 distinct to the origin of the lateral line ; in the last 9-14 it is, 

 as is well known, large and sharp. 



The facial profile may be more or less abrupt ; but the 

 physiognomical difference thereby produced is perhaps depen- 

 dent rather upon accidental circumstances than upon age. 



The number of teeth in the jaws may vary from — (higher 



numbers have been observed by others) : the vomerine teeth 

 are 1-5 in number j but it would appear that they may be 

 completely absent : of upper pharyngeal teeth there are 4, 4, 

 and 5 on each side, on the three pairs of upper pharyngeal 

 bones. An opercular branchia is present; and the adoral ex- 

 crescences of the branchial arches bear some small teeth at 

 their apex; there are 12-13 such excrescences on the anterior, 

 and 10-7 on the posterior branchial arches, not reckoning the 

 fifth gill-less arch (the existence of which has been erroneously 

 denied) ; which has only 6-7. 



The three black spots on the side of the body are especially 

 distinct upon very young individuals ; in older ones we often 

 see only one or two lateral spots ; and they are generally less 

 distinct or entirely absent in fishes which have been long 

 preserved. 



The comminuted seaw r eeds (Zosterce and Floridea?) with 

 which the stomach is often found to be much distended, are of 

 course not the natural food of the Vaagmsers, but merely taken 

 for want of better in the neighbourhood of the coasts on which 

 they get stranded. 



Of the second, larger, rarer, and also more fragile northern 

 Bandfish, the so-called King of the Herrings, " Sildekonge " 

 or u Sildetust,' 1 Gymnetrus ox Regalecus 7 & specimen has only 

 once, namely in 1852, been sent to the museum, from the 

 Faroes ; and this was by no means in good preservation, 

 wanting the head, w T ith only rudiments of fins, and cut or 

 broken into three pieces. Fortunately the museum afterwards 



