HADDOCK. 155 



market." A different reason appears to me more likely to 

 have suggested the name : the dark mark on the shoulder 

 of the Haddock very frequently extends over the back and 

 unites with the patch of the shoulder on the other side, for- 

 cibly reminding the observer of the dark stripe over the 

 withers of the ass ; and the superstition that assigns the mark 

 in the Haddock to the impression St. Peter left with his 

 finger and thumb Avhen he took the tribute-money out of 

 a fish of this species, which has been continued to the whole 

 race of Haddocks ever since the miracle, may possibly have 

 had reference, or even its origin, in the obvious similarity of 

 this mark on the same part of the body of the Haddock and 

 of the humble animal which had borne the Christian Saviour, 

 That the reference to St. Peter is gratuitous, is shown by the 

 fact that the Haddock does not exist in the sea of the coun- 

 try where the miracle was performed. 



The length of the specimen described was twenty inches. 

 The length of the head compared to the length of the body, 

 without including the caudal rays, is as one to two and a 

 half; the depth of the body less than the length of the head : 

 the first dorsal fin commences in a line over the origin of the 

 pectorals ; the second dorsal fin begins in a line over the 

 anal aperture, and ends nearly on the same plane with the 

 first anal fin ; the third dorsal fin, and the second anal fin, 

 commence nearly on the same plane, but the base of the 

 first is longer than that of the second : the caudal rays rather 

 long, and the tail slightly forked. The fin-rays in number 

 are — 



D. 15. 21. 19. : P. 18 : V. 6 : A. 24. 8. : C. 25, Vertebra 54. 



The head slopes suddenly from the crown to the point of 

 the nose ; the upper jaw much longer than the lower ; the 

 nose projecting beyond the opening of the mouth, which is 



M 2 



