Prof. Reid on the Vogniarus Islandicus. 457 



and in the 1st volume of the 2nd edition of YarrelPs excellent 

 ' History of Britisk Fishes/ it was evident that it belonged to the 

 latter species. 



No unquestionably genuine specimen of this rare fish has, as far 

 as T am aware, beeVi 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. Hoy f as belonging to the Trichiurus 

 lepturus of Linnseus, 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 termination of the vertebral 



column .o 5 4 



Height of body immediatelv behind the gills (not including dorsal 



fin) ....' 8 



Height of body 17 inches from point of nose 11 



"Height of body opposite vent: , lO-j'^ 



Height of body 40 inches from point of nose 10 



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 3 



Height of body 4 inches fronl end of vertebral column l-j^y 



Height of head measured across the middle of the eyeball 6 



Length of head (the upper jaw being fully protruded) 8 



The circumference of the eyeball circular, and its diameter mea- 

 suring , 2^ 



Distance of vent from point of nose 2 9 



The body and head were much compressed laterally, so that 

 the whole animal was ribbon- shaped, the thickness of the upper 

 edge being only y^g^^^ ^^ ^^ 'mc\i, that of the lower edge being 



* The Magazine of Natural History by J. C. Loudon, vol. iv. p. 21.'), 

 1831. 



t Linntean Transactions, vol. xi. p. 210. 



