THE COMMON COD. 333 



II. SUBBRACHIALES. 



Ventral fins placed beneath the pectorals or nearly so. 



Family V. GADIDtE. — Eyes placed one on each side 

 of the head ; ventrals separate, jugular ; jaws and front of 

 the vomer armed with teeth.* 



Genus GAD US. — Dorsal fins three; one barbule at the 

 extremity of the lower jaw. 



MoRRHUA VULGARIS. f THE COMMON Col). 



Specific Characters. — Lower half of the lateral line white ; first anal 

 fin commencing under the second dorsal. 



Description. — Common size from a foot and a half to two feet in 

 length ; said sometimes to reach five, and to weigh seventy-eight 

 pounds. Head in large specimens, rather more than one-fourth of 

 the entire length ; depth of the body under the first dorsal frequently 

 more than equal the length of the head. Colours liable to much va- 

 riation ; the most common appearance, back and sides yellowish-grey 

 spotted with greenish-ash ; lower half of the lateral line broad and 

 white ; all the fins dusky ; belly pure white. First dorsal fin com- 

 mencing in a vertical line a little behind the base of the pectorals ; 

 its form somewhat triangular ; fourth ray the longest, not quite as 

 long as the base of the fin; the rest rapidly diminishing in height; 

 the last very short, scarcely perceptible. Second dorsal commencing 

 at a short interval from the termination of the first ; the fourth ray 

 the longest, rather less than half the length of the base of the fin, and 

 equalling the length of the seventh ray of the first dorsal ; the re- 

 maining rays gradually diminishing, the last three more suddenly so. 

 Third dorsal arises at a short distance from the last ray of the second 

 dorsal., and ends near the short rays of the caudal; fifth ray the longest, 

 as long as, from the base of the first ray, to that of the eleventh of the 

 same fin ; the last three rays very short, diminishing rapidly from the 

 one preceding. Caudal fin nearly even at the end; last anal fin cor- 

 responding to the last dorsal, and placed precisely under it ; first 



* Cuvier, says, " the teeth in this family are card-like and the caeca 

 are numerous." But these characters do not seem to hold good throughout 

 the family, and, therefore, they are here omitted, the teeth in the hake are 

 very long ; and the tadpole-fish has no caeca. f i 



-f" Morrhua vulgaris, Cuv., Yarr. Gadus Morrhua Linn., Jen. ' ' 



