346 Ichthyology of the Firth of Forth. 



per margin of the two former shaded with white. The head is 

 large and wide, a little more than one-third the length of the body, 

 with the crown of it remarkably flattened and depressed ; the an- 

 terior part of the body is round and tumid, while the hinder part is 

 much compressed. On each jaw are a number of small sharp teeth, 

 with a few long ones projecting beyond the rest, particularly on the 

 lower jaw, and on the front of the upper ; the anterior part of the 

 roof of the mouth is also furnished with teeth set close together, and 

 arranged in a lateral direction. At the commencement of the oeso- 

 phagus are four cartilaginous prominences covered with a number of 

 very small sharp teeth, rendering each rough to the touch. The 

 tongue is broad, smooth, and destitute of teeth. The under jaw is 

 the shorter, and furnished with a small conical barbule, placed on 

 its anterior and under surface, which is scarcely perceptible except 

 when the flsh is in a recent state. Each eye is situated a little in 

 advance of the angle of the mouth, and is of a pale yellow colour. 

 Immediately over the base of the pectorals, the first dorsal fin com- 

 mences, which is very small and easily overlooked, composed of 

 three rays, of which the middle is the longest, being about half the 

 length of the pectoral rays. The second dorsal fin commences in a 

 vertical line over the middle of the pectorals, and runs down the back 

 to within a very short distance of the tail. The anal fin begins in 

 a line under the termination of the pectoral rays, and ends at a point 

 not quite so far as that at which the dorsal terminates. The ven- 

 tral fins arise under the throat, and the two first rays, which are the 

 longest, and of a bluish-white colour, extend a little beyond the ori- 

 gin of the anal fin. The remainder of the rays are about one-third 

 of the length of the two former, and of a dull black appearance. The 

 caudal and pectoral fins are nearly of equal size and form, slightly 

 rounded at the extremity ; the latter is of a sooty black colour, with 

 a broad light- coloured band running across the middle. The scales, 

 which are small and very adherent, are scarcely perceptible when 

 fresh. The air-bladder is large, with the coats thick and strong. The 

 numbers of the fin-rays are, 



lsl D. 3; 2dD. 67; C. 20; A. 57 ; P. 17; V. 6. 

 The lateral line commences over the pectoral fin, and after running in a 

 straight course halfway down the sides, takes a sudden bend, thence 

 continues straight to the tail. The oesophagus is short and wide; the 

 stomach is of an oval form, and the intestines are entirely destitute of 

 cceca. In this last respect the tadpole fish is an exception in the family 

 Gadidce, where the ccecal appendages are numerous, so as to form one 

 of the principal characters of that family ; and it is evident that 

 Cuvier had not been acquainted with its anatomical structure, for 



