GiJNTHER. — FISHES OF GREENLAND. 47 



1. Collect specimens of every species, with the exception of the 

 common Wolf-fish {Anarrhichas lupus'^), the species of the genus 

 Gadus, viz., Cod-fish, Whiting, Pollack, Coal-fish, Ling, and 

 Torsk, the Halibut and the Capelin.t Beyond lat. 7 1*' N. collect 

 all fishes without exception ; generally three or four specimens 

 of each kind will be sufficient. 



2. The smaller kinds, that is, specimens which can be packed 

 in tin boxes 2 J feet long, preserve in spirits 20** over proof; the 

 larger specimens can be skinned and preserved dry ; skins of 

 sharks are best preserved in very strong brine. 



3. To judge from the collections brought home by previous 

 travellers there must be, at suitable localities, an abundance and a 

 great variety of small shore-fish, such as Father-lashers (Cottoids), 

 Sticklebacks, Blennies, etc., which may be obtained by the usual 

 means or by employing natives or resitlents. 



4. The absence of Fish life at or near the surface is no proof 

 that fishes are not abundant at a greater depth ; and whenever 

 circumstances permit, long hand-lines should be tried. These 

 hand-lines should diflPer from the ordinary cod-line in being much 

 longer, upwards of 80 fathoms, and (in the fashion of a pater- 

 noster) provided with hooks for about 20 fathoms from the 

 sinker. In order to allow the lines to be in the water for several 

 hours, the hooks ought to be fastened to the snood by a number of 

 open strands of soft twine about three inches long, so that the fish 

 cannot bite through the line. I have no doubt that in this manner 

 those extraordinary Arctic forms which we know from isolated 

 examples only, can be obtained ; nearly all of them are evidently 

 very voracious fishes. 



5. Although the Sharks are well represented in the Arctic Seas, 

 our knowledge of them is extremely incomplete. Scarcely the 

 outlines of their specific characters are known, and absolutely no- 

 thing of their life-history. No instance is on record of a young 

 Basking Shark (a species by no means uncommon) having ever 

 been seen. Therefore, all observations regarding them ought to 

 be collected ; and specimens of a manageable size preserved. 

 Should the Naturalists have an opportunity of examining very 

 large examples, an exact outline drawing of the entire animal 

 showing the exact position of the eyes, nostrils and blow-holes 

 (spiracula) should be made, and the jaws cut out and preserved. 

 The species of Sharks which are regularly killed for the sake of 

 the oil extracted from their liver, ought to be determined ; and 

 some of the European residents on the coast be induced to pre- 

 pare the skins of full grown examples (from 25 to 35 feet in 

 length) for sale to the Museums in Europe. 



6. We know of but one family of fishes inhabiting fresh waters 

 of the Arctic region, viz., Salmonoids. Trout were caught during 



* There is a second species in Greenland, Anarrhichas denticulatuSf with 

 much smaller teeth and an unspotted blackish-brown body ; this species is 

 a desideratum, 



t Greenlandic: Angmaksak ; Sennersulik (male with villous excres- 

 cences). Sennersuitsut (male without). Eskimo: Angmaggeuck, 



