Opisthomi and Anacanthini 745 
only. It is a large fish found on both shores of the North Atlan- 
tic, but rather rare on our coasts. 
Fossil codfishes are not numerous. Fragments thought to 
belong to this family are found in English Eocene rocks. 
Nemopteryx troscheli, from the Oligocene of Glarus, has three 
dorsal fins and a lunate caudal fin. Other forms have been 
referred with more or less doubt to Gadus, Brosmius, Strinsia, 
and Melanogrammus. 
Gill separates the “three-forked hake” (Raniceps trifur- 
cus) of northern Europe as a distinct family, Ranicipitide. In 
this species the head is very large, broad and depressed, differ- 
ing in this regard from the codlings and hakes, which have also 
two dorsal fins. The deep-water genus, Bathyonus, is also 
regarded as a distinct family, Bathyonide. 
The Hakes: Merluc‘ide.—Better defined than these families 
Fic. 659.—California Hake, Merluccius productus (Ayres). Seattle. 
is the family of hakes, Merluctide. These pike-like codfishes 
have the skull peculiarly formed, the frontal bones being paired, 
excavated above, with diverging crests continuous forward 
from the forked occipital crest. The species are large fishes, 
very voracious, without barbels, with the skeleton papery and 
the flesh generally soft. The various species are all very much 
alike, large, ill-favored fishes with strong teeth and a ragged 
appearance, the flesh of fair quality. Merluccius merluccius, 
the hake or stock-fish, is common in Europe; Merluccius bilinearis, 
the silver hake, is common in New England, Merluccius pro- 
ductus in California, and Merluccitus gayi in Chile. 
The Grenadiers: Macrouride.— The large family of grena- 
diers, or rat-tails, Macrouride, is confined entirely to the oceanic 
