506 



THE FUR SEALS OF THE PRIBILOP ISLANDS. 



Palatine with a single series. One large tooth on vomer. L. turneri and L. polaris 

 are possibly the same species. 



30. Boreogadus saida (Lepeehin). 



Head, 3 J in length of body; depth, 5J; eye, 4 in head; snout, 3^; interorbital space 

 ^■ gill rakers, 9 to 13+30 to 32; dorsal, 13, 14, 20; anal, 16, 21; barbel minute. 



Body long and slender and but little compressed. The head is rather loug and 

 pointed, the lower jaw projecting beyond the upper. The maxillary reaches center 

 of pupil; the mandible is contained twice in the length of the head; its articulation 

 with the quadrate bone is on a vertical midway between pupil and posterior edge of 

 eye. The teeth iu the upper jaw in a single series, except in front where there is a 

 double row; the teeth in the lower jaw are in a single row; the teeth are all of about 

 the same size, sharp and not closely set, those on. the vomer are few, and of the same 

 size as those in the jaws. The gill rakers are numerous, long, and slender, the longest 

 equal to half the diameter of the eye. The vent is slightly in advance of the front of 

 the second dorsal. The caudal peduncle is slender and rounded, its (Jepth scarcely 

 more than one-half eye. The pectoral fins reach the vent and are contained IJ in 

 head; theventrals are contained IJ in head, their second ray produced for two-fifths 

 its length. The space between the first and second dorsals is but very little shorter than 

 the space between the second and third dorsals; first dorsal highest; the front of 

 second dorsal midway between the tip of snout and the base of middle caudal rays. 

 The caudal is forked a distance equal to two-thirds the eye; the tips rounded. 



Color plain brownish, light silvery below, the body covered with minute black 

 or brown punetulations which are most numerous above. The dorsal and caudal dusky, 

 becoming black toward the ends of the rays and narrowly edged with white. The 

 pectorals are uniform dusky with an edge of white. The ventrals are partly dusky. 

 The two anals are dusky; the basal half colorless; the edge of the fin white, as in the 

 others. Peritoneum dusky. We have compared our specimens with the Greenland 

 form and can find no differences. 



This fish appeared to be quite abundant north of Bering Straits. It was espe- 

 cially brought to our notice by its habit of hiding in small holes in the floating ice, 

 from which they were dislodged by our steamer striking and turning over the blocks 

 of ice. This floating ice was usually in 7 fathoms of water and 1 or 2 miles from the 

 coast. At Herschel Island we took it with the seine in shallow water along the beach. 

 Turner reports it from St. Michael, where he took it through the ice in February, and 

 was told by the natives that it appeared there only in the winter. According to Rich- 

 ardson it spawns in Greenland in February, laying its eggs in the seaweeds along the 

 shore under the ice. 



a First dorsal mutilated. 



