1898—1902. No. 25.] FISHES. 5 
By the large number of rays in the fins, these specimens show 
that they belong to the arctic form, var. grenlandica LirKen, as 
might be expected. 
With regard to the Greenland sea-scorpion (“Cottus groenlandicus 
C. V.”, or “C. porosus C. V.”) C. F. Lirxen, in his little treatise on 
northern sea-scorpions+, has declared himself of the same opinion as 
Matmcren* when he says that it cannot be kept specifically distinct 
from C. scorpius, but that on the other hand there are certain features 
which characterise the Greenland sea-scorpion, and justify its being set 
up as peculiar variety, var. greenlandica, although this must not lead 
to the belief that the variety differs from the typical C. scorpius in 
clearly defined or constant characteristics. In another place in the same 
treatise (p. 374), however, Liitken makes a remark which indicates that 
the term var. greenlandica ought rather to be expanded to include all 
the high arctic sea-scorpions; for he says: “C. scorpius (s. lat.) must 
be regarded in its features as a high northern animal form, which attains 
its greatest size and most characteristic development on the high northern 
and American shores; on the shores of temperate Europe it is a dwarf 
form in comparison, and has undergone some reduction in the average 
number of rays and vertebre”. To show the correctness of this view — 
which indeed Matmcren has already to some extent maintained — I 
will here give, in a tabular form, the result of some countings, by 
Maumeren, Lirken and the present author: 
| Dt | D2. A. P. | Vertebree 
East Greenland | (9) 10 | 16—17 13-14 (16) 17—18 | 37-38 
West Greenland |(9) 10 (41)) ({4—15) 16-17 | (11-12) 183-14] (15-16) 17] (86) 88—39 
(18—19) (15) (18 — 19) 
Spitzbergen. . . |9—10 (11), 15-17 (11) 12-14 16-17 
Faroe Isles. . | 9-10 | 1415 | 11-19 | 16 (17) 32-33 
It will thus be seen that the number of rays averages a little 
greater in the arctic (Greenland and Spitzbergen) sea-scorpion than in 
that of the temperate (Faroe Islands); but the difference is more distinct 
with regard to the number of vertebre. 
1 Cur. Lirxen: Korte Bidrag til nordisk Ichthyographi. I. Vidensk. Meddel. Na- 
turhist. Foren. Kjobenhavn, 1876, p. 370. 
2 A. J. Matmeren: Om Spetsbergens Fiskfauna. Ofvers. K. Vet.-Akad. Forhandl., 
1864, No. 10, p. 495. 
