THE COD FAMILY AND THE SAND-EELS 257 



in the poor cod. According to Day, the two kinds swim at 

 different levels ; but this is hardly credible, seeing how often 

 the two come up together, a pout on one hook and a " power " 

 on the other, the hooks moreover being fast to the same 

 crossbar, and therefore fishing at the same depth. 



The poor cod is widely distributed, being plentiful almost 

 all around these islands, and inhabiting at once the Mediter- 

 ranean and the colder waters of Northern Europe. According 

 to the authors of Scandinavian Fishes, it is much commoner on 

 those coasts than the pout. It spawns with us about mid- 

 summer or a little earlier, and Mcintosh says that, like the 

 whiting, it may deposit its eggs either at some distance from 

 land or well up the Firth of Forth. As the spawning-period 

 falls late, when the temperature is high, the development of 

 the egg is rapid. The newly hatched larva measures rather 

 over -^ in., and is dotted with yellow. The poor cod has 

 been known to spawn in the tanks of the Plymouth Labora- 

 tory in March, but that is not necessarily any guide to its 

 natural breeding-time, even in Plymouth Sound. 



The Poutassou (G. poutassou), also known as Couch's 

 Whiting, while it cannot be reckoned among those rarer 

 gadoid forms that have been left for notice in Chapter XIV. 

 is nevertheless so capricious in its occurrences as to be 

 unknown on many parts of the coast. It grows to a length 

 of at least 1 5 in.. Couch having obtained a Polperro example 

 of that size. In colour it is silvery brown above and lighter 

 below, and has yellow lines along the sides of its elongated 

 body. The lower jaw is rather longer than the upper, and 

 the chin has no barbel. The scales are very small. The 

 lateral line is distinct and but slightly curved. 



The Mediterranean distribution of the poutassou seems 

 not less irregular than with us, for, while generally common 

 on the westernmost grounds of that sea, it is in some years 

 exceedingly rare on the Italian coast. 



According to Fries, the poutassou spawns in Scandinavian 



17 



