GADIDiE. 293 



lateral-line, one or more yellow longitudinal bands parallel with and below the 

 lateral-line. A small black spot in the axil of the pectoral fin, which is sometimes 

 absent, especially in the young. Doi'sal and caudal fins gray becoming nearly 

 black externally : anal fins light, the base may even be white with the outer edge 

 gray. Pectoral brown. 



Names. — Couch's whiting. 



Habits. — Risso observes it is taken at all seasons off Nice, and that it 

 frequents deep water. 



Baits. — Similar to those for whiting. 



Breeding. — It is said to spawn in spring off Nice. Couch observed in July, 

 18(3 L, a number of the young of about five inches in length; they continued 

 about three weeks, and between the 21st and 23rd of July suddenly disappeared. 



As food. — -Its flesh is of a good taste but soft, and rapidly decomposes. 



Habitat. — From Scandinavia to the coasts of Belgium and Great Britain : also 

 the Mediterranean, where it is common, and is taken at Nice throughout the 

 year, but becomes rare in the Italian seas. 



It has been taken off North Uist in the Hebrides, and is occasionally found 

 in Ireland (Mc Andrew) : in May, 1840, Mr. Couch obtained an example of it at 

 Polperro, 15 inches in length : another was subsequently taken by a fisherman in 

 the same place (R. Couch). 



" In June, 1861, our bays were full of the young of this species. In 1871, if 

 possible, they were in greater quantities, some shoals covering acres of sea- water, 

 these leaping over each other in hungry haste to devour the young herrings 

 which were plentiful in the sea" (Dunn). The same observer wrote to me from 

 Mevagissey on May 8th, 1881, that the poutassous had come. " Some fishermen 

 report them crowding around their boats in the offing, as they did in 1871," but 

 unfortunately none were captured, being too small to be taken in the nets which 

 were being employed. 



For the use of the example figured, life size, I have to thank Professor Peters, 

 Director of the Zoological Museum in Berlin. He obtained it upwards of twenty 

 years since in the fish-market at Christiansund. 



C. — Loiver jaw the longer: teeth in upper jaw of equal size. Pollachius. 



b. No barbel below chin. 



7. Gadus virens, Plate LXXXIV. 



Tiscis coljish Anglorwm, Belon. De Aquat. p. 133; Gesner, p. 89. Asellus 

 wiger carbonarius, Schonev. p. 19; Aldrov. iii, c. 7, p. 289; Willughby, p. 168, 

 t. L. M. 1, no. 3 ; Ray, p. 54. Gadus, sp. Artedi, Synon. p. 34, no. 2, Genera, 

 ]>. 20, no. 2 ; Gronov. Zooph. no. 317, 318. Callarias imberbis, no. 2, Klein, Pise. 

 Miss, v, p. 8. Coal-fish, Pennant, Brit. Zool. (Ed. 1776) iii, p. 186, pi. xxxi 

 (Ed. 1812) iii, p. 250, pi. xxxv ; Low, Fauna Oread, p. 193. Greenland- cod, 

 Pennant, 1. c. (Ed. 1812) iii, p. 253. Colin, Duhamel, Poiss. ii, p. 125, t. xxi, f. 1 ; 

 Ascan. Icon, iii, t. xxiii. Asellus niger, Butty, Dublin, 1772, i, p. 354. Green 

 cod, Pennant, 1. c. (Ed. 1812) hi, p. 253. 



Chins rirens, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 438, Fauna Suec. p. 112; Bl. Schn. p. 6; 

 Bonnat. Atl. Ich. p. 48; Gmel. Linn. p. 1166; Shaw, iv, p. 149 ; Nilss. Skand. 

 Fauna, Pisk. iv, p. 559; Gunther, Catal. iii, p. 339; Steind. Ich. Span. u. Port. 

 1 -lis, p. 41 ; Mcintosh, Fish. St. Andrew's, p. 178 ; Collett, Norges Fiske, p. Ill ; 

 Winther, Ich. Dan. Mar. p. 31. 



(I.hlns carbonaritis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 438; Bl. Fische Deuts. ii, p. 164 ; 

 Bl. Schn. p. '.»; Ikmnat. Atl. Ich. p. 48, pi. xxix, f. 106; Gmel. Linn. p. 1168; 

 Donovan, Brit. Fish, i, pi. xiii ; Shaw, Zool. iv, p. 145; Turton, Brit. Fauna, 

 p. 91 ; Richards. Faun. Bor.-Amer. Fish. p. 247 ; Faber, Fische Isl. p. 96; Brandt 

 and Ratzeb. i, p. 51, t. ix, f. 1; Fries ami Ekstr. Skand. Fisk. p. 195, t. xlviii; 

 Gronov. ed. Gray, p. 132 ; Giglioli, Pesc. Ital. p. 36. 



< iiid us col in us (adult), and scy (young), Lacep. ii, pp. 416, 417. 



