324 ANACANTHINI. 



points. Scales — minute. Colours — upper portion of the head and body grayish, 

 tinged with bronze or yellow, and becoming lighter on the sides and beneath. Outer 

 edge of dorsal, anal, pectoral, and caudal having light outer margins with a 

 dark base. 



Names. — The Torsk is likwise termed Tush and Brismak in the Shetlands, 

 also the cat-fish. Bloch observed that the " torsk " of the Baltic is Gadus caUarias 

 or the young of the codfish (see page 277), the term torsk in Scandinavia being 

 applied to several species of codfishes. This fish is known in Massachusetts, 

 America, as cusk. 



Habits. — Off northern Europe Faber observed that it approached the land in 

 schools early in the year, retiring to the deep late in the summer. It resides at 

 great depths, preferring a rocky bottom. From the middle to the end of April, 

 1881, large shoals of these fishes were found following in the track of the herrings, 

 during the spring herring-fishery off Sweden (Land and Water, May 7th). The 

 food of this fish is much the same as that of the cod and ling, while in those 

 brought up from considerable depths the same phenomenon of an empty stomach 

 or these organs protruding out of the mouth may be perceived. Among several 

 examined, in the stomach of one was found a good sized haddock, two small 

 flounders, a buckie (with a hermit crab inside it) and some corallines : while in 

 some of the others were crustaceans and small fish. Mr. Brotherston (Land and 

 Water, March 5th, 1881) alludes to the contents of the stomach in one sent to 

 him for preservation on February 19th. The fish was 3 ft. in length, and weighed 

 201b. (the largest of three captured at the same time was 3 ft. 4 in. in length). 

 In Tarrell's British Fishes it is said, on the authority of Faber, that " nothing 

 is ever found in the stomach ; and this has probably given rise to the saying 

 that it lives on the juice of sea-weeds. The contents of this one's stomach — 

 part of which I send for your inspection — is therefore interesting. It appears to 

 me to be roe. The 'roe' was mixed with a dirty bluish thick liquid. A large 

 fishhook, 3j in. in length, was also found in it." 



Means of capture. — Similar to such as are employed for cod and ling, by 

 means of long- and hand-lines, but with rather smaller hooks. In January, 

 1880, the Torsk fishery was late for the season off Denmark, but large 

 quantities of fish came close to the coast and were readily netted. This fishery 

 in Norway was undertaken due to Sars' discoveries, and enormous masses of 

 these fish were discovered in the fiords surrounding the island of Spitzbergen, 

 on the western shores of which upon some banks, eight to ten fathoms in 

 depth, they were so plentiful that they could easily be drawn on board with 

 hand nets. 



Breeding. — In northern seas it is observed to breed in April and May among 

 the fuci. 



Diseases. — Is liable to be affected by parasitic worms which form a nidus 

 in its skin producing rounded swellings. It is frequently thrown up dead in 

 large numbers after storms on the coast of the Faroe' Islands, and off the south 

 coast of Iceland. 



As food. — According to Low it is one of the best of cured fish, swells much in 

 boiling, and parts into very thick flakes : eaten fresh it is very firm, and rather 

 tough, which induces most people to prefer it salted. Pontoppidan observes that 

 the hard roe is well flavoured. 



Habitat- -Its rormal range in Europe is from Spitzbergen to about the 

 60° N. lat. Abundant off Spitzbergen, Finmark, Norway, and among the 

 Faroes, as well as on the west and south (rarely on the north and east) coasts 

 of Iceland. It is found likewise on the northern point of Denmark and extends, 

 but in greatly diminished numbers, southwards in the North Sea as far as 

 Yorkshire. In the western hemisphere it is present from the Polar regions to 

 Cape Cod. 



In the seas about Shetland it swarms along with the ling, and either 

 barrelled or dried forms a considerable article of commerce, but it becomes 

 more scarce about the Orkneys (Low) : it has been recorded from Wick, off 

 which coast it is frequently captured some fifty miles to the north-east in 



