gadoidEjE. 245 



Those that Captain James Ross saw on the coast of Boothia seldom exceeded fourteen 

 inches in length, though a few were obtained of greater size. They were provided with forty- 

 two pyloric caeca, and the average number of rays in their fins were as follows. 



A. 22—22 ; C. 40 to 44. Ross. 



21 — 19; 40. Faun. Green. ,lar.var. 

 22 — 18 : 44. Ditto, small ditto. 



Pins.— Br. 7; P. 19; V. 6 ; D. 12—19—23 

 7; 20; 6; 14— 19— 19 



7; 19; 6; 13—24—18 



Dimensions 

 Of a specimen taken on the coast of Boothia. 













Inches. 



Lines. 









Incites 



Line 



Igt 



I from 



tip 



of snout to 



end of caudal 



17 



3* 



Length 



of central caudal rays . 





. 1 



2* 



3) 



» 





anus 



. 



8 



n 



j> 



barbel on lower jaw 









H 



?J 



» 





edge of 



gill-cover . 



4 



6 



» 



longer cseca 





. 1 



6 





















Captain J. C. 



Rots. 



[95.] Gadus Fabricii. The Meesarkornak. 



Gadus seglefinus. Fabricius, Faun. Grosnl., p. 142. No. 100. 

 Meesarkornak, eekalloo'ak. Greenlanders. 



Fabricius considers this fish to be the Gadus ceglefinus of authors, the haddock 

 or haddy so abundant in the Scottish firths. The haddock is vulgarly supposed to 

 have been the fish out of whose mouth St. Peter took the tribute-money, the black 

 marks at the pectorals being considered to be the impressions left by the saint's 

 finger and thumb, which the species has retained ever since. The same honour- 

 able origin is commonly ascribed to the black lateral spot on the body of the Dory, 

 but superstition has entirely overlooked the fact, that neither that fish nor the had- 

 dock exist in the sea of Gennesaret, whose waters are perfectly fresh. As Fabricius 

 seems to have identified the Meesarkornak with the haddock, solely from its agree- 

 ment with Artedi's very brief notice of the latter, and as it does not possess the 

 distinguishing marks at the pectorals, I have ventured to name it as a distinct 

 species, considering the addition of another synonym, even should it prove to be 

 unnecessary, as less injurious to the interests of science, than the error of ascribing 

 to a fish too wide a geographical range, or habits which do not belong to it. The 

 Meesarkornak frequents the northern bays of Greenland pretty abundantly in the 

 winter season, spawns on the littoral sea-weeds in February, and of course under 

 the ice, and is of so curious a disposition that it is readily attracted to the surface 

 by agitating the water, especially in the evening. Sometimes it leaps upon the ice, 

 when it becomes the prey of the Arctic fox, which lies in wait for such a chance, 



