88 



MARINE AND FISHERIES 



6-7 EDWARD VII., A. 1907 



in Britain, and they are loud in its praises as an edible fish, though it is treated as 

 ' ofPal ' fish. I took from the stomach gastropod and lamellibranch shells, hermit crabs, 

 sea-urchins, and the much branched Astrophyton. 



36. Anarhichas minor (Olafsen). — Occasional specimens, differing from the two 

 foregoing species, are occasionally brought in by the fishermen, and appear to belong to 

 this species. Like A. latifrons this is usually regarded as a purely Arctic wolf -fish. 



family: zoarcid^. 



37. Zoarces anguillaris (Beck). — This species appears to be common at about 20 

 fathoms depth, and is constantly caught by the tr^wl hooks or in the beam-trawl net. 

 The usual name for it at Canso is Rock-eel or Lamper-eel. There are great variations 

 in the relative dimensions of the head, pectoral fin and abdomen, and in the thickness 

 of the lips. I noticed that the first ray of the dorsal fin is generally behind the line of 

 the preopercle, and not above it. 



38. Lycodes, sp. — Three specimens were taken on the trawl-hooks of the steamer 

 Active at a depth of about 50 fathoms where the bottom is sandy. The fishermen de- 

 clare that it is sometimes taken on the ' Banks ; ' but they appear to have no popular 

 name for it. One man called it the ' Laughing Jack.' It seems to correspond with no 

 species described by Drs. Jordan and Evermann, and I therefore give my notes on the 

 specimens in detail: — 





Specimen No. 1. 



Specimen No. 





662 



mm. 



656 mm. 



Head 



, , . . 166 



mm. 



160 mm- 



Depth 



87 



mm. 



90 mm. 





22 



mm. 



18 mm. 





, , , . 26 



mm. 



26 mm. 





. . , . 57 



mm. 



60 mm. 





94 



mm. 



94 mm. 





14 



mm. 



15 mm. 









96 rays 









69 rays 





, , . . 18 



rays 



18 rays 









84 mm. 









54 mm. 









166 mm. 









75 mm. 









30 mm. 









38 mm. 









39 mm. 









30 mm. 



The head is very wide and flat, while the body is compressed and tapers back^^rd 

 to a point. The ja\^s have very wide flaps, which on the upper jaw project very much. 

 A fold of skin on the chin runs parallel with the edge of the lower mandible and ends 

 in a free laterally compressed flap. The lower jaw is included.- The teeth are all 

 conical, and are found on the upper and lower jaws, palatines, and vomer. In the 

 upper jaw there is one row supported at the front by two or three small teeth on a 

 posterior row; the vomerine teeth form a small transverse oval patch; the palatines 

 form a single row on each side diverging posteriorly; in the lower jaw there are three 

 rows for a short distance anteriorly and one row follows posteriorly ; the row of maxil- 

 lary teeth is 35 mm. long, palatines 29 mm., vomerines 9 mm. x 4 mm., mandibular 

 55 mm. long. The dorsal fin commences about 2 cm. behind the pectoral; 

 the dorsal and anal unite around the caudal ; both are highest at the anterior, tapering 

 posteriorly; the ventral fins are conical, almost teat-like. Scales are present on the sides 

 of the body, beginning a little behind the pectoral fin, and are round;, cycloid, tjie 



