246 
SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 
are longer, but farther apart, and subulate with re- 
curved points. The palate is smooth (toothless), like 
the tongue, which is thick, with truncate tip. The 
pharyngeal teeth, two patches above and one below, 
are small and conical. The gill-openings are fairly 
small. The four branchial arches have two rows of 
tubercles on the anterior side. The gill-cover, as well 
as the cheeks, is scaleless. The preopercular margin, 
in which the pores mentioned above are situated, forms 
a fairly even curve, with rounded corner. The oper- 
culum has a row of papilhc along the base and another 
obliquely across the middle of its surface, and together 
with the suboperculum forms a triangle, the upper pos- 
terior corner of which is pointed, but hidden in a dermal 
flap which closely unites it to the body. The branchio- 
stegal membrane is fastened to the isthmus on each 
side, from a point exactly in front of the lower end 
of the base of the pectoral tin. The rows of papillae on 
the cheeks are arranged both longitudinally and trans- 
versely, being somewhat different in different individ- 
uals, but essentially as shown in tig. 63, borrowed from 
Wintiier. The eyes are moderately large in full-grown 
specimens, measuring from 22 to 25 *% of the length of 
the head, somewhat oblong and prominent : in young spe- 
cimens they are relatively larger, at a length of 34 mm. 
measuring 31 % of the length of the head. They are also 
far apart in adult specimens, the distance between them | 
being about equal to their vertical diameter; but in 
young specimens the breadth of the interorbital space 
is hardly more than 1 / 2 the diameter of the eye. They 
are set so high that they are not touched by the line 
drawn from the anterior margin of the upper jaw to 
the middle of the caudal tin. In the forehead between 
the eyes there are two pores (see tig. 63), the anterior 
broad and set transversely, the posterior smaller and 
round; and behind the middle of the posterior margin 
of each eye is another pore. All these pores belong 
to the system of the lateral line. The nostrils are 
double, small and indistinct, the anterior pair being 
tubular, and the posterior small round holes just in 
front of the eyes. Nearer the middle of the head than 
the latter, on each side of the snout, is a large pore, 
belonging to the system of the lateral line. 
The front part of the body, on the top of the head 
behind the eyes and on the anterior part of the back, 
is covered with small, cycloid scales; but on the greater 
portion of the remainder of the body the scales are 
ctenoid, striate and imbricate, broad in proportion to 
their length, and at the hind margin dentated with tine 
bristles, which render the body rough to the touch, 
when the thick mucus which covers it, has been re- 
moved. The scales are firmly lixed, and are largest 
in the middle line of the sides, which contains from 
about 36 to 40 scales. The true lateral line is want- 
ing, no perforated scales appearing in it; but each or 
each alternate scale in the middle line, at least on the 
anterior part of the body, is furnished with a trans- 
verse row of small papillf? belonging to the system of 
the lateral line, and set just behind the posterior mar- 
gin of the next scale in front (see tig. 63). 
Close behind the vent, which lies in front of the 
middle of the body, is a soft genital papilla, longer 
and more pointed in the male than in the female. 
The two dorsal fins are set close together, especi- 
ally in the male. The anterior begins at a distance 
from the tip of the snout equal to 26 or 27 % of the 
length of the body, vertically above the end of the in- 
sertion of the pectoral tins, and terminates vertically 
above the vent. The anterior corner of this fin is 
rounded, the posterior projects in a point, and the 
upper margin is straight, this shape being due to the 
fact that the first live rays are much longer than the 
tin-membrane, but in spite of this lie within it in a 
curve, one behind another. When the thin and fragile 
tin-membrane is carelessly handled, the rays break loose, 
and then project considerably above the membrane, thus 
giving the tin a rounded shape, with the tips of the 
rays free ( Gob ins joso). This fin contains six rays, 
the middle ones being the longest, and the sixth being 
farther apart from the next one than is the case with 
the other rays. The distance between the beginning 
of the first dorsal tin and that of the second is from 
15 to 17 % of the length of the body. The posterior 
dorsal tin, the base of which measures from 23 to 29 
% of the length of the body, begins above the vent and 
ends behind the perpendicular from the end of the 
base of the anal fin. In the females and young males 
it is generally of fairly uniform height, or even, in the 
former, lower posteriorly; but in the adult males and 
sometimes in the females, the posterior corner is so high 
or elongated that the last rays, when depressed, extend 
over the base of the caudal fin. The anterior corner 
is rounded. The number of rays in this tin is 13 or 
14, generally 13, in which case, however, the last ray 
is divided down to the base. The pectoral tins are 
rounded and contain from 17 to 19 branched rays, 
