WHITING. 
489 
The pectoral tins lie, when at rest, in a longi- 
tudinal direction. Their length is between 13 and 15 % 
of that of the body, and their rounded tips extend a 
good way behind the vent. They contain 19 or 20 
rays; the uppermost ray is simple, the others branched 
at the tip, and the fourth and fifth are the longest. 
The ventral tins, which are set somewhat in front of 
the pectoral tins, and extend with their tips to the vent, 
are small and pointed, with the second ray produced 
to a long, filamentous, free tip, which gives these tins 
a length of from 9" to 10 '/ 2 % of that of the body. 
They are made up of two simple and four repeatedly 
branched rays. 
The first dorsal tin begins just behind the perpen- 
dicular from the insertion of either pectoral tin and at 
a distance from the tip of the snout equal to about 
28 — 31 % of the length of the body. It most gener- 
ally contains 13 or 14 rays, the first two of which are 
simple and the fourth the longest, its length being 
about 10 — 1 2 1 / 2 % of that of the body. The succeeding 
rays gradually decrease in length, the last ray being 
very small. The length of the base of this tin is about 
I 3 V 2 — 11 0/0 of that of the body. The second dorsal 
tin is composed of about 23 rays, two of which are 
simple. The fourth and fifth rays are the longest, their 
length being about 8 — 10 % (sometimes 11 %) of that 
of the body; and the other rays grow gradually shorter, 
the last ray being very short and lying flat along the 
skin. The distance between this tin and the tip of the 
snout is about 44 or 45 % of the length of the body, 
and the length of its base varies between 1 8 1 / 2 and 
nearly 23 % of that of the body. The third dorsal tin 
begins at a distance from the tip of the snout equal 
to about 65 — 69 % of the length of the body, just be- 
hind the end of the preceding tin, to which it is gener- 
ally united by a narrow flap of fin-membrane. It gener- 
ally contains 4 simple and 17 branched rays, the first 
of the simple ones being scarcely perceptible. The fifth 
and sixth rays are the longest, their length being from 
6 7 2 to 8 % (in young specimens sometimes 9 %) of 
that of the body; and the length of the base of the tin 
varies between 1 5 1 / 2 and 1 3 1 / 2 % of that of the body. 
The first anal fin begins at a distance from the 
tip of the snout equal to about 35 V 2 — 39 % of the 
length of the body — thus always considerably in front 
of the beginning of the second dorsal fin. It is long 
a Sometimes 8 1 / 0 %. 
and has an arcuate margin. The length of its base 
is about 30 — 34 % of that of the body. It is gener- 
ally composed of from 33 to 35 rays, eight or nine of 
which are simple. The 12th — 20th rays inclusive are 
of fairly uniform length and the longest, measuring 
about 9 — 7 % of the length of the body; and the suc- 
ceeding rays grow shorter and shorter. The second anal 
fin, which is almost exactly opposite the third dorsal, 
contains 4 simple and (generally) 18 or 19 branched 
rays, the fifth and sixth rays being the longest. 
The caudal fin, as in all the Gadoid species, con- 
tains numerous rays, which lie close to each other and 
radiate from the pointed base of the fin. The middle 
23—25 rays are branched, and the middle ray measures 
8 — 7 % of the length of the body. The fin is chisel- 
shaped, with truncate extremity and rather sharp cor- 
ners; but when much expanded, the hind margin be- 
comes rounded. 
After death the body of the Whiting is nearly 
plain, grayish brown above and white below; but liv- 
ing specimens and Whitings just drawn out of the water 
show a play of shifting colours, in spots and stripes. The 
colour of a middle-aged, live Whiting is fairly accu- 
rately shown in our figure (Plate XXIV, fig. 1), and we 
have nothing more to add than that two specimens are 
seldom exactly alike in the depth of the colours and 
the extent of the stripes. In younger specimens the 
body is more transparent, with the upper part of the 
sides shading strongly into violet and with fainter 
traces of the yellowish stripes, which are of a brighter 
colour, and are woven into a- network above the lateral 
line. The fins are lighter, and all the dorsal and anal 
fins are silvery white at the very tip. A very large 
specimen, on the other hand, presents the following 
appearance: the back and the upper part of the head 
plain yellowish brown with a handsome, grayish violet 
lustre; the sides yellowish gray with a, dash of violet, 
with the lateral line and the caudal region just above 
it of a bright brassy lustre, and with a number of 
large, distinct, brass-yellow spots along and below the 
lateral line, which are partly united into a network 
and partly form irregular, zigzag rows; the entire under 
surface of the head and tail and the whole belly milky 
white, with a sharply-marked limit extending to the 
insertion of the pectoral fins. The iris white, with a 
lustrous, yellowish ring next the pupil and a broad 
Scandinavian Fishes. 
62 
