566 
.SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 
seems highly probable - — is a point on which we can 
offer no evidence: it has not been found there by any 
of the Swedish expeditions. In the East Atlantic it is 
common south to the Shetland Islands, a little less so 
off the Orkneys, and occurs at least on the coast of 
Yorkshire, according to Day; but whether it has really 
been found on the Irish coast, is doubtful. Thus the 
limits of its range lie here, as Brown-Goode has re- 
marked, between about 80° and 55° N. lat. On the 
coast of Sweden it has been met with off Boh us bin 
alone, to which locality it was assigned by Euphrasen, 
but only as rare. Mr. C. A. IIansson has forwarded 
to the Royal Museum a specimen 5 dm. long that, was 
taken off Hoko in August, 1888. During thirty years 
Malm obtained only three specimens on the coast of 
Bohuslan. One of these, a specimen 36 cm. in length, 
was taken about 6 miles west of Vinga, the most 
southern latitude at which this fish has yet been found 
in Sweden. Kroyer records an observation made by 
Boie according to which the species has been taken off 
Ferringso on the west coast of Jutland. 
The Torsk is, therefore, a northern deep-sea fish, 
though it cannot rank as one of the most prominent 
of these forms. According to Malm it is found on the 
coast of Bohuslan only “on a firm bottom in deep water, 
between 30 and 80 fathoms in depth.” The most pro- 
ductive fishing-banks on the Norwegian coast lie in 
about 100 — 200 fathoms of 'water, and here the Torsk 
lives in the coral-groves ( Gorgonice ). The English Knight 
Errant Expedition found the species in Faroe Channel 
at a depth of 530 fathoms. After violent storms the 
Torsk is often cast ashore or seen drifting helplessly 
about at the surface, like so many other deep-sea fishes, 
when from some cause or other they have ascended 
higher than the level to which they are accustomed, 
and been carried up -with too great velocity to permit 
of their adapting their specific gravity to the new con- 
ditions. Strom writes on this point: “Besides it is known 
that the Torsk has a much weaker head than other 
fishes, and is, therefore, easily thrown into a swoon. 
Thus, during a violent storm or a so-called ground- 
swell it may be often seen lying in a stupor at the 
surface, and on this account such weather is known 
here as Brosme-For (Torsk fare, i. e. weather).” 
In Scandinavian waters the Torsk is never taken 
in sufficient quantity to rank beside the large catches 
of Cod. But that this species is also gregarious appears 
from Brown-Goode’s statement, for example, that one 
single Provincetown-firm has taken about 60,000 lbs. 
of Torsk in one year. 
This fish is caught with long-lines and hand-lines. 
When it feels that, it is a prisoner, it is said, like the 
Eel, to coil itself round any object within its reach, 
and is sometimes extremely difficult to draw up. The 
hook is baited with Herring, or mussel and other shell- 
fish. The stomach of the Torsk, however, most often 
contains crustaceans, which thus seem to be its prin- 
cipal food. In most cases, however, the stomach, empty 
and turned inside out, hangs from the mouth like a 
red bladder, in those specimens which are suddenly 
drawn up from great depths. 
Early in the year, says Faber, the Torsk makes 
its way towards the land, off Iceland even in January, 
and stays there in company 'with the Five-Bearded 
Rockling. Late in summer it returns out to sea. The 
spawning-season occurs in April and May, according 
to Faber and Kroyer as well. This statement is 
also borne out by the fact we have noticed above, 
that in the autumn an adult female had rather small 
ovaries. 
Its qualities as an article of food are disputed, but 
are at least not much inferior to those of the Cod. 
“Its flesh is firm, white, and of good flavour,” writes 
Euphrasen, “but rather fat” (others find it too hard) 
“and has some similarity in taste to lobster or crab, 
which animals undoubtedly form the chief portion of 
its food.” In Norway it is not only consumed fresh, 
but also cured in the form of stockfish, and round fish, 
among which it is exported to other parts of the world. 
The roe is good; and the liver yields a fine oil, which, 
according to Faber, is an efficacious remedy for burns 
and rheumatism. 
