37 
A CASE OF SPINAL CURVATURE IN A CODLING. 
By B. STORROW. 
On November Gth, 1909, Professor Meek gave me a codling 
which had been caught by Mr. H. Arthur, Whitley Bay, the previous 
day at St. Mary’s Island, and suggested that a preparation of the 
backbone might prove interesting. The body of the fish, which was 
curved vertically and horizontally, measured from snout to tip of 
tail 91 inches, and its greatest depth was 2§ inches. After pre- 
paring the skull and vertebral column with tail attached, the length 
from the vomer to tip of tail was 81 inches, but if the curvature of 
the spine was followed it was lOf inches. It was assumed that had 
the fish been normal it would have been about 12 inches long, and 
a codling of 13 inches was obtained for purposes of comparison. 
The greatest depth of this fish was 2i inches, which was less than 
the depth of the deformed fish by 1 of an inch, although the length 
was greater. The length, after making the skeleton, from vomer 
to tip of tail was 12 inches, an inch being lost as in the deformed 
specimen. The length of the skull from vomer to basi-occipital 
was the same in both cases', but in the normal fish the vertebral 
column and tail have a length of 9A inches, whilst the length in 
the deformed fish was 6& inches, or 8 A inches if the curvature 
was followed. 
On looking along the back of the fish towards the head which 
was inclined to the right, the body from just behind the head to 
the anterior portion of the second dorsal fin was curved to the right, 
from here to the beginning of the third dorsal it was curved to the 
left, to the end of the third dorsal it was curved to the right, and 
the remaining portion was slightly curved to the left. In the 
region of the second dorsal fin there was a downward curve to be 
seen on the back only, and under the third dorsal, which was some- 
what modified, was a very marked upward curve. The amount of 
muscle at the sides of the backbone varied, there being very little 
on the left side in the region of the posterior two-thirds of the 
second dorsal. 
The backbone is in a series of horizontal and vertical curves, the 
latter being more pronounced in the posterior region. Owing to 
the horizontal curvature the whole of the vertebrae, with the 
