OSSEOUS PISHES. 
545 
Motella, or Rock Ling, and Silver Gade, M. argenieola ; and other 
genera of less importance. 
The head of the Cod ( Morrlma callarias) is compressed ; the eyes 
placed on the side, close to each other, and veiled by a transparent mem- 
brane, a conformation which, according to Lacepede, enables the animal 
to swim on the surface of the water in northern regions in the midst 
of mountains ot ice and under banks covered with snow, without being 
dazzled by the brilliant light; but this opinion is unsupported by any 
other naturalist of note. 
Fig. 374. The Cod-fish (Morrhna callarias). 
The jaws of the cod-fish are unequal, and among the rows of teeth 
wuth which it is armed many are mobile, and can be hidden in their 
cavities or raised, ‘according to the will of the animal. The dorsal 
fins, three in number, are in clusters, as in Fig. 374 ; anal fins are two ; 
pectoral fins narrow, and terminating in a point ; caudal fin slightly 
forked. Its colour is of an ashy grey, spotted with yellow on the back ; 
white and sometimes reddish beneath. 
The cod-fish is provided with a vast stomach, and is very voracious, 
feeding on fishes, crabs, and molluscs. It is so gluttonous and indis- 
criminating, that it will even swallow pieces of wood and other similar 
objects. This is essentially a sea-fish : it is never seen in fresh-water 
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