77 
POUTASSOU. 
Toutossou gros, Etsso ; the Poutassou simply being the Pollack. 
Conch’s Whiting, Yakrell; Br. Fishes, vol. ii, p. 247. 
Gadns poutassou, Gunther; Cat. Br. Museum, vol. iv, p. 333. 
This fish was formerly mistaken for the Common Whiting, 
hut Risso was led to suppose that there was a specific difference 
between them, although no opportunity had offered itself to 
him for comparison. In the month of May, 1840, an example 
answering to Risso’s description of this species, was taken with 
a hue by a fisherman of Polperro. and, as even to this ordinary 
Wilting J, 
apparent, it was brought to me for further inquiry. A 
description and. fiffnre were talcerj n-nrl fi-» ^ 
of it. discovery in Britain ^.d, by^M, Y""ciririr 
.ocd edition of his ..Hi.„ry British rlw'’ l"hct' 
shour'be. ‘'■•h i 
Risso says that its haunts are in the deepest portion of the 
sea m the neighbourhood of Nice, where it is fished for at 
all times of the year; that it spawns in the spring, but that 
1 s flesh IS rather soft. And this seems to have remained the 
vho e ^h,eh_was known of its history, until the summer of 
1851, when, m the month of July, I received information that 
immense numbers of small fishes were at a few miles from 
land along our coast, and that the larger fishes were devouring 
t eni eagerly, so that the stomachs of the latter were found 
distended wuh them. There was little difficulty in procuring 
an opportunity for examination, and I Avas agreeably surprised 
to find that these numerous small fishes were the young of the 
