270 THE COD FAMILY. 



procured in the inshore waters on the east coast, the larger 

 examples frequenting the deeper waters offshore. 



Little was learned of its breeding until quite recently. 

 Thus Parnell, in his Fishes of the Forth, states that it spawns 

 in February, after which it remains out of condition till May. 

 Buckland, on the authority of Mr Dunn, observes that it 

 spawns in winter, and that the young are seen in April an inch 

 long, and quite black. Couch thinks it spawns about the end 

 of the year, and the young, of small size, are noticed in 

 harbours and on the borders of shallow rocks, moving about 

 with a slow motion, and readily taking a bait. Day gives the 

 early part of the year as the spawning-period, and mentions 

 that on the 28th May, 1881, he received some specimens, 

 from T 7 <yths to an inch long, captured at the surface. No scales, 

 or even ventral fins, according to this author, are visible until 

 the fish has obtained |ths of an inch in length. Brook gives a 

 wide range, on the evidence of the Fishery officers, beginning 

 with December at the northern stations (Wick), and ending 

 with April and May at the southern (Berwick). Mobius and 

 Heincke are uncertain on the subject, but say it probably 

 spawns toward the end of winter, an opinion shared by the 

 authors of the Scandinavian Fishes. 



Some years ago 1 a few remarks were made by one of us on 

 the spawning-period of this species. On the first occasion, only 

 preserved ova were forwarded by the able assistant-fishery 

 officer at Lerwick, Mr Duthie, but the following season he sent 

 a few fresh ova in sea-water; their condition, however, was 

 unsatisfactory 2 . Since the foregoing remarks were published, 

 Mr Holt obtained two ripe females in the spring of 1891 

 off the west coast of Ireland, and, though no male could 

 be obtained, they were fertilized with the milt of a 

 cod. He found their diameter to be 1'13 mm. in the un- 

 fertilised condition, a size they, for the most part, kept after 

 formation of the perivitelline space, though extremes ranged 



1 W. C. M. 10th Annual Report S. F. Board, p. 288 (1892) ; and llth Annual 

 Report, p. 246 (1893). 



2 This energetic officer, however, lost no opportunity of filling up the gap in 

 regard to this and other species requiring investigation. 



