166 THE SCAD FAMILY. 



numbers in Scotland, but opportunities for the thorough inves- 

 tigation of its eggs and young have hitherto been denied. 



Young scads were found by A. W. Malm many years ago in 

 company with the jelly-fishes, Ct/anea and Rhizostoma, feeding 

 on their eggs, and ranging, from the 22nd July to the 18th 

 August, from 12 mm. to 36 mm. They appear to leave the 

 jelly-fishes when 70mm. in length. They are caught in seines 

 from the latter length up to 100 mm. This habit of frequenting 

 jelly-fishes for shelter and food is likewise found in the cod- 

 tribe, as well as in other forms. The only instance, in which a 

 young fish resembling this form and about 9 mm. in length 

 occurred, was in the Forth on the 25 th of October. 



A specimen 34 mm. long captured by Mr H. C. Williamson 

 at Naples, on the 8th August, is a shorter and a deeper fish than 

 the adult, with a larger head and eye. The pigment of the 

 body is much less developed than that of the adult, and the two 

 dorsal and the caudal fins are minutely dotted with black. The 

 second dorsal and the anal almost touch the base of the tail. 

 The base of the ventral is behind that of the pectoral of the same 

 side, whereas in the adult they are nearly in the same perpen- 

 dicular, and the abdomen has considerably lengthened. The 

 lateral line shows indications of the hard plates. This specimen 

 would seem to have been spawned in spring, probably in April 

 or May, and therefore the season is earlier than that mentioned 

 by Day, viz. July. 



BOAR-FISH. (Capros aper, L.) 



Risso long ago stated that this species, which is common 

 on the southern coast of Britain, shed its eggs in April, and 

 Mr Dunn found it spawning on the 20th July, 1880. The 

 eggs appear to be pelagic. Mr Cunningham 1 considered that 

 they approached the shore in July and August for the purpose 

 of spawning, and he describes the egg (Plate I, fig. 13) as 

 hyaline, and having a diameter of '97 to '98 mm., with an oil- 

 globule '19 mm. He did not succeed in hatching them, but 



1 Jour. Mar. Biol. Assoc. 188990, p. 10. 



