Bottom-Life. 



191 



10 | 1899, we examined some cod which had been caught a1 Stene 

 in l!o. Sonic were of a reddish colour, others were paler and 

 resembled ocean-cod („skrei"). 



The roe was not fully developed. 



In the stomachs were found Polychceta, Hyas coarctatus etc. 



A single specimen had Lemcea branchialis on one of its gills. 



On -% 1899 we bought in the .lokel Fiord 10 cod which had 

 been fished by line in the fiord. Shape and colour were those of 

 the ocean-cod („skrei"), in a few of the larger females the roc was 

 very loose. Schizopods and Amphipods were found in the stomachs. 



I have also referred to the food of the cod in the paper quoted 

 above, p. 14. 



Gadus virens, Lin. 

 In the beginning of February. 1897, I took part in a fishing 

 expedition with nets for „skrei". In the course of this, we also 

 caught a number of „sei" (Gadus virens). Cf. my paper referred 

 to above, p. 17. 



Molva molva, Fin. 

 Towards the end of April 1897, I went with a fisherman to 

 tish with nets near Rust. Among the rest, we also caught large 

 specimens of Molva. As a rule the stomach hang like a balloon 

 out of its mouth, but in one instance, bones of Gadus ceglefinus 

 could be identified. 



Brosmius orosme, Asc. 

 In the stomach of Brosmius, which was caught near Rust iu 

 April 1897, Lithodes maja was often found. 



Lycodes sarsi, Collett. 



I* 



1900. The Folden Fiord, 530 m. ( 1 ). 



Mallotus villosus, 0- F. Mull. 



On -% 1899, dead specimens were found drifting in the Trold- 

 fiordsund (between Rolfso and Ingo). Both males and females 

 were found, and on examination it was seen that they had spawned. 

 It is said that it is quite usual to find dead capelan floating in 

 Finmark in the spring, and many theories have been started to 

 offer an explanation for this. .Some think that the death of the 

 capelan is to be accounted for by the coldness of the water; others 

 suppose that it must be attributed to unsuitable food etc. 



But none of the theories advanced seem very satisfactory. 



Clupea harengus, Fin. 



18 /s 1896. Henningsvser, from the stomach of cod. 



Herring catches are made in many of the fiords in Nordland 

 in the winter, so as to provide bait for the codflshery in Lofoten. 



The supply of the socalled baiting herring (..agnsild") is con- 

 veyed by small steamers. On 16 /s 1S97 I went on board one of 



these steamers (S 8 n Svolv3er') from Svolva?r in Lofoten to the 

 Lor Fiord in Helgoland, where a quantity of herrings had been 

 caught. On l7 /.; I examined the plankton at the bottom of the 

 fiord ;il Die place where the catch had been made. It was not 

 verj rich. On the surface, I go1 a few specimens of Oithona 

 snuil/s. as well as nauplii of Copepoda. In a sample from — 25 

 m. were found the following: — 



Cnl. finmarckicus r 

 Pseudocal. elongatus r 

 Acartia longireniis rr 

 Microsetella atlantica c 

 Metridia longa rr 

 Nauplii of Copepoda -\- 

 Temperature and salinity were found to he distributed as 

 follows: — 



l7 / 3 1897, The Lcr Fiord, 

 t. s. 



u in. 3°,5 C. 33,04 %o 



in „ 3,8 - 33,73 „ 



Bottom 25 „ 3,8 - 33,73 .. 



The herrings were rather meagre. I made some measurements, 



and found that the smallest were 15 cm. in length, the largest 20 

 cm., the usual length was 16, 17, 18 em. (The measurement was 

 made from the tip of the snout to the commencement of the division 

 of the tail fin). Indications of roe and milt were present in the lar- 

 gest specimens. The stomachs were empty, but most of them had 

 a white mass in the intestine. 



One of the fiords which almost always in winter supplies Lo- 

 foten with „agnsild" is the Kvsenangen Fiord. My observations 

 in this -fiord (-'A and 19 /4 1899), testify great uniformity in tem- 

 perature and salinity during the winter. 



This probably has much to do with the fact that plankton 

 Copepods may be found right up to the surface of the water. At 

 any rate, I observed quantities of Calanus finmarckicus in a sample 

 from 0—5 m. on - 4 /i 1899. 



As the food of the herring can thus rise so far up. it is ex- 

 plicable that the herring itself follows it. ami comes so far up in 

 the water that it can be reached by the tackle employed. 



Aiajii'iUii nih/aris, Tikt. 

 5 / 4 1900. The Salten Fiord I, 15—20 m. (juniores). 



Myxine gluiinosa, Lin. 

 During the cod fishery at Sunder© in Vesteraalen, in the be- 

 ginning of February 1897, I noticed that large numbers of tish 

 were destroyed h\ this destructive animal. In some eases the 

 robbers had not had a chance of escape, but were found under the 

 skin of the sucked out cod. 



