128 



DEPARTMEXT OF THE NATAL SERVICE 



From West Ardoise, farther to the south, we have two samples, both from 1914, 

 one, however taken in July, and the other in August. In these the scales may pretty 

 safely be said to exhibit new, and in some eases, fairly advanced summer growth. It 

 is therefore possible to group the fish in year-classes, as has been done in table 10. 



Table 10 — Age distribution in two samples from West Ardoise, Cape Breton. July 

 and August 1914. Mature and ripening herring. 



It will be noticed that the samples include a' considerable number of year-classes, 

 the younger fish, however, predominating. The 1911 year-class in particular is dis- 

 tinguished by its high numerical value in both samples. In the one from August, the 

 1908 year-class is also fairly strongly represented, and the same is the case, albeit to 

 a lesser degree, in the July sample. In the former also the 1910 year-class is like- 

 wise good. The older fish are too poorly represented to permit of any decision in their 

 case. 



The curves for these two 1914 samples, and in particular that for the two together, 

 exhibit strong resemblance to the curve for a divergent sample from the area first 



^fear g coups 



1912 11 10 00 08 07 06 05 04 05-1*93 



1912 11 10 09 



"Seer group 



08 07 06 05 04 05-l«9S 



Fig. 37. 



described, viz., that from station 42 (west of Port Hood and north of cape George) 

 taken July, 1915. The likeness will be seen from fig. 37. As in the case of the diver- 

 gent sample from Newfoundland, it mvist be left for future investigations to study 

 this question more closely. 



The next sample in the series is one from the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, taken 

 in August, 191.5. This sample has been dealt with by Dr. Hjort in his preliminary 



