OBSERVED AT PLYMOUTH IN THE SPRING OF 1902. 603 



and in most cases much closer in, so that I may perhaps not have been 

 on the right ground. 



Holt {M. B. A. Journal, v., p. 141) refers to the eggs of pollack 

 as being 1"4 to 1'45 mm. in diameter and the larva hatched from one 

 of these eggs as being 4"2 mm. in length, and having " a single lateral 

 row of stellate black chromatophores extending from the head to about 

 midway along the tail." I have had no Gadus egg, except that of the 

 cod, so large as those referred to by Holt, and in that case the larva 

 resembled exactly the figure given by Masterman (M'Intosh and 

 Masterman, Plate IX., Fig. 1) for a G. morrhua, and also agreed 

 with Holt's description of the larva of that species {Trans. Roy. Duhl. 

 Soc). 



Heincke and Ehrenbaum give the limits of size for G. 'jiollachius 

 eggs as 1"10 to 1.30 (perhaps 1"45), so that as far as size is concerned 

 many of my eggs could quite well be those of this species. As to 

 the arrangement of pigment in a single row along each side, many 

 of my larvae showed this when healthy ; but when the black pigment 

 spots became very dendritic, after a larva had been on the stage of the 

 microscope for a few minutes, the regularity of the rows was far from 

 obvious, and the pigment spots under these circumstances generally 

 appeared to increase in number. As to the existence of the yellow 

 tinge in my larvae, I must admit that I was not always sure of its 

 presence immediately the larva was placed under the microscope, but 

 in such cases when it became obvious the larva was not necessarily at 

 the point of death, as I often kept such specimens alive for hours 

 afterwards. 



As to the other two species, G. luscus and minutus, they both occur 

 apparently commonly in the neighbourhood, and from descriptions the 

 larvae of both show yellow either diffuse or as spots. Holt suggests 

 a later spawning period for the latter species, but I have had no 

 opportunity for investigating this point. 



The sizes of eggs taken in February varied between "98 and 1-09, in 

 March between -93 and 117 (one egg -90), and in April between -93 

 and 119. 



It was perhaps rather strange finding a single egg of G. morrhua on 

 March 15th in the West Channel. The egg was advanced in develop- 

 ment, the free caudal portion just appearing. The larva escaped on 

 the 16th or 17th, and on the latter date measured 4-71 mm., the 

 preanal region being 1*83 mm. in length. 



The larva exhibited the characteristic barred appearance, and the 

 pigment was arranged precisely as in Masterman's figure referred to 

 above. 



As this was the only example I found, and as the egg was already 



