40 



matic importance. The latter include the one- aud two-spotted go- 

 bies, the sea-scorpion the three-spined sticklehack, the viviparous 

 blenny and the lampern. Of these the sea-scorpion and the blenny 

 at least are eaten — the blenny is even in high esteem among 

 the fishermen — whereas gobies, sticklebacks and lamperns for 

 men are quite uneatable. 



Gobies and sticklebacks are among the most common animals 

 of the Zuiderzee. According to Möbius and Heincke the one- 

 spotted goby is to be distinguished from the two-spotted ; both 

 occur in the Zuiderzee though the last was observed only 

 on one occasion. The common form of the Zuiderzee is the 

 one-spotted goby (G. minutus). It spawns in the Zuiderzee, as 

 may be concluded from the immense number of larvae and young 

 ones which were taken with the pelagic net. The fish seems to 

 be ripe late in the season: at least I got specimens of 4 millim. 

 — the smallest fishlarva I have met with in the Zuiderzee — 

 on June 5, 1888. The areometer showed 1.006, temperature 15° C. 

 Numerous specimens of 9 millim. and upwards were taken on 

 June 15 and June 29 in the south-eastern part of the Zuider- 

 zee: probably these animals grow very fast, as I caught as early 

 as July 12 a specimen of 20 millim. in one of the pelagic nets 

 with which I had been fishing near the en trance of the Kamper 

 Ketel. Between those of 9 and those of 20 millim. all trausitional 

 sizes are represented. On plate III fig. 1 is made after a larva of 

 4 millim. belonging to this species. 



The three-spined sticklehack is to be had from every „kuil" 

 net and from every surface-net nearly without exception. They 

 are found most abundantly ho wever in those parts of the Zui- 

 derzee with small salinity where the larvae of the herring and 

 smelt are dwelling also : I never had a good catch of these 

 larvae without taking some of the sticklehack also. They have 

 good reason to stay there as they prefer to feed on fish-ova and 

 young fishes when they can get them — small Crustaceans (spe- 

 cies of Mysis, larvae of Mysis, Corophium and others) however are 

 not despised by them. 



