been in the previous year. In the Limfjord, however, we found, in August 
1900, not a few young ones, 17/,—32/, inches long. They seem to have 
entered the Fjord quite suddenly, while we were staying there; for in the 
first days of August we found none; but when we returned home, on the 
l4th of August, we took many in Livø-Bredning. During our voyage, from 
the mouth of the Limfjord to past Grenaa, we made two hauls, on zostera 
bottom, in the Aalhorgbugt; here too we found the fry of cod, respectively 
4 and 6 specimens in each haul. After our return to the Great Belt, it 
was impossible to find more than a few specimens. 
Although these little fish, where they are found, are very easily caught, 
just as other little fishes, e. g. whitings and gobies, of which we have some- 
times got several thousands in one haul, with an eel-seine or ammodytes- 
seine, we caught, in the whole of the year 1900, in spite of all searching, 
only 145, 106 of which were taken in the Limfjord. Of larger codfish, 
however, we took ec. 3000. In 1899, c. 1700 larger codfish were caught, 
but only 340 specimens of the fry of the year; of the latter no less than 
170 were taken at Fænø. Of course we might easily have caught many 
more, both small and large cod, if we would have carried on our fishery 
for a longer time at the places where we fouud many, as the fishermen 
use to do; but we rather endeavoured to investigate as many places as possible 
and immediately leave every fishing-ground when we had seen its stock of 
fish. Therefore, the figures quoted give rather a good idea of the scarcity 
of the fry in our seas in general, more particularly when we remember 
also, that it takes only "/,—"/, hour to make a haul with an eel-seine which 
catches the small fry, while it takes long preparations to fish the large cod- 
fish on hooks. 
I have hesitated long before I have ventured to pronounce the following 
fact: from the time when. the eggs of the cod are deposited, in February, March, 
and April, and till the month of August, the fry of the cod is missing in our 
seas. It then vreappears, and although scarce, it is not equally scarce every 
year, with an average length of 2—8 inches; but the intermediate stages, wlrich 
Sars so easily observed in the Lofoten, are, as it were, unknown with us. 
As to the dwelling-place of the fry in May, June, and July, nothing is 
known for certain; but I think it must be looked for somewhere in the 
North Sea, and I remember pretty well from 1897, when I was trawling a 
thousands — they are much rarer than Apstein found them to be in the North Sea, on 
his three expeditions in 1895. (See V. Hensen und CO. Apstein: Die Nordsee-Expedition 
1895. Wissenschaftliche Meeresuntersuchungen. Neue Folge. Bd, II. H. 2, 1897, p. 52.) 
In a later work this matter will be more closely discussed. : 
It would be almost impossible to imagine that such quite small, young cod should 
never have been found in our seas, where fecundated eggs of codfish, at times, are floating 
about in great numbers, eggs which can be hatched with the greatest ease when they 
are gathered in. Well, now they have heen found; but they are so exceedingly rare 
— altogether 20—30 specimens — that this fact strikes me as a very remarkable thing. 
