36 



It appears from the Tables 9 et seq., that \ve cannot separate the differeut 

 annual groups of the scaled eels from oue aiiother by meaus of the measurement- 

 method; by meaus of tlie scale-iuvestigatious, nevertheless, the »groups« are often 

 apparent, so that this designation may be retained though in a somewhat different 

 meaning, as the »scale-group« 1 is identical with the yeargroup III. 



Even in the year-groups III and IV (scale-groups 1 and 2, Table 9) the 

 growth is so even and uniform, that they can each be represented separately by 

 curves, which so far as the first is concerned is only somewhat irregular on account 

 of the difficulties of capture and the Kke. All the specimens of these groups, both 

 males aud females, keep growing together, and the sex is as yet so little marked, 

 that they can only be distinguished in some degree for the last group. With the 

 year-group V (scale-group 3) however, the males and females l^ecome separated, 

 the latter beginning to grow more strongly than the former. 



Thus arises the well-known difference in size betweeu the males aud females, 

 which beeomes very marked in the older year-groups. Tables 10 aud 11 show 

 the size and year-groups of the yellow eels at Roskilde in May aud at Nyborg 

 in July; the males are somewhat less than the females; the largest measures 45 

 cm., whilst the largest female of the same year-group is 79 cm. 



