332 ANCHOVIES IN THE ENGLISH CHANNEL. 



to obtain the developing eggs in the beginning of July, 1886, from the 

 surface of the sea by means of a fine surface tow-net, and at once 

 succeeded. He found that the floating eggs of the anchovy were to 

 be found in July all over the Zuyder Zee. The eggs hatched at the 

 end of the third day after fertilization, but unfortunately Wenckebach 

 does not mention the temperature of the sea from which the eggs 

 were taken nor the temperature of the water in which they were kept 

 under observation. The egg is distinguished by the following 

 characters: the form is, as already mentioned, oval or sausage- shaped, 

 and about 1 mm. in length; this is alone sufficient to distinguish it, 

 for no other pelagic fish egg is known which has an elongated oval 

 form. The whole of the yolk is divided up into a number of 

 polygonal segments, in which respect the anchovy's egg resembles 

 that of the pilchard,"^ and there are no oil-globules. The blasto- 

 derm is situated at one end of the egg, and the larva when hatched 

 is without pigment and extremely transparent, like that of the 

 herring and pilchard. 



The Italian zoologist, Dr. Fed. Raffaele, found the ova of the 

 anchovy abundant in the Gulf of Naples from May to September. 

 According to Wenckebach the ova are not to be found in the Zuyder 

 Zee after July 19th, so that we may infer that the period of repro- 

 duction lasts longer at Naples than in Holland — in the former 

 extending through the months of June, July, and August, in the 

 latter only through June and the first half of July. Eaffaele says 

 that hatching took place after two or three days, but he also neglects 

 to give the temperature of the sea in which the eggs develop. 



We have now to consider the conditions of life of the anchovy. 



Like other Clupeoids it is a truly pelagic fish, a fish which lives 

 and feeds entirely in the open waters, having no direct relation to 

 the bottom or the shores of the sea. It feeds on other pelagic 

 creatures, probably chiefly on Copepods and other pelagic Crustacea. 

 It swims in shoals, and the shoals are constantly moving about. 

 The important point is to obtain some evidence as to the extent 

 and periods of the movement of the shoals. The theory of the 

 great annual migration of the herrings has been generally aban- 

 doned, but we still occasionally find the view expressed that the 

 anchovies which are found every year in the Schelde and the Zuyder 

 Zee travel thither from the Atlantic Ocean through the English 

 Channel and the North Sea. For instance. Professor Ewart, in a 

 letter published in the Times on January 21st of the present year, 

 calling attention to the fact that anchovies were caught in consider- 

 able numbers in the Moray Firth in December last, says, " Perhaps 

 further inquiries may show that the migration northwards of the 

 * See my paper ou Teleostean Ova in this Journal, New Ser., No. 1, 1889. 



