RATE OF GROWTH OF SOME SEA FISHES. 249 



were examined ; tlie lengths^ when given^ are from 13*5 to 17"0 cm.j 

 the weight from 9 grammes to 46 grammes. In October, of eighteen 

 specimens examined two were adult, measuring 19"5 and 19*8 cm., of 

 the rest the lengths are rarely given, but the weights are from 15 

 to 58 grams. 



If we exclude from the above records the fish which I have 

 specified as adult, and which are probably two years old, and also 

 bear in mind that the spawning period of the pilchard extends from 

 the end of May to the beginning of November at Concarneau, doubt- 

 less as at Plymouth, I think we may fairly conclude that the French 

 sardine de rogue, measuring from 12 to 17 cm, in length, is the 

 product of the previous year's spawning, and is about one year old. 



In Appendix D of the same report, where a resume of observations 

 on the year's fishing is given by M. Bovier-Lapierre, the size of the 

 fish being indicated only by weight, it is stated that the year 1887 

 was remarkable, firstly for the abundance of the fish, secondly for the 

 constant mixture of fish of different sizes, thirdly for the small size 

 of part of the fish. 



In the paper (2) published in the Comptes Rendus a fact is men- 

 tioned which is not sufiiciently indicated in the Report, namely, the 

 appearance in great numbers at the commencement of June of 

 sardines too small for the market, and weighing only three or four 

 grammes. The length of these is unfortunately not stated, but can 

 be calculated at 7 or 8 cm., so that these also were too large to be 

 derived from the same year's spawning, and would seem to indicate 

 merely a late spawning of the previous year. 



The article in the Revue Scientifique, No. 5, in the list of 

 Pouchet's papers contains nothing bearing upon the growth of the 

 sardine beyond what I have noticed in the other two papers. 



In the Report for 1888 (No, 3 in the list) we have voluminous 

 documents on the sardine. As in the preceding Report we have 

 actual measurements and details of a few sardines examined at short 

 intervals during the season. The drift fishing was continued till 

 May 29th, and was then succeeded by the fishing a la rogue, that is 

 with cod-roe bait. The individuals examined at the Laboratory in 

 April and May were nine in number ; three of these were adult, 

 19"0 to 19*5 cm. in length (that is to say, were the sardines de 

 rogue of the preceding year, and now nearly two years old). The 

 rest were 10*7 to 14'0 cm, long, evidently the produce of the 

 previous summer's spawning. In May measurements of several 

 adult individuals are given {sardines de derive), but there are also a 

 few sardines de rogue measuring about 15'0 cm. The records for 

 the rest of the summer are similar to those of the preceding year, 

 the sardines de rogue varying from 14 to 16 or 17 cm. The general 



