BATE OF GROWTH OF SOME SEA FISHES. 



263 



previous spring. I find that the German version of the Report is 

 not always an accurate rendering of the Dutch. As I understand 

 the latter, it says (p. 120j that like most of those taken in October, 

 November, April, and May, so also those taken in June, 1886, were 

 derived from the spawning of the year preceding that in which 

 they were taken ; that is, they were a year old or more. But the 

 question is raised whether the fish of 7*2 cm. taken in October were 

 of the same age as those 14*2 cm. taken in the same month. 



My own opinion is that the specimens taken in April, May, and 

 June, except the one 2b'5 cm. long, were about a year old, having 

 been hatched in the spring of the preceding year ; but I cannot help 

 thinking that these were all unusually small specimens, which had 

 not reached the normal size of yearling shad. Hoek and Bottemane 

 themselves estimate the age of specimens 2.5 to 31 cm. in length, 

 taken in May, June, and July at two years, and, according to this 

 specimen, one year old ought to be about 17 to 20 cm. in length. I 

 consider that the specimens taken in October and November are all 

 derived from the spawning of the spring of the same year, not, 

 as the authors conclude, from the spawning of the preceding year. 



The observations on Glupea finta in the same Report are tabulated 

 as follows : 



The special discussion of these observations is given in the Report 

 proper. My own interpretation is that all those in the first of the 

 two parts into which I have divided the table are from the spawning 

 of the previous year, while of those in the second part of the table 

 the greater number are from the spawning of the preceding spring 

 of the year in which they were captured. The largest of those 

 taken in October, those over 12 cm. in length, may very possibly be 

 in their second year. 



In an appendix to the report by Hoek, specially devoted to the 

 fish larvae and young fish observed, that zoologist gives reasons 



