REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [144] 
come 50™ to 68™™ in length of body, and the later broods are 5™™ to 
30™ long. As before, with these sizes occur others of all ages down 
to those just hatched. It should be observed, however, that in those of 
our tabulated lots taken by the trawl the very small sizes are absent, 
because they pass freely through the coarse meshes of the net. 
4, By the second week in September, the June squids have the mantle 
60"™ to 82™™ long. All the grades of smaller ones still abound. A few 
larger specimens, taken the last of August, and in September, 84™™ to . 
110™™ long, may belong to the June brood, but they may belong to those 
of the previous autumn. 
5. In the first week of November, the larger young squids taken had 
acquired a mantle-length of 79™™ to 85™™, but these are probably not 
the largest that might be found. Younger ones, probably hatched in 
September and October, 8™™ to 20™™ in length of body, occurred in vast 
numbers November 1, 1874. The specimens taken November 16, off 
Chesapeake Bay, having the mantle 40™™ to 70™™ long, probably belong 
to the schools hatched in the previous summer. 
6. In May.and June the smallest squids taken, and believed to be 
those hatched in the previous September or October, have the mantle 
62™™ to 100™™ long. With these there are others of larger sizes, up to 
152™™ to 188™™, and connected with the smaller ones by intermediate 
sizes. ‘All these are believed to belong to the various broods of the 
previous season. In these the sexual organs begin to increase in size 
and the external sexual characters begin to appear. The males are of 
somewhat greater length than the females of the same age. 
7. In July, mingled with the young of the season, in some lots, but 
more often in separate schools, we take young squids having the mantle 
75™™ to 10u™™ long. These we can connect by intermediate sizes with 
those of the previous year taken in June. I regard these as somewhat 
less than a year old. 
8. Beyond the first year it becomes very difficult to determine the age 
with certainty, for those of the first season begin, even in the autumn, 
to overlap in their sizes those of the previous year. 
9. It is probable that those specimens which are taken in large quan- 
tities, while in breeding condition, during the latter part of May and 
in June, having the mantle 175™™ to 225™™ long in the females and 200™™ 
to 275"™™ long in the males, are two years old. 
10. It is probable that the largest individuals taken, with the mantle 
300™™ to 425™™ long, are at least three years, and perhaps, in some cases, 
four years old. Thevery large specimens generally occur only in small 
schools and are mostly males. The females that occur with these very 
large males are often of much smaller size, and may be a year younger 
than their mates.. 
11. When squids of very different sizes occur together in a school, 
it generally happens that the larger ones are engaged in devouring the 
smaller ones, as the contents of their stomachs clearly show. Therefore, 
