BIOLOGY OF THE MUTTONFISH 

 TESTES-LENGTH. 



77 



Examination of the tables shows — 



(1) that as a rule the larger females contained the larger eggs and that no speci- 

 mens with large eggs were taken later than July; 



(2) similarly tie larger males co-ntained the larger testes and the larger males 

 tended to disappear in August. 



These results are then evidence — 



(1) that a fall migration occurs and corroborates the set line and shrimp trawl 

 records ; 



(2") that the reproductive period occurs in the fall of the year since the sexually 

 mature fish disappear early in August and since no " spent " males or 

 females were taken from May to October, 1918. Two captures tend to sub- 

 stantiate this. On April 15, 1919, a muttonfish 3-7 cm. i-n length was found 

 in the stomach of a sculpin (Myoxocephalus octodecimspinosus) taken in 

 a seine in St. Andrew's bay. Also on April 21, 1919, an imperfect specimen 

 2-5 cm. in length was taken in a shrimp trawl in the Bay of Fundy. As 

 previously stated there is rao doubt but that these small specimens were pro- 

 duced during late fall or early winter. This would coincide with the period 

 given for Zoarces viviparus (Mcintosh, 1885, and Van Bambeke, 1888) ; 



(3) that the fish do not become sexually mature until they have attained .a length 

 of about 40 to 45 cm. According to the age estimations the fish would be 

 about eight years of age; 



(4) that reproduction may not occur every year in some, possibly in all individuals. 

 In late July there w^re large females contai-ning small eggs and large males 

 with small testes. Also there were taken occasional large specimens later 

 than July with small eggs and small testes. For example, a female 61-5 cm. 

 in length taken on July 10, 1918, had eggs only 1 mm. in diameter ; another 

 59 cm., taken July 26, 1918, had eggs only 1-5 mm. in diameter; and another 

 50 cm., on August 21, 1918, had eggs 1 mm. in diameter. It is doubtful if 

 these eggs would have matured that season. 



