538 Part III. — Tweiiticih Annual R&port 



Common Gurnard, the Cod, and to some extent also of the Haddock 

 they also formed a considerable proportion of the food of the Long Rough 

 Dab and the Common Dab. On the other hand fishes were seen to form 

 the most important part of the food of the Whiting, while Annelids 

 entered largely into the food of the Plaice, the Lemon Soles, and the 

 Witch Soles. ' 



Although in the present paper the results stated above are generally 

 corroborated as regards the larger and adult fishes, it is shown that in the 

 food of young and immature fishes, and even of those which in the adult 

 stage live to a large extent on Annelids, the smaller Crustacea — Schizo- 

 pods, Amphipods, and Copepods— form a very important part. If, for 

 example, we compare the food of the Plaice, as given in the Tenth Annual 

 Report already referred to, with the observations on the food of immature 

 and small specimens contained in this paper, we find that, as recorded in 

 the Tenth Annual Report, 1931 Plaice were examined, 1392 of the 

 stomachs contained food which could be identified, and of this number 

 only about 9 per cent, contained Crustacea, while fully 54 per cent, 

 contained Annelids, and 45 per cent. Mollusca. In the present paper it 

 is shown that, in marked contrast to the above, the food of the two 

 hundred and twenty-six small specimens examined consisted almost 

 entirely of minute Crustacea, and that it was in the stomachs of ordy a 

 few of the larger of the specimens where Annelids were observed. 



In a number of cases only a few stomachs have been examined, but it 

 is likely that further observations will be made on the species noticed 

 here as well as on others I have not yet had an opportunity to 

 examine. 



In former papers on the food of fishes it has usually been the larger 

 organisms observed that have been recorded ; the conditions under which 

 these records were made were frequently unfavourable for the identifi- 

 cation of minute forms ; but in the preparation of the present paper these 

 smaller forms have been specially studied, and this has permitted me to 

 give a more detailed account of the food of the various fishes referred to. 



