OO ————————— 
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 63 
The outer surface was more distinctly ornamented with small rounded 
ridges and furrows extending to both margins, producing a creuulated 
edge nearly all round. The largest fishes—4 in number—which are 
represented here by photographs of their earstones, range from 17? inches 
to 184 inches in length. The length of the earstones varied from a little 
over 16mm, to 18mm., and the variation in depth is slightly over 1mm. 
The annexed Table gives the sizes of the various fishes and of their ear- 
stones :-— 
: Karstones. 
a vee Length of Fish. 
Length. Depth. 
Te (BSc As) ex 18 inches, ... | 17-Omm. ee || .6:2mm: 
2 * ats 184, ... | 17'3mm. eee) a) | Oxo miis 
3 fe ae Ley werk, & One 180mm. and About 5°6mm. 
one 185mm. 
(Fish very | emaciated. ) 
| One 162mm. and 
4 35 a3 Lise he one about?| 63mm. 
| 17mm. ma 
5 Ee ae 148), “a 16‘0mm. ... |*5°Omm. to5‘5mm., 
9 Be it Poe. 35 ... | 14°7mm., .. | Fully 50mm. 
10 - ack 12 = fr 13°3mm. weed 45mm. 
11 s ae LOZ... ths 11°5mm. ae 4-3mm., 
12 an ‘ai OF a5. 115mm. Ra 43mm. 
13 a5 <: Cee” Mig et 11‘2mm. ae 4-3mm. to4‘5mm. 
14 4 ae 
Ee as cat } 64-52 ,, 2 | 8-oomim: ... | About 3‘Omm. 
16 Bs a3: 
It will be observed that the length of the haddock’s earstones in 
proportion to the length of the fish is greater than in the case of the 
codfish. In the two largest haddocks referred to here the earstones are 
nearly equal to the one twenty-seventh part of the length of the fish, 
while in one example, 8? inches in length, they reach to about one- 
twentieth part of the length of the fish. 
Gadus luseus, Linn, The Brassie or Bib. PI. ii. a., figs. 17-24; pl. iv., 
fig. 3. 
The larger examples of the brassie possess earstones even more massive 
in structure than those of the haddock or codfish. The outer surface, 
which is distinctly incurved, is also more coarsely rugose, being orna- 
mented with somewhat irregular and comparatively large rounded bosses, 
especially on the lower aspect of the exterior surface. These bosses, and 
to some extent the whole outer surface as well, have a polished and glassy 
appearance. The inner surface is convex and nearly smooth. The 
anterior end is obliquely truncated, and the anterior portion of the upper 
margin is nearly straight and parallel with the lower; then it gradually 
converges towards the lower edge till both meet in the moderately sharp- 
pointed posterior extremity. The massive structure of these otoliths is 
observable even in the smaller specimens. A brassie about 14 inches 
* Another haddock, 14 inches long, had massive earstones 16mm, in length by 6°5mm. in 
width. These are shown on pl. iv., fig. 2. 
t The pair of earstones represented by fig. 16, pl. ii. A., are shown greatly enlarged on pl. iy., 
fig. 1, and the ridges and furrows on the outer surface are more clearly indicated in the figure, 
