of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 211 
“Michael Sars” between Finmarken and Bear Island, the following 
groups appeared to exist, though he states that the material at disposal 
was not abundant or sufficient to make the distinction between the groups 
very clear:—(l) One year old, 10cm. to 30cm. (4-11? inches); (2) 
30cm. to 60cm. (112-234 inches); (3) 60cm. to 90cm. (234-353 
inches), Detailed measurements are not given.* 
In connection with the Danish investigations at Iceland, Schmidt, in an 
important paper,t deals with the rate of growth of the cod, of which very 
large numbers were measured. His results at Iceland differ from those 
of other workers in other regions in certain respects. With the exception 
of the youngest group, the cod were taken on the east coast of the island, 
between Seydisfjord and Heradsfloi, with eel-seines, English trawls, and 
long-lines, in depths from 0-350 fathoms. The period was between 19th 
and 29th July, 1904. The youngest group, from 3cm. to 7em., are not 
found in July on the east coast, and those of this series included in his 
tables and calculations as to age, were taken on 23rd August at Reyk- 
iarfjord, on the north coast, with an eel-seine in a few fathoms. These 
groups are as follows :— 
Group. Probable Range of Sizes. Approximate | Approximate 
Age. | Average Size. | Annual Growth. 
beeen at, Pte: Inches. | Cm, rend PS cua.) || Thettes 
| 1 | 4 year, 3-8 1}-32 5 | 2 
2 L4 years, 9-17 34-62 ~ llorl2 | ade the = 65 23% 
3 ee 18-30 7a-lig| 22 | 8% | 10-0 315 
4 Buy «} 30-45 | 119-172 |38or34) 133 | 11°5 44 
5 ane 45-81 head. pt Gi | a4 27°5 | 103 
het fois, 81-105 | 32-414 88 | 342 | 27:0 | 108 
It will thus be seen that the growth of the cod at Iceland, according to 
these results, is abnormally slow in the early stages. That a small cod 
should grow-only 24 inches in a year, and reach an average length of 
only 43 inches in the middle of its second summer, is remarkable, while 
the increase to the third summer is only 44 inches. These Iceland cod, 
when approximately 34 years of age, correspond to the cod in Scotland 
which are scarcely more than two years old. In the next year, to the 
middle of the fourth summer, the increase is very much greater—viz., 
about 10? inches; and the increase to the following summer, when they 
are supposed to be about 54 years old, is also over 10 inches. The 
difference between these groups is brought out more strongly when the 
mean weight is considered, as well as the length of the fish. These are 
as follows, according to the Tabies I published in the Report for 19034 :— 
* Bericht itiber die Thitigkeit der Kommission A. August, 1902—Februar, 1904 ; 
p. 51 
+ Fiskeriunderségelser ved Island og Fzeréerne i Sommeren, 1903, pp. 62 et seq. 
tTwenty-second Annual Report, Part II. ‘The Relation of Length to Weight,” 
pp. 142, 229. I may take this opportunity of pointing out that Dr. Kyle, in his excellent 
paper on small plaice, ‘‘ First Report on the Statistical Material received by the Bureau 
regarding the Quantities of Small Plaice landed in the Various Countries” (Conseil 
Permanent International pour L’Exploration de la Mer, Rapports et Procés-Verlauz, etc., 
Vol. IV. ; Juillet 1904-Juillet 1905 (1905, p. 50), has, by an oversight, referred to my 
determinations as showing the fish at every 5 centimetres of longth, instead of every 0°5 
centimetre, 
