286 Part III.—Twenty-fourth Annual Report 
The quantity of eggs obtained from No. 2 on 19th March was small, 
and there was a pause until the 26th, when the spawning began in reality. 
In the case of this fish the emission of eggs went on very steadily until the 
19th April, eggs being got daily. From 19th to 22nd April spawning was 
interrupted, and the last eggs were obtained on 23rd April. The spawn- 
ing of this female thus extended over a period of 36 days from first to 
last, but was chiefly limited to the interval from 26th March to 23rd April, 
or 28 days; only on three days in that time were no eggs found to have 
been spawned. 
The characters of the spawning of this fish were a regular, small or 
moderate, quantity of eggs on each day. The average number emitted per 
day for the 25 days that they were emitted was 6542; the largest on any 
one day was 15,195 on 17th April, the next largest being 13,832 on 17th 
April; the smallest was 2056 on 19th April, and 2525 on 29th March. 
The other female, in tank 5, offered a striking contrast to the above. 
Its spawning extended over a period of 41 days, viz., from 26th March to 
5th May; but eggs were spawned on only 16 days during that time. 
There were thus long intervals without any eggs being obtained ; as much 
as nine days. As the Table shows, it spawned most regularly at first, 
each day from 26th March to 2nd April (no collection was taken on the 
28th or Ist). It will be noticed that the quantity of spawn emitted on 
the second day was very large, and it then diminished, only 155 eg ggs being 
found on the 31st March, and only 88 on 2nd April. The ovaries were 
greatly distended when spawning began, and the figures show that the 
fully mature eggs which had collected were got rid of in about five days, 
after which a rest for some days occurred, 
This female spawned again on the 7th April, and for the next two days ; 
then not again until the 15th; then on the 19th, 22nd, and 23rd; then 
on the 26th, and finally on 5th May. The seven “bursts” of spawning 
were as follows :— 
Number of Ratio per 
SEES. Rggs Spawned. WCAC, 
1 | 26th March—2nd ca : 65,657 255°64 
2 | 7th-9th April, . : 47,797 272°% 
3 | 15th April, : : 5 49,170 3649 5 
4 | 19th April, : : ; 32,828 314°6 
5 | 22nd, 28d April, ; , 30,831 3314 
6 | 26th April, 5 : : 15,587 306‘0 
7 | 5th May, . : 3 10,907 3180 
'The largest numbers on any one day was 49,170 on 15th April, and 
44,405 on 27th March; the smallest daily amount was 88 and 155, which 
might almost be considered accidental, the next being 2555. The average 
per day for the 15 days on which spawning occurred was 16,852 eggs. 
The aggregate quantily of spawn from No, 2 over the whole period was 
654:29 cubic centimetres, and the estimated number of eggs was 163,557. 
The aggregate from No. 5 was 856°79 cubic centimetres, and the 
estimated number of eggs was 252,777. 
| ‘TABLE. 
