C 435 ] 



VII. 



SURVEY OF FISHING GROUNDS, WEST COAST OF IRELAND, 1890. I.— ON THE 

 EGGS AND LARYiE OF TELEOSTEANS. By ERNEST W. L. HOLT, St. Andrew's 

 Marine Laboratory, Plates XLVII. to LII., and Table. 



[Eead NovEMBEK 19, 1890.] 



[communicated by PROFESSOK a. C. HADDON, M.A.] 



These Notes comprise a series of Observations on Teleostean ova (and larvae 

 hatched therefrom, on board) collected off the vpest coast of Ireland, between Aran 

 Islands on the south and Killybegs Bay on the north, during the cruise of the 

 "Fingal" on the Royal Dublin Society's Survey of Fishing Grounds between 

 the 12th of June and the 11th of July, 1890. 



All observations and drawings of the living forms were, of necessity, made on 

 board, and it may be urged, as an excuse for their incompleteness, that a ship, 

 even in fine weather, of which we experienced little, is not the best place for 

 microscopical study, whilst it was only possible to devote to this subject such time 

 as could be spared from the more important duties (in view of the objects of the 

 expedition) of examining the reproductive organs and food of the adult fishes, in 

 addition to faunistic observations and preservation of specimens of special interest. 

 A few further notes on the egg-capsule have been made at this laboratory from 

 specimens brought from Ireland. 



The methods used for the capture of pelagic ova were (1) towing at the 

 surface small ring-nets of fine cheese-cloth at the sides of the vessel whilst trawling; 

 (2) sinking larger ring-nets and a large triangular midwater-net, after Professor 

 M'Intosh's pattern, to a fathom or so below the surface, and allowing the ship to 

 drift with them for a short time ; (3) sinking ring-nets to various depths whilst at 

 anchor in a tide-way ; (4) trawling from the ship's boats with a small naturalist's 

 trawl with muslin net; owing, probably, to some defect in the latter, this method 

 was not very successful. The first method proved by far the most productive, and 

 is convenient, as it can be carried on whilst the ship is trawling. It has one 

 drawback — that one is apt to capture in the net many things not essentially 



TRANS. ROT. DOB. SOC, N.S. VOL. IV., PART VII. 3 Q 



