354 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [144] 



come 50 mm to 68 mm iu length of body, and the later broods are 5 mm to 

 30 mm long. As before, with these sizes occur others of all ages down 

 to those just hatched. It should be observed, however, that in those of 

 our tabulated lots taken by the trawl the very small sizes are absent, 

 because they pass freely through the coarse meshes of the net. 



4. By the second week in September, the June squids have the mantle 

 60 mm to 82 mm long. All the grades of smaller ones still abound. A few 

 larger specimens, taken the last of August, and in September, 84 mm to 

 110 mm long, may belong to the June brood, but they may belong to those 

 of the previous autumn. 



5. In the first week of November, the larger young squids taken had 

 acquired a mantle-length of 79 mm to S5 mm , but these are probably not 

 the largest that might be found. Younger ones, probably hatched in 

 September and October, 8 mm to 20 mm in length of body, occurred in vast 

 numbers November 1, 1874. The specimens taken November 16, off 

 Chesapeake Bay, having the mantle 40 mm to 70 mm long, probably belong 

 to the schools hatched in the previous summer. 



6. In May and June the smallest squids taken, and believed to be 

 those hatched in the previous September or October, have the mantle 

 C2 mm to 100 mm long. With these there are others of larger sizes, up to 

 152mm t iss mm , and connected with the smaller ones by intermediate 

 sizes. All these are believed to belong to the various broods of the 

 previous season. In these the sexual organs begin to increase in size 

 and the external sexual characters begin to appear. The males are of 

 somewhat greater length than the females of the same age. 



7. In July, mingled with the young of the season, in some lots, but 

 more often in separate schools, we take young squids having the mantle 

 75 mm to 10u mm long. These we can connect by intermediate sizes with 

 those of the previous year taken in June. I regard these as somewhat 

 less than a year old. 



8. Beyond the first year it becomes very difficult to determine the age 

 with certainty, for those of the first season begin, even in the autumn, 

 to overlap in their sizes those of the previous year. 



9. It is probable that those specimens which are taken in large quan- 

 tities, while in breeding condition, during the latter part of May and 

 in June, having the mantle 175 mm to 225 ram long in the females and 200 mm 

 to 275 mm long in the males, are two years old. 



10. It is probable that the largest individuals taken, with the mantle 

 300 mm to 425 ram long, are at least three years, and perhaps, in some cases, 

 four years old. The very large specimens generally occur only in small 

 schools and are mostly males. The females that occur with these very 

 large males are often of much smaller size, and may be a year younger 

 than their mates. 



11. When squids of very different sizes occur together in a school, 

 it generally happens that the larger ones are engaged in devouring the 

 smaller ones, as the contents of their stomachs clearly show. Therefore, 



