190 Part L11.—Twenty-first Annual Report 
as it swims through the water by the rapid vibration of the pectorals and 
tail, the long black ventrals projecting downwards and outwards and 
quiescent below, and the almost equally long, black-tipped rays of the 
first dorsal standing erect on the top of the head. ‘The eyes are large, 
deep ultramarine in colour, aud look upwards and forwards, and the 
mouth is usually gaping, each jaw being provided with a row of ten or 
twelve minute pointed teeth. They were observed to dart and snap at 
particles in the water. At this stage the head is about one-fourth the 
length of the body, and more than a third deeper; in a front view the 
breadth of the head is about {> of the height. 
The only post-larval form that appears to have been obtained was 
taken in twenty-five fathoms in a mid-water net, on 30th August, 
fifteen miles off the Isle of May.* It was only 7 mm. in length, or a 
little over a quarter of an inch, showing that a reduction in length occurs 
in development. 
From these facts it appears that the angler spawns from March to 
the beginning, or the middle, of July, and perhaps into August, and 
probably mostly in May. The length of tite which the eggs*take to 
hatch has not been determined. The nature of the yolk, and the 
advanced condition of the larva on issuing, argue a more prolonged 
period for the embryonic development than,in the case of ordinary | 
pelagic eggs—for the egg of the angler is essentially a demersal egg 
when removed from the mucoid substance. On the other hand, the 
temperature of the surface water in May, and still more in June and 
July, is high, and, judging from the period in the case ofa large pelagic egg 
like that of the plaice, it is probable the eggs of the angler require over 
three weeks in May and more than a fortnight in July before hatching 
occurs. On this reasoning the larval anglers would appear in the 
greatest numbers in summer from the end of May to August, and the 
occurrence of the little post-larval specimen as late as 20th August 
is-noteworthyv. 
The smallest anglers obtained were taken in the following months:— 
CENTIMETRES. 
12 | 12°5 | 18 | 18°5| 14 | 14°5| 15 | 15°5| 16 | 165] 17 | 17°5 | 18 | 18:5 | 19 | 19°5 | 20 
Jan. 
Feb. 
Mar. - - - - sil 
| April. - - - - t1 
| iene a Wel 4g |iebo = ||) = = |) : TINS eA c 1 2| 3 
\*June {3 1 
july =F1\ = eet - - : - aa an : = 2 2 1 3 
|"Aug, 
|*Sept. . - - - - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - §3 
| Oct. 
| INOVeu) = 2 2 2 2 8] 2 2 2 3 - 2 2 1 - pa eat 
| Dien 6 - - - - - - - = ep 
* At beginning of month. + By Garland in Firth of Forth. 
} One by Garland. § Two by Garland. 
*M‘Intosh & Prince, Trans. Roy, Soc., Hdinburgh, vol. xxxv., p. 869. 
