COD-FISHERIES OF CAPE ANN. 717 



gradnally absorbed, disappearing wholly in about ten to fifteen days, 

 and the little fish begins to move about "with a peculiar serpentine mo- 

 tion, at times darting quite rapidly, and then remaining motionless, as 

 if resting from its exertions. It now begins its independent existence, 

 and moves about more frequently, apparently in search of food. From 

 this date it is impossible to follow them, for none have been confined, 

 and it is only by catching large numbers at different seasons and care- 

 fully recording their weights and measurements that one is enabled to 

 judge of their growth. The habits of the species, that cause them to 

 live near the shore for the first few years, furnish excellent opportuni- 

 ties for such observations, and many were examined during our stay at 

 Cape Ann. 



At the outset the problem becomes difficult, in that the spawning 

 period, instead of being limited to a few weeks, as is the case with most 

 species, extends over fully three-fourths of the year, and the difficulty is 

 greatly increased by special causes that affect the rate of growth of indi- 

 viduals hatched at the same time. 



The results were what might be expected ; for a table of measurements, 

 made late in June, gave an almost continuous series, with only one or 

 two breaks, that could with certainty be taken to represent the non- 

 spawning period of the fish. But though the gaps were so completely 

 closed by the extremes in variation, which seemed to cause even an 

 overlapping, making the last hatched of one season smaller than the 

 first hatched of the next succeeding, yet there was a tendency for the 

 greater number of individuals to be thrown into groups at intervals in 

 the series, these seeming to represent the height of the spawning season 

 for the different years. The break was distinct between the smallest 

 and those of a year earlier, so that, taking the height of the spawning 

 season on the south side of the cape to be December, the large number 

 of young fry ranging from Ih to 3 inches must have been hatched the 

 previous winter, an.d were consequently about six months old. The 

 large number of individuals having a length of 9 to 13 inches indicated 

 the normal growth of those hatched a year earlier, or fish of eighteen 

 months to be 10 to 11 inches, and their weight 7 to 8 ounces. The next 

 group, or the fish thought to be thirty months old, measured from 17 to 

 18 inches, with an average weight of 2 to 2| pounds. The fish now be- 

 gin to increase more in weight than in length, soon appearing in the 

 markets as " scrod," and by the following summer measure about 22 

 inches and weigh from 4 to 5 pounds. 



Beyond this period nothing can be determined, for the variation, con- 

 stantly growing greater, now gives every size and weight, with no indi- 

 cation of breaks in the series. 



Bat enough has been learned, if the above be correct, to show that the 

 male reaches maturity at three and the female at four years; for the 

 smallest ripe male noticed during the season of 1878-'79 weighed 3 J and 

 the smallest ripe female 5 pounds. 



