174 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [8] 
period of its life the capelan is extremely tender, and even when treated 
in the most careful manner dies soon after it has been taken out of the 
water. Later in the season the young fish were repeatedly observed as 
far up the fiord as Morteusnes. Towards the end of my stay in these 
parts the capelan formed the principal bait for codfish, and were found 
in enormous numbers, together with small crustaceus and other pelagian 
animals. The codfish which were captured had the stomach almost in- 
variably full of a jelly-like substance, which, on closer examination, 
proved to be young capelan, with but few other fish among them. The 
largest specimens caught with the fine net had at that time reached the 
length of 23 millimeters, and all the fins were completely developed, so 
that with absolute certainty they could be recognized as genuine young 
capelan. 
An examination of the contents of the stomach and intestines of the 
grown capelan showed that it feeds exclusively on pelagian animals. At 
the furthest end of the intestinal duct remnants of themists and other 
characteristic animal forms of the arctic seas could be distinguished. 
In the stomach itself there were found various copepods of the species 
Calanide, some pelagian worms (sagitta),and occasionally Thysanopoda; 
therefore only such animals as had been observed in the fiord at the 
same time as the capelan. 
C. 
THE APPROACH OF THE CAPELAN TO THE COAST AND THE CONDI- 
TIONS WHICH SEEM TO EXERCISE AN INFLUENCE ON THE SAME. 
The capelan approach the coast in dense schools, and often seem to 
move with great rapidity, swiftly passing islands and capes, and rushing 
into bays and sounds and out again. When the roe and milt are ready 
for spawning this process commences in the first. suitable place, and 
seems to go on very fast. If the capelan does not immediately find a 
suitable place it roams about, sometimes near the coast and at other 
times farther from it, until it finds such a place. , 
It is a fact well known among fishermen that the weather has a con- 
siderable influence on the approach of the capelan. When there is a 
high sea and a strong wind blowing landward the capelan do not seek 
the sandy bays, but keep in deep water, where they probably spawn. 
When the wind, however, blows from the land, and the sea is calm, 
this is considered favorable to the approach of the capelan. The tem- 
perature of the sea is likewise important. Like most other fish, the cape- 
lan is very sensitive in the matter of sudden changes of temperature, 
and therefore endeavors, as much as possible, to keep in water of a 
tolerably uniform temperature. As long as the schools keep in the 
open sea they will not, during their migrations, be exposed to any very 
sudden changes, but when they come nearer the coast this will be differ- 
ent. Here they often meet with different currents of greatly varying 
