64 Cod 9 Size and Food; The Haddock. 



brought ashore, not being considered eatable, still less are they 

 saleable. In December, 1898, several examples of hauls from 

 Leigh E/oads by John Harvey were brought for our inspection. 

 Two specimens examined, females, were 16 and 11 inches long, 

 and weighed 30 and 10 ounces respectively. In January, 1899, 

 codlings were again numerous, and distributed well over the 

 estuary mouth. Several caught below the Nore ranged from 3| 

 to over 4f inches in extreme length, many considerably beyond. 

 Later on, in March and April, even within the " Low-way," 

 Hadleigh Ray mouth, small codlings were procured. The 

 smallest of these fish was 4, the largest 7 inches. The shorter 

 ones were in an interesting change of dress, just beginning to 

 lose the side stripes, or markings, of the post-larval stage. 



When or where the adult cod spawns that pay our district a 

 visit we cannot say. Elsewhere, February to March are the 

 chief months, though some ripe fish are got earlier and later. 

 According to the cod-age calculations of various investigators, it 

 would seem the above Thames codlings might be reckoned as from 

 eight to ten, and others twelve months old, and over. Breeding 

 does not commence before the second year. Codlings are 

 abundant the whole entire stretch of our district Ramsgate, 

 Deal and Folkestone being well-known favourite resorts of sea- 

 anglers for codling, silver whiting, &c. In all of the above 

 Thames codlings, shrimps and remnants of fish were the chief 

 food. In the larger-sized examples, besides the shrimps in 

 spawn were shore crabs and Amphipods. These latter crus- 

 taceans gave a rich salmon tint to the stomach contents.* 



(2) The HADDOCK (Gadus ceglefinus) has never formed any 

 part of the fishery followed by the Leighmen. What few got 

 have been quite accidental captures, more often with hook-and- 

 line. Mr. B. Baxter says that in former years when he fol- 

 lowed stowboating for sprats, at odd times a few would come 



* The so-called Lord Fish or Large-headed Cod (G. macrocephalus) of the Thames 

 mouth is assuredly not a, separate species, but only a malformed fish. This is of 

 occasional occurrence in the Thames Estuary; but witness Patterson's figs, for 

 examples noticed at Yarmouth. (Zoologist, 1898.) 



