8 had, Size and Food; the Pilchard. 103 



suspect this sex preponderates. We have not had opportunity 

 of ascertaining the rate of growth nor development generally. 



In December we have found the roe only in an early stage, in 

 March half advanced, in May nearly ripe. This is consistent 

 with their spawning up river May to July. But it is a question 

 whether some fish may procreate in the brackish water below the 

 Lower Hope, and eggs and larva? bo carried still lower down by 

 ebb tides. One " baiter," Joe Deal, relates how at the end of July 

 near the Yantlet in one haul of drag net there was quite a lot of 

 transparent brood, like needles (" heads and eyes "), which in 

 appearance he took for young shad.* Unfortunately none were 

 brought to us for identification. 



The older shads, presumably the Twaite Shad, frequent 

 the Queenborough Swale, where we know of a 10-iiich specimen 

 having been obtained in October. At various times of the year 

 odd ones are brought up in the trawl in the neighbourhood of 

 the Leigh roads, the Blyth, &c. Among these are got fish 6 to 

 8 inches long. Shad have been landed by hook and line while 

 spruling at the mouth of the Hadleigh Ray. Good sized ones 

 are also secured by the flounder-net fishermen on the Maplins, 

 and up to near Southend Pier. Some Leighmen set small value 

 on them, and even throw them away. Yet split up, sprinkled 

 with salt and pepper and fried in butter they are very good 

 eating, their numerous delicate rib-bones being the only draw- 

 back. In those examined by us their stomachs were crammed 

 with whitebait, as many as 20 to 25 being counted in one fish. 

 The food of juveniles we failed to investigate. 



(5) The PILCHARD (Clupea pilchardus), known in its young 

 stage in French waters as the sardine, is on the British coasts 

 found numerously, chiefly around Cornwall and Devon. It now 

 seldom passes up the English Channel beyond the Bill of Port- 

 land. Over a hundred years ago it is reported to have been 

 annually taken in large quantities off Yarmouth and east coast 



* Consult Metzjrer and Hoek, Tijdsch. Nederlaud. Dierk. Vereen, Leideu, 1888, and 

 Ehrenbaum, Deutsch. Fibch. Verein, 1892, freely criticised by Cunningham, Jour. Mar. 

 Biol. Assoc., May, 1892. 



