Eel Pout, Size, Fertility, Food. 



the 65 older ones all contained larval progeny fully formed, 

 each 1 to H inches long. The shortest adult female Eel Pout 

 was 4|, the largest 9J inches. Of these pregnant females, con- 

 taining well developed larvae, the smallest was 5| inches long 

 and contained 20 young, whilst one 8| inches in length carried 

 148 larvae. Excluding a few females which had got rid of the 

 bulk of their progeny, the general average of the others was 62 

 to a fish. It would appear also, though not an absolute rule, 

 that increase of fertility bears a ratio to the age of the parent. 

 For example : 195 larva? have been found by others in a female 

 a foot long and 262 in one of 13 inches. The male fish in this 

 October series ranged from 4| to 8 inches, and the ?nilt in the 

 majority w'as only moderately developed. Passing on to mid- 

 January, in a batch of 61 Eel Pouts 33 were females and '28 

 males. The shortest fish was 3'9 inches, the longest 8'4 inches. 

 One female, 4'1 inches long, did not show any sign whatsoever 

 of eggs ; whilst in another 3'9 inches, and still others 4'1, 

 4*3, onwards to 6 inches, there Avere ovarian eggs the size of 

 small pinheads ; in those above 6 inches larva? were present. 

 Otherwise expressed, the sexual condition of the 33 were : 1 

 no ovarian eggs, 17 with eggs of varied size, 13 containing 

 larva), and 2 spent fish. Among the .males only a few had the 

 milt in ripeness. 



There are interesting matters concerning maturation of eggs 

 and larva? within abdomen, the early breeding of some, and 

 the age of the young at period of expulsion, but these 

 physiological subjects we here prefer to pass by. 



Their food consists of crustaceans and annelids thus 

 Copepods, Isopods, Amphipods and Shrimps, &c.,nereid or rag- 

 worms and log- worms were the chief fare, varied occasionally 

 by molluscs, Tellina, young cockles and likewise small fish. 

 While the Blennies (excluding Cat-fish) do not contribute directly 

 to our fisheries products, yet they are of great utility as 

 furnishing, both in their young and adult stages, a never-failing 

 source of food supply to our more profitable fish. 



