Gatty Marine Laboratory^ St. Andrews. 245 



a somewhat difficult fish to deal with in regard to its ova. 

 From information sent bj Mi*. Duthie they appear to come 

 inshore after spawning, and are by no means rare in June, 

 July, and August ; but only an occasional fish is procured 

 offshore by the long liners. It is an active form, and gene- 

 rally struggles so severely when hooked that it is brought 

 up dead. Moreover, the egg-capsules seem to be easily 

 affected in confinement. 



In all probability the larval pollack thus closely approaches 

 the larval green cod, the black pigment being even more 

 distinctly developed along the sides. In the post-larval stage 

 this pigment also probably collects into marked dorsal and 

 ventral bands, with a general dusting on the sides posteriorly 

 and a median line as in the cod and green cod. 



Young pollack from 28 to -43 raillim. long occur in numbers 

 near the margin of the rocks about the end of July, while 

 larger forms, ranging from 48 to 78 millim., are not un- 

 common in September. In October they reach the length 

 of 4f inches. 



3. On the Life-history of the Lumpsucker 

 (Cyclopterus lumpus, L.). 



The eggs of this species are very abundant along the rocky 

 margins from February to the end of May, or even somewhat 

 later, one specimen having been procured on the 12th July, 

 1888. The colour of the eggs varies from reddish to straw- 

 tint, and even greenish, while in a ripe ovary in the body of 

 the fish it ranges from a beautiful amethystine lustre, through 

 the various shades of dull yellow, to greenish. When the 

 eggs are partly immersed in a crevice of the rocks and partly 

 exposed, those on the latter surface are straw-tinted, while 

 those in the pocket in the rock are of a faint lilac hue. The 

 capsule is dense and minutely punctured, but presents no 

 special thickenings or superficial wrinkles, except where the 

 facets of attachment are situated. They are fixed togetiicr in 

 considerable masses on the rocks, the water percolating 

 readily through the interstices ; but the hatching in confined 

 tanks is somewhat uncertain, since decaying debris or the 

 death of a few leads to putrefaction of the whole. 



In the majority of instances the exposed surfaces of the 

 masses of eggs present peculiar and smoothly rounded de- 

 pressions, as if portions of the eggs had been scooped out by 

 a predatory fish or mollusk. ►Such depressions are bowl- 

 shaped — that is, wider at the top or surface and gently nar- 

 rowing to the bottom. An attentive examination, however, 



