GREA T BRITAIN. 135 



the highest take of the fleet ; a second trip will probably 

 be made later in the season. 



Bait. It is very voracious, devouring everything eatable. 

 Mussel are most used in Moray Firth, or the limpet 

 (Patella] ; also " Badgers," a common shell-fish, Lutraria 

 vulgaris, and the " spout-fish," Solen siliqua, are very 

 killing, but more especially the " sand-launce " and " her- 

 ring." 



The " cod murderer," in use at Peterhead, consists of a 

 >ng piece of lead, either round or flat, with snoods passed 

 irough holes at intervals, bearing a hook at either end, 

 without bait. The cod strikes against the lead, and one or 

 icr of the hooks generally secures it (' Angler's Note 

 >k,' p. 48). 



Breeding. The cod arrives from the deep sea, and com- 

 lences spawning in our seas, usually in January, and 

 continues this operation until about April. In the Firth 

 of Forth, however, Parnell observed that they begin to 

 deposit their spawn in the months of May or June, and it 

 must be remarked that they are much later in cold and 

 boisterous seasons than in calm and mild ones. They are 

 very prolific. Leuwenhoeck counted 9,384,000 eggs in one 

 of medium size ; Harmer, 3,686,760 in one taken at the 

 end of December ; Buckland, 1,800,000 in a ij Ib. fish in 

 March, while he found in 7f Ib. of cod roe 6,867,000, and 

 such a quantity sometimes exists, that from fish of 21 Ib. 

 weight 12 Ib. of roe have been removed. Off Norway, 

 Sars observed that at the spawning period the cod became 

 restless, the males and females swimming about very 

 rapidly, while spawning was continued some months, 

 during which period the fish get out of condition. The 

 females, as a rule, were nearer to the surface than the 

 males, as proved by netting, for the drag-nets almost 



