— 127 — .lOflS. SCHMIDT 



A comparison of the average temperatures given liere from the Fastnet Roclc light 

 with those previously given from oft" I'^astnet seems to show that the statement made on 

 p. 116 for the south coast of Iceland has a general application. It was stated there that 

 the surface observations made from land, i. e. in quite shallow water, will always give 

 somewhat lower temperatures in the cold period of the year than those taken further out 

 to sea. In February for example the average temperature at Fastnet ßock was S-l" (and 

 none of the daily observations were over 9° in February), whilst the surface temperature 

 was 9-7° at the Irish quarterly station in February 1906. 



In regard to the production of gadoid fry the Atlantic coasts of the British Isles may 

 be characterized briefly as a meeting place of the southern and northern Atlantic 

 species. In these waters, which in respect to temperature occupy au intermediate position 

 between the most southerly parts of the Atlantic regions investigated and the most 

 northerly on the south and south-west coasts of Iceland, we find the "southern" and 

 "northern" species intermingled, and the result is consequently that all the Atlantic 

 gadoids (i. e. all the species dealt with here with exception of the polar cod) repro- 

 duce on the Atlantic coasts of the British Isles. But the production of the 

 various species is not equally great everywhere on the British Atlantic coasts in the 

 direction from north to south. On the contrary we can distinguish between two groups, in 

 which in the one case the production decreases and in the other increases from north to 

 south. To the former belong the cod ((?. callarias), haddock [G. œglefinus), whiting 

 (G. merlangus), Norway pout (G. Esmarki), torsk (Brosmius brosme), partly also the ling 

 {Molva molva). To the second group belong the poor cod [G. minutus), bib {G. luscus), 

 pollack (G. pollarÀius) and the hake {Merluccius vulgaris). 



A contrast may be drawn between the British Isles and the nearest lying regions in 

 the Atlantic with which we are concerned, namely the Fseroes and the Bay of Biscay. 

 Thus the bib (6r. luscus), lesser forkbeard (Eaniceps raninus) and hake (Merluccius vul- 

 garis) which are absent at the Fseroes spawn here and the production of the pollack 

 ((?. poUachius) and poor cod (G. minutus) is likewise much greater here than at the 

 Fseroes. In contrast to the Bay of Biscay, all the species which spawn already at S. Ice- 

 land but of which the young are not produced or only so to a very small extent in the 

 Bay of Biscay and only in its northernmost parts, reproduce on the Atlantic coasts of the 

 British Isles, namely, the cod {G. callarias), coalfish {G. virens), haddock (G. ceglefimis), 

 Norway pout {G. Esmarki), whiting (G. merlangus), ling {Molva molva) and also the 

 torsk (Brosmius brosme) , the last however probably only in the northern part of the 

 region. 



If we compare the temperatures p. 115 for the most northern and the most southern 

 parts of this region, we see that they decrease evenly but in spite of the great distance 

 very gradually from north to south. This becomes more apparent if we also include the 

 temperatures for Iceland and the Fajroes (see table p. 115). We find that in the spring 

 (i. e. when the majority of the gadoids are spawning) there is a less difference in tem- 

 perature between South Iceland (ca. 63^2° N. L.) and South Ireland (ca. 52" N. L.) than 

 between South Iceland and N. and E. Iceland (ca. 65° N. L.) ; see also the temperature 

 chart fig. 4 p. 117. Whilst the average temperature at the Westman Isles (South Iceland) 

 was 6-1° in the month of April, it was only l-5° and 1-4° on the N. and E. of Iceland 

 (Grimsey and Papey ; see p. 115) and at S. W. Ireland (Fastnet) 8-5° (see p. 126). But if 



