98 Prof. M'Intosli's Notes from the 



Mr. Duncan Matthews, under the auspices of the Fishery 

 Board for Scotland. 



The eggs and larval forms of sand-eels for the most part 

 have escaped observation, - and it is possible that there is 

 something peculiar in the habits of the adults at the spawning- 

 period, and especially in connexion with the deposition of 

 the ova. The latter have never been captured in the tow- 

 nets, though these have often swept the bottom. They have 

 also escaped notice in the dredge used on sandy ground, and 

 in digging for the adults in tlie sand at extreme low water. 



The literature on the subject, so far as known, is scanty. 

 Parnell notes that the sand-eel {Ammodytes tohianus) spawns in 

 September *, but that he could give no definite opinion with 

 regard to A. lancea. Day observes that he found the ovaries 

 of Ammodytes lanceolatus considerably developed in August, 

 and concludes it spawns in autumn and winter. The repro- 

 ductive organs of A. tobi'anus, again, were far advanced in 

 August and September, and he mentions that Thompson 

 procured some ready to deposit their spawn at the end of 

 July ; but he remarks that in some places they do so during 

 the winter. " Couch considered tlie end of December the 

 most common period ; so probably they continue spawning 

 through the last few months of the year, dependent on the 

 temperature, becoming very poor in winter after breeding." 

 The words of Couch are : — " It is in this retreat, concealed 

 and sheltered with the sand of the shore, that this launce 

 [A. tohianus) sheds its roe, the grains being scattered as it 

 passes on ; and in the west of the kingdom, at least, this 

 process is accomplished at about the shortest days of the 

 the year." Bucklandf mentions May and June on theauthority 

 of Blanchere, and the place of spawning the " sand." Mobius 

 and Heincke give May as the spawning-season of A. lan- 

 ceolatus, according to Bloch, and mention that Malm found a 

 female with enlarged ova in June. 



The general result of the observations made in former 

 years at St. Andrews was that in May and June many 

 examples of A. tohianus ^ not always the largest, have the 

 ovaries well developed, but until this year no ripe specimen 

 had been procured either by digging or other metliod of 

 capture. Kipe males, however, have often been obtained, 

 and, as in other groups, some of these have been compara- 

 tively small. Few ripe examples on the whole have been 

 procured by digging, but, on the other hand, there is no 



* ' Fishes of the Firth of Forth,' pp. 391-393. 



t ' Report Sea-Fisheries of Euglaud and Wale's,' p. 246. 



