Nr. 9] CONTRIB. TO THE LIFE HISTORY OF THE FISHES 9 



Zoarces viviparus Lin. 



I have examined several specimens of the viviparous blenny 

 (Norw.: »aalekone«) from different places in the fjord. One 

 individual, tåken by Knut Dahl at Sundnes 27 /s 1899, had a 

 total length of 6.9 cm. The stomach was stuffed full of bottom 

 copepoda. In two specimens from Garten ]1 /8 1899, 1. 9 and 9.4 

 cm., the conlents of stomach consisted of insect larvæ. One 

 specimen tåken at Lensviken ' 2 %j 1904 by Swenander, 1. 8.5 cm. 

 had remainder of copepoda in the stomach. Another, also tåken 

 by Swenander, at Hegdalen, 8 /9 1904, 1. 9.5 cm., had amphipoda 

 in the ventricle. From a female tåken at Rissa, 1. 31.5 cm., on 

 the 5 /io 1906, I took 110 young fry of abt. 3.5 cm. length, and 

 with large yolk sac. The largest number of young fry found 

 by Swenander in the viviparous blenny in Trondhjem Fjord is 

 70. It is now evident that the number may exceed 100. One 

 young specimen tåken at the inouth of the Gula 23 /7 1907, 

 measured 8.2 cm. and would doubtless have been spawned in 

 the autumn of 1906. The Trondhjem Fishery Company sen l 

 me a specimen of viviparous blenny tåken in a prawn trawl 

 in Trondhjem Fjord in October 1910. It was a $ 1. 12.8 cm. 

 Remains of a mussel in the stomach. Ventral cavity greatly 

 distended with eggs. There were 17 large eggs, slightly deformed, 

 but the diameter would be abt. 6 — 6.5 mm. In addition, there 

 were a number of smaller eggs, abt. x ii mm. diameter. The 

 species would thus appear to reach maturity, at any rate, in 

 some cases, at a length of abt. 13 cm. Swenander states that 

 the species doubtless spawns occasionally in the second year of 

 life, but that spawning takes place as a rule in the third. 



Roth young and adult stages of Zoarces appear to evince a 

 preference in point of food for crustacea. I have, however, on 

 one occasion found remains of a mussel in the stomach. 



Traehypterus arcticus Rrunn. 

 As far as we know, no specimen of this species (dealfish; 

 Norw.: »sølvkveite«) has ever been observed in Trondhjem 

 Fjord beiore the 1 Sept. 1906. A female was washed ashore 

 on that date at Gjeitestranden. Length 190 cm. Otoliths of 

 fish in the ventricle. The lish collection was then under the 

 charge of V. Storm, but I was able to take out the bilobate 

 ovary, of which a photographic reproduction is here given 

 (fig. 1). The total length of the ovary was abt. 45 cm. The 

 lobes and remainder of the ovary were nearly cylindrical. The 

 lobes were of unequal size, the longer measuring 23 cm. in length, 

 with a diameter of abt. 3 cm.; the shorter 20.5 cm. long and 

 2 cm. diam. A quantity of eggs, varying in size from 0.5 lo 1 



