63 



Part III. — TwenUj-fourtli Annual Report 



The outer surface was more distinctly ornamented with small rounded 

 ridges and furrows extending to both margins, producing a crenulated 

 edge nearly all round. The largest fishes — 4 in number — which are 

 represented here by photographs of their earstones, range from 17| inches 

 to 18 J inches in length. The length of the earstones varied from a little 

 over 16mm. to 18mm., and the variation in depth is slightly over 1mm. 

 The annexed Table gives the sizes of the various fishes and of their ear- 

 stones : — 









Earstones. 



Figure on the 

 Plate. 



Length of Fish 

















Length. 



Depth. 



1 (PI. ii. a.)... 



18 inches, .. 





17 0mm. 



6 "2mm. 



•7 



— ,, ... 



18.1 „ 





17 '3mm. 



6 '3mm. 



3 



17| „ 



( 



One 18 '0mm. and ) 



About 5 '6mm. 







1 



one 18 '5mm. J 







(Fish very 



emaciated.) 









1 



One 16 '2mm. and ) 





4 



m » 



one about > 



6 '3mm. 







17mm. ...) 





5 



14| „ 





16 0mm. 



*5'0mm. to 5 '5mm. 



9 





13J ,, 





14 '7mm. 



Fully 5 •0mm. 



10 





- 12 „ 





13 '3mm. 



4 '5mm. 



11 





10| „ 





1 1 5mm. 



4 '3mm. 



12 





9| „ 





llomm. 



4 '3mm. 



13 





8| „ 





11 '2mm. 



4'3mm. to4'5mm. 



14 



•) 











15 



...[ 



H-51 „ 





8-8 '5mm. 



About 3 0mm. 



tl6 



, ..J 











It will be observed that the length of the haddock's earstones in 

 proportion to the length of the fish is greater than in the case of the 

 codfish. In the two largest haddocks referred to here the earstones are 

 nearly equal to the one twenty-seventh part of the length of the fish, 

 while in one example, 8| inches in length, they reach to about one- 

 twentieth part of the length of the fish. 



Gadus luscuS) Linn, 

 fig. 3. 



The Brassie or Bib. PI. ii. a., figs. 17-24 j pi. iv., 



The larger examples of the brassie possess earstones even more massive 

 in structure than those of the haddock or codfish. The outer surface, 

 which is distinctly incurved, is also more coarsely rugose, being orna- 

 mented with somewhat irregular and comparatively large rounded bosses, 

 especially on the lower aspect of the exterior surface. These bosses, and 

 to some extent the whole outer surface as well, have a polished and glassy 

 appearance. The inner surface is convex and nearly smooth. The 

 anterior end is obliquely truncated, and the anterior portion of the upper 

 margin is nearly straight and parallel with the lower ; then it gradually 

 converges towards the lower edge till both meet in the moderately sharp- 

 pointed posterior extremity. The massive structure of these otoliths is 

 observable even in the smaller specimens. A brassie about 14 inches 



* Another haddock, 14 inches long, had massive earstones 16mm. in length by 6*5min. in 

 width. These are shown on pi iv., fig. 2. 



t The pair of earstones represented by fig. 16, pi. ii. a., are shown greatly enlarged on pi. iv., 

 fig. 1, and the ridges and furrows on the outer surface are more clearly indicated in the figure. 



