of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 30 



March. 



In March 1910, 83 stomachs of halibut were examined, and of these 68 

 contained food which could in some measure be determined, and, as in the 

 previous month, this food consisted largely of lishes ; Crustacea were only 

 sparingly met with, and very few cuttlefish were observed. The following 

 proportions will show the nature of the food contents in the stomachs 

 examined : — Fish remains only were found in 59 stomachs ; Crustacea only in 

 1 ; mixed fish, Crustacea, cufetlefish, etc., in 9 ; and cuttlefish only in 1. 



Fishes. 



The fishes observed were, as before, chiefly Gadoids and sand-eels. The 

 only Gadoids satisfactorily determined were, for the most part, haddocks, 

 whitings, Gadus esmarkii, and a three-bearded rockling (Motella tricirrata). 

 Some of the haddocks and whiting were tolerably large fishes. One of the 

 latter measured about 15 or 16 inches long (its earstones were 24 mm. in 

 length), and one of the halibut about four and a half feet long was found to 

 have swallowed a whiting about 14 inches in length, and two haddocks, one 

 of which would be about 18 inches and the other 14^ inches (their earstones 

 measured respectively 20 mm., 1 8*5 mm., 16 mm.). Such large fish, were, 

 however, rather exceptional; smaller examples, ranging from 7 to 10 inches 

 long, were more frequent. Specimens of what appeared to be Gadus esmarkii 

 were observed on several occasions, but only the one specimen of Motella 

 tricirrata was noticed. 



Sand-eels, a few tolerably large, measuring from 7 or 8 inches, were not 

 infrequent, and in one stomach the remains of twelve of them were found. 

 There occurred in one of the halibut stomachs a small portion of the vertebra 

 of an apparently large Gadoid ; one of the joints measured across the long 

 diameter 22 mm. and 19 mm. vertically (these measurements were made 

 immediately after the specimen was removed from the stomach and before 

 drying). The remains of herring were also observed, but they were of rare 

 occurrence. 



Crustacea. 



The infrequency of Crustacea in the halibut stomachs examined during 

 March, when compared with some of the previous months, was somewhat 

 marked. The species observed included Portunus sp., Eupagurus bernhardus, 

 Crangon allmanni, Galathea sp., etc. In the stomach of one of the larger 

 halibut a nearly complete female Liihodes mala, loaded with spawn, was 

 obtained, the shell, claws, and legs of which were quite soft. 



Cuttlefish. 



The contents of several stomachs consisted not only of fish and Crustacea, 

 but also sometimes of small cuttlefishes ; the only specimens that in some 

 measure could be determined were Octopods, apparently belonging to Eledone 

 (E. cirrosa). In the stomach of a moderately large halibut were found the 

 remains of a fairly large cuttlefish, but the only part that could be utilised 

 for identification was a fragment of the anterior end of the " shell," which 

 apparently was that of an Ommatostrephes, the shell of which is entirely 

 different from that of any of the more common British cuttlefishes. 



April. 



The number of halibut stomachs examined in April was 124 ; 40 of these 

 were found to be empty, or their contents could not be identified, while the 

 food in the remaining 84 was more or less recognisable. 



