THE COD FAMILY. 237 



believe^ that the spawning does not take place near shore but 

 mostly in the deeper waters. On the east coast of Scotland the 

 spawning-period extends from the beginning of February to the 

 beginning of May, and probably a little later (see table), the 

 part from mid-March to mid- April being the period of greatest 

 activity. At exposed parts of this coast the mature fish may 

 be found within a few miles of the shore, but on the west and 

 south coasts the adults upon reaching sexual maturity move sea- 

 wai-ds and spawn in the open water, about a month earlier than 

 those on the east side. Dr Fulton states that of a great number 

 of cod and haddock caught and examined in St Andrews Bay 

 and the Frith of Forth none were found to be mature ; some 

 approached maturity and others were spent. He states that the 

 fishes on approaching maturity appear to leave the territorial 

 waters and migrate seawards to the spawning-grounds, which 

 vary from five or six to twenty or more miles offshore ; some 

 spawning cod are found as far as 170 miles out. There is reason 

 to believe that the internal pressure exerted by the maturing 

 sexual glands is the impelling force, and also that the fishes 

 refuse food at this time, a habit which may also be connected 

 with the same functional changes. At the expiration of the 

 spawning-function the fishes.doubtless return from this congre- 

 gation to their old habits and recoup themselves. 



The cod spawns off Gothland in April. On the American 

 coast, Earll found the first spawning female in September, and 

 in December half the specimens were in a spawning condition. 

 Spawning attained its height in February and March, and some 

 continued to June. He estimated that some examples take 

 about two months to deposit their spawn, others a shorter 

 period. The older generations, moreover, spawn earlier than 

 the younger. The females keep near the bottom, the males 

 somewhat higher. The smallest ripe male weighed 3^ lbs., the 

 smallest ripe female 5 lbs. Hence he concludes that the males 

 are ripe in their third year, the feuiales only in their fourth'^. 



The egg of the cod is, as already stated, pelagic, and has an 



1 Trawling Report, 1884; and Dr Fulton, WihUepdit Scottish Fishery Board, 

 p. 235. 1892. 



' Scand. Fishes, pp. 477, 478. 



