THE COD FAMILY. 255 



Risso gives April and May as the months in which the 

 Mediterranean capelan is full of roe'. 



The distribution of the ova appears to be like that of the 

 whiting, for instance, whilst in the region of the Forth the eggs 

 of the cod and the haddock are found mostly outside the Island 

 of May, those of the poor-cod and whiting, although occurring in 

 numbers with those of the cod and haddock further seawards, 

 are often found in the upper reaches of the Frith. In esti- 

 mating the importance of these facts the effects of wind- 

 currents and tides must be taken into account ; but we have 

 important data, as stated above (see whiting), which lead us to 

 believe that the whiting may spawn nearer inshore than the cod 

 and the haddock ; and this, taken along with the fact of close 

 agreement in general distribution of the eggs of this species 

 and of the poor-cod, clearly points to the assumption that the 

 poor-cod is also a species which often spawns rather nearer 

 shore than its larger relatives, the cod and haddock. The 

 development in this species is rapid, correlative with the late 

 spawning-period, and the early stages present no striking 

 peculiarity. A marked characteristic of the young stages is 

 the occurrence of yellow pigment dotted profusely over the 

 head, body, and yolk-sac of the embryo ; in other respects also 

 the young larva, first figured and described by Raffaele as 

 transparent and as if devoid of pigment, when hatched, re- 

 sembles that of the whiting. The eyes are silvery-greenish and 

 the yellow pigment is diffuse. Its length is '108 inch or about 

 2'75 mm. Holt. A dorsal and a ventral longitudinal row of 

 black spots end abruptly before reaching the tip of the tail, as 

 was noticed in the larval whiting. There are also a few stellate 

 black chromatophores dotted over the head. (Plate X, fig. 1.) 

 The yolk-sac, with a diameter of one-half the total length of the 

 larva, is proportionately rather large. 



During the next five days there is a rapid development of 

 the organs, and absorption of the yolk. The black pigment 

 becomes more abundant and extends to the yolk-sac. (Plate X, 

 fig. 2.) 



' Scandinavian Fishes, p. 497. 



