THE COB FAMILY. 263 



small as 1| inches amongst the multitudes of gadoids (cod 

 and green cod) that seek the tangle-forests on the rocks at 

 low water. Only one example has been obtained. 



As they increase in size great shoals are formed in the 

 offing, though a few small ones are almost always found in 

 inshore waters. Occasionally, e.g. in the Forth, indeed their 

 number is so great as to be a hindrance, no less than 3000 

 having been captured in a single haul of a small trawl. 



We have seen that in July the same haul of the mid-water 

 net in the Garland gave on the 11th July in deeji water offshore, 

 specimens ranging from 9 to 58 mm. During the same month 

 individual specimens of 55 mm. in groups of two, or three, and 

 others of 80 mm., these sizes occurring separately, are captured 

 by the mid-water net in the inshore waters. From their 

 retreats in the offshore waters, therefore, it is probable that the 

 young whiting pass to the inshore waters when between 50 

 and 80 mm. or thereabout whether the stage be reached in 

 July or in August. This is the more likely as on the 9th 

 August the same net used on board the Garland in the Moray 

 Frith, under the care of Mr H. C. Williamson, secured a series 

 ranging from 22 to 65 mm. These likewise had not yet 

 sought the inshore area. 



The question, in relation to those from 55 to 80 mm. in 

 length and captured in inshore water ranging from 5 to 

 15 fathoms, arises, are they the fishes of the season, that is, 

 were they hatched in April, or are they late examples of last 

 3'ear's series ; hatched perhaps in June or July ? Seeing that 

 they differ so little from the largest in the swarms of young 

 fishes undoubtedly pertaining to this season on the 11th 

 of July, it is reasonable to conclude that they are the fishes 

 of the season. Very considerable variation in size of the 

 various groups of whiting is permitted by the extension of the 

 spawning-period over a considerable interval. Moreover, no 

 evidence has hitherto been available of the occurrence of very 

 small whitings in numbers during the three first months of the 

 year, which specimens might justly be relegated to the previous 

 season's spawning. The hiatus in this respect is pronounced. 

 We thus have in July a series ranging from 9 mm. to 80 mm. 



