THE COD FAMILY. 297 



observation. The larval fishes were more or less quiescent, 

 floating near the surface of the still water and only occasionally 

 gyrating ; later, active swimming movements were indulged in. 



It is difficult to say definitely whether these larvse were 

 those of the three-bearded or the four-bearded form. If we 

 may accept Raffaele's account as applying with certainty to the 

 three-bearded species, then the above probably may be taken as 

 being early stages of 0. cimhria, though the northern forms of 

 the three-bearded may have a larger egg. 



The two preceding accounts agree closely in many points, 

 but difi'er essentially in other details, such as date of spawning, 

 size of egg, and of oil-globule, and distribution of pigment. 



The Lesser Fork-beard. (Raniceps raninus, L.) 



Little is known with regard to the eggs of this species, and 

 none have been seen in a ripe condition. In all probability 

 the pelagic egg will possess an oil-globule. 



Parnell gives April as the spawning-season, while according 

 to R. Couch it is July. J. Couch observes, that in April the 

 roe appeared to be at the beginning of its enlargement, and 

 that the young ones are produced at no great distance from 

 land. The authors of the Scandinavian Fishes are inclined to 

 relegate the spawning-period to July. In Mr Thompson's ex- 

 ample on October 8th the " ova were contained in two small 

 lobes about an inch in length." Another, 10 inches long, 

 examined on the 21st November at St Andrews showed the 

 organs extremely small, in fact, rudimentary. 



Young examples have been procured occasionally ; thus Mr 

 Newman found several of small size amongst sprats in London, 

 and Dr Charles H. Gatty obtained another at Great Yarmouth. 

 Mr Dunn has also taken small ones from the stomachs of other 

 fishes. A. W. Malm^, again, caught a young specimen 13 mm. 

 long, on the 23rd July in Lunnevik, Bohuslan. It was entirely 

 whitish, with the exception of the ventral fins, which were deep 

 black, while blackish-brown pigment also appeared on the 



' Goteborgs &a. Fauna, p. 499, 1877. Also in Scandinavian Fishes, p. 561. 



