SEA FISHERIES LABORATORY. 109 
systematically, and form a regular part of the work of the 
New Fisheries Steamer (for detailed plan see below, 
Appendix A.). 
Foop oF FIsHEs. 
In connection with all this the importance is obvious 
of determining in our own district the uswal food of all of 
our valuable fishes, and even of other fishes which are not 
marketable but which are associated with the food-fishes 
on the same ground and may compete with them for 
sustenance. We cannot merely take the results obtained 
in other countries, as the marine fauna differs in different 
localities. Nor can we draw conclusions from a few cases. 
We do not wish to know what some individual fish had 
for a particular meal, but what that kind of fish is in the 
habit of eating, v.e., what are the most important constitu- 
ents of its food without which it could not get on. 
Inthe Fisheries Laboratory, during the eight months from 
May to December we have examined the stomachs of 
3266 animals of which 2087 were fishes, the rest being 
Shrimps, Cockles, &c., which will be dealt with separately. 
The circumstances of each case are fully recorded upon a 
printed form, the particulars noted being :—the species of 
fish, the date, the locality, &c., of capture, the size, sex, 
condition of reproductive organs, any other note-worthy 
point, such as parasites, &c., and the contents of the 
stomach. These forms are all filed for reference, but I 
shall only give here a digest of them showing the food of 
each kind of fish examined for each month in different 
localities, so far as our statistics give that imformation. 
The range in size of the fish in each case is also given. 
In those cases where the food was partially digested and it 
was only possible to say that it had once been part of an 
animal ‘‘ An. tiss.,’’ for animal tissues, is put. 
