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TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Ling ... . 



.. 9,000,000 



Turbot... . 



. . 8,600,000 



Cod ... . 



. . 4,500,000 



Flounder 



.. 1,000,000 



Sole ... . 



570,000 



egg is "small, transparent, and produced in enormous 

 quantities (up to nine millions at a time). 



The average number of eggs produced by a single 

 female fish in one season is as follows, for some of our 

 common fish : — 



Haddock . . . 450,000 



Plaice 300,000 



Whiting ... 120,000 



Dab 100,000 



Herring . . . 30,000 



Skates and Dogfishes, a dozen or less in the year. 



We now come to the Bony fishes, and take as our 

 first example 



Tile Conger eel. 



This fish is common in all parts of the Irish Sea, and 

 is rarely unrepresented in our tanks. It is voracious and 

 destructive, and is more active at night than during the 

 day. Large specimens are occasionally caught in lobster 

 and crab creels, into which they venture to feed on the 

 bait. The Conger appears to be especially fond of herring 

 and mackerel, but will devour almost any kind of animal 

 food, including small specimens of its own species. 

 Growth is rapid : a specimen kept in the Southport 

 Aquarium increased in weight from 2 to 3 lbs. to 90 lbs. 

 in b\ years. The female Conger produces an exceptionally 

 large number of eggs, the ovaries or " roe " of one 

 weighing 15J lbs., being estimated to contain over six 

 millions of ova. 



Pipe-fishes. 



The curious and graceful little fish known as the 

 Sea-horse is, perhaps, the most familiar representative of 

 this family, but it does not occur around the Isle of Man. 



