16 



Part III. — Tiuenty-seventh Annual Report 



and *2 mm. : they will probably spawn during the summer ; 8 W. ISpr., 19 

 to 25 cm. : eggs, *6-*9 mm. : o, 9-12 mm. : t, 15-23 mm. : fat, a little, 

 large quantity. All the stomachs were empty 



Summary of Each Class Represented. 



Immature, 11 to 25 cm.: eggs, *l-*15mm.: o, 1*25-4 mm.: t, 1-4 mm. : 

 fat, a large quantity, a little. 



Imm. dev., 15 to 24 cm.: eggs, *17-*3 mm.: o, 2*2-5 mm.: t, 2-4*5 mm. : 

 fat, large quantity. 



W. Spr., 19 to 32 cm. : eggs, * 4-1*3 mm. : o, 6-35 mm. : t, 7-43 mm. : 

 fat, none, large quantity. 



S. Spr., 20 to 25 cm. : eggs, *15, *35 mm. : o, 3, 4 mm. : fat, large 

 quantity. 



The immature condition in the ovary consists in its clear translucent 

 structure, closely packed septa, solid with eggs. When the eggs are very 

 small they are of an uniform size, whereas the spent roe seems to have a 

 bigger range in size. The immature fishes generally have a large quantity 

 of fat, and that may always give the abdomen a full appearance. 



The immature testis, 40 mm. long and 3 mm. broad, has a clear glistening 

 outer surface. It has some longitudinal wrinkles on its flattened side. It 

 has a solid spongy structure. If teazed and washed in water, a quantity 

 of white coagulable matter is washed out, leaving a shreddy condition, 

 but no definite honeycomb structure. When the testis begins to ripen 

 {e.g., 48 mm. X 4 mm.) the testis may be very soft and pasty in texture. A 

 large quantity of albuminous matter can be washed out, leaving a distinct 

 honeycomb. On teazing an immature testis with needles it tends to split 

 longitudinally. 



The Winter Spawners had eggs *4-l*3 mm., while the immature develop- 

 ing and summer spawners had eggs *15-*3 mm. If we add these two lots 

 together we get a complete series from the immature condition right on to 

 the ripe. This would seem to indicate a continuous spawning from 

 January to summer. 



The testis of a Summer Spent 25 cm. in length measured 71 mm. in length 

 by 4 mm. broad. It was pale and opaquish. It was wrinkled longitudin- 

 ally. When a transverse section was cut it proved to be very extensile. 

 There was not much albuminous matter washed out, but a honeycomb 

 structure was found. The vas deferens and the blood vessel were large. 



In the following table the range of weight of the herrings, the weight 

 of the reproductive organs and the breadth of the same, and the size of 

 the eggs in the ovary are given for each size of the fish. The extremes of 

 the ranges are alone given in the case of the total weight and breadth of 

 the reproductive organs. Only where there are more than two values are 

 the extremes united by a dash. 



In the case of the diameter of the eggs, where two sizes are united by a 

 dash it signifies that eggs occurred at every *lmm. Thus where the 

 range (e.g., for 22 cm.) is given as *12-*7, eggs were found, in separate fishes, 

 at *12, % *3, *4, *5, *6, *7 mm. 



The weight of the reproductive organs means the weight of the pair of 

 testes, or ovaries. 



