66 Part III. — Twenty-fourth Annual Report 



the length of the fish. This shows a somewhat marked difference from 

 those of the whiting 14 inches long that measured 20mm. in length, or 

 about the one-eighteenth part of the length of the fish. 



Gadus pollachius (Cuv.). The Pollack or Lythe. PI. i. a., figs. 11-13. 



The lythe has earstones closely resembling those of the saithe in shape, 

 in size, and sculpture. Fig. 11 represents the otoliths of a lythe 31 inches 

 long ; they measure about 20mm. in length by about 8mm. in greatest 

 width. The length of these otoliths in proportion to the length of the 

 fish is scarcely equal to half the length of those of the whiting referred to 

 above, but what is wanting in length is made up by their more massive 

 structure. Figs. 12 and 13 represent the earstones of two smaller fishes, 

 but their lengths have not been recorded. 



Genus Merlucius. 



Merlucius merluccius (Linn.). The Hake. PL iii. a., figs. 32-35. 



The earstones of the hake differ remarkably from those of other 

 British Gadoids. They are thin and leaf-like, and are somewhat ovate in 

 outline ; they are broadest near the anterior end, and thence taper 

 gradually backwards to the narrow distal extremity. The lower side has 

 an evenly, but not very boldly, rounded edge that extends unbroken from 

 the front to the posterior end. The upper edge is very thin and more 

 or less finely serrated, the divisions between the serrations being in 

 some parts very distinct ; near the anterior end this margin rises into a 

 prominent angle and forms the widest (or deepest) part of the earstone. 

 Immediately posterior to this angle the margin is slightly concave, and 

 this imparts to the angular prominence a somewhat gibbous appearance, 

 as shown in the figure ; from this point the margin slopes gradually to 

 the distal end. The earstones of comparatively small fishes show the 

 same gibbous appearance. The posterior end of the earstones is some- 

 what narrow and sharp-pointed. The fish from which the largest earstone, 

 shown on pi. iii. a. (fig. 33), was taken was a tolerably large one, but its 

 length was not recorded. This earstone measures about 27'5mm. long 

 by fully 9mm. in greatest width. The next largest of the otoliths 

 represented by the figures were from a rather smaller fish than the one 

 just referred to, but its length has also not been recorded. These otoliths 

 are about 25mm. in length, and their greatest width nearly 9mm. Two 

 otoliths from a hake 16 inches long (fig. 34) measure nearly 17mm. by 

 about 6mm., and another fish 14 \ inches long was furnished with ear- 

 stones 16mm. in length by about 5*5mm. in greatest depth. In these 

 last two examples the length of the earstones is equal to one twenty- 

 fourth and one twenty-third part of the entire length of the fishes they 

 were taken from. 



Genus Phycis. 



Phycis blennoides (Brim.). The Greater Forkbeard. PI. i. a., fig. 27. 



The earstones from a moderately large specimen of the greater fork- 

 beard are represented by fig. 27 on pi. i. a. This fish, the size of which 

 was not recorded, possessed tolerably large earstones. They measure 

 about 16*5mm. in length by 6 5mm. in depth. The upper margin, which 

 is nearly straight, has the edge moderately sharp and irregularly serrate, 

 while the anterior extremity is obliquely truncated. The lower margin 

 is boldly arched and somewhat angular in the middle, and converges 



