152 



Part III. — Ticentj/ -second Annual Report 



All these females would obviously spawn in the ensuing season ; and it 

 is noteworthy that some of the smaller fishes had the larger eggs. The 

 weight of the testes in the male had also increased ; in specimens from 

 _'27-232mm. they weighed 0*7-0*9 grammes, and in some from 253-267mm. 

 they weighed from 1'2 to 3 - 8 grammes. From these indications probably 

 all would spawn in the course of the next season. 



On the 1st April, that is after the spawning season had begun, some 

 others were examined. Females of 182 and 198mm. had small ovaries 

 and unyolked eggs which measured from 0'6 to 0-8mm. Others at 225 

 and 227mm. (8g inches) had eggs measuring up to '672, and at 232 and 

 237mm. the ovaries contaiued ripe eggs. From the same collections 803 

 whitings were assorted into males and females, the condition of the 

 reproductive organs being determined ; the particulars are contained in 

 the following Table : — 



Female. 



Male. 



Cm. 



Ripe. 



Spent. 



Immature. 



Ripe. 



Spent. 



Immature. 



1 Q 

 1 5 







1 









1 4 



1 4 







Q 

 O 







i 

 l 



15 















16 







4 







6 



17 







4 







4 



18 







1 



\ 





3 



19 







1 





. . 



1 



20 



1 





1 



16 



•• 



o 



21 



4 





4 



33 



• • 



4 



22 



IS 







58 





2 



23 



33 





3 



77 





1 



24 



40 





3 



70 







25 



44 





3 



65 







26 



40 





1 



56 







27 



38 



i 





28 







28 



27 







21 







29 



13 







9 







30 



13 







8 





. . 



31 



10 







3 







32 



7 







1 





•■ 



33 



4 







1 





•■ 



34 



1 













35 



3 











•• 



36 















37 



*3 













38 















39 



i 













40 



A <m 













In addition to these observations made on board the trawlers employed 

 in the Moray Firth, in which the collections included many whitings too 

 small to be marketable, the opportunity was taken to examine the sexual 

 condition of a number of whitings as brought to market. These do not 

 include the very smallest which may be mature, but they serve for 



