108 Part III. — Seventeenth Annual Report 



Station II. in April, and it is seen that most of the advanced eggs were 

 found close to the surface. This fact does not, of course, exclude the 

 possibility that eggs do float at great depths, but it is conclusive proof that 

 their doing so is not dependent upon the stage of development at which 

 they have arrived. 



Station II., April. 



Depth in Fms. 



a 





7 



8 



€ 



0 



285 



28 



124 



81 



230 



1 



205 



66 



278 



148 



329 



2 



96 



34 



123 



92 



137 



4 



69 



34 



94 



48 



99 



6 



59 



50 



101 



70 



110 



10 



41 



17 



50 



46 



35 



15 



25 



27 



29 



22 



20 



In the list of eggs published by Holt*, it is apparent that by far the 

 largest number of eggs in his Stage III. [Stages 8 and c] were captured 

 at the surface. On one occasion only — viz., off Mewstone, March 30th — 

 was any considerable number of eggs of that stage taken in the bottom 

 net. 



Meekf also found in the shallow water off the coast of 

 Northumberland that the eggs of any one stage in development were 

 not characteristic of any particular depth. The same holds good for 

 all species. In every case the vast majority of the eggs of Stage e 

 taken on any station were found within 6 fathoms of the surface. 

 On Station II., in March, of 185 eggs of all species in Stage e, 178 were 

 taken within that depth. At Station III., in the same month, of 112 

 eggs only 17 were obtained at 10 and 15 fathoms ; while of 

 960 eggs in Stage e, captured on Station II. in April, 900 were found in 

 the nets fishing between the surface and 6 fathoms. This is so for the 

 following species : — Haddock, whiting, saithe, bib, dab, plaice, flounder, 

 rockling, dragonet, mackerel, lemon sole, long rough dab. Of the other 

 species present the numbers are too small to be of moment, but in no 

 case do they disagree with the general statement made above. 



The five stations show characteristic features in respect to the stages 

 of the eggs to be found in their vicinities. Station II. is specially 

 remarkable for the numbers of advanced eggs of almost every species. 

 This is seen in each month, but is more particularly noticeable in April, as 

 a glance at Table XIII. will show. During March and April all of the 

 stations furnished considerable numbers of eggs in the stages y, 8, and 

 €. On Stations IV. and V. in May and June advanced eggs were 

 common, and in the case of certain species were found only in these 

 localities. Station III. in May supplied a good number of eggs of the 

 three later stages. Tables XIII. and XIV. give an analysis of the eggs of 

 a number of species only ; they are all that it is necessary to publish. 

 The other species, from the scarcity of their eggs, do not demand special 

 attention in this connection. 



* Jour. Mar. Biol. Assoc., vol. v., No. 2. 



+ Report on Trawling Excursions, Northumberland Sea Fisheries Committee, ] 897, 



