of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



195 



Saithe (Gadus virens). 



The number examined was 354. Two obtained in the Firth of Forth 

 by the 1 Garland' in June were small and immature. Of 351 examined 

 by fishery officers, only two were ripe, one, out of eighteen, in April, 

 100 miles east of Montrose, and one, out of eight, on 5th July, 100 miles 

 east of May Island. The others, got in April, May and June, at 

 distances varying from 2 to 120 miles from shore, were more or less 

 immature or spent. 



Saithe appears to spawn much later than cod, probably chiefly in June, 

 at considerable distances from shore. 



Cod (Gadus morrhua). 



The number of cod examined was 3667. On board the ' Garland ' 520 

 were examined from the Firth of Forth, fourteen from St Andrews Bay, 

 and five in the Moray Firth and Aberdeen Bay. At Smith Bank 75 

 were examined ; the great majority, 3053, were examined by fishery 

 officers. Not a single ripe cod was obtained in the Firth of Forth. All 

 were more or less immature from June to December, when one three- 

 fourths mature was caught. In February, out of thirty -five, four were 

 nearly mature and four three-fourths mature. 



In March, out of seventy-eight, all those obtained within the limits of the 

 Firth were more or less immature ; just beyond the limits one was found 

 ripe, and four nearly ripe. In April, May and June all were found more or 

 less immature. It is therefore evident that cod do not spawn in the Firth 

 of Forth. 



In St Andrews Bay the cod examined were obtained in October. 

 December, January and March, and they were all. more or less immature, 

 as were also those obtained at Aberdeen Bay, and at the stations in the 

 Moray Firth. 



At Smith Bank twenty-two w r ere examined in January ; they were 

 immature except two, which were three-fourths mature. At the end of 

 February fifty-two were examined ; four were quite ripe, and twenty-two 

 nearly mature. 



Of those examined by fishery officers, 312 were ripe; 135 in April, 

 171 in May and 6 in June. They were caught at distances varying from 

 6 to 170 miles from shore. 



The great spawning period for cod seems to extend from the end of 

 March well into May. At the end of March 1889, Mr T. Scott obtained 

 considerable numbers of cod ova from the surface of the Moray Firth. 

 Some of these hatched two days later. 



Ling (Molva vulgaris). 



1431 specimens of ling were examined. Four obtained in the Firth of 

 Forth in August, December, February and March were more or less 

 immature. Of 1427 examined by fishery officers, 337 were ripe ; 

 eighty-three in April, 173 in May, and eighty -five in June. These fish 

 were obtained at distances varying from 10 to 170 miles from shore. 



Ling seems to spawn in April, May and June, and mostly at great 

 distances from shore. 



Hake (Merluccius vulgaris). 



The number of specimens examined was forty-nine. Only one specimen 

 was examined on the 'Garland' (from Aberdeen Bay, on 21st June), and 



