56 



Appendices to Second Annual Report 



closely throughout, and the latter becoming whiter in colour and larger. 

 Unfortunately, just at this time, the most interesting and important 

 period so far as regards the elucidation of the habits and development of 

 the sprat, the hshing ceased, and there could no longer be procured those 

 regular supplies which were essential for the further working out of this 

 question. 



Of the few sprats, however, which continued occasionally to be 

 received, it was noticed that the ripeness of the roe and milt continued to 

 increase, until now, early in June, the comparatively small number which 

 are sent, both from the East Coast (Stonehaven), West Coast (Girvan), 

 and the Firth of Forth, are almost invariably ' full,' many being so ripe 

 as to enable the roe to be readily expressed by hand, presenting much the 

 same appearance (Plate III. fig. 6) as is presented by that of the adult 

 herring under similar circumstances (Ewart, Proc. Roy. Soc, 1884). In not 

 a single instance has this condition of the roe or milt, or even the slightest 

 appearance of increasing maturity, been found in those fish which were 

 identified as young herring, all those procured at this time, even up to 

 8 inches long, being always immature. 



So far as the ripeness and consequent spawning of the sprat is con- 

 cerned, the specimens which I have seen show it to take place almost 

 entirely in May and June, and this is in accordance with Couch's state- 

 ment on the subject. Day (Land and Water, March 1884) mentions 

 having received sprats in a breeding condition from Cornwall in December 

 and January ; and Sim (Prize Essays of International Fisheries Exhibi- 

 tion, Edinburgh, 1882) states that 'many sprats caught about the month 

 ' of December will be found with milt and roe far advanced towards 

 ' maturity — that is, in sprats of 5 A inches long the milt and roe are almost 

 ' fully developed;' but of the hundreds from the Firth of Forth, and also 

 many from the Tay, which I have examined for roe or milt, nothing 

 approaching maturity was to be found till near the end of March, and 

 not a ripe or nearly ripe fish was procured till May.* It is possible that 

 this depends on the locality; and if the suggestion that the sprats seek 

 deep water for spawning purposes is true, the absence of ripening roe 

 ' and milt among my winter specimens, nearly all of which came from the 

 Firth of Forth, might be accounted for. It is improbable, however, that 

 none in this condition should have been caught even on their way to 

 deeper waters, and I believe it will be found that examples of ripe winter 

 sprats are exceptional on our east coast of Scotland. 



Yarrell gives the length of a full-sized sprat as 6 inches, but Couch 

 gives a much nearer approach to the truth, stating that it may be 5 or 6 

 inches long, but that the usual size is 3 to 4 inches. Of the sprats received 

 from the Forth fishings only one measured 6 inches (152 mm.), only two 

 or three inches, the usual length of what appeared to be full-grown 

 sprats, and all those near maturity being 4 to 4-|- inches (110 mm.). 

 The smallest which I received was If inches (45 mm.) long, and fish 

 of this size were selling as ' whitebait. ' 



I think it will be seen that, from the above description of the sprat and 

 young herring, there should be no difficulty in any one determining which 

 is which, even after a cursory external examination alone, for where one 

 peculiar characteristic happens to be obscure, some others are always sure 

 to be apparent, which should enable any one to avoid the difficulty of 

 one of the Fishery officers, who lately forwarded a small fish with the 

 remark (without stating the grounds of his belief) that he would like to 

 call attention to it, as £ it has serrated belly same as a sprat, but is 



* This appears to he the case in the Moray Firth also, for Mr Murray, fishery 

 officer at Stonehaven, writes that when stationed at Burghead he frequently saw 

 sprats ready to spawn in May and June. 



