244 



Part III. — Fifteenth Annual Report 



TABLE XII. — EGGS OF LING. 



Firth of Forth 



April 13, 1891. Liston Bank, . . . Large number. 



May 6, ,, Station V., .... Eggs of. 



9 1892. VIII. 2. 



\\ V2, 189L 12 "to 17 miles S/S. of May 



Island, .... Ling. 

 ,, 12, ,, 6 to 12 miles S.E. of May 



Island, .... Ova of. 



„ 27, ,, Station VII., ... 1. 



June 4, 1892. E. of Inchkeith (bottom), 1. 

 ,, 13, ,, Station V., . . . .1. 



„ 13, „ „ II 2. 



Ling. 



The list under this head is very meagre. The ling is decidedly our 

 most prolific food-fish, and is also a deep-water fish. The conclusion is 

 warrantable that the Firth of Forth does not form a regular spawning- 

 area for this fish. The occurrence of large numbers at Liston Bank in 

 April is noteworthy. A very few appear to find their way into the upper 

 reaches of the Forth, but it is probable that development is normally out- 

 side this system, and, as in the case of the turbot and brill, more know- 

 ledge is required. Hitherto ripe ling have only been found in deep water, 

 and far from land. 



The species that remain for consideration are the long-rough dab, drago- 

 net, rockling, poor-cod, and bib, all of which spawn in abundance in this 

 area ; and the rarer topknot, solenette, and weever, which need not 

 detain us. None of these are important food-fishes, and time has pre- 

 vented me from dealing with them at length. 



We thus find that the Firth of Forth district forms a very important 

 area for the spawning and development of food-fishes. These fall into 

 three groups : — 



(1) The drift group, which spawn early in the year in extra-territorial 

 waters, and appear to avail themselves of the westerly drift at that 

 time of the year to bear their eggs and fry within the Firth. They con- 

 sist of the plaice, green cod, haddock, and cod, to which we may add the 

 long-rough dab. 



(2) The species which lay their eggs in the upper reaches of the Firth 

 later in the season when the drift-currents seem not to be so pronouncedly 

 westerly. These are the sprat and dragonet, to which we may add, in 

 so far as they spawn in this area, the turbot and brill. 



(3) The species which have a spawning habit, partaking in varying 

 proportion of the nature of (1) and (2). These species, in the order of 

 transition from (1) to (2), are : — Whiting (and poor-cod), gurnard, dab, 

 and flounder, to which we may add the rockling. 



