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Appendices to Fourth Annioal Beport 



is also very low during the great East Coast fishery, and often in certain 

 parts during February and March. 



As it has not been possible to identifiy the species in a large number of 

 the stomachs examined, we have simply indicated the group to which 

 these belonged. In the accompanying table, an analysis is given of the 

 contents of a very large proportion of the stomachs examined, and the 

 fishing centres from which they were received have been somewhat 

 arbitrarily grouped together into districts. 



Three symbols are used to indicate the comparative abundance of each 

 group of food forms. The x signifies great abundance, the — is used 

 when very few specimens have been found or when they formed only an 

 insignificant amount of the food, while the f indicates an intermediate 

 quantity. If we had been enabled to examine all the material in a fresh 

 condition, it is probable that more species would have been identified, and 

 it is probably owing partly to this reason that we have failed to recognise 

 several of the species described by Mr Sim. Others described by the 

 same author are rare and possibly local, while such forms as Galathea are 

 probably of rare occurrence as food of the herring. It is a significant • 

 fact that we have not recognised a single specimen of the genus MysiSy 

 and Biriella has only been met with occasionally. 



Hyperiid^. I 

 Hyperia galha. — This species must be reckoned as one of the most 

 important forms of herring food. Judging from its frequency in the 

 stomach of the herring, this form must exist in myriads off the East 

 Coast of Scotland. The male is smaller than the female and leads an 

 active pelagic existence. In structure it is so different that it has been 

 described as a distinct genus {Lestricjonus). The males occur in much 

 greater abundance than the females in the stomachs which we have 

 examined, an occurrence which is doubtless to be attributed to the 

 difference in habit of the two sexes. The female occurs plentifully in the 

 summer time under the umbrella of Aurelia, Ekizostoma, and other 

 Medusae. We are not, however, acquainted with its habit during the 

 colder months, that is during the period in which it is found as herring 

 food. The distribution of Hyperia around the Scottish Coast, as brought 

 out by the present statistics, is very interesting. It has not occurred in 

 any of the stomachs examined from the Berwick district, probably for 

 the reason that the herring fishing does not begin in that district until 

 another class of food has taken the place of Hijperia. 



In the Anstruther district Hyperia is extremely abundant in the 

 stomach of the herring during the months of January and February. 

 In March it does not occur in such great numbers, while the fish caught 

 in the inshore waters during April and May do not appear to feed on 

 either this or any other crustacean. Although stomachs were examined 

 from this district in December, none of them contained any specimens of 

 Hyperia^ although this species is common in adjoining districts at that 

 time. 



In the Stonehaven and Aberdeen districts Hyperia is abundant in the 

 herring's stomachs from December to April, but after the latter month 

 this species was no longer found. 



The statistics given for the area between Peterhead and Cromarty 

 appear to show that Hyperia is frequent in that part in December, more 

 abundant in January, while in February and March the supply gradually 

 diminishes and the herring then seeks other food. A careful comparison, 

 however, shows that so far as our material goes, Hyperia is by no means 

 80 abundant in this area as in those to the south of it 



