of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



123 



On reaching the Wick district, the diminution in the supply of Hyperia 

 is still more marked. This species is here most frequent during December 

 and January, in February the supply is small, while in March the herring 

 have already ceased feeding on Hyperia. This species does not, however, 

 appear to form such an important part of the herring's food in the Wick 

 district at any time, as it does in the waters south of Peterhead. 



Our statistics from the Shetland district are not very complete. Twenty- 

 one stomachs were collected in the month of April, and in these Hyperia 

 was altogether absent. In a single stomach from Noss in June a fair 

 number of Hyperise, occurred. 



Turning now our attention to the West Coast, it will be seen that not 

 a single specimen of Hyperia has been found in any of the stomachs 

 examined. It is true that the majority of the fishing on the West Coast 

 takes place between the months of April and October, at a time in fact 

 when the East Coast herring are not feeding on this form. Still we have 

 statistics from the Girvan district in December, February, and March ; 

 and from the Ullapool district in December and March, so that if Hyperia 

 really occurred in these districts in considerable numbers, it should be 

 found at this time. We are, however, of opinion that Hyperia cannot be 

 a common form on the West Coast. In Loch Fyne we have only once met 

 with this species, and it then occurred in the cavity of a medusa, which 

 had been stranded on the beach. 



From an economic point of view, the absence of Hyperia in the 

 stomachs of the West Coast herring is very interesting. It is evident 

 that we must look to other forms to supply the food of the herring on 

 the West Coast during its period of growth. 



A few other species of amphipods have been met with on two or three 

 occasions, but have not been identified. 



SCHIZOPODS. 



We have met with at least two species included in this group which 

 supply a considerable portion of the herrings' food during certain months 

 of the year. These are Nyctiphanes norvegica and Boreophausia raschii, 

 the former occurring in great numbers all around our coasts, while the 

 latter appears to be rarer and more local in its distribution. We are in- 

 debted to the Kev. Canon Norman for the identification of both these 

 species, who contributes a paper on these and other interesting Crustacea 

 to the present report. Nyctiphanes norvegica G. 0. Sars. is the Thysano- 

 poda norvegica of M. Sars., and has already been recognised as an im- 

 portant herring food by Mr Sim and others. Boreophausia raschii is an 

 allied form, which has only quite recently been recognised as British. 



Ny dip] Lanes norvegica. — This species has occurred with greater or less 

 frequency in the material examined from all the districts excepting Berwick. 

 It is probable that Nyctiphanes really occurs in the Berwick district also, 

 and that we have failed to find it there, simply because our statistics refer 

 only to the months of July, August, and September. The relative fre- 

 quency of Hyperiidse and Schizopods in the herrings' stomachs is well 

 brought out in the table included in the present report. A comparison of 

 the two columns devoted to these groups brings out several interesting 

 points. With reference to the food of the East Coast herring, it may be 

 stated generally that the relative frequency of Hyperia and Nyctiphanes 

 depends on the month during which the fish were captured. Hyperia is 

 extremely abundant during January and February, and the stock then 

 gradually diminishes, or at anyrate the herring do not feed on this form 

 to such a great extent after that time. The diminution in quantity is 



