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Appendices to Fourth Annual Report 



Bias longiremus. — Occurs in fair quantity in Loch Fyne, and has 

 frequently been associated with other copepods in the material examined 

 at Tarbert. 



Metridia armata. — This species occurs in small quantities in Loch Fyne 

 during the summer, and we have once or twice met with it as food of the 

 herring. 



Other Geoups op Crustacea. 



The Ostracoda have not often been met with as herring food, but they 

 are so small that they may be easily overlooked, particularly in 

 material preserved in spirit. Our only records are from the Wick district, 

 and the species have not been identified. 



Larval decapods. — The zoea and megalopa stages of many species of 

 decapods are frequently found in the stomachs of the herring. They occur 

 chiefly during the spring and summer all around our coasts, and are usu- 

 ally associated with the copepods. Our knowledge of these larval forms 

 is, as yet, too incomplete to admit of an identification of the species. As a 

 rule, only a few specimens are obtained from a single stomach, but 

 occasionally, as in the Sound of Kilbrannan in April, we have found zoese 

 in considerable quantities. Young Carcini and Virhius varians have also 

 occurred occasionally, but cannot be considered part of the normal food 

 supply. Evadne Nordmanni has also been found in fair abundance in 

 Loch Fyne, and sometimes occurs along with other pelagic food forms. 



Annelids. 



Sagitta occurs in great quantities on the East Coast, and in the winter 

 months undoubtedly forms an important part of the herrings' food. We 

 have met with it most abundantly in material examined from the Aberdeen 

 district. Sagitta is also abundant on the Ballantrae banks, and to a less 

 extent in Loch Fyne in the spring, but we have not met with it as food of 

 the herring in those districts. 



Other forms of annelids have been met with occasionally, but the 

 specimens have not been identified. 



Fishes. 



Young Herring and Sprats. — It is almost impossible to separate the 

 young of these two species in a partly digested condition, and the follow- 

 ing remarks on the occurrence of the two forms as food of the herring are 

 based rather on probability than on fact : — 



On the East Coast the young clupeoids, on which the adult herring feed 

 in the winter months, are undoubtedly sprats in the estuaries, and possibly 

 also in the other localities. The whole of the specimens examined from 

 Dundee in January and February had been feeding only on these young 

 forms. Those recorded from Fraserburgh in June were more probably 

 the young of the herring. On the West Coast young clupeoids are 

 recdtded in the Stornoway district for the months of April, May, and 

 June ; sometimes in considerable quantities. These were probably all 

 young herring, and in some cases were associated with herring ova. 



In May and June herring were occasionally met with which had been 

 feeding on the young of their own kind, and a few other instances are 

 recorded in November. Mr Matthews has, however, recognised the sprat 

 in the Girvan district. There is thus a possibility that some of the speci- 

 mens in the Clyde estuary, which we have been accustomed to regard as 

 larval herring may ultimately prove to be sprats. 



