of the, Fishery Board for Scotland. 

 TABLE I. — continued. 



137 



List of Species. 



Pisces — continued — 



Pleuronectes microcepludus, . 



Fleuronectes fiesus and possibly o 

 species (Flounder), . 



Solea, sp. (Sole) ? . . . . 



Centronotus gunnellus (Butterfish), 

 Callionymus lyra (Dragonet), 



Clupea harengibs (Herring), . 



Conger 1 (Eel), .... 

 Raid, sp. (Skated, .... 

 "White fish" and "small fish," . 



Fish remains, .... 



AVBS— 



Part of sea-fowl, probably a Guillemot, 

 Anthus, sp. Meadow pipit, . 



her 



No. of 



Stomachs 

 in which 

 Specimens 

 occurred. 



Remarks. 



2 



( Known locally as 

 ( "Witches." 



39 



4 



1 

 4 



25 



3 



2 



( Very many young speci- 

 ( mens. 



j One specimen 9 in. and 

 t 3^ in. 



Very young specimens. 

 ( Some 10, 12, and 13 in. 

 t long. 



( Reported by Fishery 

 ( officer. 



60 

 36 



( Reported by Fishery 

 \ officers. 

 Often only bones. 



1 

 1 



Only slightly digested. 



In reviewing the classified contents of the stomachs examined, it will 

 be well to call attention to certain interesting points. The hydroids may, 

 as in the case of the haddock, be regarded as supplying an unimportant, 

 and probably to some extent, accidental part of the cod's food. With 

 regard to the Echinoderms, attention may again be called to the fact that 

 the ' brittle stars ' contribute by far the greater portion of the food 

 supplied by this class. 



There were no asteroids (star fishes) in the stomachs which we have 

 examined, and it is extremely probable that the food grouped as 

 'star fishes' by the Fishery officers belongs almost entirely to the 

 ' brittle stars,' and not to the ' star fishes ' proper. Echinocyamus 

 pusillus is the onl}^ representative of the ' Sea Urchin ' group which we 

 have met with in the stomachs examined. Neither have we met with the 

 more friable heart urchins, although two species were met with in 

 the haddocks' stomachs. Of the Ophiuroids, Ophiothrix pentaphyllum has 

 proved to be far the most frequent, and sometimes occurs in large 

 quantities. The other brittle stars, although they may frequently be met 

 with, are uot found in large quantities. 



On comparing the list of Echinoderms here given with that in forming 

 the food of the haddock (see ante, p. 128), it will be noticed that 

 Ophiopkolis aculeata has been met with amongst the food of the cod, but not 

 in the haddock's stomach, while the reverse is true of Amphiura Jiliformis. 

 Coming to the Annelids, it is interesting to note that the sea mouse 

 (Aphrodite) supplies nearly the whole of the food derived from this group 

 of animals. Of 67 stomachs containing annelid food material, the sea- 

 mouse was found in 58. In 21 cases the species was identified as 

 Aphrodite aculeata. Without doubt this is the common form, though 

 A. kystrix may occur occasionally. 



In the list of Decapod Crustacea six species are given which were not 

 found in the haddock's food. These are Cancer pagurus, Cardnus mcenas, 

 Atelecyclus septem dentatus, Lithodes maia, Galathea strigosa, and Neph- 

 rops norvegicus. Most of these, however, do not occur frequently, and, 

 with the exception of Nephrops and Atelecyclus, cannot be regarded as 

 an])|)lyincr an important or constant part of the cod's food. Hyas araneus 



