of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



29 



Crustacea. 



The Crustacea most frequently observed were Nephrops norvegicus, hermit 

 crabs, chiefly Eupagurus bernhardus, Portunus depurator, and one or two 

 other species such as Corystes cassivelai/us, Hyas coardatux, small Galathea 

 sp., and Pandalus montagui. In one stomach no fewer than a dozen small 

 Corystes cassivelaunus were counted, while some of the Nephrops and hermit 

 crabs observed were of fairly large size. 



Cuttlefishes. 



Cuttlefishes were rarely met with in the stomachs examined in January, 

 and those observed appeared to be Eledones. JSTo Annelids nor starfishes 

 were observed. 



February. 



The number of halibut stomachs examined in February was 160, and of 

 these 125 contained food ; the others were empty, or their contents could not 

 be identified. 



A considerable proportion of the halibut were small, being under 3 

 feet in length, and only a few of them were from 3 to 3^ feet long. 



Fishes — Gadoids and sand-eels for the most part — formed the only food 

 observed in nearly sixty per cent, of these, and tbe stomachs in which 

 Crustacea alone constituted the food contents amounted only to a little over 

 nine per cent. On the other hand, the number that contained a mixture of 

 Crustacea, fish, and other organisms was larger in proportion than in the 

 previous months. Cuttlefishes were also much more frequently met with. 



Fishes. 



As indicated above, the fishes observed consisted chiefly of whitings, 

 haddocks, and sand-eels, several of the former being tolerably large. One of 

 the stomachs, for example, contained a fairly large haddock 18 inches long and 

 a small one 8 or 9 inches ; another stomach contained two whiting, and, 

 judging by the size of their earstones, both were at least 15 inches long. 

 The occurrence of such large specimens was, however, exceptional ; the sizes 

 of haddock and whiting more commonly noticed ranged from about 7 to 10 

 inches. Most of the sand-eels were only half-grown specimens, but a few 

 were adults, or nearly so, and were full of ripe or nearly ripe spawn. Other 

 fishes which were observed, though somewhat sparingly, included brassies and 

 Gadus (?) esmarkii, long rough dabs, small plaice, and the remains of herring. 



Crustacea. 



The Crustacea comprised such forms as Eupagurus bernhardus, and 

 Eupagurus prideaux, Nephrops norvegicus, Hyas coarctatus, Portunus 

 holsatus, Crangon almanni, and the leg of a fairly large Lithodes 

 maia, as well as the digested remains of Lernwa branchialis and other 

 nondescript forms. A number of Schizopods (Thysanoessa) and Euthemisto 

 compressa were also observed, but these were doubtless from the stomachs of 

 some of the fishes swallowed by the halibut. 



Cuttlefishes. 



Cuttlefishes occurred in no fewer than about 20 of the stomachs examined 

 in February, and in about 13 of these they formed the only organisms 

 present. The only species that could be determined were Loligo vulgaris and 

 Eledone cirrosa, the remains being usually too imperfect for identification. 



