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1^ trt III. — -Eleventh Annual Report 



V.— GENERAL REPORT ON THE PELAGIC EGGS, LARVAL, 

 AND YOUNG FISHES PROCURED BY THE 'GARLAND' 

 IN 1892 AND 1893. By Arthur T. Masterman, B.A., late 

 Scholar of Christ's College, Cambridge. 



General Remarks. 



A fairly abundant number of observations of the occurrence of pelagic 

 ova on the East Coast area having been kept during the last 3 or 4 years, 

 a comparison between the various stations is possible. 



In the Sixth Annual Report the stations of the Forth are grouped 

 together into two series, an inner and an outer, the former comprising the 

 Stations I., II., III., and IV., with Cross-Section III., and the latter the 

 Stations V., VI., and VII., with Cross Section II. To these divisions we 

 may add a third, comprising the district Island of May, the Stations VIII. 

 and IX., and Cross-Section I. At the present stage of our knowledge, a 

 detailed comparison between the stations within each of these groups can 

 hardly be made with any degree of accuracy, but by forming the 

 stations into groups, which differ in their physical conditions, we may 

 expect to find at least perceptible differences between these groups in 

 their characteristic larval and young fishes, and in their pelagic ova. 



In Group I. the ova seem usually to be abundant, and the bottom 

 abounds with all the common forms of larval, post-larval, and young fishes. 

 The eggs first appear in February, those of the plaice and long rough dab 

 being in great abundance, succeeded towards the end of this month by 

 the haddock and cod. 



During March the eggs of the haddock are abundant, and these are the 

 predominant ova till the middle of April, at which period the majority 

 appear to hatch. Cod are rather later, but fairly plentiful, as also are 

 plaice. Rockling were found in abundance, in 1890, as early as March, 

 but they appear usually to be the most abundant ova about the end of 

 April. Towards the end of this month dab also become more common, 

 and gurnard make their first appearance. The eggs of the sprat seem to 

 occur just at the end of April, though, in 1893, abundance of them are 

 reported throughout the last week, all in early stages. The whiting, bib, 

 flounder, and poor-cod are found in small numbers at the same period. 

 In May the post-larval and larval forms, with young fishes, are abundant. 

 The sprat and gurnard become the dominant forms of egg, with great 

 numbers of rockling ; among rarer forms appear this month the lemon dab, 

 the brill, and the dragonet. The predominance of sprat, gurnard, and 

 rockling is continued steadily throughout June, and in this month also 

 the ova of turbot and ling are met with, though in limited numbers. In 

 July the number of ova undergoes a distinct diminution, the sprat, gurnard, 

 and rockling being all at hatching stage, and still fairly plentiful ; turbot, 

 lemon dab, &c, are still found. 



In August the ova are still less in number, and of the same kinds as in 

 July, but the young fishes at the bottom become very plentiful, especially 

 gobies, herrings, and sprats. 



In October the young clupeoids swarm, together with pleuronectids, 

 gobies, and dragonets. In December there are a few sparse records of 

 young fishes of the same kinds as above. 



In the Second Group of Forth Stations, V., VI., and VII., with Cross- 

 Section II., and the Elie Ness district, amongst the bottom forms the post- 

 larval Montagu's sucker and sand-eels seem to be very characteristic of 



