of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



251 



this area, whilst other young fish are abundant, including armed bullhead 

 and gunnel, pleuronectids and clupeoids, and a few gadoids. Amongst 

 the ova, those of the rockling appear in abundance as early as March, and 

 in 1893 the gurnard's eggs appear also in March. 



The general features of the distribution of ova seem to resemble those 

 of the first group of stations, but the long rough dab occurs later than in 

 the latter. In May the whiting and poor-cod seem the most abundant ova, 

 taking the place of the immense quantities of sprat in Group I. Muller's 

 topknot appears as isolated specimens in May. Abundance of young 

 sand-eels and clupeoids occur all over this area. 



In June the gurnard and rockling ova predominate as in Group I., and 

 the sprat become abundant. The ling occurs not unfrequently. 



The sprat become the most numerous ova in July, gurnard and rockling 

 still abounding. In August there are great quantities of post-larval 

 pleuronectids, along with gobies and sand-eels. The lemon dab ova seem 

 to be absent from this region, or, at any rate, the capture of none is re- 

 corded. 



In Group III. (Stations VIII. and IX., and Cross-Section I.) there have 

 been few data obtained, but, as far as can be judged, eggs are usually to 

 be obtained in fair numbers in this district, and in general characters they 

 seem to resemble mostly those of Group II. 



In this group must be included Liston Bank and the area of more or 

 less shallow water, extending from this to the Island of May. 



In March and early April enormous quantities of haddock eggs are 

 found here, with also plaice and long rough dab in abundance, and lesser 

 quantities of cod and a few whiting. On the whole their development 

 appears to be rather later than that of the eggs in the foregoing groups. 



The eggs of the gurnard and the sprat are not abundant, the rockling 

 however being very plentiful. These eggs, as above, also appear to be 

 rather later in development than those of the groups farther up the Firth. 



Young gadoids and sand-eels, ranging from 5 mm. to 14 mm., abound, 

 but clupeoids are not so generally distributed nor so abundant. 



Comparing the groups of stations together, it appears that, as a very 

 general rule, we may say that the eggs of gadoids and pleuronectids are 

 most abundant in the outer seaward stations ; haddock, plaice, long rough 

 dab and cod spawning in greatest profusion in the Island of May and 

 Liston Bank areas, and the smaller gadoids, such as poor-cod and whiting, 

 seeming to come nearer shore, their favourite spawning grounds (as far as 

 can be told by the distribution of the eggs as found) being rather more 

 inshore in region of Cross-Section II. and Stations V., VI., and VII. The 

 rockling, on the other hand, is characterised by a very wide distribution, 

 these eggs being found in great abundance in all the Stations of the Forth. 



The eggs of the sprat, and, to a lesser extent, of the gurnard, seem to 

 be most plentiful in the upper reaches of the firth, and are abundant 

 in the Inchkeith district, but they become less common out to, and 

 beyond the Island of May. 



Hardly a sufficient number of the rarer eggs have been obtained to 

 make any such statements as these concerning them. 



The larval and post-larval fishes to a great extent bear out this distri- 

 bution also, the gadoids and pleuronectids appearing rather to predominate 

 in the outer stations, and also to be rather larger there. In the present 

 state of our knowledge, it is hard to say what influence the tide and 

 river currents may have upon the distribution of the eggs at different 

 months of the year. As regards development, it appears to be a some- 

 what general rule that the ova in the upper reaches are at a slightly later 

 stage than those lower down the estuary, which may be due either to the 

 effect of tidal currents or to the higher mean temperature of the former. 



