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Part III. — Eleventh Annual Report 



In this connection it is noteworthy to observe that the egg of the rock- 

 ling is not only the most generally distribu*- id of all forms, but it also has 

 the longest spawning season, ranging from March to August. Whether 

 these features of longest range in time and pace are really fundamentally 

 connected, it would be hard at present to say with certainty. 



Observation* upon the eggs occurring in the districts of the'Moray Firth 

 and Smith Bank have been very meagre, from the fact that the ' Garland 5 

 is too small to go there frequently. One entry occurs in February 1890, 

 when plaice eggs are mentioned as having been found in great numbers 

 in the early part of this month. 



No records have been obtained of eggs found in March or early April, 

 but this year we have a few results in the end of April and beginning of 

 May. Amongst these the cod, green cod, and allied gadoids appear to be 

 most prominent, poor-cod and whiting being also common. Among 

 pleuronectids the lemon dab is common, as also the dab and flounder, the 

 turbot occurring' fairly frequently. Rockling occur in their accustomed 

 abundance, and a very few gurnard. A few eggs of the long roagh dab 

 and plaice also are found. For the greater part of May, and for June, 

 July, and August, no observations whatever have been taken, whilst a 

 solitary entry of some few rockling and one gurnard in September com- 

 plete our knowledge of this area. 



The three divisions of the Moray Firth area may be defined as— L, that 

 of Stations I., II., and III., and all the Cromarty Firth region ; II., Stations 

 IV., V., and VI., and all the area of Dornoch Firth ; III., Stations VII., 

 VIII., and IX. 



These three groups are well separated physically, but a far greater 

 number of observations, extending over a greater time, will be necessary 

 before any comparison can be made between them as regards distribution 

 of pelagic ova. In fact, the Moray Firth at present cannot in any way 

 be satisfactorily compared even with the Firth of Forth. 



Comparing these two areas during late April and early May, we find 

 that the lemon dab and the turbot both seem to occur in greater abund- 

 ance in the former, whilst there are very few sprat and gurnard • but it 

 is not known whether these become plentiful rather later, as in the Forth. 

 The occurrence of long rough dab and plaice, even at an early stage of 

 development, up to the middle of May, is to be noted ; and this fact, 

 together with a comparison of the average stage of development of the rock- 

 ling with that of the same egg in the Forth, may allow us to conjecture that, 

 onthejwhole,the eggs are rather later in development in the Moray Firth than 

 in the latter, but with so few data nothing can be stated with certainty. 



The six stations of Smith Bank were worked over for a few days in May 

 this year by the 1 Garland,' and numerous eggs were obtained. In this 

 district the same peculiarity as at the inner stations is noticed as regards the 

 very late survival of the eggs of fish whose spawning period is comparatively 

 early. Thus, we find here the eggs of the long rough dab occurring on 10th 

 and 11th May in fair numbers, with the embryo J^J half round the yolk. 

 These are the latest observations recorded ; but, a. least, we have the plaice 

 and the long rough dab and also the ling occurring here to nearly the end 

 of May, which is very remarkable. 



A curious feature of this district is the great scarcity, in the collections 

 at present obtained, of the eggs of the rockling. In the Stations in 

 Groups I. and II. of the Moray Firth the rockling appears in its usual 

 profusion ; but in Group III., i.e., Stations VII., VIII., and IX., the 

 eggs of this gadoid are only found in very smr numbers ; and, lastly, at 

 Smith Bank they appear to be almost entirely absent. This is the more 

 remarkable when the wide distribution of this egg is taken into account. 



Amongst other eggs we note that the gurnard is very abundant, and 



