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Part III. — Eighth Annual Report 
were three parts mature. On February 7th and 10th, females, from 16 
to 17.} inches, were three parts mature; others up to 14 inches were 
quite immature. On February 25th, one female, 16 J inches, was found 
spent two miles off ; and several others from 17-23 inches were very 
nearly ripe. On March 7th a female, 26 inches long, was found newly 
spent. On March 27th, nearly all the large fish were newly spent. In a 
boxful of large fish examined on 29th March, and caught about three 
miles off, one female was nearly ripe, and all the others spent. On April 
1st and 4th, some males, up to 14 inches long, caught 3 miles off and 
some females up to 15 J inches, were quite immature; a female of 21 
inches was nearly mature. In a boxful examined on April 1st, caught 
3 miles off, about half a dozen females were nearly ripe ; the others and 
the males were spent. All those obtained at the stations at Aberdeen, 
Montrose, the Moray Firth, and the Orkneys in June, July, and December, 
were immature. In May 1890, a number of half mature males, from 12 
to 17 inches long, were obtained at Aberdeen, Montrose, and the Moray 
Firth ; all females were immature. As in other cases on the West Coast, 
some haddocks were found ripe near shore. At Ullapool, within half a 
mile, in January ; off Cantyre, within one mile, in February and April. 
Offshore Grounds. — In the Firth of Forth area one nearly mature male 
(10 inches long) was got at Station VIII. on May 16th, 1889. Of 96 
specimens examined from June to November, all were immature. On 
February 14th, of eight, at Station IX., five females (16-18 inches) were 
nearly ripe ; two (13i and 14 inches) were immature. Of two males, one, 
14 inches long, was nearly mature. On March 18th, of five examined at 
Station IX., two males (15 and 16 inches) and one female (15 inches) 
were fully ripe, and two females nearly so. On April 23d, of nine exam- 
ined, one male was ripe. In May each of the twelve specimens was 
immature. Fifteen miles off Dunbar, a ripe female with the ova running, 
24 inches long, was caught on January 21st, 1890 ; but hundreds of others 
smaller in size were from half to three parts mature. On February 6th 
and 10th, from ten to twelve miles off, thirteen of the largest females 
were ripe ; the others and the males about three parts mature. On 
March 7th, females, from 17 to 23 inches long, were ripe; some 18 
inches long, only half ripe. On 11th March a large number of spent fish 
were got ; on 1 8th March, females and males were fully ripe, spawning or 
spent. In another 'shot on March 19th, twelve miles off, none of the fish, 
which were large, were either ripe or spent ; they were mostly about 
three parts mature. In the offshore grounds in the Moray Firth, at the 
beginning of February, thirty haddocks were examined. Of the thirty 
females, 13 to 20 inches, and six males, from 12 to 19 inches, none were 
ripe or nearly ripe. 
Haddocks begin spawning to a slight extent at the end of January; they 
spawn chiefly in February, March, and April. Their floating ova have been 
got by the ' Garland ' at the beginning of February, 25 miles from shore ; 
also in the Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay in February and March. 
Cod (Gadus morrhua). — 6272 specimens were examined — 5864 by 
fishery officers and 408 by Messrs Scott and Jamieson, — the majority of 
these being caught in the Firth of Forth. 
Territorial Waters. — Of 186 caught in the Forth, between May and 
November, none were ripe or nearly ripe. On February 15th none were 
mature, but a few were nearly or three parts mature. For instance, at 
the inner stations, females 38 and 39 inches long, and males at 34 inches, 
were fully three parts ripe. On March 14th— 17th, all the specimens were 
immature, females up to 26 inches and males up to 27 inches. On April 
