of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 
285 
examples were trawled on the same ground at the end of the first week in 
April, but though nearly ripe, none were quite ripe. The pelagic ova 
are abundant towards the end of April. The spawning period of the 
plaice, therefore, would seem to extend from January to May, and it 
probably varies according to the nature of the season. As shown else- 
where, spawning plaice are extremely rare in such bays as St Andrews — the 
inshore waters being tenanted by the younger forms. 
Long Rough Dab. — The ova of the long rough dab are not at present 
very clearly differentiated, though a partially ripe example procured 
during the trawling expeditions shows that the eggs are somewhat larger 
than those of the whiting. 
Lemon Dab. — The eggs of the lemon dab, which in spirit have the size 
of those of the bib, appear in the collection from the Forth. 
Common Dab. — The ova of the dab were captured in considerable 
abundance especially in March, but they are also common in April and 
May. In this collection they were chiefly from the surface both in St 
Andrews Bay and the Forth. In size they are only a little larger than 
those of the rockling. 
Flounder. — Ova apparently agreeing with those of the common flounder 
came from St Andrews Bay and the Forth towards the end of March; they 
are plentiful in March and April in St Andrews Bay. 
Unknown. — A considerable number of the large (Pleuronectid?) ovum 
B* (with large perivitelline space) occurred both in St Andrews Bay and 
the Forth, chiefly at the surface, but also at the bottom in St Andrews Bay. 
It is difficult to say with what species this egg is connected, yet it must 
be a common one, for it has been found regularly every season in March 
and April since 1884 — both in St Andrews Bay and the open sea beyond. 
The brill is one of the pleuronectids— the eggs of which require investiga- 
tion, for though Raffaele states that it probably has an oil-globule, still 
there is no certainty. 
Gurnard. — It is remarkable that the ova of the gurnard are absent 
from the collection. The spawning period in the neighbourhood of St 
Andrews Bay is, however, later than that of most forms. 
Dragonet. — A single egg of Gallionymus lyra, the Skulpin, comes from 
the surface of the Forth, where I think Mr Cunningham formerly 
procured it. He also met with it off Millport. From its small size (re- 
sembling that of the rockling) it is apt to be overlooked, but the remark- 
able reticulation of its thin zona radiata is diagnostic. Dr F. Raffaele, 
in his valuable paper on the pelagic eggs and larval fishes of the Bay of 
Naples, describes the egg of Callionymus festivus as perfectly smooth and 
translucent, and suggests that perhaps I had examined an ovarian egg of 
G. lyra at St Andrews with the follicular layer still present. The descrip- 
tion given in 1885, however, was correct, and the figures f of the ripe egg 
by Mr Prince make identification easy. 
Sprat. — The eggs of the sprat appear from St Andrews Bay and the 
Forth in March and May. They are very frequently met with in April 
and May, and often in the bottom-net in profusion. 
Turbot. — The eggs of turbot, again, appear somewhat later, for those 
removed from the ripe fish from 44 fathoms were procured in July, and at 
the same time many eggs agreeing in size were found at the surface. 
Like some other adults this species seems to spawn chiefly in deep water. 
* "Development of Food Fishes," M'lntosh and Prince, Trans. Roy. Soc. Edin., 
1890, p. 853. 
t Ann. Nat. Hist. (5), vol. xvi. , pi. xiii. figs. 1-4. 
