166 BULLETIN OP THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
In summer the most abundant larvae are Tautogolabrus adspersus and Tautoga 
onitis. Both have pelagic eggs and appear in June, remaining until August. 
During this time the eggs are often very numerous, appearing like masses of minute 
bubbles on the surface in the examining dish. 
Mr. Edwards took 34 species of larval fish in the 15 years recorded in Figures 67 
to 81. During the past year 20 species were identified. Of the summer forms all 
but one (leptocephalus of Elops ?) are common to this region. The leptocephalus is 
not that of an eel but of a true fish, as the tail is well developed and forked. I 
have placed it in the genus Elops because that is the only common southern fish 
recorded from this region that has a leptocephalus stage. 
Of the winter larvae all were of species breeding in the region except Gadus cal- 
larias. This is a northern species common off southern New England, the adults 
of which never enter the immediate region. As the nearest important spawning 
Tantogolateos adspersvs 
Ikutoga onltls 
WcBotas oarollnos 
Stenotonnu ohiysops 
tecToortls tjTsacQs 
Syngnatlms fasons 
Spheroldes maoulatiis 
Lo{lhqpsetta naeolata 
Herlneolns blltnearis 
Pdronotns trlaeantlms 
Mwildtn Beniai» notata 
Riollt gntmellQS 
Qadns oallarlas 
Byoxooephalus aeneus t 
Blcro^dtts tcraeod 
limodTtes anerloamu 
P>neriaainis 
Fig. 66.— Occurrence of fishes in surface collections of 1923 
grounds are on Nantucket Shoals, the appearance of early larvae at Woods Hole 
probably results from southerly or easterly currents. Postlarval forms, usually 
about 20 mm. in length, find their way into this region and are often taken in May 
(fig. 67) in large numbers, depending upon the season. Still later postlarval stages 
(40 to 50 mm.) are always present in the shallow coastal waters in May and June. 
Many were taken within the boat basin at the Fisheries dock on May 24, 1923, with 
a fine net. During this period they are destroyed in large numbers by Loligo pealii. 
A school of over 200 of these squid, all about 5 inches in length, seined in Great 
Harbor, were foimd to be feeding entirely upon young cod. Several specimens 
were observed with a young fish protruding from the beak and one or more others 
held securely in the tentacles. 
In 1923 early larval stages of cod appeared in small numbers in the tows of 
January, February, and early March. Surface collections made in Vineyard Sound 
at various times during this period showed that they were present there also, but 
likewise in small numbers. Just what effect the artificial conditions created by 
the hatchery had is not known, but probably the 351,000,000 larvae liberated during 
