of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 
261 
PEDICULATI. 
Angler (Lophiiis piscatorius). 
On the 19th February Mr Melville, the Fishery officer at Fraserburgh, 
forwarded the roe of an angler, taken from a fish ' nearly 4 feet ' in length. 
The length of the roe was 36 feet, the breadth in the centre 10 inches, 
and at the ends 6 inches; its weight was lOJ lbs. One ounce (437 '5 
grains) was prepared and the ova counted. They numbered 8011, indi- 
cating the number contained in the ovary of this fish to be 1,345,848. 
The pyriform ova were about 1-8 by 1*2 mm. Another angler 44 inches 
in length (but the weight of which was not ascertained) was captured by 
Mr Scott in the ' Garland,' in the Firth of Forth, on 25th May. The 
ovary was nearly mature, 17 feet 7 inches long, and weighing 4 lbs. 2 oz. 
A part weighing 120 grains was found to contain 2143 ova indicating 
1,312,587 to be present in the ovary. The long diameter varied from 
about 1-35 to 0-45 mm. The ova of the angler are pear-shaped, pos- 
sessing a slender pedicle of attachment, and exhibiting somewhat flattened 
surfaces from adpressure. They are surrounded by a gelatinous hyaline 
substance which swells in water, and becomes opalescent and thickened 
on the addition of boiling watar. Professor Prince has described them 
in the present Report {vide p. 343). Mr Melville obtained another roe 
on the 28th March, which was 91 feet in length and weighed 'over 
' 25 lbs.,' but not well enough preserved for examination. On the above 
data this roe probably contained 3,204,400 ova. Thompson* found a 
female 4 J feet long in December, with a roe weighing 1 lb. 13 oz., which 
he computed to contain 1,427,344 ova * well developed,' and measuring 
-^T^ of an inch in diameter. 
TRACHINIDiE. 
The Lessbi^ Weever {Trachinus vipera). 
Mr JamiesoD secured specimens of this fish at Dunbar at the end of 
June, the fecundity of two of which I have determined. In both cases 
the bulk of the ovaries consisted of clear fully-mature ova, 1*2 to 1-26 mm. 
in diameter, the residuum being composed of eggs of very varying sizes. 
A considerable number of these ranged about 0*7 mm. A large quantity 
were very minute (0*15 mm. to 0*04 mm.). In each case ripe, clear eggs 
were found on the exterior of the fish, around the aperture ; hence many 
eggs had probably been shed. Professor M'Intosh points out in the pre- 
sent Heporfc (p. 326) that the spawning period of this fish is prolonged. 
It is evident from the small size of the fish, the size of the ripe ovum, 
and the condition of the ovaries, that only a moiety of the ova reach 
maturity at one time. The particulars are as follows : — 
Length of 
Fish 
(in inches). 
Weight 
of 
Fish. 
Weight of 
Ovaries 
(in grains). 
Weight of 
part taken 
(in grains). 
Number of 
Ova 
counted. 
Total 
Number 
of Ova 
in Ovaries. 
Large 438 
Small(?)2400 
2838 
2,540 
13,920 
16,460 
1 
470 grains 
58 
xo { 
2 
61 
554 „ 
53 
« { 
Large 202 
Small(?)1600 
2,140 
16,960 
1802 
19,100 
* The Natural History of Ireland. 
