of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 
255 
The proportion of large clear to small opaque ova in each case was as 
follows:— No. 1, 1385:5965 ; No. 2, 1241:7827 ; No. 3, 633:6375: or 
23*2, 15"8, and 9'9 per cent, respectively. As in most other fish with 
pelagic eggs, there were exceedingly few ova intermediate between the 
large clear ones and the largest of the opaque ones. There were, however, 
a graduation in the size of the latter. 
The fecundity of the cod has been studied more perhaps than any other 
sea-fish except the herring. Buckland * states that in a cod-roe, vv^eighing 
7f lb., he found the average number of eggs per grain to be 140 (in a 
quantity of 4 grains weighed), and the total in the fish calculated on this 
datum was 7,526,400 eggs. The average number per grain of the three 
specimens examined by me was 173*4. Another roe, weighing 3 J lb., 
Buckland estimated to contain 1,800,000 eggs. Harmerf estimated 
3,686,760 ova to be present in a roe weighing 12,540 grains. This is a 
higher average than in No. 3 of my series, the roe in this case being 
about the same weight as the one examined by Harmer, but Harmer's 
fish was caught in December. Blanchere estimates a cod-roe he examined 
to contain 9,000,000 ova. K. E. Earll \ gives the fecundity of specimens 
examined by him as follows : — Weighing 70-75 lbs. (ovaries 8 lbs. 2 oz.), 
9,100,000; weighing 51 lbs. (ovaries 6 lbs. 13 oz.), 8,989,094; weighing 
30 lbs. (ovaries 2 lbs. 6 oz.), 3,715,687; weighing 27 lbs. (ovaries 2 lbs. 
7 oz.), 4,095,000 ; weighing 21 lbs. (ovaries 1 lb. 14 oz.), 2,732,237. The 
ova in all these fish except the second were immature ; the number of 
eggs per grain varied from 160 to 240; the portion of the ovary weighed 
and computed was 6 or 7 grains. 
Haddock (Gadus oeglefinus). 
Five specimens were examined, all caught off the mouth of the Firth 
of Forth in the early part of March. 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. 
1 
22 
4 lb. 
2832 
30 
8543 
806,459 
2 
27 
6i lb. 
5508 
30 
2974 
546,026 
3 
18i 
2 lb. 6 oz. 
2220 
30 
5398 
399,452 
4 
16^ 
1 lb. 11 oz. 
1094 
10 
3192 
349,204 
5 
16^ 
li lb. 
850 
10 
1844 
156,740 
In the first specimen the ovaries were ripe, the surface being studded 
with patches of large clear ova (1*39 to 1*2 mm. in diameter), and similar 
ova escaping from the vent. The other ova, however, possessed very 
different sizes. As in other species, there were exceedingly few inter- 
mediate between the large hyaline and the largest of the opaque ova 
(0*8 mm.) ; but the latter were far from uniform in size — a number were 
very small, and many were microscopic (0*18 to 0*05 mm.). The second 
specimen was more advanced in maturity. The greater part of the surface 
consisted of hyaline ova, which were also freely escaping from the oviduct, 
and the membranes were somewhat loose. In the portion of the roe of 
this specimen examined there were 1118 large hyaline and 1856 small 
opaque ova, and the ova differed markedly in being of two sizes, the large 
hyaline (1'09 to 1*2 mm.) and the smaller opaque, which were nearly 
* Op. ciL, pp. 179, 246. 
t Phil. Trans., vol. Ivii. p. 291, 1768. 
t U.S. Fish Commission Report for 1878, p. 732, 1880. 
