of tilt Fislicry Board for Scotland. 
267 
SALMONIDiE. 
Salmon (Sahno salar). 
I examined one specimen caught in the Tay on 15tli January. It 
measured 36 J inches in length and weighed 17 J lbs. The ovaries weighed 
4 lbs. 2 oz., and the number of ova was 12,873. 
Smelt or Sparling {Osmerus eperlanus). 
Two specimens were examined, both caught in the Firth of Forth, 
one at the end of March and the other at the beginning of April. The 
details are given in the table — 
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 
2 
n 
680 grs. 
482 „ 
116 
114 
8 
13 
1806 
2636 
25,509 
23,115 
In both specimens the ovaries were fully mature; they are very 
delicate, owing to the ova, which are pale yellow, being loosely con- 
nected. As in the herring, and most fishes having demersal ova, the 
ova were practically uniform in size. There were, however, a few, 
not more than half a dozen, somewhat smaller. Harmer"^ states that a 
smelt of 2 ounces had 38,278 ova, and other five examined from 
14,411 to 30,991. 
CLUPEIDiE. 
The Herring {Clupea harengus). 
For reasons previously adverted to the fecundity of a considerable 
number of herrings was determined. The first ten in the table were 
caught off Dunbar in February and March; Nos. 11, 12, and 13 were 
caught in March near Wick; and Nos. 14, 15, and 16 in the Firth of 
Forth in January and ^'ebruary. 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
Aver- 
ages, 
Length of 
Fish 
(in inches). 
Hi 
111 
114 
in 
11 
12 
m 
12| 
lU 
H 
11 
lis 
Hi 
Hi 
11 
Hi 
11-26 
Weight 
of Fish 
(in grains). 
2824 
3062 
2804 
2934 
2625 
3410 
2377 
3172 
2894 
1790 
2624 
3104 
2803 
2779 
2436 
2645 
2767-6 
Weight of 
Ovaries 
(in grains). 
597 
617 
577 
547 
497 
875 
467 
765 
728 
328 
347 
510 
432 
423 
414 
529 
540'8 
Weight of 
part taken 
(in grains). 
50 
20 
60 
60 
60 
60 
60 
60 
60 
60 
30 
30 
30 
40 
20 
60 
49-4 
Number of 
Ova 
counted. 
2533 
864 
4936 
3255 
2596 
2937 
3087 
2890 
2819 
5431 
2755 
2163 
2156 
2160 
1112 
4488 
Total 
Number 
of Ova 
in Ovaries. 
30,244 
26,654 
47,466 
29,675 
21,503 
42,831 
24,027 
36,847 
34,204 
29,690 
31,866 
36,771 
31,046 
22,842 
23,018 
39,606 
31,768 
* Op. cit., pp. 285, 292. 
