SEA-FISHERIES LABORATORY. 81 
whiting and dabs were present and the larvae were just 
beginning to develop. On March 6th, 1905, the same 
area was in a very different condition, and the surface 
organisms consisted of little else than fish eggs. The 
tow-net was taken in at intervals of ten minutes for an 
hour and its contents roughly examined. Every time 
the net was hauled we saw at a glance that it contained 
large numbers of fish eggs with the larvae in all stages 
of development. These eggs represented plaice, dab, 
flounder, haddock and whiting. Of course it ought to be 
remembered that this remarkable abundance of eggs in 
1905 may have been purely local, and represented the 
massing set up by influence or absence of winds and 
currents. ‘There is no doubt that the animal lfe of the 
sea is subject at certain times to great and sudden 
increases due to the setting free of eggs and _ free- 
swimming larvae from adults that may be present at the 
bottom. A few female cod, haddock, whiting, flounders 
and plaice will liberate large numbers of eggs in less 
than a couple of weeks when they are spawning. The 
common barnacle, that is so abundant on almost every 
coast, sets free its whole progeny (3,600 to 9,000, 
according to the age of the parent) in twenty-four hours 
as active free-swimming larvae. The eggs and larvae set 
free rise towards the surface to be dispersed in all 
directions by winds and currents. Where adults are 
scarce the pelagic embryos will no doubt be proportion- 
ately scarce. When it is found, however, that the eggs 
of fish, for instance, are less developed under natural 
conditions than at a corresponding date in a previous 
year, one may be justified in concluding that there has 
been some retarding influence in spawning which has 
also affected spawning fish in confinement. 
The following tables give the number of eggs 
collected and the fry set free on the dates specified : — 
