of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 30 
March. 
In March 1910, 83 stomachs of halibut were examined, and of these 68 
contained food which could in some measure be determined, and, as in the 
previous month, this food consisted largely of fishes ; crustacea were only 
sparingly met with, and very few cuttlefish were observed. The following 
proportions will show the nature of the food contents in the stomachs 
examined :—Fish remains only were found in 59 stomachs ; crustacea only in 
1; mixed fish, crustacea, cuttlefish, etc., in 9 ; and cuttlefish only in 1. 
FISHES. 
The fishes observed were, as before, chiefly Gadoids and sand-eels. The 
only Gadoids satisfactorily determined were, for the most part, haddocks, 
whitings, Gadus esmarkiz, and a three-bearded rockling (Motella tricirrata). 
Some of the haddocks and whiting were tolerably large fishes. One of the 
latter measured about 15 vr 16 inches long (its earstones were 24 mm. in 
length), and one of the halibut about four and a half feet long was found to 
have swallowed a whiting about 14 inches in length, and two haddocks, one 
of which would be about 18 inches and the other 142 inches (their earstones 
measured respectively 20 mm., 18°5 mm., 16 mm.). Such large fish, were, 
however, rather exceptional ; smaller examples, ranging from 7 to 10 inches 
long, were more frequent. Specimens of what appeared to be Gadus esmarkit 
were observed on several occasiors, but only the one specimen of Motella 
tricirrata was noticed. 
Sand-eels, a few tolerably large, measuring from 7 or 8 inches, were not 
infrequent, and in one stomach the remains of twelve of them were found. 
There occurred in one of the halibut stomachs a small portion of the vertebra 
of an apparently large Gadoid ; one of the joints measured across the long 
diameter 22 mm. and 19 mm. vertically (these measurements were made 
immediately after the specimen was removed from the stomach and before 
drying). The remains of herring were also observed, but they were of rare 
occurrence. 
CRUSTACKA. 
The infrequency of crustacea in the halibut stomachs examined during 
March, when compared with some of the previous months, was somewhat 
marked. The species observed included Portunus sp., Hupagurus bernhardus, 
Crangon allmannt, Galathea sp., etc. In the stomach of one of the larger 
halibut a nearly complete female Lithodes mara, loaded with spawn, was 
obtained, the shell, claws, and legs of which were quite soft. 
CUTTLEFISH. 
The contents of several stomachs consisted not only of fish and crustacea, 
but also sometimes of small cuttlefishes; the only specimens that in some 
measure could be determined were Octopods, apparently belonging to Hledone 
(Z. cirrosa). In the stomach of a moderately large halibut were found the 
remains of a fairly large cuttlefish, but the only part that could be utilised 
for 1uentification was a fragment of the anterior end of the “shell,” which 
apparently was that of an Ommatostrephes, the shell of which is entirely 
different from that of any of the more common British cuttlefishes. 
April. 
The number of halibut stomachs examined in April was 124; 40 of these 
were found to be empty, or their contents could not be identified, while the 
food in the remaining 84 was more or less recognisable. 
