206 Part IL1—Siateenth Annual Report 
Formula (1) shows the number of records of pelagic fish ova for each 
of the six stations, thus :— 
(2) Inner Stations. (6) Outer Stations. 
Numbers of the Stations, : ile iO IV. We WAKE TX. 
Total number of Records for aac Station, 16 11 14 DD, Hl 26 
This formula exhibits a marked difference between the number of 
records for the inner and outer stations, those for the outer stations being 
considerably larger. The total numbers for each of the two groups of 
stations are 41 and 69 respectively, showing a difference of 28 in favour 
of the outer stations, which is equal to nearly 41 per cent.—a difference 
which, as already stated, is doubtless owing to the outer stations Dens 
nearer the more important spawning-grounds. 
Formula (2) shows the total number of records of pelagic fish ova for 
each of the twelve months, for (a) the inner stations, I, III, and 
IV.; (0) the outer stations, V., VIII., and IX.; and (c) for all the six 
stations :— 
Names of the Months, Sei @ > g be ee eS 
Se sass 6 4 flonere 
: (a) the Inner Stations, : 00 01114 9 8 3 0 ae 
rege the Outer Stations, 2-8°6 13 18° 8° 770 ane 
Month, for | (¢) all the Six Stations, - 2 6 6 2432 17 10100 | loud 
The monthly maxima of the records of pelagic fish ova, as might be 
expected, are to be found in the early spring and summer months, those 
for April and May especially being considerably higher than for the other 
months. The arrangement of the numbers to correspond with the inner 
and outer stations brings out another contrast between them: for the 
inner stations there are no records of fish ova till April, nor are there any 
after October, but for the outer stations there are two records in January, 
six in February and in March, and one in December ; while with the 
exception of June the numbers for the five central months are consider- 
ably above those of the corresponding months for the inner stations. 
This seems to indicate that spawning outside begins at a comparatively 
early period of the year, and may continue more or less over all the 
months: inside the estuary, on the other hand, spawning is later in com- 
mencing, and rarely continues beyond the month of August. It is pro- 
bable that some of the ova collected at the inner stations may have 
drifted in or been carried in by currents from the outside, but it is also 
well known that there are a number of fishes, whose eggs float, that spawn 
within the estuary, so that the majority of the records for the inner 
stations are those of fishes that have really spawned there. 
The next Formula (3) shows the total number of records of pelagic 
fish ova for each of the seven years for (a) the inner stations, (6) the 
outer stations, and (c) for all the six stations :— 
1889. 1890. 1891. 1892. 1893. 1894. 1895. 
: (a) the Inner Stations, = 2) he NAS 
Rea © the Outer Stations, - 3 8 16 18 8 7 9 
Year, for {(c) all the Six Stations, - 5 15 30 2 18 Ul 12 
The largest number of records are those for 1891 and 1892. Another 
point in connection with the distribution of the pelagic fish ova, as shown 
by the published tow-net records, is the occurrence of them in several of 
the bottom tow-net gatherings. The records show that pelagic fish ova 
were found in bottom tow-net gatherings on eight different occasious, and 
it is noteworthy that on a few of these occasions no fish eggs were 
observed in the surface tow-net, This feature in the distribution of the 
