Spawn of Sun-fish(?)

Abstract

DURING a cruise on the west coast of Ireland, from which I have recently returned, I captured a long ribbon of spawn about 40 feet long, 3 feet deep, and a quarter of an inch thick. The ova, about the size of No. 2 shot, were set in a firm gelatinous mass, which floated edgeways in a frilled form. I saw it floating about a foot below the surface, and succeeded in gaffing it and towing it behind the punt by getting some of it fixed over the gunwale. The embryos had developed so as to show eyes when first taken, and in the two days, during which some of it remained alive in a deep can, a further advance took place; but then, owing to the heat of the weather, the ova whitened, its buoyancy was lost, and decomposition set in.