TURBOT FISHERIES NUMBER OF EGGS. 183 



aud turbots ; but when the weather has driven the fish 

 into deeper water, the fishermen then have recourse 

 to their many-hooked lines. All along our eastern coast 

 turbot are caught by trawling and long-line fishing, 

 and at i)articular seasons, on the Varne and on the 

 Ridge— two extensive banks of sand (the first about 

 sevon miles, and the second about twelve miles from 

 Dover) towards the French coast. The Folkestone and 

 Boulogne passenger steam-boats go near these banks. 

 Magnificent turbots are also caught at the back of the 

 " Falls," near Margate ; there are sands near the Good- 

 win which, however, the turbot do not frequent. 



The turbot is particular as to the quality of his food : 

 the bait used for him should be very fresh — if it happen 

 to be in the least degi-ee tainted, the turbot will not 

 touch it. The most enticing baits are those small 

 fishes very bright in colour. The Thames lampern 

 was formerly used in large quantities by the Dutch, as 

 they could be easily kept alive at sea, combining bright 

 silvery colour with great power of resisting the usual 

 efi'ect of mutilation. 



Large quantities of lamperns are now sent from the 

 Severn and Trent to Great Grimsby and Hull for turbot 

 bait. 



The most common size of this fish varies from 5lbs. 

 to lOlbs. weight ; occasionally it attains to 20lbs., and 

 sometimes 30lbs. 



I have a coloured cast of a turbot in my museum 

 which weighed 321bs. 



The turbot is one of the most prolific fish known : 

 one, which turned the scales at 23lbs., carried, I found, 

 a roe weighing 51bs. 9oz., and contained no less than 

 fom-teen million three hundred and eleven thousand two 

 hundred eggs (14,311,200). 



