80 REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 



grassy bottoms. It apparently undergoes no extensive migrations, 

 since it is a permanent resident and is captured through the year. 

 It is much more abundant, however, from October to May than in 

 the summer, when only scattering specimens are taken in the traps. 

 This shows a slight tendency for these fishes to move out from the 

 warm inshore areas during the summer months into the deeper 

 colder waters. 



II. Reproduction. The spawning season of the winter flounder 

 is from February to April. The eggs are 1-30 inch in diameter; 

 they are very glutinous when first extruded from the body and stick 

 together in large masses and adhere to whatever objects they touch. 

 The eggs are demersal, that is, they sink to the bottom; in this respect 

 they are an exception to the eggs of all the other species of this 

 family. The artificial hatching of the eggs has been carried on 

 very extensively at Woods Hole by the United States Fish Commis- 

 sion. The eggs hatch in 17 or 18 days when the average water 

 temperature is 37° or 38° F. The average number of eggs to a fish is 

 500,000. On March 6, 1899, 1,462,000 eggs or 30 fluid ounces were 

 taken from a fish that weighed 3^ pounds after spawning. The 

 spawning fish are very abundant and are captured in fyke nets on 

 hard clay bottom in water 6 to 15 feet deep.* 



III. Food. The winter flounder feeds mostly on the small 

 invertebrates of muddy bottoms. As the mouth of this species is 

 smaller than that of most of the flat-fishes, its diet is more limited 

 and other fishes form a less important portion of its food. It feeds 

 largely on crabs, small shells, shrimp, squids, and annelids. 



IV. Size. Its usual length is from 12 to 15 inches. The average 

 weight of specimens taken in shallow water is something over a 

 pound, while fishes taken further out in deeper water are larger and 

 average about two pounds. 



Young specimens are very frequent in inshore waters, and are often 

 taken in the seine on sandy shores. At the Experiment Station of 



* Smith, loc. cit. 



