NOKTII SEA INVESTIGATIONS. 39 



It is evident that the plaice thrown overboard by the captain of this 

 vessel would have been all taken to market by many captains, because 

 I have seen numbers of plaice from 6 to 10 in., in the market at 

 Grimsby. 



Third haul, 5.30 p.m. During this shot the vessel was steered first 

 to the S. and we passed near the Amrum Bank, sounding 8 fathoms, 

 coarse sand ; then we steered to the W.S.W. As soon as the other 

 trawl was shot, the nien began picking out and gutting the fish, shovelling 

 over the worthless fish as they proceeded, to get them out of the way. 

 Some of the small plaice and dabs first thrown over were, therefore, 

 alive : whiting and grey gurnard were also rejected. The fish kept 



1 baskets medium plaice. 

 3^ „ small „ 



1 „ haddocks. 

 1 „ cod and dabs. 

 32 pair of soles. 



The smallest plaice kept was 10 in. long : many of those thrown over- 

 board were over 8 in. In reckoning the number of soles, only the 

 larger are counted as pairs, a good many smaller, called slips, not being 

 counted, although taken to market. There were also 28 brill, the 

 largest of which was 17 in. long. I measured and examined these 

 carefully. 21 of them were immature females, the smallest being 11 in. 

 long. Leaving out fractions of an inch, 5 of these were 11 in. long; 

 9, 12 in.; 5, 13 in.; and 2, 14 in. Two were mature females, loHn. and 

 17 in. respectively. The remaining 5- were males, all immature, though 

 they would probably have become ripe later in the season : 4 of them 

 were 11 in. long, one 12 in. In examining brill and turbot on board ship, 

 I have put down all females as immature which had no yolk in the roe, 

 judging that they would not have spawned this season, wliile those in 

 which the roes were in process of maturation I have called mature, 

 though many of them had not begun to spawn, and probably had never 

 spawned in their lives when caught. Of these 28 brill then, 9 were 

 under 12 in., and 21 females and 5 males were immature. The turbot 

 were 5 in number, 3 of them immature females, 2 mature males. The 

 females were 11^, 12| and 14in. long, the males 11| and loin. long. 

 There were also taken 2 specimens of Trujla hirundo, known to the 

 Grimsby fishermen as latchets, to the Plymouth men as tubs ; these 

 were large mature fish ; and 1 lemon sole 8 'I in. long. 



Fourth haul, 11. ."Hi p.m. During this haul the vessel was steered 

 somewhat away from the coast into deeper water, namely, 12 to 13 

 fathoms. It being dark when the trawl came up, T could not examine 

 the fish very completely. As in other similar cases, I contented myself 



