NORTH SEA INVESTIGATIONS. 101 



who undertook to forward me samples of plaice, with most careful atten- 

 tion to all the precautions and conditions I required. The first sample 

 reached me on November 20th, and the following table shows the result 

 of their examination : — 



Plaice from Geestemunde, November 20th, 1895. 

 Total number, 186. 



12 78 4 92 186 



(6-5 per cent.) (41-9 per cent.) (2-1 per cent.) (49-5 per cent.) 



It will be seen, at once, what a striking contrast these fish present to 

 those from the grounds south of the Texel. The single mature specimen 

 at 11 in. is of no importance in comparison with the large numbers of 

 immature. We may say that all below 15 in. were immature, so that 

 they correspond very closely with the plaice examined by Mr. Holt, at 

 Grimsby. 



Among the males there are a larger proportion mature at 12 and 13 in. 

 than Mr. Holt found, but in the females there is no evidence of maturity 

 at a smaller size than that fixed by him. We must conclude, then, 

 that these fish are small because they are young and immature, not 

 because they are of a smaller race. These fish were stated by Herr Diige 

 to have been caught at 53° 58' north latitude and T 10' east longitude 

 from Greenwich, a position about 15 miles north of the island of 

 Nordeney, at a depth of 13 to 14 fathoms. 



In a letter which I received on December 5th, Herr Diige informed 

 me that among the plaice landed at Geestemiinde, he found the smallest 

 ripe males were 32 cm. long (12i in.), the smallest mature females 

 40 cm. (16 in.), an observation which agrees with the results of my 

 examination of the German plaice in London. 



The above sample does not afford complete evidence concerning the 

 range of size, or the proportional numbers at difl'erent sizes, of the plaice 

 taken on the ground from which it came, because it consists, as Heir 



