APR 22 1897 ^ 3^. ^ 



On the Peculiarities of Plaice from Different Fishing 



Grounds. 



By 

 J. T, Cunningham, M.A. 



The investigation here described may be regarded as the natural sequel 

 of the observations by which I showed that the plaice of the Brown 

 Eidges, as well as those from the Plymouth grounds, were smaller when 

 they attained to sexual maturity than those of the northern part of the 

 North Sea. Mr, Holt, in 1894, published in this Journal some obser- 

 vations on the dwarfed and ciliated or spinulated plaice of the Baltic ; 

 and Dr. Heincke, now Director of the German Biological Station at 

 Heligoland, had suggested as a probability that the plaice of the 

 Heligoland region were a smaller geographical race, distinguishable 

 by special characters from those of other regions. I referred to this 

 subject at the end of my paper on the Physical and Biological Con- 

 ditions in the North Sea, in the preceding number of this Journal, and 

 mentioned the paper in which Georg Duncker* has recorded and 

 discussed the results of an examination of samples of plaice and 

 flounder from various localities. Among these localities was the 

 Heligoland region; but Duncker had not compared the plaice of 

 Heligoland with those of other parts of the North Sea. I have not 

 had time to make as extensive an investigation of the matter as would 

 be desirable. I commenced my observations at Lowestoft in September 

 last, and continued them until tlie beginning of December, when I 

 quitted the service of the Marine Biological Association. I have 

 examined samples of plaice from the Brown Eidges, from the grounds 

 off the Norfolk coast, from a position north-east of the Dogger Bank, 

 and from the neighbourhood of the Eddystoue Lighthouse. I have also 

 endeavoured to acquaint myself with the complete geographical dis- 

 tribution of the plaice and the species most nearly allied to it, and for 

 this purpose devoted several days to the examination of specimens in 

 the National Collection. I have to thank Mr. G. A. Boulenger, F.E.S., 



* JFiss Mccrcsimtersuch. , Neue Folgo, Bd. I., Hoft. 2, 1896. 

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