IN THE BAYS ON THE SOUTH-EAST COAST OF DEVON. 473 



unusually abundant in June, 1897, according to Mr. Holt's records. 

 These would be two-year-old fish,* hatched in the early part of 1895. 

 During the first three months of that year the percentage of unfavour- 

 able winds was less than normal (49 per cent.), and of favourable winds 

 above the normal frequency (21 per cent.), the range of variation 

 throughout the decade being from 46 per cent, to 60 per cent, for 

 " unfavourable " winds, and from 13 per cent, to 26 per cent, for 

 " favourable " winds. 



(2) Similarly the abundance of two-year-old fish in 1901 as shown 

 by the Oithono's records may be attributed to the prevalence of south- 

 easterly winds (E. to S.W. through S.) in February, 1899. 



(3) The most unfavourable year in the decade was 1898, when the 

 percentage of "favourable" winds was at its minimum (13 per cent.), 

 and that of " unfavourable " winds at its maximum (60 per cent.). Tlie 

 plaice hatched in that year would be three and a half years old in the 

 summer of 1901, i.e. for the most part between 8 and 9 inches in length. 

 It can scarcely be without significance that the scarcity of plaice of this 

 size in the summer of 1901 is one of the most striking features of the 

 Oithona's records. 



Mention may here be made of the fact that towards the end of 

 January and in the early part of February, 1898, three dozen of the 

 Association's drift-bottles were put overboard at various points between 

 14 and 20 miles S.E. and E.S.E. of Berry Head from the Brixham smack 

 Sunbeam, through the instrumentality of Mr. W. J. Sanders, and every 

 one of the bottles recovered was picked up on the French coast, with 

 the exception of one bottle recovered by a Brixham smack two days 

 after it had been thrown overboard. This bottle was found 6 miles 

 S.E. of its initial position. If, as seems probable, an exceptionally large 

 proportion of the eggs of the plaice drifted out to sea in that year in 

 the same direction, it is scarcely surprising to find that the trawling 

 investigations should subsequently reveal a phenomenal scarcity on the 

 Brixham grounds of plaice derivable from that spawning season. The 

 fact at any rate confirms the accuracy of the hypothesis from which we 

 started. 



Summary of the Trawling Kecords. 

 The following points appear to be established by the preceding 

 analysis of the trawling records for the three bays : — 



1. The population of fiat-fish, especially of plaice and dabs, in the 

 three bays is subject to considerable fluctuations, both from season to 

 season and from one year to another. 



2. The seasonal fluctuations are more pronounced in the case of the 



• Fulton, "Rate of Growth of Sea Fishes," Tioenlieth lieporl Scottisli- Fisltery Board, 

 1902, pp. 337 to 360. 



