OF THE BAYS BETWEEN THE START AND EXMOUTH. 



557 



only ; whilst in Start Bay those obtained were much larger. It is 

 possible that such a distribution of the invertebrate fauna has a 

 considerable, if not a predominant, influence on the distribution of 

 the small and large fish. In Torbay and Teignmouth Bay, for example, 

 the Plaice are, on the whole, much smaller than in Start Bay. 



II. Food of Fishes. 



The contents of the stomachs of various fish were examined, with 

 the following result : — 



PLAICE. 

 (Pleuro7iedes platessa.) 

 Start Bay. — Nine fish examined, 7 to 20 inches in length. 



CRUSTACEA. 

 Eupagurus sp. 1 In one. 



MOLLUSCA. 

 Gorbula yibba. In one. 

 Solen fellucidus. In two. 

 „ ensis. In two. 



ECHINODERMA. 



Ophiiira ciliaris. In one. 

 Echinocyamus 2yusillus. In two, one of 

 which was full. 



POLYCH^TA. 



Nephthys sp. ? In two. 

 Sabella pavonina. In one. 



Syndosmya alba. In three, all of 

 which were full. 



Torbay. — Sixty-three fish, of which twenty-four were 12 inches and 

 more in length. 



ECHINODERMA. 



Ophiura ciliaris. Arms only in 



five. 



Nephthys sp. 1 

 Unidentified. 



POLYCH^TA. 

 In eight. 

 In twenty. 



CRUSTACEA. 



Corystcs cassivelaunus. In three. 

 Crab fragments. In one. 

 Amphipod. In one. 



MOLLUSCA. 



Solen ensis. In one. 



„ vagina. Siphons only in five. 



,, pellucidus. In two. 

 Syndosmya alba. In eleven. 

 Madra solida. In thirty. In fifteen 



of the plaice under 12 inches this 



mollusc constituted the sole food. 

 Nucula nitida. In one. 

 Philine aperta. The sole food in three 



or four of the larger Plaice. 

 Lamellibranch fragments. In three. 



Teignmouth Bay. 

 in lentith. 



-Twelve fish examined, eight being over 12 inches 



POLYCmETA. 

 Remains in one. 



MOLLUSCA. 



Solen siliqua. Fragments in one. 



Madra solida. In nine, constituting the sole food. 



Syndosmya alba. In one. 



In the eighty-four fish examined, the following occurred in 10 % and 

 over of the stomachs : — Mactra solida (46 %), Polycha;te remains un- 

 identified (25 %), Syndosmya alba (17 %), Nephthys sp. ? (12 %). 



