50 



rical. The transition stages between symmetrical and metamoi'iihosed youug were 

 found at the same loealities, where we found the transition stages of the young 

 plaice. We took tliem first ou May 19tli. 



When we fouud the transition stages of the plaice (see under plaice) on 

 May 19th off Kerteminde in ca. 1 — 2 fm. water (Tab. 1, Great Belt), we got 10 

 flounder young at the same time. Of these some were symmetrical or almost 

 symmetricai, in others the wauderiug of the eye was so far advanced that the eye 

 was OU the ridge. They were taken in the young-tish trawl on the bottom and 

 were probably living ou or near the bottom. 



On the sandy banks at the shore, where we found 2 metamorphosed plaice 

 young, there were no flounder youug. 



The flounder young at Esbjerg were at tlie same stage of development as 

 those of Kerteminde at the same period. Om May 21th, Dr. Garstaug's assistants 

 took a number of plaice and flounder young there, wheu the English investigation- 

 steamer »Huxley« lay in the harbour. The plaice youug were metamorphosed but 

 those of the flounder not corapletely; some were almost quite symmetrical, in others 

 the eye was on the margin of the ridge. They were taken with the bands in 

 quite shallow water; there must bave been uumbers of tliem. 



On May 30th we sought for the flat-fish young in Søby Bay (see under 

 plaice) By wading in we took a metamorphosed plaice young in the "bobinet" 

 net and a flounder young in the "balf-moon" net, wbich was but little pigmented 

 and was swimming obliquely, the one eye on the ridge. 



On June Ist off Aalbæk, 2 — 4 fm. (see under plaice), we took 11 plaice 

 and 4 flounder young as also the young of otber fish in two hauls with the young- 

 fish trawl on the bottom. One of the flounder youug was asymmetricai, the others 

 symmetrical. 



Thus there does not seem any marhed difference in time for the heginning of 

 metamorphosis in the northern and southern Danish /raters. In the second half of 

 May we found the transition stages in the western Bal tic and Great Belt and on 

 June Ist in the northern Kattegat. 



We still fouud flounder young, whicb were not fully metamorphosed, on 

 June 14th at Agernæs and on June 20th at Kerteminde. At Kerteminde we first 

 of all searched on the sand in shallow water with the shove-net and found a 

 number of metamorphosed .flounder young. Then we fished from the »Sallingsund« 

 with the young-fish trawl on the bottom in 1 — 2 fm. water. In two hauls, each 

 of 10 minutes, we took 1 1 flounder young, one of whicb was symmetrical, the 

 others metamorphosed or in transition stages. 



The transition stages of the flounder were thus at Kerteminde on the 

 bottom near the coast in depths of ca. 1^2 fm. both on May 19 and June 19tb. 

 The same rule holds good on the whole for the flounder as for the plaice young: 

 metamorpliosis may occur on or near the bottom in the neighhourhood of the coast. 



Dal), Pleuronedes limanda. 



Wbat has been said regardiug the flounder eggs holds good for those of 

 the dab. We have not distinguished between the two species and can therefore 



