64. THE IMMATURE FISH QUESTION. 
able to recast the paper and incorporate the returns for this year in 
it. It will be seen that my general arguments are confirmed by last 
year’s figures. Soles for all coasts have fallen again, but turbot 
have nearly reached the maximum figures of 1887. The total fish 
excluding shellfish is greater than in any other year since statistics 
were collected, and so is the value. Drift-net fish have increased 
again, and the total of bottom fish is higher that in 1891. Similar 
remarks apply to the east coast considered separately. 
A new feature in this return is Part III—A Statement of the 
Boats and Men for the years 1888 to 1891 inclusive. I have given 
these years among the whole series of years for which I have 
extracted these particulars from the Annual Statement of Navigation, 
and what I have said on this head requires no modification. 
My hope and expectation that the extraordinary treatment of 
lemon soles in the tables would be remedied in this return are 
utterly disappointed. No change whatever is made. Lemon soles 
are placed in the Scotch tables as prime fish equivalent to soles in 
the English tables, while they are not mentioned at all in the latter, 
and English soles and Scotch lemon soles are added together to pro- 
duce the total of soles for the United Kingdom. ‘The official statis- 
tics of fish remind one of the French phrase, “‘ Plus ¢a change, plus 
c’est la méme chose.”’ 
II. SCIENTIFIC INQUIRIES. 
1. Ar PLymourH. 
Since last Christmas, in accordance with the Council’s special in- 
structions, | have been making systematic investigations into the 
question of the capture and destruction of immature or undersized 
fish at Plymouth. The following is my report on these investiga- 
tions as far as they have yet gone. By immature fish in the tables 
I mean females in which there is no trace of yolk in the young eggs 
in the ovary when examined under the microscope. Immature males 
have been distinguished by the extremely undeveloped state of the 
testes. All the males registered as mature either contained ripe 
spermatozoa or were obviously spent. 
Lemon Soles or Merry Soles. 
Between January Ist and March 11th I examined 220 specimens 
of this species (Plewronectes microcephalus) procured from the fish 
quay as landed for sale. ‘The examination was carried out in the 
