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NORTH SEA INVESTIGATIONS. 93 
considerably from each other in relation to the capture of small fish. 
Further, the different prawning grounds are not all alike in this 
respect. 
The fish of any known value which we met with consisted of sole 
(Solea vulgaris), plaice, common dab, lemon sole, flounder, cod, whiting, 
whiting-pout, sprats, thornback, and spotted ray (Raia maculata). 
Besides these we took a number of unmarketable kinds, viz. “ hard- 
heads” (Oottus scorpius), “bull-routs” (Agonus cataphractus), 
“gobblers” (Liparis Montagu), gunnels (Centronotus gunnellus), 
viviparous blennies (Zoarces viviparus), “ eel-pouts ” (Motella mus- 
tela), “ Williams ” or “sweet fish” (Gobius minutus), a few Raninus 
raniceps, and one long rough dab: the vernacular names in inverted 
commas are those in local use ; some species have no local designation. 
I have never come across a solenette (Solea lutea) in the Humber, 
and am pretty certain that the species does not exist there. Hence 
the confusion which is so abundantly evident in the mind of the 
fisherman and amateur fishery expert wherever solenettes and young 
common soles are found together does not exist in this locality. 
“ Trinity” ground.—As this is the most important ground, espe- 
cially at the season during which our operations were carried on, we 
devoted especial attention to it. In eleven hauls with the pro- 
fessional gear we always obtained a fair catch of prawns, consider- 
ing the lateness of the season. 
Only nine soles were taken, four hauls being blank so far as this 
species was concerned, The largest number taken in any one haul 
was two. The fish measured as follows : two less than 2 inches, two 
small, exact size not recorded, two at 54 inches, one at 94 inches, 
and one at 134 inches. 
Early in October I had made the discovery that young lemon soles 
occur in the Humber in autumn, all previous information having 
induced a general belief amongst those interested in the matter that 
the early life of this form was passed in comparatively deep water, 
and consequently at some distance from land on most coasts. Only 
a few were taken on the occasion referred to, and it was therefore 
with the greatest interest that we found fresh specimens yielded by 
almost every haul on the ground now under consideration. The 
number was in no case large, sixteen being the most in one haul. 
Another yielded eleven, but no other more thanseven. ‘The smallest 
fish measured 2 inches in total length, and the usual size was from 
24 to 34 inches; a few were taken at sizes ranging from that last 
mentioned up to 83 inches, and there was one specimen of 11 inches. 
Plaice were very scarce; in the eleven hauls we only got eight 
fish, viz. five in one haul, one each in other three, and none in the 
remainder. Six of these fish measured from 5} to 94 inches, and 
