164 OVARIES OF FISHES. 
ova were all transparent, not a trace of yolk was visible, nor were 
any degenerating eggs present. A specimen, 19? inches, examined 
on March 4th showed the yolk commencing in an immature specimen, 
but whether it would have spawned the same summer I cannot be 
certain. I have not been able to trace the history of spent specimens. 
Brill. 
A specimen, 164 inches long, on January 25th, had the yolk 
advanced in development. A few opened in March were ripe, or 
nearly so. 
With regard to the relation of maturity to size, and of the 
destruction of immature fish, I have not much to add to my paper 
on The Immature Fish Question in the last number of the Journal, 
but a brief record of a few subsequent observations is necessary. 
A few merry soles landed from trawlers were examined in April, 
May, June, and July, and all were mature, for the most part actually 
ripe. On June 3rd a specimen, 7§ inches long, was taken in our 
own otter trawl five or six miles south of the Mewstone; it was a 
female and immature, all the ova being transparent without a trace 
of yolk. This is the only immature merry sole I have yet obtained 
at Plymouth. 
On May 2nd I visited Brixham to make some inquiries about the 
fishing there, and ascertained the following facts. Plaice are sold 
in two classes, the small fish being separated and sold as offal or 
second class fish, the large in boxes as prime or first class. I saw 
a quantity of these fish in the merchants’ stores, and, though it was 
impossible for me to take exact statistics, found that the small fish 
were much more abundant than the large. On measuring I found 
that the small ranged from 7 inches to 11 inches or 12 inches, and 
the large from 11 inches or 12 inches to 23 inches. The small fish 
must be nearly all sexually immature. At Brixham there is a large 
fleet of small trawlers—about seventy—about twenty tons burthen, 
as well as larger vessels of forty tons and upwards. The large 
vessels go long trips and land their fish at various places, while the 
small vessels fish on the home grounds from Start Point to Portland, 
and land their fish at their own port. They were accused of throw- 
ing overboard fish of smaller size than those they land. Besides the 
plaice I saw large numbers of small whiting 8} inches long. Small 
soles were scarce, and none were under 8 inches. Of lemon soles 
very few were small, and all I saw were ripe or spent. ‘The smallest 
I could find measured 104 inches. 
The Devon Sea Fisheries Committee has now prohibited trawling 
within certain limits in the region where these Brixham trawlers fish, 
