400 EXAMINATION OF THE PRESENT STATE 
every part of the North Sea, both inshore and offshore, and that, 
except in estuaries, it seems to spawn anywhere without regard to 
depth of water or proximity to land. It may be added that it 
appears to eat anything which it can get into its mouth, a faculty 
which probably accounts for its universal distribution, Large dabs 
occur on the eastern grounds in sufficient numbers to be worth 
bringing to market. 
The megrim is rare in the North Sea, being almost confined to the 
deepest grounds, The witch is much more plentiful, but confined to 
the deeper grounds. Immature members of either species are never 
found on inshore grounds, nor do I know any ground on which they 
can be obtained. 
The flounder is chiefly an estuarine fish, and, with the exception 
of the Eastern grounds, occurs on no ground worked by deep-sea 
trawlers, except at the spawning season. 
Spawning takes place at sea, but the young find their way at a 
very early age into shallow bays, near the mouths of rivers, and into 
estuaries, rivers, brooks, and even ditches, the species being quite 
at home in perfectly fresh water. These localities are not quitted 
until the fish is ready to spawn, and spawning having been 
accomplished, the former haunts are at once regained. 
The long rough dab is almost exclusively an offshore fish, 
especially in its younger condition. It has no commercial value, 
and is not considered by Grimsby trawlers to be fit for human food, 
The halibut is very far from plentiful on North Sea trawling 
grounds. Practically nothing is known of the early stages of its 
life-history. A few immature specimens of considerable size are 
sometimes met with on the Hastern grounds, but are not much 
commoner there than on offshore grounds. 
The sand sole and thickback, of which the latter is of some impor- 
tance to south coast trawlers, do not occur, to my knowledge, on 
any North Sea ground.. Thickbacks are obtained on the Bay of 
Biscay grounds to which North Sea steam-trawlers occasionally 
resort. The young stages, as far as our meagre information goes, 
are found in very deep water, and the species is at no stage to be 
found on inshore grounds in northern latitudes. 
Round-fish— Very young cod approach quite close to the shore, 
and enter estuaries in very considerable numbers, but the number of 
those which pass all stages of their existence in the open sea 
appears to be at least as large. Very young whiting frequent 
estuaries in enormous numbers, but fish of the same size are plentiful 
also on offshore grounds, so that the immature members of both 
these species cannot be said to be restricted to either inshore or 
offshore grounds, The haddock is more exclusive. It appears to 
