104 



RATE OF GEOWTH OP SOME SEA FISHES 



Solea lutea, the Little Sole. 



According to Dr. Fulton, this species spawns when it is 3| inches 

 long, a length which seems to rae to be reached at the end of two years. 

 The fish rarely exceeds 5 inches in length, and specimens nearly as 

 large as this occur occasionally in the shallow water of Cawsand 

 Bay. But the adults are more commonly found farther from shore 

 at depths up to 30 fathoms. 



Solea variegata, the Thickhack. 



As this is a small species the maximum length observed by me 

 being 21.5 cm., or 8^ inches, its growth is probably proportional; 

 the spawning takes place in April and May. It will be observed 

 that the only specimens under 2 inches long were obtained in deep 

 water six miles from land. 



I will take this opportunity of recording some observations I 

 made on the relations of the sexes to one another in size and 

 number in this species. On April 19th, 1889, on board a Plymouth 

 trawling smack, I examined a large number of thickbacks taken in 

 two or three hauls of the trawl. The result was as follows : 



Number of males 34. — Largest measured 19' 2 cm. long. Middle- 

 sized specimen 17*0 cm. 



