360 REPOET ON THE PEOBABLE AGES OF YOUNG FISH. 



in the surface tow-nets at various positions in the North Sea as 

 follows : 



July 8th. — About fifteen miles N. of Horn Reef Light-vessel, 

 Jutland. One specimen -^ of an inch (8 mm.). 



9th. — Twenty and twenty-two miles N.N.E. of Horn Reef Light- 

 vessel. Many specimens. 



12th. — Inner shoal-water of Great Fisher Bank. Three speci- 

 mens I to ^ an inch (9 to 13 mm.). Two specimens 1^ to l-^^ inches 

 (2-8 to 3-7 cm.). 



17th. — West Shoal and West Spit of Dogger Bank. Many | to 

 If inches ('9 to 4"1 cm.). 



23rd. — Two hundred and fifty miles E. of Spurn Light-vessel. 

 One specimen -^^ of an inch (1"1 cm.). Many -^ to If inches (1*4 

 to 4*4 cm.). 



27th and 28th. — One hundred and fifty miles E. by N. of Spurn 

 Light-vessel. Several. 



August 10th. — West end of Dogger. Three specimens ^^ to f 

 of an inch (M to 1-6 cm.). Many -^ to lf| inches (2-2 to 4'2 cm.). 



18th. — One hundred and fifty miles E. ^ S. of Spurn Light-vessel. 

 Five specimens f to 1^ inches (1*6 to 2'7 cm.). 



These were evidently hatched in May and June and were there- 

 fore one or two months old. 



The two families, Pleuronectidee and Gadidse, only are well repre- 

 sented in this collection, and the specimens of these have been con- 

 sidered in the preceding pages. The remaining few specimens 

 belong to various families, and the greater number of them to species 

 of no value in the market. 



Clupea harengus {Herring). — Two specimens of and 7| inches 

 (17'2, 19"7 cm.), taken in sprat stake-net, Humberstone sands, 

 January 29th. These were probably a year and four or five months 

 old, assuming that they were derived from spawn shed in autumn, 

 in August or September. 



Clupea sprattus {Sprats). — Three 3| inches (9-5 cm.), five 4^ inches 

 (10"8 cm.), one 5j inches (12'3 cm.), in the same net, same date. 



These were all adult or nearly so ; the smallest would probably 

 be two years old, the larger three years in the following March or 

 April. 



Osmerus eperlanus {8 melt). 



April 25th.— Five 3| to ^ inches (8*9 to 9*8 cm.), Cleethorpes, 

 shove-net. 



25th. — One 6f inches (16-9 cm.), Cleethorpes, shove-net. 



July 3rd.— Three 4^ to 4| inches (11-5 to 12'1), Cleethorpes, 

 cart-trawl. 



The smelt spawns about April, and the smaller specimens taken 



