19 
seven have been specially examined, Sole, Plaice, Dab, 
Flounder, Haddock, Grey Gurnard and Red Gurnard. 
Our object was to keep a record of the smallest mature 
males and females we met with and of the largest imma- 
ture males and females. In regard to those in the latter 
category it may be remarked that great caution must be 
exercised, as in the case of an individual fish that is a late 
spawner the reproductive organs at the normal breeding 
season may show little or no signs of the distension which 
is usual in fish that are approaching maturity. 
SouE (Solea vulgaris)—smallest ripe female 114 inches, 
largest immature fish (male) 9} inches. The number we 
have examined has, on account of the difficulty of obtain- 
ing the fish in this district, been too small to lead to any 
conclusion, but the results such as they are agree tolerably 
with those given by Holt for the North Sea—10 inches 
for the mature male and 12 inches for the female. 
PLAICE (Pleuronectes platessa)—smallest ripe female 13 
inches, male 104 inches; largest immature female 19 
inches, male 13 inches. We have as yet examined only 
73 fish, ranging in size from 6 to 20 inches, trawled on 
the spawning grounds. The smallest ripe male was only 
103 inches, but that was probably an exceptional case. 
Holt gives the spawning period in the North Sea as from 
the middle of January to the end of March, and rarely 
going as late as May. We did not obtain spawning fish 
here till the middle of March, and they went on till the 
middle of May. 
Dap (Plewronectes limanda)—smallest ripe female 5+ 
inch, male 43 inch; largest immature female 114 inch, male 
6%. The largest female fish was 123 inches, the largest 
male 9 inches. 511 fish have been examined. The smallest 
ripe male we have found 1s only 43 inches long, but this is 
undoubtedly an exceptional case, the average at maturity 
