20) 
being from 6 to 7 inches, and the ordinary minimum repro- 
ductive size 54 to 6. The smallest ripe female is 54 inches, 
and the average size at maturity from 6} to 8 inches, the 
ordinary minimum size at spawning being 6 to 63. 
FLOUNDER (Pleuronectes flesus)—smallest ripe female 8 
inches, male 7 inches; largest immature female 12} inches, 
male 10} inches. Only 75 have been examined. The 
females arrive at maturity on the average at about 104 
inches, and the males at about 9 inches. They were 
spawning from the middle of March to the middle of May 
when they seemed to have finished spawning and to be 
returning to the rivers from which they came. One of 
the first facts we discovered in the trawlings on the offshore 
spawning beds last season was that, contrary to the 
opinions of the fishermen, the Flounder leaves the rivers 
and estuaries up which it is usually found and comes for 
the purpose of spawning to these offshore grounds about 
20 miles from the mouth of the nearest river. 
Happock (Gadus eglefinus)—only 35 examined. Small- 
est ripe male 9} inches; smallest ripe female 12} inches; 
largest immature female 17 inches, male 13 inches. 
GREY GURNARD (Trigla gurnardus)—smallest ripe fe- 
male 9% inches, male 83 inches, largest immature female 
113 inches, male also 113 inches. 25 fish were examined. 
RED GURNARD (T’rigla cuculus)—smallest ripe female 13 
inches, male 93} inches; largest immature female 13} 
inches, male 12+ inches. 65 fish were examined. 
During the coming spawning season we shall devote 
considerable attention to the maturity question, and besides 
accumulating more statistics of the above nature we shall 
endeavour to make some observations on the rate of 
srowth of the fishes, and the ages at which they arrive at 
sexual maturity. 
Although the ideal minimum size at which fish ought 
