340 



Part III. — TioentieiJi Annual Report 



completed and life on the bottom is begun, and this is due not merely 

 to the difference in temperature at the two periods, but to the fact 

 that the metamorphosis involves growth in breadth. In the five or 

 six weeks after hatching the plaice increases in length by only 

 about five or six mm. But after they have begun their life on the 

 bottom their growth is very rapid. 



The first collections of the brood of the year from the bottom were 

 made in June, both with the push-net in Loch Fyne and the shrimp 

 net in the Sol way ; no haul was made in May. The smallest plaice 

 found in April with the pusli-net on the beach measured 54 mm., and 

 with the shrimp net 45 mm. ; and they belonged to the brood of the 

 preceding year. At the end of June specimens were taken with the 

 push -net measuring from 12 to 58 mm. ; in the first week of July the 

 same range was observed, while towards the end of the month the 

 range was from 18 to 72 mm. ; at the very end of August the smallest 

 taken was 34 mm., and the largest 87 mm. ; and in November specimens 

 of 33, 34, and 41 mm. were procured. 



The shrimp-net collections, as stated, were made in the Solway 

 Firth, in water from a few feet to five fathoms in depth, in 1889 and 

 1890. The plaice caught always belonged to two series, and sometimes 

 odd specimens of a third series were present. The first series of 

 youngest fish was usually well represented ; the second series, however, 

 as an examination of the curves shows, was usually imperfectly 

 represented owing to the comparative absence of the larger individvials, 

 which live in deeper water than the smaller fishes. 



The particulars of the various hauls are given in the following 

 Table :— 



