of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 349 



plaice, of which six, measuring from 173 to 207 mm., had an average size 

 of 193'3 mm. The second series was composed of 46 fishes from 229 to 

 301 mm., with an average size of 273-2 mm., or 10| inches. The third 

 series of 103 plaice ranged from 303 to 407 mm., and had an average 

 size of 352-6 mm., or 13^ inches. There were six larger fishes, from 423 

 to 461 mm., which had an average .size of 439-8 mm., or 17j^''',y inches. 



On 31gt July a haul in llj to 12|t fathoms yielded representatives of 

 three series. The first comprised three females, ranging from 250 to 

 299 mm., with a mean size of 275-7 mm., and ten males, from 262 mm. 

 to 298 mm., with an avei-age size of 284-8 mm., the mean size of the 

 group of thirteen being 282-7 mm., or 111 inches. The next series 

 contained 12 females measuring from 322 to 416 mm., the average size 

 being 367-2 mm., or 14^ inches, and twenty-two males from 306 to 

 394 mm., and with an average size of 344-2 mm. (13y^ inches), the mean 

 size of the group being 352-4 mm., or Vijr inches. There was also one 

 female measuring 450 mm. 



A haul on 4th September, in ten fathoms, yielded two series, the 

 first comprising twelve fishes, measuring from 255 to 317 mm., and 

 with an average size of 2922 mm., or 11| inches, and the second con- 

 taining twenty-eight, ranging from 327 to 411 mm., with an average 

 of 359-4 mm., or 14 f^ inches. 



On 18th October several series were represented, although very 

 unequally, in a haul in sixteen fathoms. The first series comprised 

 one male of 88 and one female of 84 mm. The second series was 

 made up of thirty-three males, measuring from 156 to 247 mm., and 

 having an average size of 199-3 mm., or 7g inches, and 24 females 

 between 165 and 242 mm., with a mean length of 201-1 mm., the 

 average size of the group being 200 mm. The third series comprised 

 thirty-three males, with an average size of 316-9 mm., and a range 

 from 268 to 359 mm., and forty females from 267 to 356 mm., and a 

 mean length of 3202 mm., the average size of the group being 

 318-7 mm. The other series were too imperfect to deal with. 



Very good hauls were got on 6th November, a considerable number 

 of the smaller plaice being taken, and as the males and females were 

 separately measuied, good curves were obtained (PI. XIV.). The 

 smaller fish were taken in the fine-meshed net around the cod-end of 

 the otter trawl, which was dragged for thirty -five minutes in about 

 six or seven fathoms ; the larger plaice were pi'ocured in a drag of the 

 otter-trawl in from seven to thirteen fathoms at the same place, the 

 haul lasting four hours and twenty minutes. With tie exception of six, 

 all the plaice belonging to the first and second series were taken in the 

 small net, and as that haul lasted only J^ of the time occupied in the 

 other haul, the number of fish representing the second series ought to 

 be multiplied accordingly in order to give due proportion to the 

 curves. 



The number of plaice taken in the two hauls was 1898. The first 

 series was represented by one fish at 84 mm. The second series 

 comprised 184 plaice, of which seventy-six were feinales ranging 

 from 92 to 162 mm , with an average size of 118-9 mm., or 4|^ inches; 

 and 108 males, from 91 to 160 mm., of an average size of 1179 mm., 

 or 4|^ inches. 



The third series was made up of 288 females, from 164 to 262 mm., 

 with an average size of 218-7 mm., or 8| inches, and 331 males ranging 

 from 166 to 257 mm., and having a niean size of 214-5 mm., or 8y'^ 

 inches. The average size of the group as determined by the curve for 

 the .sexes combined, comprising 619 fishes, was 216-5 mm. or, 8| 

 inches. 



