of the Ft slier;/ Board for Scotland. 



391 



The collectiuiis from the Firtli of Forth also indicate the rapidity of 

 growth of the young whiting in summer, and they show at the same time 

 that they are first obtained in somewhat shallow water. A haul on 23rd 

 July at Station III., which is situated well up the Firth (ease of Inch- 

 keith), in 8 to 10 fathoms of water, yielded 911 young whitings, while a 

 haul on the following day at Station V., at the mouth of the Firth, in 

 20-30 fathoms, yielded only 34, and they were of larger size. In August, 

 while then abundant at ths outer station — although not so numerous as 

 at the inner one — they were also of larger size, the smaller fishes, no 

 doubt, being above the bottom and beyond the reach of the trawl. 



At Station III. the whitings increased from 78'6 mm., or 3i inches 

 (or, as amended, 75 mm.), on 23rd July to 103-4 mm. on 19th August 

 an increase of 284 mm. (11 inches) in twenty-seven days. The mean 

 size of 3033 on 19th-22nd August was 103*6 mm., or, as amended, 105'0 

 mm. (4|- inches), an increase of 30 mm. in thirty days. The size of the 

 largest fish of the series increased in the same period from 109 to 148 

 mm., an increment of 39 mm. At Station V. the 34 caught on 24th July 

 had a mean size of 87*4 mm. (corrected to 80*0 mm.), Avhile on 16th 

 August the mean size of 100" 6 was 116'8 mm. (4|^ inches), or, as amended,. 

 110*0 ram., showing an increment of about 30 mm. (ly\ inches) in 

 twenty-three days. 



In the deep water off the Shetlands, as already mentioned, young 

 whitings were taken only in small numbers. The increase (computed 

 from the measurements) amounted to 21*2 mm. (^ inch) in the forty-six 

 days from 31st August-4th September to 16tli-19th October, but the 

 number of fishes is too small to make the conclusion quite trustworthy, 

 and the localities were about sixty miles apart, although the depth -was 



