7U 



after 10 days, was caught near Elie. in the Firth ol Forth, and measured 

 34-34-7 cm. 



Females. — The condition ol the ovaries was ascertained in 34 of the 37 females 

 recaptured. 



Three were " spawning " ; 1 was caught in January 1914, in the Moray Firth, 

 off Wliitehills, near Banff, at a distance of 136 miles ; the second was taken in 

 February 1914, also in the Moray Firth, off Pennan Head, at a distance of 127 

 miles ; and the third was recovered, also in February 1914, on the north coast of 

 Scotland, off Strathie Point, at a distance of 208 miles. None o[ the females was 

 described as " ripe." 



Seven were " spent." One was caught in May 1912, near Pittenweem, in the 

 Firth of Forth, 4 miles distant ; another was taken off Largo, in the Firth of 

 Forth, in May 1913, at a distance of 6 miles. Four were recaptured off the coast of 

 Aberdeen, one in May 1913, at a distance of 100 miles, and well offshore ; another, 

 also in May 1913, to the north-east of Buchanness, at a distance of 107 miles ; 

 another was taken in July 1913, at Aberdeen Bank, a distance of 75 miles ; and 1 in 

 April 1914, also at Aberdeen Bank, a distance of 78 miles ; the other female was 

 recaptured just outside the Moray Firth, in May 1914, at a distance of 149 miles. 



Two females were " nearly ripe " ; 1, caught in November 1912, 16"5 miles to 

 the north and east, off the Isle of May ; the other, in December 1912, was the one 

 taken at the Goodwin Sands, at a distance of 357 miles from the place of liberation, 

 and landed at Ramsgate. 



Two were " three-quarters ripe " ; 1, caught in November 1913, 52 miles to the 

 north and east, off Tod Head ; the other, also taken in November, was got 34 miles 

 to the north-east, in the vicinity of the 13ell Rock. One was " half-ripe " ; it was 

 caught in July 1912, 24 miles to the south and east, off the Isle of May. 



Among the females under adult size on recapture (38 cm.), 1, measuring 33-36*9 

 cm., was taken in a cod-net 38 miles to the north and east, in December 1912, | mile 

 off Montrose Bay, and was described as " nearly ripe." Another, which measured 

 32- 5-36-2 cm., was recaptured off Whitehills, in the Moray Firth, in February 1913, 

 and was " half-ripe." These are examples of females which would probably spawn 

 under the size I have fixed as the limit between mature and immature. 



Eleven of the females above 38 cm. on recapture were " immature." Most of 

 them were taken in summer, but 3 were caught in February 1913, and 1 on the 

 3rd April 1913, and thus within the hinit of the spawning season. Of the 3 

 recovered in February, 1 taken off Largo, in the Firth of Forth, measured 33-5-38 cm. ; 

 another, taken at Elie, in the Firth of Forth, measured 33-38-1 cm. ; a third was 

 caught at a distance of 25 miles to the north and east, east of the Isle of May. These 

 fishes are examples of the opposite of what is said above, and would evidently not 

 reach sexual maturity until the next year, when they would be considerably larger 

 in size. The same may be said of the fourth femab, which was taken 63 miles to the 

 north and east, near Aberdeen, and measured 34-38-8 cm. 



EXPERIMENT IX. 



nh May 1912. 



One hundred plaice were marked and hberated in this experiment, 41 males, 57 

 females, and 2 whose sexes were not ascertained. The sizes of the males ranged from 

 27 cm. to 44 cm., and 19 were under the adult size ; the sizes of the females were 

 from 27 cm. to 53-5 cm., and 36 were mider the adult size. The numbers libeialed 

 and recaptured, arranged in 5-cm. gioups, a>e shown in the subjoined table : — 



