ot 
nearly constant, dropping again in 1898. The maximum 
catch of dabs was made in 1894; from 1894 to 1897 the 
catches of dabs steadily declined, recovering again in 
1898. The maximum catch of whiting was made in 1896, 
and the catches then decreased till 1897, when they again 
began to increase. It is singular that the maximum 
catches of these three fishes, plaice, dabs, and whiting, 
are observed in three consecutive years. 
The catches of soles, on the contrary, show a nearly 
regular increase during those seven years. The minimum 
catch was made in 1894, the maximum in 1898. The 
decrease from 1898 to 1899 is very slight. We have 
evidence that a similar, though greater, increase in soles 
has taken place on the Blackpool closed ground. 
No deduction as to the effect of fishing on the distribu- 
tion of these fishes during the period considered can, of 
course, be made. The period is too short and the varia- 
tions observed are too great. There can be little doubt 
but that the fluctuations are due in the main to the 
operation of natural causes. 
We must insist on the inadequacy of these statistics to 
a thorough understanding of the causes influencing the 
distribution, on different areas and at different times, of 
the fish population of the Mersey shrimping grounds. 
So far as they go they are valuable, and they do give some 
information regarding the seasonal variation and the 
relation to each other of the various forms considered. 
But they suggest many more problems than they aid us 
in answering. The increase in the catches of soles on the 
Blackpool and Mersey grounds is an instance. This 
happening on two grounds, one preserved against, the 
other open to, shrimp trawling, is remarkable. A satis- 
factory answer might have been given by a much more 
complete series of observations than we possess, which 
