of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 189 
BuRGHEAD Bay. 
The plaice taken in several of the hauls in this locality were measured, 
and the measurements are given in Tables V., VI., at the end of this 
paper. On 20th October, 1903, a collection of 233 was taken in from 
8 to 12 fathoms, the small-meshed net being around the cod-end. The 
smallest plaice caught was 175mm., and, with another specimen measuring 
193mm., probably represented the second group. The next smallest was 
216mm., and the bulk of the plaice came between this and 30cm., 
the majority measuring from 24cm. to 26cm., and representing the third 
series. The haul in the Dornoch Firth two days later, in which 363 
plaice were taken, corresponded pretty closely, as above indicated. 
At the beginning of December (6th and 7th), 1904, a considerable 
number of plaice taken in from 44 to 16 fathoms, in Burghead Bay, were 
measured, the sexes being first determined and dealt with separately. The 
number so treated in three hauls was 1737. These measurements are 
given in the appended Table V. The separation of the groups is not 
so well seen in these cases as one might expect. The great bulk of the 
fish measured between 25cm. and 42cm., and in the case of the females it 
was not difficult to see that they were separated into two groups, at 34cm. 
to 35cm. ‘The curve formed by the measurements of the males is much 
less regular. 
The plaice in some other ordinary hauls, taken in from 5 to 21 
fathoms on 7th February, 1905, were kindly measured for me by 
Dr. Williamson, the sexes being distinguished, and also the condition of 
the reproductive organs (Table VII.). The range in size was from 
20-68cm., but the separation of the groups is not very clear ; females seem 
to show maxima about 30-3lcem. and 34-35cm. ‘The size at maturity, 
it will be observed, is about 41cm. fer males and 42—43cm. for females ; 
but the number of mature or nearly mature plaice was very small. 
COMMON DAB (Pleuronectes limanda ). 
The number of common dabs whose measurements are dealt with here 
is 8094, belonging to 28 collections from the Moray Firth and Aberdeen 
Bay. With those included in the previous paper, the total number of 
common dabs, mostly measured on board commercial trawlers, is 26,230. 
In many of the recent collections the first, or youngest, series is specially 
well represented, and the facts show that this fish grows slowly. 
ABERDEEN Bay. 
The collections of young dabs made here were taken in fine-meshed 
nets, mostly from a fishing yawl, in comparatively shallow water, the 
depths ranging as a rule from 3 to 6 or 7 fathoms. There are 11, viz., 1 
in January, | in February, | in March, 3 in April, 2 in May, 1 in 
September, and 2 in November. In Table VIIT. appended, the measure- 
ments of the fish in each collection are given in ‘5 centimetre groups. 
Few of them show well in any series but the first. 
On the 3rd January, 1906, a collection of 323 was obtained in 8 
fathoms of water. The smallest measured 27mm., or slightly over 1 inch, 
aud the largest was 63mm., or 24 inches ; the majority ranged in size 
from 35mm. to 41mm. (12-12 inches), and the average size computed is 
39:2mm., or slightly over 1} inches. 
The next collection, on 11th February, 1905, was taken in somewhat 
deeper water, viz., 8-12 fathoms, and comprised only 16 small dabs. The 
smallest measured 32mm., and the largest of the series 67mm., most 
ranging from 3°5cm, to 4:5cm. 
