196 Part LII—Twenty-fourth Annual Report 
Larval and post-larval lemon dabs have been obtained at periods 
which correspond with the long spawning season. Thus, Cunningham 
records specimens of 10mm. and over taken in April, and specimens of 
this size are taken in May, while at the end of October they have been 
secured in considerable numbers measuring from 8mm. to 18mm. It is 
obvious that in the succeeding year, say in spring, the young lemon dabs 
derived from these would vary much in size. The early ones would have 
the full benefit of the favourable temperature throughout the whole year, 
while those of October would meet with the colder water in winter and 
have their growth retarded. Thus, a specimen caught by the “ Garland” 
on 7th May, which measured 25mm., was no doubt derived from the pre- 
ceding year, while specimens measuring 27mm. taken in August belonged 
to the same year. 
Young lemon dabs in some number were got by Holt at the Humber 
in October and November, measuring from 2 to 34 inches, which might 
possibly have been derived from the spawning of that year, but the larger, 
at least, were more probably from that of the year before. 
Cunningham, at the beginning of June, took small lemon dabs on the 
Essex coast from 3 to 5 inches long, and these were clearly at least one 
year old. 
The evidence seems to me to justify the belief that the growth of the 
lemon dab is slow, and probably does not much, if at all, exceed 5cm. to 
6cem, (2 to 2} inches) in a year. It is probable that the female does not 
spawn before the fourth year, though the prematurely mature specimens 
oceasionally got* probably spawn at an earlier age, and may form a 
distinct variety. 
LONG ROUGH DAB (Drepanopsetta platessoides, Fabr.). 
Various collections of long rough dabs were measured, the total num- 
ber being 3529, part of them being from the Moray Firth and part from 
Aberdeen Bay (Table X VI.). Including those dealt with in the previous 
paper, the aggregate number measured amounts to 20,261. 
Several of the collections contained the very small series which are 
always in this species well separated from the older series, contrasting 
with the case of the lemon dab. The spawning period of the long rough 
dab extends from the end of January well into May, and is chiefly 
marked at the end of March and the beginning of April. Each year’s 
brood have therefore the summer following for growth, and not, as in the 
lemon dab, part of them the summer and part of them the winter. 
In three collections made in the Moray Firth the early group is well 
shown. The first was taken on 28th December in 30 fathoms, on the so- 
called witch ground off Burghead; the second on 23rd January, but. 
somewhat further east off Kinnaird Head, in 50 fathoms; and the third 
on Ist April, in the neighbourhood of the place where the first haul was 
made, in from 30 to 32 fathoms. 
In the December collection 73 fish belonged to this group; they ranged 
in length from 46mm. to 65mm. (148-2,%, inches) (the next largest in the 
collection being 85mm.), and the average length was 56°8mm., or 24 
inches. In the January collection there were 57 specimens, ranging from 
47mm. to 68mm. (14-214 inches) (the next largest being 86mm.), and 
the average computed size was 57-4mm., or 21 inches. The third collec- 
tion contained 84 specimens of the class, varying in length from 47mm. 
to 70mm. (13-2 inches), and the average was 56°2mm., or almost 21 
inches, the next largest in the collection being 89mm. 
*See Twentu-first Annucl Report, Part II1., p. 48. 
