Witch and Common Soles. 51 



(5.) The LONG FLOUNDER, or Witch (Pleuronectes cynoglossus), 

 Webb states, has been several times noticed among ordinary 

 soles sold at Dover. He gives no particulars regarding the 

 specimens. It is indeed rare in the English Channel, has 

 several times been met with at Yarmouth (Patterson), and 

 otherwise frequents the North Sea. We have no knowledge of 

 any Thames estuarine example, those seen by us at Leigh and 

 Southend coming from Billingsgate (have the Dover specimens 

 been thus imported ?). 



(6.) The COMMON SOLE (Solea vulgaris) is everywhere dis- 

 tributed, and bears a high reputation in our Fisheries District 

 Dover, Kingsdown and Ramsgate soles bringing good prices in 

 the London and midland counties markets. It may also be 

 safely said that it is quite an abundant fish in the Thames 

 mouth, from Hole-haven to the East Girdler. In other words, 

 it exists in numbers over the whole area fished by the boats 

 from Leigh-on-Sea. Nay more, from the beginning of June 

 till the end of September soles of moderate size are continuous- 

 ly taken. By such are meant those from 6 to 12 inches long, or 

 up to 15 inches ; these last being scantier, though we have seen 

 a couple brought in mid-October, one 16 inches, the other 19J 

 inches long, 9 in. broad, and weighing 21bs. 9oz. The more 

 ordinary size, however, is about 9 to 10 inches, and those of 

 8 inches are quite numerous. 



All the fishermen admit that the season 1897-98 was one of 

 the most productive for soles, in the Thames, for a long series 

 of years. It likewise was remarkable that through the winter 

 months of 1896-97 soles only 2 inches long, or thereabouts 

 were constantly caught; even during the succeeding winters 

 they have been far from scarce. Indeed, it may be positively 

 affirmed that nearly every year small soles are extremely abun- 

 dant from the end of April to the first weeks in June ; May 

 being the most plentiful month. These fish run in size from 1^ 

 to 6 inches. They are smallest in the early period, and very 

 quickly grow larger as the season advances. 



D 2 



