Soles and Smelts among Whitebait. 95 



As to both the Flounders and Soles, they are habitually 

 ground feeders, and never enter the stow-net. The flounder 

 constantly steals away beneath the ground -rope of the drag-net, 

 which is lightly leaded, and usually, at the centre, does not 

 touch ground until within a very short distance of shore-margin. 

 The larval forms of flat-fish we have examined left us in doubt 

 whether flounders were among them, though we have noted, bat 

 rarely, presence of bigger ones. 



Regarding the Soles, larger or smaller, these we have not 

 seen in any hauls when we were present, nor have discovered 

 them but very seldom indeed among the "bait" in the boxes, 

 and never had them presented at table in the restaurant. 

 Still we have learned that annually, but altogether under 

 exceptional circumstances, a haul will be made on the 

 broad, flat, shallow sands of Shoebury, or on Lapwell Bank, 

 Queenborough, when good and lesser sized soles have been taken 

 in moderate numbers. This is to be explained by the fact that 

 the long level sand permits the ground-rope and bunt of net to 

 trail, and prevents the soles shuffling under. On the other 

 hand, alongside the steeper slopes of sea-walls or in deepish 

 spots it leaves a space beneath as mentioned in flounder. With 

 a catch as above the bigger soles are retained, the lesser ones, 

 which survive with impunity their capture and handling, get 

 off scot-free. 



Admitting a certain amount of flat-fish perish at the white- 

 baiters' hands, these altogether appear relatively so limited that 

 they can only infinitesimally, or in a very minor degree, 

 interfere with our fisheries. 



The habits of the Smelt and of the Shad are a barrier to any 

 wholesale sacrifice of the young below Leigh by the white- 

 baiters. Darkness or night-time best answers for smelting, 

 whereas daylight is preferred for whitebaiting. This distinc- 

 tion greatly reduces chance of smelts capture by " baiters." 



The adult breeding Smelt travels up the estuary in the winter 

 season, and makes chiefly towards the brackish, or on -with flowing 

 tide to the fresh water, there to spawn. This accomplished, it 



