THE FLAT-FISH FAMILY 243 



of Spitzbergen, Norway, Iceland, Newfoundland, Alaska, Cali- 

 fornia, and Kamtchatka. It thus occurs on both sides of the 

 North Atlantic and North Pacific. It is most abundant at 

 considerable depths, 50 to 120 fathoms. The chief sources of 

 the supplies of halibut landed at Hull and Grimsby are the 

 Iceland and Faroe banks, where they are caught with long lines. 

 They are carried alive in the wells of the vessels, each being tied 

 by the root of its tail to facilitate removal when the fish reaches 

 port, and because by this method a larger number can be kept 

 alive. Off the east coast of Britain halibut are fairly plentiful as 

 far southwards as the Great Fisher Bank, and a few are taken on 

 the shallow grounds off the German and Dutch coasts. Single 

 specimens have been occasionally taken off the coast of Corn- 

 wall. During the Irish Survey three specimens were taken, two 

 on long lines, one in the large beam trawl, in depths of 17 to 35 

 fathoms. They were fairly large specimens, 29 inches to 3 feet 

 in length. 



Food. The halibut feeds on fish and crustaceans. 



Time and Place of Spawning. At Grimsby Mr. Holt observed 

 a ripe female in April and one in August, but noticed fish in 

 September whose condition seemed to indicate that they would 

 have spawned in autumn ; these were from Iceland. On the 

 west coast of Ireland a spent specimen was observed in July. 

 On the testimony of Fishery Officers on the east coast of Scot- 

 land ripe specimens occurred in March, May, and June, From 

 this evidence we may conclude that the fish spawns from April 

 to August, and that the period may be somewhat extended in 

 both directions. 



The Eggs. The character of the ripe and fertilised eggs has 

 only recently been discovered. On April 3Oth, 1892, Mr. 

 Holt obtained some ripe ova by pressing the abdomen of a 

 female in the market at Grimsby. The eggs were dead, but 

 the transparency and uniform character of the yolk showed 

 that they were ripe. These eggs were 3-07 to 3'8i mm. in 

 diameter (the largest over J^- or -$ inch). The yolk 

 was like that of the plaice or flounder, colourless, transparent, 

 and undivided, and there was no oil globule. It was evident 

 that the eggs were of the floating kind, although not being alive 

 they did not float. No floating eggs so large as this have yet 

 been taken in the surface nets at sea, probably because such 



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