Holt — Survey of Fishing Grounds^ West Coast of Ireland. 409 



Fulton remarks on the East coast of Scotland that, while the Lemon Dab " may spawn 

 to a slight extent on the margin of the territorial waters, it spawns maialy off shore." 

 Owing to the different nature of the two coasts, this does not hold good for the "West 

 coast of Ireland, though the principle is evidently the same; and by substituting 

 shallow for " ten-itorial," and moderately deep for "off-shore," wemake the statement 

 equally true for this coast. 



POLE DAB (Witch "Sole") — Pleuronectes cynoglossus. 



Total number captured, 211. 



Number Examined, 55 — Males, 46. Females, 9. 

 Number approaching Eipeness, 7 — Males, 6. Females, 1. 

 Number Ripe, 37— Males, 35. Females, 2. 

 Number Spent, 11 — Males, 5. Females, 6. 



Table Showing the Distribution in Months. 



Table Showing Percentage to Number of Same Sex Examined in Month. 



In the above Table we have direct evidence that the Pole Dab spawns in May and 

 June, and from the large proportion of ripe males in April we may reasonably suppose 

 that spawning takes place also to some extent ia that month. We have no evidence as 

 to the later months. On the East coast of Scotland Fulton remarks that the spawning 

 period appears to be May, June, July, and perhaps August. 



Distribution of Spawning Fish. 

 The ripe females were taken in Donegal Bay, in 32 fathoms. Of the ripe males^ 

 one was taken in a haul, from 30 to 19 fathoms, in the same Bay; the others, between 



