126 ST ANDREWS BAY. SUMMARY. 



the most prolific month of all, augmented the averages of the 

 first period ; only one fell to the second. Two examinations in 

 September were balanced by only one in the second period. 

 Four examinations in October were followed in the second 

 period by three. Now the averages per haul in all these 

 months is high and rapidly affects the result ; thus for May it 

 is 253 per haul, August 515, September 362, and October 223. 

 It is true that the examinations are balanced by three in each 

 half decade in June, and that in July the latter (1891-95) has 

 one period more (two examinations having been made in July, 

 1891), but the average for that month is not so high as some of 

 those mentioned, for it is only 241 \ 



On the other hand, the latter period (1891-95) is handi- 

 capped by frequent examinations in the colder months, which, 

 while increasing the number of hauls, seriously affect the 

 averages. Thus four examinations (20 hauls) in February, with 

 an average of only 35, stand alone, for no examination occurred 

 in this month in the first period. In March the examinations 

 were equally balanced — three in each period. In April three 

 examinations took place, as against one in the first period, the 

 average for this month being 122; moreover there were 15 

 hauls in the three examinations, as against only five in the first 

 period. When we come to November and December a similar 

 condition is found. In the second period, three hauls in each 

 are balanced by only two in the first period, so that their com- 

 paratively low averages (191 for November and 39 for De- 

 cember) affect the second period considerably, especially as 

 there were 15 hauls in November and 13 in December, as 

 against 10 in each of these months in the first period. In the 

 first period 25 examinations were made ; in the second 29, yet 

 though the latter has the preponderance in number, the former 

 has the larger proportion during the warmer months (which 

 possess a high average), viz. as 9 to 13. 



This important point is further brought out by calculating 



the number of hauls made during the six winter months, viz. 



January, February, March, April, November and December in 



each period. In these months, during the first period (1886- 



1 Food-fishes alone are included in these averages. 



