﻿42 



In spring, us late as the month of June, only a lew young ones, 3 — 5 

 inches long, had been found on the open shores; these must belong to the 

 fry of 1892, and were consequently 1 year old. As just mentioned only a 

 few were found, between c. 3 and 5 inches, and the}' could scarcely represent 

 the whole annual series of 1892, most likely they were only »retarded« spe- 

 cimens; where the rest of this annual series lives I do not know, as it lias 

 not been possible for me to fish many specimens of such sizes, c. 3 — 6 (7) 

 inches, as may be supposed to be one year old. I must suppose that this 

 annual series lives at places where the fishermen generally do not fish for 

 them, and where I have not been able to draw the seines on account of stones 

 or too much vegetation*). 



I do not think these small fishes live on very deep water, for young 

 specimens of Rhombus maximus, a little larger, c. 8 1 ''., — IOC, inches, are not 

 rare in our fjords. (See table XV, column 11 from Gamborg Fjord.) 



The two years old fishes I must look upon as represented in the Catte- 

 gat by the specimens of c. 6(7) — 10 inches; they are very common (see the 

 table) in the S. W. Cattegat, in Gamborg Fjord, and the Baltic Sea at Born- 

 holm. Specimens from the Cattegat between If) 1 /._, — 17 inches must. I think. 

 be looked upon as a third annual series. As to the age of the larger spe- 

 cimens, I shall say nothing; perhaps there is a 4-th series. 



Fr. Dai/ says (^British Fishes ) that young ones of Rhombus maximus, 

 3 inches long, in the Southport Aquarium in the course of 2 1 /. J years reached 

 a weight of 10 lbs. each, in 4 1 /,. years 20 lbs. These statements agree very 

 well with the above; but so many opinions have been set forth with respect 

 to the weight of fishes, that we scarcely know what to think; and. sure enough, 

 they do grow very differently under different circumstances. 



The largest spawner 1 have measured is 30 1 '., inches long; the milter- 

 do not appear to grow so large. 



< Juite remarkable is the numerousness of the smaller specimens in the 

 Baltic Sea and the Belts; might not this indicate an emigration of the larger 

 (ines from these places to the Cattegat? (See under The Plaice.) 



This species of fish is supposed to have decreased in a still more alarm- 

 ing degree than the plaice; its average size, particularly, is diminished. 



) Cunningham struggles with the same difficulty. My above supposition with respect 

 to the size of the first annual scries agrees however very closely with his'measure- 

 merits from Concarneau) of specimens of Rhombus maximus brought up in confine- 

 ment, c. 2— 7 1 /. English inches in the first year and c. 7 ; „— 11 in the second 

 (»I. M. B. Ass. Plym (N. S. vol. II , p. 357). 



