76 TRANSACTIONS LIVEEPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



being from 6 to 7 inches, and the ordinary minimum repro- 

 ductive size 5 J- to 6. The smallest ripe female is 5 J inches, 

 and the average size at maturity from 6} to 8 inches, the 

 ordinary minimum size at spawning being 6 to 6}. 



Flounder (Pleuronectes flesus) — smallest ripe female 8 

 inches, male 7 inches ; largest immature female 12} inches, 

 male 10} inches. Only 75 have been examined. The 

 females arrive at maturity on the average at about 10} 

 inches, and the males at about 9 inches. They were 

 spawning from the middle of March to the middle of May 

 when they seemed to have finished spawning and to be 

 returning to the rivers from which they came. One of 

 the first facts we discovered in the trawiings on the offshore 

 spawning beds last season was that, contrary to the 

 opinions of the fishermen, the Flounder leaves the rivers 

 and estuaries up which it is usually found and comes for 

 the purpose of spawning to these offshore grounds about 

 20 miles from the mouth of the nearest river. 



Haddock (Gadus ceglefinus) — only 35 examined. Small- 

 est ripe male 9} inches ; smallest ripe female 12} inches ; 

 largest immature female 17 inches, male 13 inches. 



Grey gurnard (Trigla gurnarchis) — smallest ripe fe- 

 male 9f inches, male 8} inches, largest immature female 

 11} inches, male also 11} inches. 25 fish were examined. 



Bed gurnard (Trigla cuculus) — smallest ripe female 13 

 inches, male 9} inches ; largest immature female 13} 

 inches, male 12J inches. 65 fish were examined. 



During the coming spawning season we shall devote 

 considerable attention to the maturity question, and besides 

 accumulating more statistics of the above nature we shall 

 endeavour to make some observations on the rate of 

 growth of the fishes, and the ages at which they arrive at 

 sexual maturity. 



Although the ideal minimum size at w T hich fish ought 



