SEA-FISHERIES LABORATORY. 289 



liberated before the end of March was about 2f inches. 

 I think, however, this number is too low. If we consider 

 also the fishes liberated during the summer, and include 

 them in the calculation of the growth rate, we get a 

 curve which, however, is not represented in the diagram. 

 This indicates that by the end of September the average 

 increase in growth was just over three inches; and, 

 moreover, the slope of the curve indicates that in 

 September the fishes were not growing nearly so fast as 

 in the two preceding months. 



In a few cases exceptionally large increases in length 

 have been observed. One fish, set free on the Mersey 

 Deposit Ground on 12th November, 1904, and 

 recaptured by a Hoylake smack off Great Orme's Head on 

 3rd December, 1905, about 12 J months afterwards, had 

 grown 5J inches. Perhaps a more extraordinary 

 instance, however, is that of a plaice set free near the 

 Liverpool Bar Lightship on 6th July, 1905, and 

 recaptured by a second-class trawler on 23rd September, 

 1905, only a mile or two from the place where it was 

 liberated. In 11 weeks this fish had added 4 inches to its 

 stature. These, however, are quite exceptional cases. 



The "Homing-theory." 



It was suggested to me by A. Scott that the facts of 

 Experiment X. lend some support to the theory (which 

 has been more favoured in relation to fresh water than 

 sea fish) that fishes tend to return to the places from 

 which they are taken. At first sight this is very plausible. 

 It is true that 17, or about 25 per cent., of the fishes 

 caught in Barrow Channel and taken out to the 

 Morecambe Bay Lightship returned again to Barrow 

 Channel ; and if we consider only the fishes which were 

 u 



