of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



199 



Of the other collections whose measurements are given in the Tables, 

 it may be said that in that taken on 13th May at the " Doghole," off 

 Aberdeen, in 55 fathoms, in which case the sexes were separately dealt 

 with, the younger series is imperfectly represented. A group beginning 

 as to the females about 12cm. or 13cm. shows an aggregation at 14cm. 

 and 14*5cm., the apex in the curve of the measurements being at 14"5cm., 

 after which there is a drop to 15'5cm. and a subsequent rise, indicating 

 that the third series in the collection of 1st April contains two series. 

 This is rather confirmed by the position of the aggregation of the males, 

 the apex of the curve being in the gap between, viz., at 15 '5cm. The 

 numbers, however, are not very large. 



TURBOT (Rhombus (Bothus) maximus). 



Observations as to the rate of growth of this important flat-fish leave 

 much to be desired. The number measured by me, the measurements of 

 which are given in Table XVII., was 212, but comparatively few of these 

 refer to young fishes. 



The spawning period is in summer, from about the middle of April to 

 the early part of August, and is at its height in June. The larval turbot 

 measures 2*2mm. to 2 , 8mm.; after the absorption of the yolk, in about a 

 week, it measures 3'2mm. to 4 , 8mm., and metamorphosis is usually com- 

 pleted at about 27mm.* 



The pelagic metamorphosing forms are got in August and September, 

 and partly in July, and the young forms on the sands in September and 

 later, Thus Cunningham notes the pelagic forms from early in August 

 till 8th September, measuring from 15mm. to 37mm., and which he 

 thought were about one month old, but are probably older. 



M'Intosh refers to specimens of 21mm. to 28mm. in July and August, 

 and of 41mm. to 62mm. on 7th September; on 18th September, three, 

 respectively, 44mm., 48mm., and 55mm., were got by me at the mouth of 

 the Don. M'Intosh records them 3 inches long (about 7*5cm.) in the 

 middle of December, and this is the largest for the year of which I have 

 noted a definite record. 



From this time on to about the end of March it is almost certain the 

 turbot grows little or not at all, as with other small flat-fishes in the 

 same habitat. 



In the spring of the next year the recorded sizes are as follows : — 23rd 

 May, 2| inches (60mm.), by M'Intosh; April 25th, 79mm.; May 16th, 

 three at 68mm., 73mm., and 85mm., by Cunningham, who also says that 

 from April to June, at Cleethorpes, they measure from 75mm. to 105mm. 

 (3-4J inches). I received one from the Solway Firth, taken on 23rd 

 April, which measured 95mm., while another from the same locality, 

 caught on 27th November, was 119mm. (4| inches), and had no doubt 

 passed through the second summer of its life. 



The young turbot at or approaching one year of age is thus a very little 

 fish, and probably ranges in size from about 70mm. (2| inches) or less to 

 about 105mm. (4 J inches). 



A tank experiment of Cunningham's may be mentioned. In June he 

 put into a tank a number of young turbot in the pelagic transforming 

 stage; on the 19th October three, whose measurements are given, were 

 65mm., 95mm., and 99mm. respectively; on 4th April, in the next year, 

 ^the one which survived was 108mm. 



*Ehrenbaum, Nordisches Plankton, Vierte Lieferung, I. Eier und Larvcn von Fischen. 

 Theil I., p. 199, Kiel und Leipzig, 1905. 



