of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



201 



It does not appear to me altogether probable, judging from the facts 

 given above, and those that follow from the older groups, that all the 

 turbot up to 13cm. (5J inches) are under one year of age. It will be 

 observed that the young turbot are rather smaller than the young brill, 

 and it must be borne in mind that the addition of a unit of length to a 

 turbot means a much greater increase in growth than to any other 

 fiat fish, owing to its breadth and thickness and its consequent greater 

 proportional weight.* 



If regarded provisionally as approaching their second year, then the 

 next group, from 13cm. to 17cm. or 18cm. (5 J to 7 inches), must be looked 

 upon as nearing their third year; the fourth group, from 17cm. or 18cm. 

 to 22cm. (7 to 8| inches), as nearing their fourth year; and those from 

 22cm. to 26cm. (8| to 10^ inches) as approaching their fifth year. 



TABLE 2. 



Inches. 





June. 



July. 





3 







i 



i 



3 



1 







1 



1 





s 



5 



2 





i 



1 







i 



3 



2 







2 









7 





1 





1 



1 





! 





4 





•i 



7 





3 





i 







1 



1 



2 





2 







1 







2 



2 



1 



t 











: 







9 



i 







I 



i 







i 

















loj 



\ 















11 



i 







i 









The possibility of each of these groups being a year younger must not 

 be lost sight of ; in any event, those of the latter size can scarcely be less 

 than four years of age or near it. 



Turning now to the collections which contain the larger fishes, we have 

 some in October, November, December, and February, which are of 

 interest. The measurements are given in Table XVII. 



Although the numbers are not large in any instance, the arrangement 

 and order of the figures are such as to lead to the supposition that the 

 groups are of small dimensions. 



The group above referred to, from the stake-nets, as extending from 

 about 22cm. to 26cm., is represented by only a single specimen, at 23cm., 

 taken in December at Burghead Bay. It is at the end of either its fourth 

 or fifth summer. 



*See Twenty-second Annual Report, Part III., pp. 144, 216. 



