44 Part III. — T'wentij-first Annual Re'port 



niary, March, April, and May, and the fishes which are taken at this 

 time are large and ripe, e.g. in February and March in the Moray Firth 

 they were very large and spawning. In March 342 were taken in a 

 single haul in the Dornoch Firth, in from twelve to sixteen fathoms, 

 and other three hauls 3delded 148 ; of the total of 490 flounders only 54 

 were rejected as unmaiketable, although mature fishes. In Spey Bay 

 in four hauls 255 v/ere caui^ht, of which 219 were taken to market. In 

 Februaiy eight hauls in Burghead Bay, in from seven to thirty 

 fathoms, yielded no flounders ; three hauls in the same place at the 

 middle of March, in from seven to twelve fathoms, produced 39, all 

 large and marketable. In four hauls in the Dornoch in February, in 

 six to twelve fathoms, 215 were caught, all taken to market; in March, 

 as stated, the four hauls in the same place produced 490. 



There is some evidence as to the depths and distance from shore that 

 may be reached by the flounders in their spawning migration. As a 

 rule they do not go above two or three miles from shore if the water is 

 of suitable depth ; but in some cases they may travel much further. 

 Thus, while none were taken in numerous hauls on Smith's Bank in the 

 summer and autumn, two large individuals were got there on 19th March 

 in one of five hauls in from nineteen to twenty-eight fathoms, the 

 nearest shore being about twelve miles distant, and a channel of deep 

 water, exceeding thirty fathoms, intervening between it and Smith's 

 Bank. Two large ones were also t?.ken on February 9th, in from 

 twenty-five to thirty fathoms, six miles east of Cromarty. In some 

 years also, flounders were taken by the " Garland " at the Firth of 

 Forth Stations VIII. and IX. ; the former in from twenty to thirty 

 fathoms, two to seven miles from shore, the latter in twenty-nine to 

 thirty-two fathoms, nine miles off. They mostly occurred at Station 

 VIII. in March and April ; in some years none were got in any month, 

 and in 1889 forty-one were caught, some at both stations, a very 

 unusual number, viz. nine in April, one in May, nine in June, thirteen 

 in July, four in August, and five in October. None were taken at 

 either station in that year in January, February, March, or November. 

 On referring to the temperature observations, I find that in that year 

 the bottom- temperature was above the mean in January and February, 

 in January by 2*2'' F. ; in March it was normal, while in April, May, 

 and June it was below the mean — in April by about 1° F., and in 

 May by 2*3° and 2-0° F. ; and in July, August, and October the tem- 

 perature of the bottom water exceeded the mean, at Station VIII., by 

 1-6° F. in July, 1-9° F. in August, 1-7° F. in October, and 0-5° in 

 November, and at Station IX. by 2-8° F. in July, 1-9° in August, 1-6° 

 in October, and 0*8" in November. 



With regard to the subsidiary autumn migration, the largest number 

 of flounders was taken in the Dornoch Firth in August, viz. 194 in five 

 hauls in from five to eleven fathoms ; none were taken in June, eleven 

 were got in July in seven hauls, none in September in two hauls, and 

 none in October in twenty-six hauls. In Aberdeen Bay, on the other 

 hand, the largest hauls were obtained in October and November in from 

 six to sixteen fathoms ; no hauls were made in August. 



It thus appears that the adult flounders leave the shallow waters to 

 spawn in spring in deeper water a little offshore, returning in June, 

 and that later many of them again move off. 



Common Dab {Pleuronectes limanda). 



In some respects the plaice occupies an intermediate position between 

 the flounder and the common dab. The quite young specimens of the 



