26$ 



Part III. — Eleventh Annual Report 



old, spawning having probably taken place in June. Cunningham makes 

 no mention of any specimen caught in January. A large number of dabs 

 whose lengths vary from 20-52 mm., were caught on 4th March 1892. 

 Those must be at least nine months old, if we suppose that they were 

 spawned at the end of the spawning season, June. The largest dab (52 

 nun.) may be older than that. It may be even ten or eleven months. 

 The specimen captured on 2nd October 1887, measured 49 mm., and 

 must be, at least, four months old, if we suppose it spawned in June. It 

 may, however, be seven months old ; it is not likely to be any older. 

 Cunningham is of opinion that a dab just over a year old, may be as 

 small as 45 mm. (T8 inches), {Jour. Mar. Biol. Ass., Vol. II. No. 2, p. 

 101). A dab, 70*5 mm. long, was caught on 11th September 1889 ; this 

 example must be, at least, one year and three months old. The specimen 

 71 5 mm. long, obtained in June, may also be one year and 3 months old, 

 although it may be younger. One dab trawled in October, was 70 mm. 

 long, and could not be less than one year and four months old. 70 mm. 

 may be taken as pretty near the average length of the dab when one year 

 a nd three months old. If this be so, the size of a dab a year old is roughly 

 between 60 and 70 mm. (2*4-2-8 inches). 











Month when 





Date of 

 Capture 



No. of 

 Speeimei 



Sizes in Millimetres. 



Calculated Ace. 



Spawning 

 may be sup- 

 posed to have 

 taken place. 



Locality, 



Apr. 16, 1887 



1 



13 



About 1 month 



March 





Jan. 8, 1S91 



1 



10 





May 



Vicinity of Stat. I., Forth. 



, 1889 



1 



32 



,, 3 months 



March 



St Andrews Bay. 



,, 7, 1888 



4 



36:37-5:40:42 







July 5, 1888 



2 



48-5 : 59 



« 4 





Eden Seine net. 



Sept. 11. 1889 



3 



46: 49-5: 535 



,, 5 and 6 months 



April 



Oct. 2, 1887 





49 



,, 5 months 



May 



Trawl * N of Pier, St 

 Andrews Bav. 



,, 10, 1891 



1 



11 



„ 4 „ 



June 



Forth. 



Jan. 19, 1892 



4 



14: 14 5: 17-5:17 5 







Forth, Stat. II. 



Mar. 4. 1892 



21 



20-52 



:: I :: 





Bottom net, after storm. 



Apr. '_'<;, 1888 



1 



25 



., 10 „ 





St Andrews Bay. 



Jun. 7. 1888 



1 



71-5 



,, 1 year+3 months 



March 









(705 





June ) 

 May y 

 April ) 





Sept. 11, 1889 



5 



1.S0 :86 



]] ]] +4 " 



Seine net, Eden. 





(105 : 106 



,, +5 „ 





Oct, 2, 1887 





70 



+4 ,, 



June 



Trawl N. of Pier, St 



From last 



^ 1 









Andrews. 



week in April 



i 











to 1st week 



2 



146 : 148 



,, 2 years 



Mayor April 



Moray Firth, S.S. Garland. 



inlMav (in- 













clusive)^} 













Cunningham considers the dabs, 10*5 and 17 mm. long, caught on 14th 

 June 1890, and 25th June 1889 respectively, three months old (Jour. 

 Mar. Biol. Ass., Vol. II. No. 2, p. 100). A large number of dabs got in 

 Whitsand Bay on 17th June 1890 measured over 30 mm., and a number 

 of specimens obtained at St Andrews in June, also measured over 30 mm. 

 The former specimens he considers three months old ; the average size 

 at three months appears then to be a little over 30 mm. To a dab cap- 

 tured in the Humber on March 30th 1892 (Jour. Mar. Biol. Ass., Vol. 

 II. No. 4 p. 352), which was 20 mm. long, Cunningham assigns the age 

 of six weeks. Others captured at the same date and varying in size from 

 32-51 mm., were thought to be ten months old. In the St Andrews 

 collection there are 21 dabs which were caught on 4th March 1892, 

 which correspond almost exactly with those caught in the Humber on 

 30th March 1892. They vary in size from 20-52 mm., while the Humber 

 specimens vary from 20-51 mm. The individual sizes of these former dabs, 

 the St Andrews specimens, are, 20 : 20 : 21 : 21 "5 :• 21 '5 : 22 : 22 : 24 : 



