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Part III. — Eighth Annual Report 
Brill (Rhombus Icevu). 
The evidence as to immature brill is also negative. Only one 
specimen was obtained in the special net, and it was twenty inches long. 
During the past two years the 4 Garland,' which works chiefly in the 
territorial waters, has captured seventeen specimens of this fish. The 
smallest was nine and a quarter inches in length, and was taken in com- 
paratively shallow water in St Andrews Bay in March. Ten specimens 
were obtained by trawlers while Mr Scott was on board, the smallest, 
which was eight inches in length, was caught in deep water twenty-five 
miles from land. The largest specimen obtained by the 'Garland' was 
twenty-four inches long. One, twenty-three inches in length, was found 
to be ripe in May at the mouth of the Forth, within two miles from shore, 
so that spawning may occasionally occur in territorial waters. There is 
little doubt, however, that brill spawn chiefly at considerable distances 
from shore, and it is probable that the young are chiefly to be found 
there. If small brill frequented the territoral waters to any extent, some 
would have been caught in the 1 Garland's ' trawl. Only two of the larger 
sized immature individuals were caught in territorial waters ; one of these 
was thirteen inches, and the other sixteen and a half inches in length. 
Professor M 'In tosh mentions* that the smallest specimens landed by local 
trawlers, who fish in St Andrews Bay, were about ten inches in length. 
Other Flat-Fish. 
V 
Immature individuals of other flat-fish were obtained in numbers too 
few to enable anything definite to be said as to their distribution. 
These were flounder (Pleuroncctes ftesus), witch sole (P. cynoglossus), little 
sole (Solea lutea), and sail fluke (Arnoylossus mcgastoma). No 
flounders were captured under seven inches in length ; the four im- 
mature individuals were found in shallow water close in-shore. The two 
immature witch soles were obtained in a depth of twenty fathoms, ten 
miles from land. The little soles were all captured in the Moray 
Firth, mostly at Smith Bank, in the off-shore waters ; a few were, 
however, obtained from the in-shore grounds. This species is chiefly 
interesting from the fact that it may reach maturity and spawn when 
only a little over three inches in length. Adult specimens would un- 
doubtedly be popularly classed as ' immature fish.' 
Skate. 
Sixty-three specimens of skates and rays were obtained in the special 
net, and 433 in the ordinary trawling operations of the ' Garland ' in 
1888 and 1889, but small specimens were scarce. 
It would appear, from an examination of the records, that immature 
skates and rays are found almost equally in-shore and off-shore. In the 
case of the thornback (Rata clavata), they are rather more abundant in 
deep off-shore water. The smallest thornback ray obtained was three 
inches broad ; of the two specimens of this size, one was got near shore, 
and the other ten miles off. Nearly all the very small thornbacks got 
in the Firth of Forth were caught near its mouth. The smallest starry 
ray (Rata radiata) was three and a half inches, and it was obtained 
eight miles from shore. The smallest gray skate (Rata batis) was six and 
a half inches, caught within four miles from shore. The smallest speci- 
*Op. cil., p. 361. 
