262 
Part III. — Ninth Annual Ee'port 
The average fertility of the long rough dab may be placed at between 
40,000 and 50,000. This is very little more than the herring and much 
less than the lumpsucker, both of which possess demersal ova, and con- 
trasts strikingly with the high fertility of the flounder, one of the latter 
containing as many ova as twenty long rough dabs. 
TuRBOT {Rhombus maximus). 
I was able to procure five specimens sufficiently developed to enable 
the fecundity to be determined. One was caught by the 'Garland' 
about 5 miles south-east of the Isle of May on 14th April. The second 
specimen was caught on the 12tli May, the third on 28th May, the fourth 
on 5th June, and the fifth on 24th June, all east of May Island. The 
details are as follows : — 
Length of 
Fish 
(in inches). 
Weight 
of 
Fish. 
Weight of 
Ovaries 
(in grains). 
Weight of 
part taken 
(in grains). 
Number of 
Ova 
counted. 
Total 
Number 
of Ova 
in Ovaries. 
1 
2 
3 
i 
5 
28 
? 
24 
? 
? 
17 lbs. 5 oz. 
181 lbs. 
14 lbs. 
18 lbs. 
21 lbs. 
9,680 
11,194 
11,700 
10,500 
16,844 
10 
10 
6 
8 
8 
9,568 
8,774 
4,156 
f Large, 184 
t Small, 4092 
9,161,824 
9,820,615 
8,104,200 
241,500 
5,370,750 
4,276 
4,804 
5,612,250 
10,114,822 
The ova of the three first specimens were small and of various sizes 
(but not showing the extreme diversity of those of the haddock, whiting, 
&c.), ranging from about 0*63 to 0*45 mm. In the fourth specimen, 
caught later in the season, a small proportion of the ova (4*3 per cent.) 
were large, hyaline, and fully mature, measuring 0*9 to 0-97 mm. in 
diameter. The opaque ova graduated down from 0*76 to 0*45 mm., but 
there were comparatively few so small as the latter. Buckland* states 
that a turbot weighing 23 lbs. possessed a roe which weighed 5 lbs. 9 oz., 
and contained 14,311,200 eggs. The ova in the latter specimen were no 
doubt more fully developed than in the one I have described. Turbot 
are recorded which turned the scales at 46 lbs. : if the fertility was in the 
same ratio as in those mentioned, fish of this weight would produce about 
30,000,000 eggs. Thus the turbot is one of the most fecund of sea fish. 
Brill {Rhombus Icevis). 
Only one specimen was available, caught on June 23rd. The length 
of the fish was not ascertained ; its gross weight was 5 J lbs., and the 
weight of the ovaries was 2783 grains. The ovaries were pale, cream- 
coloured. Ten grains contained 22 large hyaline ova, and 2922 smaller 
opaque ova. The total number in the ovaries would therefore be — large 
mature ova, 6122; small opaque, 819,315, or a total of 825,437. The 
large ova were from 1*20 to 1-26 mm. in diameter. The opaque were 
mostly nearly uniform in size (0*77 mm. to 0'56) ; but a very few much 
more minute ova were detected (0-35 to 0*09 mm.). Bucklandf states 
that a brill he examined contained 140,000 eggs; but no further par- 
ticulars are given. 
* Op. cit., pp. 209, 249. 
j t Op. cit., p. 246. 
