482 MR. F. BALFOUR BROWNE ON THE EARLY STAGES IN THE 
originally caught in the Broad within perhaps 300 yards of 
the Laboratory, and that they were all retaken within the 
same area. Two cases are of some interest as indicating 
a homing instinct in the fish. A large Pike 33^ inches long 
was captured on February 1st, 1905, on a set line at a certain 
place on the Sutton Broad. It was carried in a boat to the 
Laboratory Staithe and deposited for some hours in a fish 
trunk in the water. It was then marked and released at the 
Staithe. On February 10th it was retaken on the same line 
on which it was originally caught, having found its way out 
of the shallow dyke at the Staithe into the Sutton Channel, 
where it turned to the left and travelled about 100 yards, 
after which it turned to the tight in amongst the reeds and 
travelled 20 or 30 yards to where the line was set. 
A similar case occurred in the autumn of last year where 
a small fish was taken on a spoon bait about 200 yards up 
the Sutton Channel and was brought to the Laboratory Staithe 
in a boat and then marked and released. After 16 days it was 
recaught at the same spot where it was originally taken. These 
two cases at least suggest that each fish has a definite beat 
which it patrols. 
I give a list of the recaptured fish from which it will be 
seen that their growth between the time of marking and 
recapture was very small. I should have expected the smaller 
fish to show the most rapid growth, whereas the largest of 
the five added more to its length than the others, the smallest 
fish adding the least. However, criticism of so small an 
amount of material is useless and I only give the list as a 
statement of fact : — 
>4 
eS 
s 
Date of 
Release . 
Length when 
Released. 
Inches. 
Date of 
Recapture. 
Length when 
Recaptured. ; 
Inches. 
Increase 
in 
Inches. 
c 
®lt g • 
i a =S 
.. c 
~ ■ x 
T 92 
Apr. 1 1 ,04 
19 
Feb. 18,05 
l 9 i 
h 
10 
T 76 
,, 11,04 
23 
Dec. 5,04 
2 34 
ft 
8 
T 56 
,, 11,04 
24^ 
Apr. 15,05 
26 
1 4 
12 
T 17 
,, 22,04 
25 i 
Dec. 7,04 
26* 
I 
8 
T 34 
,, 11,04 
27 
Feb. 18,05 
2 9 * 
2* 
10 
