15 
about 12 in. to 18 in. Among twenty-nine of these, nine were 
empty, five were feeding on sand eels, seven on Tellina tenuis, three 
on Donax trunculus, two on annelids, one on young sand eels and 
annelids, one on young mytilus, and one on Tellina tenuis and a 
grain of maize! Of twenty-six, there were eleven males and fifteen 
females. In 1807, among twenty-two plaice, there wei'e nine males 
and thirteen females. 
Dab. — Thirty-three were found to vary from 8$ in. x 4$ in. to 
13$ in. x 7| hi. At Alnmouth, on the 27tli July, one measured 
1G$ in. x 9 in., and at Goswick Sands dabs were got measuring 
18$ in. x 8 in. and 13$ in. x 7$ in., which numbers were approached 
to in most of the bays. Among twenty-nine, five were empty, seven 
were feeding on sand eels, seven on Portunus holsatus, four on 
Eupagurus bernhardus (all at Alnmouth Bay on 27th July), one on 
Tellina tenuis, one on Tellina tenuis and young mytilus, one on sand 
eels and Portunus holsatus, one on P. holsatus and solen, one on 
ampin pods, among which were broken molluscan shells, and one 
had a much digested fish — probably sand eel. Among twenty-eight 
dabs, there were two males and twenty-six females. In 1897, among 
eighteen, there were three males and fifteen females. 
Sole. — Ten were measured, varying from 10 in. x 4 in. to 
19 in. x 8$ in. Of seven of these, six were empty, one was feeding 
on sand eel. Among nine of them, two were males and seven 
females. In 1897, among sixteen, there were two males and four- 
teen females. 
The Codlixc, got in Blyth Bay on July 13th were feeding on 
Portunus holsatus, weever, and Loligo marmonc. 
The Cole Fish was feeding on P. holsatus. 
The Skate (Raia circularis ) were feeding in one case on sand 
eels, in another on solen, usually on P. holsatus. 
The Gurnards shew a similar majority in the favour of the 
females. In 1897, among fifteen gurnards, there were one male and 
fourteen females. 
This disproportion between the numbers of the sexes is not at all 
uncommon in the animal kingdom. Here it is associated with a 
total absence of secondary sexual characters even at the spawning 
season, of intercourse between the sexes, and also of parental care. 
The dragonet appears to be the only fish with floating ova in which 
sexual colouration occurs. But in this case an intimate relation 
between the sexes takes place at the spawning season, a habit first 
described by Saville Kent, and this year made the subject of an 
