H.—lsa

10

One-hundred-and-eleventh Haul. —For the last haul of the trip the net was shot half an hour's steam from the last position, at 4 a.m. in 32 fathoms, on soft sand. Towed S.W. by W. JW. five miles, and picked up at 6 a.m. from 38 fathoms. Result: 49 lemon-soles, 20 schnapper, 28 tarakahi, 1 John dory, 6 skate, and 4 sharks. Returned to New Plymouth. One-hundred-and-twelfth Haul. —The " Doto's " charter having been allowed to expire owing to the continued illness of the captain, the " Rita" was engaged to prospect Hawke's Bay outside the parts worked by local trawlers, and a start was made on 13th May at 8 a.m. Leaving Napier Spit at that hour the net was dropped half-way to the Kidnappers in 16 fathoms at 11 o'clock, on a sand bottom. Towed E. fS. four miles, and picked up in 21 fathoms. Result: 44 flounders, 12 soles, 2 John dory, 10 sharks, 64 gurnard, 3 red-cod, 1 kahawai, 3 moki, 4 schnapper, 7 tarakihi, and 15 skate. One-hundred-and-thirteenth Haul. —Put down the net again in 25 fathoms, on soft sand, and towed into 24 fathoms, N. f E. two miles and a half, picking up at 3.35 p.m. Result : 9 flounders, 16 schnapper, 24 tarakihi, 3 John dory, 110 gurnard, 1 red-cod, 9 skate, and 10 dogfish. One-hundred-and-fourteenth Haul. —Dropped the net again at 4 p.m. in 24 fathoms, on sand. Towed five miles N.W. by N., and in 23 fathoms hauled in 15 skate, 20 schnapper, 1 frost-fish, 5 John dory, 1 hapuku, 1 barracouta, 2 moki, 5 tarakihi, 158 gurnard, 4 flounders, 4 soles, a porcu-pine-fish, and a number of octopi. Returned to Napier. One-hundred-and-fifteenth Haul. —Left the Spit at 6 a.m. on the 14th ; steamed north for two hours, and shot the net on a mud bottom in 23 fathoms. Towed N.E. \ E. four miles into 30 fathoms, and hauled in 13 schnapper, 47 gurnard, 1 flounder, 1 megrim, 1 tarakihi, 11 skate, 5 John dory, 1 red-cod, and 1 porcupine. One-hundred-and-sixteenth Haul. —Steamed two hours north from last station, and sounded at intervals. Dropped the net on a mud bottom at 12.30 p.m. Towed S.E. by E. fE. two miles and three-quarters, when a strong north-east wind compelled us to pick up and run to Mahia Bay for shelter. The haul yielded only 10 small gurnard. One-hundred-and-seventeenth Haul. —Put down the net in Mahia Bay at 6.45 a.m. on the 15th May, and towed S.W. by S. JS. four miles over clean sand. Result: 12 schnapper, 65 gurnard, 12 flounders, 50 soles, 2 John dory, 3 skate, 4 dog-fish, 1 kahawai, and 4 trevalli. One-hundred-and- eighteenth Haul. —Shot the net again south of the Nuhaka River in 13 fathoms, on clean sand, at 10.30 a.m. Towed W. JS. four miles, and hauled up from 10^-fathoms, finding 16 schnapper, 36 gurnard, 1 flounder, 9 soles, 3 trevalli, 1 dog-fish, and 1 electric-ray. One-hundred-and-nineteenth Haul. —The net was next put down in 10 fathoms, near the entrance to Wairoa River, at 1.45 p.m., on a clean-sand bottom. Towed S.W. \W. two miles and three-quarters, and S.W. f S. three miles, hauling up from 9 fathoms, with 2 schnapper, 42 gurnard, 2 flounders, 16 soles, 1 kahawai, 1 skate, 1 elephant-fish, and a quantity of timber. Sounding along the coast past the Mohaka River, and finding hard bottom, the net was not put down again, and the " Rita " returned to Napier at 11 p.m. One-hundred-aud-twentieth Haul. —After prospecting the hard bank out to 10 fathoms on the 16th, finding nothing but stones or boulders, no further trawling was done, owing to bad weather, until the 19th, when at 1.45 p.m. the net was put down in 16 fathoms, tw r o miles and a half N.W. of Bare Island, on coarse sand. Towed S. by W. four miles, and picked up in 22 fathoms. The net was full of kelp, seaweed, and sand, but also contained 6 schnapper, 71 gurnard, 4 moki, 12 tarakihi, 2 flounders, 7 soles, and 3 porcupines. One-hundred-and-twenty-first Haul. —Lifted anchor inside the Kidnappers at 6.30 a.m., and, taking soundings, found a mud bottom three miles south of the point, where the net was shot in 24 fathoms. Towed S. \W. an hour over one mile and a half, and when picked up contained 2 schnapper, 2 gurnard, 17 tarakihi, 2 John dory, 4 skate, 1 lemon-sole, and 4 dog-fish. One-hundred-and-twenty-second Haul. —Steamed four miles N.E. of Kidnappers Point, and put down the net on a mud bottom in 35 fathoms. Towed N. fE. three miles and three-quarters, but the wind having changed to the west, and a bad cross-sea coming up, the net was hauled in, containing 13 schnapper, 4 gurnard, 11 tarakihi, 1 John dory, 2 red-cod, 4 skate, and 4 dog-fish. With the bad sea running further trawling was impossible, and the " Rita " returned to Napier, arriving there at 4.30 p.m.

A List op Fish taken, and Stations wheee they weee obtained. Common Floundeb (Bhombosolca monopus). —Taken at stations 2, 9, 15, 17, 19, 22, 30, 34,37, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 75, 77, 89, 91, 92, 93, 112, 113,114, 115, 117, 118, 119, 120. Beill, or Tuebot (Ammotretis guntheri). —Taken at stations 19, 23. Sole (Peltorhamphus novce-zealandice). —Taken at stations 3, 8, 13, 17,18, 19, 41, 59, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 69, 71, 83, 85, 87, 92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 112, 114, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121. Lemon-sole {Ammotretis rostratus). —Taken at stations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 21, 26, 27, 28, 29, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 58, 74, 78, 79, 80, 82, 88, 96, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110. Megeim [Ammotretis, sp. md.).—Taken at station 3, 115. Red-cod (Lotella rhacinus). —Taken at stations 2, 19, 112, 113, 115, 122. Blue-cod (Percis colias), —Taken at station 46. John doey {Zeus faber).— Taken at stations 1, 2, 3, 8, 10, 11, 15, 22, 27, 29, 30, 34, 35, 36, 39, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 53, 54, 58, 67, 68, 81, 84, 85, 86, 87, 89, 90, 95, 98, 101, 112, 113, 114, 115, 117, 119, 121, 122.