£903. Wilson — A Proposed Mariiie Laboratory Jor Ulster, 49 



these fish are of special interest because they yield a revenue 

 of a good many thousand pounds a year. The movements of 

 the forms on which these fish feed, their reaction to seasonal 

 changes, and their whole history ought to be carefully in- 

 quired into. 



It is obvious that, however willing the naturalists of 

 Belfast may be, the majority of them will only be able to 

 devote an occasional day to collecting material for study, and 

 accordingly the Association will aim at having a trained 

 naturalist and a boatman constantly employed in obtaining 

 and sorting out plants and animals for the workers. The 

 Honorary Director will have charge of the apportionment of * 

 the spoil to the various members and others, and reports will, 

 from time to time, be issued, with results. It is not proposed 

 to oppose in any way the existing scientific Societies of 

 Belfast ; but, on the contrary, it is expected that these 

 Societies will serve as agents for publishing many of the finds 

 of the new Association. 



The one difficult}^ in the way of starting work is the need 

 of funds. It is estimated that to carry on the work, even on 

 the moderate scale proposed, would involve an outlay of 

 about ;^30o a year, as well as a considerable initial expendi- 

 ture,, and it is too much to expect the workers of the Asso- 

 ciation to provide such a large amount. In view of the 

 probable utility of the work to be done, it is thought that 

 public-spirited men, and even the Department of Agriculture 

 — which has done so much already for the fisheries and other 

 industries — may come to the help of the Association. A few 

 gentlemen have already come forward to give the scheme a 

 start, and what is now wanted to ensure a fair chance of 

 good work being done, is a subsidy from the Department of 

 Agriculture, or a number of promises of annual contributions 

 from private well-wishers. 



Queen's College, Belfast. 



