EEPOKT OF THE COUNCIL. 83 



appointed for the term of oue year, to carry out, for the Plymouth 

 district, statistical and other inquiries similar to those upon which Mr. 

 Holt has been engaged at Grimsby. 



Mr. J. P. Thomasson, to whose generosity the Association has been 

 so largely indebted in previous years, has renewed his donation of £250, 

 for fishery investigations on the North Sea for another year, commenc- 

 ing in March last. 



General Report. 



Mr. Holt concluded his work at Grimsby in the winter, and has 

 since then prepared an account of his observations on the North Sea 

 Fisheries during the past three years, in a more popular form than the 

 technical papers which he has contributed to the Journal. This 

 summary, which gives a most valuable and unique picture of the 

 present state of the Fisheries, and should prove of great value in the 

 event of protective legislation, has been printed as a special number 

 of the Journal, and reprinted for sale and distribution. 



Mr. Cunningham has prepared for press a natural history of market- 

 able sea fish, to appeal to a wider public than the Journal can attract, 

 which will also be issued as a special number of the Journal, and 

 reprinted for distribution and sale. This memoir is especially designed 

 for the use of the Sea Fisheries' Committees controlling the fisheries of 

 the English coast. 



In addition to the preparation of this memoir, Mr. Cunningham has 

 continued his investigations into the rate of the growth of fishes, and 

 the minute structure of the eggs and ovary ; he has also carried out 

 further experiments in the relations between light and colouration of 

 fishes. 



The water in circulation at the Laboratory has lately improved very 

 greatly in quality under a new system of working introduced by the 

 present Director. Whether as a consequence of this or not, the soles 

 in the aquarium have bred this spring for the first time ; no previous 

 record is known of soles having bred naturally in confinement. 



After June 30th, the arrangement will terminate, by which the 

 Association has made an annual contribution to the Marine Fisheries 

 Society (Grimsby) in return for the use and control of the Cleethorpes 

 Aquarium by Mr. Holt. 



The following interesting additions have been made to our know- 

 ledge of the Plymouth Fauna during the past year : 

 Tiaropsis diachmata. 

 Halecuwi tenellum. 

 Plumularia halecioides. 



