AND NEIGHBOURING SEAS DURING 1897. 203 



buoyant object of spherical and, still more so, of cylindrical form, float- 

 ing at the sea-surface and bobbing up and down under the action of the 

 waves, inevitably exposes a considerable part of its bulk to the direct 

 action of the winds, and experiments founded upon the journeys of 

 such objects are vitiated in proportion to the relative bulk of the 

 part exposed to wind-action. Mr. Allen selected common "egg- 

 shaped " soda-water bottles (used by Schweppe and other manufacturers 

 of aerated waters) for our experiments, and their admirable adapta- 

 bility to the purpose will be generally conceded. These bottles are 

 9 inches long (varying between 9 inches and 9^ inches), and their 

 maximum diameter is a little below the middle of the bottle, at 

 5| inches from the mouth. From this zone the bottle tapers towards 

 each extremity, being conical at the closed end, but produced into 

 a cylindrical neck at the open end. This neck is 2h inches long, 

 and its diameter is 1 inch. The mouth is surrounded by a slight 

 rim f-inch deep, which increases the outside diameter of the neck 

 in this region to a maximum diameter varying between 1^ and 

 1^ inches. 



The preparation of these common objects for their scientific mission 

 is as follows : — The bottles are washed and thoroughly dried. A 

 piece of wire, the counterpoise of the post card to be eventually 

 enclosed, is inserted, a piece of hard paraf&n is dropped inside, and 

 small quantities of leaden shot are added until the bottle floats 

 upright in sea-water, with its mouth all but submerged. The wire 

 is then removed and the bottle placed upright in a pail of hot 

 water until the paraffin is melted, when it is placed aside — still 

 in a vertical position — until the paraffin has thoroughly liardened 

 again. The object attained by this means is to prevent the shot 

 from rolling about inside the bottle, and so displacing the centre 

 of gravity. The post card and a conspicuous notice marked " Break 

 the Bottle " are then introduced, and the bottle is thoroughly corked, 

 the cork being pushed in flush with the mouth of the bottle and 

 sealed with paraffin wax. The whole of the neck and upper half 

 of the bottle is then painted with red enamel paint, so as to render 

 the bottle conspicuous. 



III. Results of Experiments. 



The actual localities where our bottles have been sent adrift and 

 where they have been subsequently recovered are given in tabular 

 form at the end of this report. The experiments fall into two 

 categories dealing with distinct areas, viz. : (1) the English Channel and 

 North Sea, and (2) St. George's Channel and the Irish Sea. Only 



NEW SEIUES. — VOL. V. NO. 2. 



