40 TEANSACTIONS LIVEEPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



in filling and posting the cards. They come from various 

 parts of the coast of the Irish Sea — Scotland, England, 

 Wales, Isle of Man, and Ireland. Some of the bottles 

 have gone quite a short distance, having evidently been 

 taken straight ashore by the rising tide; while others 

 have been blown ashore by the wind, e.g., two (post cards 

 211 and 214) let off near New Brighton stage on 9th 

 October, 1895, the tide ebbing and the wind N.N.W., 

 were found next day near the Bed Noses, 1 mile to the 

 west. Others have been carried an unexpected length, 

 e.g., one (No. 35), set free near the Crosby Light Vessel, 

 off Liverpool, at 12.30 p.m., on October 1st, was picked 

 up at Saltcoats, in Ayrshire, on November 7th, having 

 travelled a distance of at least 180 miles* in thirty-seven 

 days ; another (H. 20) was set free near the Skerries, 

 Anglesey, on October 6th, and was picked up one mile 

 north of Ardrossan, on November 7th, having travelled 

 150 miles in thirty-one days ; and bottle No. 1 , set free at 

 the Liverpool Bar on September 30th, was picked up at 

 Shiskin, Arran, about 165 miles off, on November 12th. 

 On the other hand, a bottle (J. F. 34) set free on November 

 7th, in the Bibble Estuary, was picked up on November 

 12th at St. Anne's, having only gone 4 miles. 



It may be doubted whether our numbers are sufficiently 

 large to enable us to draw very definite conclusions. It 

 is only by the evidence of large numbers that the vitiating 

 effect of exceptional circumstances, such as an unusual 

 gale, can be eliminated. Prevailing winds, on the other 

 hand, such as would usually affect the drift of surface 

 organisms, are amongst the normally acting causes which 

 we are trying to ascertain. Mr. W. E. Plummer of the 

 Bidston Observatory has kindly given us access to his 



* More probably, very much further, as during that time it would 

 certainly be carried backwards and forwards by the tide. 



