4 THE director's REPORT. 



legislators, pisciculturists, or fishermen, liave a right to expect an 

 immediate advantage as the result of their following it. If a loss 

 instead of a profit accrues, not only is that particular opinion set 

 down as worthless, but the popular voice is apt to pass from a 

 particular to a general statement, and to say that all scientific 

 opinion on such matters is equally without value. 



But perfect accuracy in any one detail requires long and laborious 

 woi'k, and many observations require many people to make them. 

 Such work cannot be undertaken by a single man, nor even by two 

 when one of them is subject to constant interruptions, with any 

 prospect of immediate result. Several students are required who 

 will interest themselves in the problems that concern marine life, 

 and will divide the work between them in such a way as to keep a 

 main object in view whilst they are working on separate details. 

 This is being done with great success by the Commission appointed 

 by the German Govei^nment for the investigation of the German 

 seas, and may be done with equal efficiency at Plymouth if only the 

 workers are forthcoming. As it is, Mr. Cunningham is fully 

 engaged in the study of bony fishes and their development, and as 

 much of my time as is not taken up with the duties of organisation 

 and secretarial work is devoted to the study of the vast mass of 

 living organisms which inhabit the surface waters of the seas — 

 animals which are of great importance as forming the basis of by 

 far the larger portion of marine life. But in addition to this, 

 statistical, physical, and chemical, as well as other zoological work 

 is required. The action of the tides and currents, the manner in 

 which they are influenced by the weather, the temperature, density, 

 and purity of the sea, are subjects which would take up the whole 

 time of a single investigator, and they are of the greatest impor- 

 tance in the study of the migrations, spawning, and abundance of 

 food-fishes. It is sincerely to be hoped that some gentleman will 

 come forward as a volunteer in this department, and will spend at 

 least a portion of his spare time at Plymouth. 



In order that a thorough knowledge of the Fauna and Flora of the 

 Devonshire and Cornish coasts may be obtained, it is requisite that 

 several naturalists should spend long periods in investigating the 

 different groups of the animal and vegetable kingdoms. Little can 

 be done by an individual beyond the mere enumeration of the 

 species with the date and locality of their capture. This work will 

 naturally form part of the researches of renters of tables, but in 

 order that it may be done well it is necessary that tables should be 

 occupied for long periods. 



By way of some remarks on the Fauna of Plymouth Sound it may 

 be stated that the dredging and collecting done by the Association 



