222 THE director's report. 



Exliibition of London, lias allowed me to publish a letter describing 

 the character and history of his oyster ponds in the Beaulieu river. 



Mr. Cunningham has already attracted public attention to the 

 possibility of an anchovy fishery in English waters. In a paper 

 published in this number, he gives a further account of the observed 

 frequency of the anchovy in our waters, and discusses at length the 

 steps which might be taken for establishing a trade and fishery for 

 English anchovies. 



Mr. Johnson's paper on The Flora of Plymouth Sound although 

 it might at first sight appear to be of little practical value, is 

 of considerable importance. His observations on the growth of 

 algae in Plymouth Sound give a clear picture of the prejudicial effect 

 of sewage and refuse matter on plant life. This disturbance of 

 plant life necessarily leads to a disturbance of the numerous animal 

 forms which are always found associated with plants, and which in 

 turn afford food to other animals which are of importance to man. 

 The impoverishment of a marine flora as a consequence of sewage 

 contamination has not^ as far as I know, been pointed out as clearly 

 before, and it opens a wide field for research in districts, such as 

 the mouth of the Thames, where the effects of sewage pollution are 

 keenly felt, though the exact harm is inperfectly understood. 



Finally, I must call attention to Dr. Fowler's abstract of the in- 

 vestigations made by the Dutch Fishery Officers, on the relation 

 between the temperature of the sea and the annual catches of an- 

 chovies in Holland. The original paper, being written in the Dutch 

 language, has met with very little attention. Nothing can show 

 more clearly the importance of making extensive and continuous ob- 

 servations on the physical conditions of the sea, not in one place 

 only, but all round our coasts, and of comparing those conditions 

 with the observed movements or abundance of food-fishes. 



Since the publication of the last Journal we have been passing 

 through the winter months, and for obvious reasons there is little 

 of importance to be said of the doings of the Laboratory during 

 those months. The majority of the volunteer workers left Plymouth 

 by the end of September, but Mr. Bateson returned in October for 

 a month's stay, and Dr. Fowler stayed on till the end of November. 

 Mr. T. H. Riches, B.A., arrived in October, and has been working, 

 nearly continuously ever since. Mr. Weldon is still residing at 

 Plymouth to continue his investigations on the Crustacea, and Mr. 

 Herbert Thompson, M.A., spent the month of February at the 

 Laboratory in researches on Crustacean development. 



During the whole of January we were prevented, by gales of 

 exceptional severity, from doing any work at sea. 



Special mention may be made of two circumstances. In November 



