294 director's report. 



with the launch, on the other hand, the task is a most disheartening 

 one, being a literal example of the putting of a new piece of cloth 

 on an old garment so that the rent is made worse. 



A decided step must shortly be taken to obviate the very great 

 inconvenience caused by the unworthiness and utter collapse of both 

 the engines and hull. 



The launch has now served for three years, and was a decidedly 

 old boat when purchased. It is true that she has always been 

 inexpensive in her consumption of coal and water, but of late her 

 extremely inconvenient habit of breaking down has developed itself 

 rapidly, so that the bills for her repair are becoming alarming. It 

 is with a feeling of humility I say it, but she has sometimes broken 

 down as often as three times in one week. It is necessary to work 

 her at a still further reduction of pressure, and she is, moreover, a 

 source of decided danger to those on board. But for the favour 

 of the elements we could have done little sea work during the 

 past summer. There is a certain sum of money — inadequate, no 

 doubt, but still a nucleus — forming what is termed the Boat Fund. 

 In the hope that through the circulation of the Journal, members 

 and others may care to read this report, I venture to write plainly 

 with regard to this our most urgent necessity. Whether or not the 

 Association buys a large sailing trawler for fishery investigations, a 

 new launch with which to procure specimens in this locality is 

 imperative. 



The Library continues to increase. An exchange of periodicals 

 has just been arranged with the Director of the new German 

 Station on Heligoland, and by the kindness of many authors a 

 constant influx of papers occurs from all parts of the civilised world. 



Constant additions are also being made to the aquarium. At 

 present the tanks show, in addition to ordinary examples of the 

 cod family, dog-fishes, crabs, and flounders, a fine collection of 

 wrasses, some extremely large congers, a red mullet, schools of 

 bass, pipe-fishes, turbots, soles, and other flat-fishes, and a large 

 variety of anemones. The attendance of visitors keeps up, and 

 when some special animals are on view, and an advertisement has 

 been inserted in the local papers, the money taken at the door often 

 becomes considerable. The aquarium is now becoming recognised 

 as one of the sights of Plymouth. 



Mr. Cunningham has lately been devoting most of his time to a 

 study of the coloration of fishes' skins, and to a continuation of his 

 work on the rate of growth of food-fishes. 



As an addition to the range of his work in connection with the 

 latter subject, a large amount of material has been supplied to him 

 by Mr. Holt from fishes collected at Grimsby and in the deeper 



