8 FISHES AND FISHERIES OF THE IRISH SEA. 
free. Dozens were let off from time to time from the Isle of Man steam in crossing to 
Douglas and back, at intervals of quarter of an hour, and from our trawlers when dredging’ 
between Port Erin and Ireland. Several dozen have been let off from Mr. Alfred Holt’s 
steamers in going round to Holyhead and in coming down from Greenock. Our fishery 
steamer ‘“‘John Fell” has distributed a number along the coast in the northern part of 
the district, and others have been set free at stated intervals during the rise and fall of the 
tide from the Morecambe Bay Light Ship in the northern part of our area, north of the 
“head of the tide,” and from the Liverpool North-west Light Ship to the south of the 
“head of the tide.” Others, finally, have been despatched by Mr. R. L. Ascroft, 
by Mr. Andrew Scott, and by various members of the Committee in other parts of the 
area from small boats and on our dredging expeditions, in some cases, between the Isle of 
Man and Ireland. Altogether we have pretty well covered this northern area of the Irish 
Sea in our distribution of floating bottles. 
The details of the bottles found and returned have been reported on in our 
Laboratory Reports for 1895 and 1896, from which we copy the following particulars :— 
Over 42 per cent.—more than 2 out of every 5—of the bottles have come back to us. 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 
gth October, 1895, the tide ebbing and the wind N.N.W., were found next day near the 
Red Noses, 1 mile to the west. Others have been carried an unexpected length, e.g., one 
(No. 35), set free near the Crosby Light Ship, off Liverpool, at 12.30 p.m., on October 
ist, 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 30, 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 
Ribble Estuary, was picked up on November 12th at St. Anne’s, having gone only 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 records of weather during 
the periods in question, and we have noted opposite the bottles, from whose travels we 
are drawing any conclusions, an approximate estimate of the wind influences during the period 
when the bottle may have been at sea. There have been a few rather extraordinary journeys, 
e.g., one let off in the middle of Port Erin Bay, on April 23rd, was found at Fleetwood on 
July 6th ; another let off at Bradda Head, on June 3rd, was found on Pilling Sands (near 
Fleetwood), on July 24th. 
* More probably, very much further, as during that time it would certainly be carried backwards and 
forwards by the tide, 
