i) 
men have also written long after returning to their homes, 
expressing the pleasure they had had in the fortnight’s 
work at Piel and their thanks for the practical instruction 
they had been given and for the plain way in which things 
were put before them. 
‘There can be no doubt that these classes are of practical 
value to the fishermen. All those who have been with us 
freely admitted that many of the views they held regarding 
the spawning, development, and rate of growth of fish and 
other economic marine animals were erroneous. We are 
convinced that it is only by allowing each man to study 
the animals for himself, make dissections and examine 
material with the microscope that lasting good can be 
obtained. A course of instruction such as is given to the 
fishermen would be of great help to the Bailiffs when 
collecting specimens and tow-nettings for the Laboratories. 
“ Various mémbers of the Committee visited the classes 
from time to time to see the progress of the work, including 
Mr. Fell, Mr. Ascroft, Mr. Houldsworth, Mr. Dawson and 
Professor Herdman, all of whom addressed the men on the 
objects and work of the classes.” 
We had hoped this year to have hada report from Mr. 
R. L. Ascroft upon the tow-net gatherings taken throughout 
the district. The scheme for the periodic collection of 
gatherings from the surface of the sea at certain fixed 
places was started in 1900, and during that year about 150 
samples of material were examined by Mr. Ascroft and the 
results have been tabulated. During 1901 the work has 
been carried on, and about the same number of gatherings 
have been made, chiefly by Captain Wignall from the 
steamer “ John Fell,’’ by Mr. Eccles in Liverpool Bay, and 
by Mr. Wright in Barrow Channel and Morecambe Bay. 
Many of these have been examined, but Mr. Ascroft’s recent 
