82 



the date, time, state of the tide, direction of the wind, 

 and approximate quantity of floating eggs taken in the 

 tow-nets. The forms were filled up by Captain Wignall, 

 and returned to me, after the bottles had been set free. 



Altogether 102 bottles were made up, but one of these 

 was broken in transit, so that during the time the steamer 

 was trawling for spawning fish, from February to the 

 middle of May, 101 bottles were set free, of which we 

 have exact particulars regarding their distribution. Of 

 this number 41 or 40' 5% have been returned to Piel from 

 various parts of the coast-line of Cheshire, Lancashire, 

 Cumberland, and the South of Scotland. 



The following table gives the position of the steamer 

 when the bottles were let off, the place where they were 

 subsequently picked up, and the number of days that 

 elapsed between their despatch and recovery (see p. 34) : — 

 From this table it will be seen that nearly 22% of the 

 bottles have drifted in an easterly or southerly direction 

 after being set off, and nearly 18% have taken a northerly 

 direction. Only one bottle, No. 60, appears to have 

 crossed the head of the tide. Of the 40 set free in the 

 vicinity of the Bahama ship, 12 have been returned, and 

 of these eight have gone north to the south coast of 

 Scotland, and four have taken a south-easterly direction, 

 landing on the Cumberland coast. Bottles 51 and 53, set 

 free within fifty-five minutes of each other, yielded rather 

 peculiar results, the first going to Holyhead in seven 

 days, and the second to Duddon in 47 days, distances of 

 fifty-five miles and twenty miles respectively in a straight 

 line from the point of despatch, but in exactly opposite 

 directions. 



Of the various days on which the bottles were found, 

 only three were Sundays, and seven were Mondays. The 

 conclusion naturally drawn from this evidence is, that the 



