26 



March 31. 2,700 flounder, on off-shore grounds. 



„ 31. 340,000 haddock, 



„ 31. 2,320,000 cod, 

 April 6. 286,250 plaice, 

 6. 78,000 „ 



„ 12. 90,000 flounder, 



Total 3,318,910 



II. Lobster Hatching. 



A temporary stoppage of the gas supply for working the 

 engine and pumps, which was due to the necessary re-con- 

 struction of the local gasholder, besides proving fatal to 

 our stock of fish, &c., prevented us from doing as much 

 work at lobster hatching as had been intended. We were 

 only able to secure a small number of berried females, and 

 that close upon the hatching season. 



Early in July the steamer brought thirteen egg-bearing 

 females from Holyhead. On exan:iining the eggs it was 

 found that in four individuals the larvae were at the point 

 of hatching out, and all the others were well advanced. 

 It was therefore not thought advisable to take the eggs 

 off the swimmerets, so they were left attached, and the 

 parents placed in two sets of the Dannevig apparatus, one 

 lobster in each compartment, except the lowest of the 

 rows. The movable boxes had previously been taken out, 

 excepting those in the bottom compartments, which were 

 left in for the purpose of collecting the larvae when they 

 were hatched out in the upper compartments and came 

 down with the overflowing water. The parent lobsters 

 were kept in the dark as much as possible, previous 

 experiments having demonstrated that when in the light 

 they had a tendency to shake off and destroy their eggs. 

 This plan proved satisfactory, so far as keeping the eggs 



