53 



cork was well pressed down, and dipped in melted paraffin. 

 Over a hundred of these bottles have, since September 

 30th, been dropped into the sea in various parts of our 

 area, a record being kept of the locality and time when 

 each was set free. Several dozen were let off from the 

 Isle of Man steamer in crossing to Douglas and back, at 

 intervals of quarter of an hour, and from our trawler 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. 

 Mr. Dawson on the fishery steamer " John Fell " has dis- 

 tributed a number along the coast in the northern part of 

 the district, and others have been set free at stated inter- 

 vals during the rise and fall of the tide from the Morecambe 

 Bay Light Vessel, and Lieutenant Sweny has kindly 

 arranged to have a similar periodic distribution from the 

 Liverpool NorthWest LightVessel. Altogether, over 83 per 

 cent., or about one in three of the papers distributed have 

 been subsequently picked up on the shore and returned 

 duly filled in and signed. 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. Others have been carried an 

 unexpected length, e.g., one (No. 35), set free near the 

 Crosby Light Vessel, off Liverpool, at 12.30 p.m., on 

 October 1st, was picked up at Saltcoats in Ayrshire, on 

 November 7th, having travelled a distance of at least 180 

 miles* in 37 days ; another (H. 20) was set free near the 

 Skerries, Anglesey, on October 6th, and was picked up 

 one mile N. of Ardrossan, on November 7th, having 

 travelled 150 miles in 31 days; and bottle No. 1, set free 



* More probably, very much further, as during that time it would 

 certainly be carried backwards and fyrwards by the tide. 



