16 



150 miles in thirty-one clays ; and bottle No. 1, set free at 

 the Liverpool Bar on September 30th, 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 Kibble Estuary, was picked up on November 

 12th at St. Anne's, having only gone 4 miles. 



"We have not considered it necessary to give the par- 

 ticulars of every bottle that has been set free and after- 

 wards recovered, but we have divided up our district into 

 eight convenient areas in each of which a sufficiently 

 large number of bottles has been set free, and the following 

 table shows our results for these areas : — 



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 for the last twelve months, and we 



